ESPN Stats & Information 8y

100 stats for the 2016 college football season

Tuesday marks 100 days until college football season, so what better way to celebrate than with 100 of our most notable and interesting college football stats?

1: Watson’s big year: In 2015, Clemson QB Deshaun Watson became the first player in FBS history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards.

2: Preseason No. 1: Since the AP preseason poll's debut in 1950, two teams have gone wire-to-wire at No. 1. Florida State did so in 1999 and USC achieved the feat in 2004.

3: Shutting ‘em down: Michigan was the only FBS team to record three shutouts in 2015. The Wolverines’ three shutouts came in consecutive games vs. BYU on Sept. 26, Maryland on Oct. 3 and Northwestern on Oct. 10.

4: Keeping it 200: Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry each recorded four games with 200 or more rushing yards last season. Herschel Walker (1980) and Bo Jackson (1985) are the only other players in SEC history to record four games with at least 200 rushing yards in a single season.

5: NFL experience: There are five head coaches at the FBS level with NFL head-coaching experience, including three in the Big Ten: Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Mike Riley (Nebraska) and Lovie Smith (Illinois). The others are Jim Mora at UCLA and Nick Saban at Alabama.

6: An all-around threat: Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey had an FBS-high six games with 300 or more all-purpose yards last year. No other player had more than two such games. McCaffrey had 3,864 all-purpose yards in 2015, which broke Barry Sanders’ FBS record for one season set in 1988.

7: Fastest freshman to 1,000: The seventh game of the season is the earliest a freshman has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. The first to achieve the feat was Florida’s Emmitt Smith (1987).

8: Definitely no cakewalk for 'Bama: Alabama recorded eight wins against AP-ranked teams last year. That is tied for the most by any team in one season in the poll era (with 2011 LSU).

9: Wins vs. No. 1s: Miami (Fla.) has defeated an AP No. 1 team nine times, the most by any school in the poll era. The last time the Hurricanes defeated a No. 1 was Florida State on Oct. 7, 2000.

10: Temple got sacks: Temple’s defense recorded the only double-digit sack game by an FBS team in 2015, notching 10 sacks in its season-opening win over Penn State. It was the Owls’ first win over the Nittany Lions since 1941 (0-38-1 in 39 meetings prior to that).

11: Not losing anybody: Florida State is the only FBS team to return all 11 starters on offense, according to Phil Steele. This includes running back Dalvin Cook, who set a single-season program record with 1,691 rushing yards last season.

12: Longest active win streak: Alabama has won 12 straight games entering the 2016 season. That’s the longest active winning streak in FBS. The Crimson Tide open the season against USC in Arlington, Texas. Alabama is 9-0 in season-opening games under Nick Saban (including 2007 vacated win).

13: 13 wins in 2015: Only three FBS teams had 13 or more wins in 2015. CFP championship game opponents Alabama and Clemson each won 14 games, and Houston notched 13 victories.

14: Ohio State great in road and neutral games: Ohio State has won 14 consecutive road or neutral games, the longest active streak in the FBS. The next longest streak is eight games by Alabama and Toledo.

15: UNC’s improved defense: Under new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, North Carolina’s defense gave up 14.5 points per game fewer last season than the season before. That was the largest scoring defense improvement of any Power 5 team last season.

16: Give that man the ball: Tennessee running back William Howard attempted 16 straight rushes for the Volunteers against Ole Miss on Nov. 15, 1986, the most consecutive rushes by one player in single-game FBS history. Unranked Tennessee went on to knock off the No. 20 Rebels in Jackson, Mississippi.

17: The perfect game: TCU’s Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin combined to complete all 17 of their passes in a win over Grambling on Sept. 8, 2012. It’s still the most passes without an incompletion by one team in single-game FBS history.

18: Watson goes deep: Clemson QB Deshaun Watson had 18 touchdowns on throws of 20 or more yards downfield, the most by any Power 5 quarterback.

19: Head coaches at alma maters: There are 19 head coaches working at their respective alma maters. Notables include Mark Richt (Miami), Kirby Smart (Georgia) and Barry Odom (Missouri).

20: Gator bait: 2016 is the 20-year anniversary of Florida’s first national title and of Florida QB Danny Wuerffel winning the Heisman Trophy. Steve Spurrier, Florida’s only Heisman winner before Wuerffel, was head coach of those Gators. This marked the beginning of SEC dominance in college football; the conference has won 11 national titles in the last 20 seasons.

21: Highest scoring margin: Oklahoma had an FBS-best average scoring margin of 21.5 points per game in 2015. The FBS record for that category is 1944 Army, which finished the season with an average scoring margin of 52.1.

22: A pretty good streak: Ohio State has been in the AP top 10 for each of the last 22 weeks, the longest active streak in the nation.

23: Virginia Tech gets to bowls: Virginia Tech has made a bowl in 23 straight seasons, the longest active streak in the FBS. The Hokies have had to win their final regular-season game in three of the last four seasons, all against Virginia, in order to win six games and become bowl-eligible.

24: Blowout City: In the 2015 bowl season, 24 bowls were decided by a double-digit margin. That was the most ever for any bowl season.

25: Say "Cheese": The 2016 season will mark the 25th anniversary of the Heisman Trophy-winning season of Michigan’s Desmond Howard. Howard punctuated his season by striking the Heisman pose after a 93-yard punt return TD in the Wolverines’ win over archrival Ohio State.

26: Pick-26: Arkansas State led FBS teams by recording 26 interceptions in 2015. West Virginia had the most picks of any Power 5 Conference team, with 23.

27: Kicking success: Clemson kicker Greg Huegel led FBS kickers with 27 made field goals in 2015. Huegel made 84.4 percent of his field goal attempts on the season, ninth among kickers with at least 20 attempts.

28: Fewest rushes: Texas Tech (10) and Centenary (18) combined to attempt 28 rushes on Nov. 11, 1939, the fewest combined rush attempts by two teams in a game in FBS history.

29: A fine establishment: Bryant-Denny Stadium, the home stadium of Alabama, opened its doors in 1929. It has expanded over the years and has an official capacity of 101,821. It is one of seven stadiums in the FBS that has a capacity of more than 100,000.

30: Testaverde’s Heisman: 2016 marks the 30-year anniversary of Miami QB Vinny Testaverde’s Heisman Trophy win. Testaverde was the first Hurricanes player to win the Heisman and the second player from a Florida school to win the award (Florida’s Steve Spurrier was the first in 1966).

31: Archie Griffin’s streak: Ohio State RB Archie Griffin rushed for at least 100 yards in 31 straight games from 1973 through ‘75, the longest such streak in FBS history. Griffin won the Heisman Trophy following both the 1974 and ‘75 seasons.

32: Pass, pass, pass: NC State attempted passes on 32 straight plays against Duke on Nov. 11, 1989, the most consecutive passes without a rush in FBS history. Last season’s FBS high was 21 by Florida State against Houston in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

33: Never better: Kent State’s defense had the lowest single-game yards allowed total by an FBS team in 2015, as it held FCS Delaware State to minus-33 yards in a 45-13 win on Sept. 12.

34: Trojans' win streak: USC won 34 games in a row leading to the 2006 BCS National Championship. The Trojans lost that game to Texas 41-38, thanks in part to a heroic performance by Vince Young.

35: Kansas’ road woes: Kansas has lost 35 consecutive road games. It’s the longest such streak by any team since the FBS and FCS split in 1978.

36: The penalties mount: San Jose State (24) and Fresno State (12) combined to be called for 36 penalties on Oct. 4, 1986. That is the most combined penalties by two teams in FBS single-game history.

37: Stat tracking begins: In 1937, the NCAA began to officially track national statistics at the major-college level. Colorado’s Byron “Whizzer” White led the FBS in rushing (1,121 yards), and TCU’s Davey O’Brien led the FBS in passing (969 yards), but Yale’s Clint Frank won the Heisman Trophy.

38: George Rogers’ number: South Carolina running back George Rogers wore No. 38 while amassing 1,894 yards and 14 scores en route to winning the 1980 Heisman Trophy. Rogers remains the only Gamecocks player to win the Heisman.

39: Touchdowns scored: The FBS single-season record for touchdowns scored (non-passing) is 39, held by Barry Sanders (1988) and Montee Ball (2011). Ball played 14 games in the 2011 season, three more than Sanders played in his 1988 Heisman campaign.

40: Most times sacked: No FBS quarterback was sacked more than Tulsa’s Dane Evans in 2015. Evans was sacked 40 times over the course of the Golden Hurricane’s 6-7 campaign.

41: Most completions in a half: Wake Forest QB Rusty LaRue completed 41 passes in the second half of a loss to Duke on Oct. 28, 1995. That was the most completions by one player in one half in FBS history.

42: A big quarter: Middle Tennessee had the highest scoring quarter of any FBS team in 2015. The Blue Raiders recorded 42 points in the first quarter of their Sept. 19 win over Charlotte.

43: Irish’s dominance over Navy: Notre Dame beat Navy in 43 straight games from 1964 to 2006, the longest win streak by one team over another major opponent in FBS history.

44: Marshall Faulk’s big day: San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk scored 44 points in a win over Pacific on Sept. 14, 1991 (7 TDs, 1 2-point conversion). That remains the most points scored by one player against a major-college opponent in FBS history.

45: “The Game of the Century”: Nov. 21 will mark the 45th anniversary of “The Game of the Century” between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma in Norman. Nebraska won the game 35-31, with Johnny Rodgers recording a punt return TD and Jeff Kinney putting Nebraska ahead with a touchdown run with 1:38 left to play (it was the last of his four TDs in the game).

46: Cato’s TD pass streak: Marshall QB Rakeem Cato threw a touchdown pass in 46 straight games from 2011 to ‘14, the longest such streak in FBS history.

47: Boomer Sooner: Oklahoma won an FBS-record 47 straight games from 1953 to ‘57 under head coach Bud Wilkinson. The Sooners won the 1955 and ‘56 national titles in that stretch, before Notre Dame ended the win streak in November 1957.

48: Racking up the points: Baylor led all FBS teams in scoring in 2015, with 48.1 points per game. The Bears have led the FBS in scoring in each of the past three seasons. The only other team in FBS history to lead in scoring for three straight seasons was BYU (1979-81).

49: No bad seasons: From 1939 to ’87, Penn State went 49 seasons without finishing with a losing record. That is the longest such streak in FBS history.

50: 50th anniversary of the tie: Nov. 19 will mark the 50th anniversary of the 10-10 tie between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State in East Lansing. After the game, Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian was the subject of criticism for electing to run out the clock when the Fighting Irish got the ball back late in the game.

51: Vanderbilt vs. top 5: Vanderbilt is 0-51 against AP top 5 opponents. That is the most losses without a win by any team in the poll era against top 5 opponents (since 1936).

52: Turner kept busy: Northern Illinois running back Michael Turner had 52 rushes in the Huskies’ win over Central Michigan on Nov. 18, 2000. It remains the FBS record for rush attempts in one game by a freshman.

53: Alabama got sacks: Defending national champion Alabama recorded an FBS-best 53 sacks in 2015. The next-closest team was the Crimson Tide’s CFP title game opponent, Clemson, which had 48 sacks.

54: Safety in numbers: FBS defenses recorded 54 safeties during the 2015 season. UTEP notched the most safeties, three.

55: Tebow touchdowns: Tim Tebow was responsible for 55 touchdowns during his 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning season, most ever for a player in the SEC.

56: Army scoring record: The 1944 Army team averaged 56 points per game over a nine-game schedule, the highest scoring average in FBS history.

57: Welker returned a lot of punts: Texas Tech wide receiver Wes Welker returned 57 punts in 2002, the most in one season in FBS history. Alabama’s Cyrus Jones led the FBS with 42 punt returns in 2015.

58: All about the “U”: Miami won an FBS-record 58 straight games at home from 1985 through 1994 under head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. The Hurricanes won three national titles and defeated three No. 1-ranked teams at home during that stretch. Washington defeated Miami in September 1994 to end the home winning streak.

59: Kaepernick was versatile: Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick rushed for 59 touchdowns from 2007-10. He remains one of two players in FBS history to rush for 50 touchdowns and throw 50 touchdown passes in their careers (Tim Tebow is the other).

60: Fairbairn connects from deep: UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was credited with the longest field goal in FBS last season, a 60-yarder in an Oct. 22 game against California.

61: Bama’s first under Bryant: In 1961, Alabama went 11-0 en route to a national title. It was the school’s first title in the AP poll era and Paul “Bear” Bryant’s first of a record six national titles. Alabama had five consecutive games with a shutout, the Tide’s longest streak since major classification in 1937.

62: Airing it out: Hawaii threw a total of 62 touchdown passes in 14 games in 2006. That is the most by any team for one season in FBS history.

63: Staubach’s Heisman: Navy quarterback Roger Staubach won his Heisman Trophy in 1963. That is the last time a player from a service academy won the Heisman. Staubach is one of five players from a service academy to win the award. The first was Army’s Doc Blanchard in 1945.

64: Outside the numbers: Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly posted a Power 5-best 64.9 percent completion rate on throws outside the numbers in 2015. Kelly also led all Power 5 quarterbacks in 20-yard completions outside the numbers (35) and tied for the most passing touchdowns (18).

65: National title outside Power 5: There are 65 teams in the Power 5. The last team to win the national championship that is not currently in the Power 5 was BYU in 1984, and before that, it was Army in 1945.

66: Edelman for 10, again and again: In 2008, Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman had 66 rushes of 10 or more yards. It’s the most for one season by any FBS player over the past 10 seasons. Edelman set the school’s single-season record for total offense that year.

67: Lots of points in a loss: Nevada scored 67 points in a 69-67, four-overtime loss to Boise State in 2007. It’s still the most points scored in a loss in FBS history.

68: The wishbone: In 1968, Texas head coach Darrell Royal implemented the wishbone offense. Texas went on to win 30 games in a row and two national championships from 1968 to 1970, resulting in others adopting the offense.

69: Oregon overtakes the record: From 2006 to 2011, Texas Tech registered a streak of 69 games scoring on a passing touchdown. That was an FBS record until Oregon eclipsed that mark last season. The Ducks have an active streak of 81 consecutive games scoring on a passing touchdown.

70: Baylor puts up points: Since Art Briles’ began his tenure at Baylor in 2008, the Bears have recorded an FBS-high six games with at least 70 points.

71: Going the distance: Arkansas defeated Kentucky 71-63 in seven overtimes on Nov. 1, 2003, tying the FBS record for most overtime periods. The Razorbacks scored a touchdown on six of their seven overtime possessions and finished with an FBS-record 47 points in overtime.

72: Freshmen can now play: In 1972, the NCAA made the decision to restore freshman eligibility, meaning that freshmen could play at the varsity level. The NCAA had historically prohibited freshman participation at the varsity level in football, with the exception of during World War II.

73: Points galore: Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee had the highest single-game point totals by an FBS team against another FBS opponent in 2015 -- Ole Miss scored 73 in a Sept. 12 win over Fresno State; Middle Tennessee hit the 73 mark a week later against FBS transitional squad Charlotte.

74: No defense in Lubbock: Texas Tech’s defense allowed 74 offensive touchdowns in 2015, the most of any FBS team. Despite that, the Red Raiders went 7-6 on the season.

75: Babin and Mack were loss leaders: Western Michigan’s Jason Babin (2000-03) and Buffalo’s Khalil Mack (2010-13) each recorded 75 tackles for loss in their careers. They’re tied for the most since the NCAA began to officially record TFLs in 2000.

76: Snyder successful no matter what age: Age of Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, the oldest active FBS coach. The Wildcats have a .656 win percentage with Snyder as head coach. Without him, they have a .378 win percentage.

77: Cookin’ it up: Florida State running back Dalvin Cook accounted for 77 percent of the Seminoles’ rushing yards in 2015, the highest percentage of any Power 5 player. Last season, Cook totaled 1,691 rushing yards, surpassing Warrick Dunn’s (1995) single-season record by an FSU player.

78: FBS and FCS split: In 1978, the NCAA split Division I football into two levels. The I-A level is now referred to as the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), while the I-AA level is now known as the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision).

79: Bama goes back-to-back: In 1979, Alabama completed back-to-back national title runs, finishing with a 12-0 record after shutting out five opponents and allowing 67 points the entire season. Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant earned his sixth national title, the most by any coach in the AP poll era. Nick Saban’s five national titles rank second behind Bryant.

80: Big numbers in Vegas: UNLV was the only FBS team to score 80 points in a game during 2015, recording an 80-8 win over Idaho State in Las Vegas on Sept. 26.

81: Lots of top dogs: In 1981, there were seven different No. 1 teams, the most for one season in AP poll history. Clemson, one of the seven, went on to finish the season 12-0 and as the consensus national champion.

82: Bryant’s legacy Paul “Bear” Bryant's career came to a close in 1982, when he announced his retirement. His final game was a 21-15 victory over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl, his 323rd career win. A month later, Bryant died of a heart attack.

83: Watts was a great tackler: Texas A&M defensive back Armani Watts led the SEC with 83 solo tackles last season as a sophomore. Watt had a career-high 16 solo tackles against Ole Miss in October, which tied for the most in a game by an FBS player last season.

84: The great USC: It has been 84 seasons since USC went 10-0 in 1932 and became the first team to win the Rose Bowl in back-to-back seasons. The Trojans have the most all-time wins and appearances in the Rose Bowl.

85: Oklahoma’s true freshman QB: In 1985, Oklahoma lost its starting quarterback, Troy Aikman, due to injury but got stellar play out of true freshman QB Jamelle Holieway. The Sooners went on the win the national title. And Holieway remains the only true freshman quarterback to win a national title.

86: Baylor racked up TDs Baylor led FBS teams in touchdowns scored last season with 86. All but one of those were scored by the offense. The Bears’ lone non-offensive TD was a fumble return for a score in their Oct. 10 win at Kansas.

87: Lots of completions: Houston (53) and Louisiana Tech (34) combined to complete 87 passes on Sept. 8, 2012, the most combined completions in one game in FBS history.

88: The last title for Fighting Irish: Notre Dame hasn’t won a national title since 1988. The Irish, who were coached that season by Lou Holtz, finished 12-0 with 10 wins by a double-digit margin. They have eight national titles in the AP poll era, second-most behind Alabama (11).

89: That’s a lot of throws: In October 2013, Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday threw 89 passes against Oregon, completing 58 of them. That’s the most passes for one game in FBS history.

90: Pretty familiar with each other: Minnesota and Wisconsin first in a football game in 1890. The Gophers and Badgers have met 125 times, the most rivalry games played among FBS schools. This season's game is set for Nov. 26 in Madison.

91: Howard in 1991: Michigan’s Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy in 1991, the last time a wide receiver won the honor. There have been two other wide receivers to win the award: Johnny Rodgers (1972) and Tim Brown (1987).

92: SEC changes college football landscape: In 1992, the SEC became the first conference to play a conference championship game. The first game was Dec. 5, 1992, when Alabama used a late Antonio Langham interception return to seal a 28-21 win over Florida. Alabama went on to win the national championship a few weeks later.

93: Cavaliers’ streak with a pick: On Nov. 6, 1993, the longest streak of games with at least one interception of an opponent's pass began. The mark belongs to Virginia, which started its run Nov. 6, 1993, against Wake Forest.

94: Highest scoring half: North Texas (49) and Navy (45) combined to score 94 points in the first half on Nov. 10, 2007, the highest total points in one half in FBS history.

95: Taking it to the house: The longest punt return in FBS in 2015 was a 95-yard touchdown return by Texas State’s Brandon McDowell in a Sept. 12 win over Prairie View A&M.

96: No more ties: In 1996, the NCAA changed the rules to decide games that were tied after regulation in overtime. There were 26 overtime games that season.

96: FBS vs. FCS: According to the statistics section of NCAA.org, FBS teams went 96-9 against FCS opponents during the 2015 season.

97: Still the one and only: Michigan’s Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy in 1997 and is the only defensive player to win the award.

98: Big play for Adams: Notre Dame running back Josh Adams had a 98-yard touchdown run in the Irish’s 28-7 win over Wake Forest last season. It was the longest play from scrimmage in 2015. It is also the longest play from scrimmage in Notre Dame history.

99: Approaching perfection… : Six FBS quarterbacks posted a single-game Total QBR (which uses a 0-to-100 scale) of at least 99 in 2015: Brandon Allen 99.7 vs. UTEP; Taylor Lamb 99.7 at Louisiana Monroe; James Summers 99.4 at SMU; Deshaun Watson 99.2 at Miami; Jake Rudock 99.0 vs. Rutgers; and Gunner Kiel 99.0 vs. UCF.

100: FBS single-game scoring record: Houston defeated Tulsa 100-6 on Nov. 23, 1968. The 100 points are the most scored in one game by an FBS team against another major college opponent.

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