Eulogizing Walsh’s First Season

Before the rest of the season makes J.W. Walsh’s stint at quarterback a foggy memory, let’s take a snapshot at this point in the season to fully appreciate what he accomplished at the helm of Monken’s ship. To make this even more impressive, I removed Walsh’s stats against Savannah State.

Taking out the Savannah State game, here’s where Walsh currently ranks nationally in several categories. First, let’s take a look at the traditional passing stats that make up a player’s QB Rating:

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Walsh is one of only eight BCS-level quarterbacks that can claim top 40 in each category[1. A.J. McCarron, Collin Klein, Geno Smith, E.J. Manuel, David Ash, Aaron Murray, and Teddy Bridgewater are the others.].

We all know J.W. can hurt you with his legs, too. Walsh is 3rd in yards/rush among quarterbacks at 7.0 behind only Denard Robinson and Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois.

Finally, here’s the stat that really tells the tale of how impressive Walsh has been. It’s total yards per play among QBs (passing yards + rushing yards) / (pass attempts + rush attempts). So basically, the number of yards gained each time a QB doesn’t hand off to a running back.

1. J.W. Walsh, Oklahoma St. – 9.4 yards/play
2. Nick Florence, Baylor – 9.3
3. Joel Stave, Wisconsin – 9.1
4. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas – 9.0
5. E.J. Manuel, Florida St. – 8.3
6. Aaron Murray, Georgia – 8.2
7. A.J. McCarron, Alabama – 8.0
8. Denard Robinson, Michigan – 7.8
9. Collin Klein, Kansas St. – 7.8
10. David Ash, Texas – 7.7
NCAA average: 6.7