Mallett Hits The Long Passes
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett completed passes of 58 and 64 yards against Mississippi State on Saturday, giving him 10 completions this season of 50-plus yards, which leads the FBS. Mallett has 8 completions of 50-plus yards in his last 6 games, with at least one in each game.
Here are the FBS leaders this season in the number of 50-plus yard completions:
Player Team Yr Att 50+ +-----------------+----------------+----+-----+-----+ Ryan Mallett Arkansas SO 328 10 Josh Nesbitt Georgia Tech JR 125 9 Blaine Gabbert Missouri SO 373 8 Trevor Vittatoe UTEP JR 367 7 Jimmy Clausen Notre Dame JR 395 7 Tyler Sheehan Bowling Green SR 497 6 Aaron Opelt Toledo SR 261 6 Levi Brown Troy SR 417 6 Kyle Parker Clemson FR 296 6
The name that immediately jumps out from that list is Josh Nesbitt. Despite having a significantly fewer attempts than the others on the list, Nesbitt is 2nd in the FBS in completions of 50-plus yards. Head coach Paul Johnson’s run-heavy spread option offense obviously opens up opportunities for big passing plays. As a team, Georgia Tech ranks 119th out of 120 FBS teams in the number of passes attempted this season.
Here are the FBS leaders this season in the lowest ratio of attempts per 50-plus yard completion on a minimum of two 50-plus yard completions:
Player Team Yr Att 50+ Att/50+ +-----------------+----------------+----+-----+-----+---------+ Josh Nesbitt Georgia Tech JR 125 9 13.89 Matt Grothe South Florida SR 59 3 19.67 Brian Reader Idaho SO 67 3 22.33 Ricky Dobbs Navy JR 75 3 25.00 Tyler Bass Memphis SO 81 3 27.00 Steven Sheffield Texas Tech JR 125 4 31.25 Ryan Mallett Arkansas SO 328 10 32.80 B.J. Daniels South Florida FR 173 5 34.60 Greg Alexander Hawaii SR 150 4 37.50 Cody Endres Connecticut SO 154 4 38.50
Hat Tip: Whole Hog Sports