Tim Has Come to Take Your Records
Watch your back Herschel Walker
A review of the most recent SEC record book shows a number of new entries for Gator quarterback Tim Tebow after the 2007 season, including –
Yards Gained – Season
1. Tim Tebow - 4,181 (2007)
2. Tim Couch – 4,151 (1998)
Yards Per Game – Season
4. 341.7 – Tim Couch 1997
5. 321.6 – Tim Tebow 2007
6. 316.6 – Eric Zeier 1993
Touchdown Responsibility – Game
1. (several tied with 7, including) Tim Tebow, Florida v. South Carolina 2007
Touchdown Responsibility – Season
1. 55 – Tim Tebow 2007
2. 43 – Andre Woodson 2007
Most Touchdowns (not passing) – Season
1. 24 – Shaun Alexander 1999
2. 23 – Tim Tebow 2007
However, Tebow’s record that really intrigues me from 2007 was –
Touchdowns Rushing – Season
1. 23 –Tim Tebow 2007
2. 19 – Garrison Hearst 1992
_ 19 – Shaun Alexander 1999
_ 19 LeBrandon Toefield 2001
Which leads us to this –
Touchdowns Rushing - CAREER
1. 49— Herschel Walker, Georgia
2. 46— Kevin Faulk, LSU
3. 45— Carnell Williams, Auburn
4. 44— Dalton Hilliard, LSU
5. 43— Bo Jackson, Auburn
6. 41— Shaun Alexander, Alabama
_ 41— Darren McFadden, Arkansas
8. 40— Charles Alexander, LSU
9. 37— Deuce McAllister, Ole Miss
10. 36— Lars Tate, Georgia
_ 36— Emmitt Smith, Florida
12. 35— James Stewart, Tennessee
13. 34— Johnny Musso, Alabama
_ 34— Joe Cribbs, Auburn
_ 34— Errict Rhett, Florida
16. 33— Bobby Humphrey, Alabama
_ 33— Garrison Hearst, Georgia
_ 33— Earnest Graham, Florida
19. 32— Charles Trippi, Georgia
20. 31— Fred Taylor, Florida
_ 31— Tim Tebow, Florida
Yes young Tim, the ONLY active player on this list needs but 18 rushing touchdowns to become the all-time SEC leader in this category. Once again, this category is RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS.
Seeing as Tim scored 23 last year, the possibility exists that he could do it this season.
So here at Saurian Sagacity we are going to create a “countdown”, if you will, as Tim climbs the record book each week towards rushing touchdown immortality.
Charles Trippi of Georgia is up first with 32 career TD’s. On deck with 33 each are Bobby Humphrey of Alabama, Garrison Hearst of Georgia, and our own Earnest Graham.
Watch helplessly as ye sacred names of yore fall to The Chosen One, SEC rivals.
Mentioned in Austin Murphy's book 
12 comments:
Mergz,
VERY INTERESTING stats, while I doubt many of the Heisman voters last year had bothered to familiarize themselves with them, they certainly justify the award.
I hope the last line doesn't jinx us.
I didnt know the SEC had such great RBs. Sweet.
It just blows my mind that Tebow is all but certain to finish his college career with more rushing TDs than Emmitt Smith.
Those are some amazing stats, but...
Losses - CAREER
Tim Tebow - 4
Herschel Walker - 3
Anon,
In case you didn't realize it, Football is a team sport. Florida had a miserable defense. But nice try in shifting the discussion away from the subject at hand (rushing) to something that makes no sense.
Gomez is right - Herschel was backed by UGA's famed "Junkyard Defense," led by Erk Russell. UGA won several close games in the Herschel era - many on defensive plays. Plus, modern day Tebow can face up to 14 opponents, that is 27% more games than ye ole UGA of '80-'83....
Skigator93 points out the obvious problems with comparisons like this. Herschel scored 49 TDs in 3 years at UGA, in seasons where they played 11 games plus a bowl. I think that bowl game stats did not count back then, so he scored 49 TD in 33 games for an average of 1.48 TD per game.
Tebow has scored 31 TDs in 27 games, since they now count bowl games in the statistics, for an average of 1.14 TD per game.
Even if we assume 3 additional bowl games for Walker, his rate goes down to 1.36 TD/game. Project that 1.36 number over 4 seasons with 14 games per season, and Walker would score 76 TDs for his career. (using the more accurate 1.48 number, Walker scores 83 TDs for his career)
Tebow, at his current rate, would score 64 over the same career.
Tebow is a phenomenal athlete/ambassador/heart surgeon/rabbi/missionary/ and may even actually be the GPOOE, but Walker played in a different era.
Such comparisons are fun, but in the end they don't mean much. (I still don't believe that Bonds is a better hitter than Babe Ruth)
Without Walker, UGA was a fair to good team in '80-'82. Without Tebow, Florida is still a good to very good team.
Henry,
As I posted on EDSBS, the defense excuse is a fair one, but it doesn't account for the fact that Tebow had dramatically different games against Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Michigan.
Here’s his average line against Auburn, LSU, Georgia and Michigan: 58.3% comp % (66.9% season),136.4 QB rating (178.3 season), 3.5 TD/INT (5.3 season), 2.6 yds/rush (4.2 season). Those are some sizable deltas from his season averages.
And, against Auburn and LSU, it's not as if Florida's defense allowed a mountain of points (20 and 28, respectively). In fact, in all four losses, the victor scored under Florida's 43 ppg average.
As you said, football is a team game and hence Florida's losses cannot merely be thrown at the feet of its defense.
Hey Tommy,
The post is about rushing TDs. Tebow had 5 rushing TDs in the four games you mention. In fact he didn't fail to score a rushing TD against any of those four teams.
My contention is that wins and losses depend on more than whether or not Tebow scores rushing TDs. Specifically the porous defense.
Michigan ran 20 more plays and possessed the ball for almost five more minutes than the Gators.
Georgia likewise possessed the ball almost 5 more minutes than the Gators.
LSU had 22 more offensive plays and possessed the ball almost TEN more minutes than the Gators including a fourth quarter where the Gators only possessed the ball for 2:51
Auburn ran 15 more offensive plays than the Gators and possessed the ball almost five more minutes than the Gators including fourth quarter where the Gators only had the ball for 4:47.
See a trend. The Gators could not get the offense on the field unless it was by allowing a long scoring drive by the opponent.
mhoram,
Sorry but the record is the record. They tried to do that with Roger Maris when he broke the Babe's record in 8 more games. None of the passing and rushing records that are set in this age of the 13 and 14 game season are going to carry an asterisk. It doesn't make sense.
Henry,
Agreed, the record is the record - and no asterisk is required unless it turns out that Tebow is using the Cream and the Clear (tm). My only point was that comparisons like this are really only valid for fun. You are free to believe that Tebow is a better rusher than Walker or Jackson (who may well be the best athlete ever to play in the SEC), but that is like failing to adjust for inflation when looking at the Consumer Price Index. Tebow will play in more games and get many more touches.
The record (if he makes it) will be an official record, but that doesn't change the fact that it is almost impossible to compare players from different eras.
Nowhere did I (or Mergz, who authored this post) say the word "better". To me it is a testament to the changes we are witnessing in the game that a QB could very likely hold the Rushing TD record by the then of the season. Nothing more. That doesn't mean Tebow would be a good RB.
But I thought that Tebow wasn't going to run the ball as much this year...dang.
And I wonder how many of those rushing TD's were from more than 10 yards out.
And I wonder how many rushing TD's the rest of the team(excluding Percy) had...
He's a great COLLEGE QB. However, the NFL will destroy him and his wobbley passes. (I know this post was about rushing.)
But, he DOES have some amazing numbers. Amazing, indeed.
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