UF coach Urban Meyer was asked to put quarterback Tim Tebow?s season statistics into perspective following Saturday?s win against Florida State.
While Meyer admitted Tebow?s numbers were outstanding, he never really answered the question.
I will.
Tebow has accounted for 3,970 yards of total offense this season. That?s more than 12 entire teams, including Miami, Notre Dame and a bowl-eligible Mississippi State squad.
Tebow?s 22 rushing touchdowns place him third in the nation, behind only running backs Kevin Smith of UCF and Matt Forte from Tulane.
The 22 rushing touchdowns are also the most by any player in the history of the SEC and are tied for the most by a quarterback in NCAA history. Air Force?s Chance Harridge ran for 22 scores in 2002, but he was a glorified running back in an option offense that rarely threw the ball.
Tebow?s 51 total touchdowns lead the nation, and only seven players have passed for more touchdowns.
He is second in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 177.85, while earning a reputation as the top running quarterback in the game.
The sophomore has rushed for more touchdowns than option quarterback Eric Crouch did when he won the Heisman at Nebraska in 2001. His numbers are also more impressive than those of former UF quarterbacks Rex Grossman, the runner-up in 2001, and Danny Wuerffel, who won the Heisman in 1996.
Tebow has rushed for more touchdowns than USC tailback Reggie Bush and thrown for more touchdowns than USC?s Matt Leinart did in 2005 when they contended for the award, which Bush won. Not only do Tebow?s stats surpass those of former winners, but they blow those of the other Heisman contenders out of the water.
Missouri?s Chase Daniel has accounted for 15 fewer touchdowns than Tebow, and his passer rating is more than 20 points lower.
Arkansas? running back Darren McFadden has rushed for seven fewer touchdowns than Tebow. And against their seven common opponents, Tebow accounted for 30 touchdowns, while McFadden totaled six.
While West Virginia quarterback Pat White has only played one fewer game than Tebow, he?ll need 1,328 total yards and 25 touchdowns against Pittsburgh next week to equal Tebow?s numbers.
Let me put it this way. If you owned Tebow in a fantasy college football league, there?s a good chance you?d go undefeated. (Unless, of course, you also owned the Gators? defense).
And Tebow did most of his damage against SEC defenses.
Can you imagine what kind of numbers he would be putting up if he played for a team in the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West? Even if you put him into a competitive but more offense-oriented league like the Pac-10 or Big 12, his numbers would probably improve dramatically.
The Gators have three losses, but you can?t fault Tebow for any of them. In fact, he has been one of the most consistent players in college football, despite playing through injuries that may have kept some off the field entirely.
The quarterback scored so many touchdowns against South Carolina (seven) that even offensive guru Steve Spurrier shook his head in disbelief.
And if Tebow doesn?t win the Heisman in a couple of weeks, you should be shaking your head, as well.
