13 College Football Players on Pace to Break FBS Records in 2014
With the college football season at its halfway point, it is not too early to extrapolate players' numbers and see what kind of records they are on pace for.
Nonconference play is over, which ostensibly means the best players will face harder competition in the second half of the year, but that doesn't always translate directly to the box score. For some players, production stays the same throughout the season.
This list only includes players who are on pace for FBS records and omits those who may break conference- and program-specific marks. This was done for the sake of brevity, since at this point, too many players are on track to break lesser records.
This list also doesn't claim to be absolute. A thorough attempt was made to track down as many players as possible who are on pace to break FBS records, but there's a chance some were missed.
If you spot an omission, feel free to post it in the comments.
Enjoy!
Special Case: DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M
1 of 13
Most Sacks by a Freshman in SEC (and maybe FBS) History
Myles Garrett has 7.5 sacks in seven games as a true freshman, putting him on pace to cruise past the SEC record of 8.0 set by Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina, 2011).
Brad Crawford of Saturday Down South claims Clowney's SEC record is also the NCAA record for sacks by a freshman, which very well might be true. However, that is not listed in the NCAA record book, cited in Crawford's piece or recognized by any of the other places we checked, so we can not be assured of its veracity.
What we can say is that Garrett is on pace for 14 sacks in a 13-game season, which is good not just for a freshman, but for any college player of any age. The NCAA record book recognizes 27 players who have recorded 14.5 sacks since 2000 (when defensive stats became official), and none of them were freshmen.
So Garrett could be on pace to set the FBS record for sacks by a freshman. We just aren't 100 percent positive.
K Roberto Aguayo, Florida State
2 of 13
Best Career Field-Goal Percentage in FBS History
This one comes with a caveat.
Roberto Aguayo is on pace to become the best kicker in college football history, but only if he declares for the NFL draft after this season. (He's a redshirt sophomore, so he's eligible.)
For the moment, though, let's ignore what Aguayo will do and assess what he can. After nailing 21 of 22 field goals and winning the Groza Award last season, he has come back even stronger to hit 13 of 13 field goals in 2014. At this rate, he would finish 28 of 28 on field goals after 13 games, putting him at 49 of 50 for his career.
The FBS record for field-goal percentage calls for a minimum of 45 attempts, which Aguayo would cover by five kicks. It is currently held by former Louisiana-Lafayette kicker Brett Baer, who hit 45 of 50 field goals (90 percent) from 2009 to 2012.
Aguayo is on pace to finish at 98 percent.
QB J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
3 of 13
Best Passer Efficiency/Most TD Passes by a Freshman in FBS History
Former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick set the freshman passer efficiency record with a score of 180.4 in 1999.
That record has stood for 15 years, but Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett—a 19-year-old who learned he would replace injured starter Braxton Miller mere weeks before the season—is on pace to break it with a current QB rating of 186.34*.
Barrett has also thrown 17 touchdown passes through five starts, putting him on pace for 44 if Ohio State plays 13 games.
Former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford set the freshman record with 36 touchdown passes in 2007.
*Clemson freshman Deshaun Watson has a QB rating of 186.95 but is hard to count as "on-pace" after sustaining an injury to his throwing hand last week. The record book calls for at least 15 pass attempts per game.
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QB Rakeem Cato, Marshall
4 of 13
Most Consecutive Games With a Touchdown Pass
Rakeem Cato threw a touchdown pass for the 38th consecutive game last weekend, tying the record set by former N.C. State and Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson. Barring something catastrophic, he will break the record against Florida International this Saturday.
Even though his team, Marshall, is undefeated and ranked No. 25 in The Associated Press poll, you probably haven't gotten to see Cato play yet this season. The schedule doesn't get any more compelling from here, but do yourself a favor and check him out at some point before he graduates and it's too late.
Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer called Cato the most underrated player in college football during the offseason.
PR Kaelin Clay, Utah
5 of 13
Most Single-Season Punt Return Touchdowns in FBS History
North Carolina's Ryan Switzer tied the single-season FBS (and NCAA) record with five punt returns for touchdowns last season, joining former Hawaii returner Chad Owens.
Five games into the season, Utah punt returner Kaelin Clay has already returned three punts for touchdowns, putting him on pace for eight this season. Returns are the most fallacious stat to project because they occur in such a small sample size, but what Clay has done is good enough to warrant a mention.
Clay scored in back-to-back games against Michigan and Washington State in the middle of the season after also scoring in Week 1 against Idaho State. According to the FEI ratings at Football Outsiders, Utah has the best special teams in the country.
And it isn't even all that close.
RB Tevin Coleman, Indiana
6 of 13
Best Single-Season Yards Per Rushing Attempt in FBS History
The standardly accepted rushing-yards-per-attempt record requires at least 215 carries and is held by former Nebraska running back Mike Rozier, who averaged 7.81 yards on 275 carries in 1983.
Indiana running back Tevin Coleman is on pace to blow past that, averaging 8.83 yards on 120 carries through six games. Indiana is 3-3 and not likely to make a bowl, but at his current pace, Coleman would still finish a 12-game season with 240 carries.
Also worth watching is Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, who flirted with the record by averaging 7.81 yards on 205 carries last season. He and Marshall running back Devon Johnson are also on pace to break Rozier's record over a 13-game season, although if Coleman continues as he has, they will not hold first place.
PR Andre Debose, Florida
7 of 13
Best Single-Season Yards Per Punt Return in FBS History
Everything besides the punting game has been a nightmare for Florida this season. Punter Kyle Christy and returner Andre Debose have been the brightest specks of light in an otherwise dusky year.
Finally looking healthy, Debose has returned seven punts for 212 yards, good for an average of 30.29. His average of 1.4 returns per game satisfies the record book's lowest requirement (1.2), putting him on pace to break the record set by former UCLA running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who averaged 28.5 yards per return in 2005.
Also of note: Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett ranks second in the country with an average of 26.75 yards per punt return on eight attempts. At that pace, he would break the record that calls for a minimum of 1.5 returns per game, which was set at 23.5 yards per return by Jack Mitchell of Oklahoma in 1948 and tied by Floyd Little of Syracuse in 1965.
WR Phillip Dorsett, Miami
8 of 13
Best Single-Season Yards Per Catch in FBS History
Phillip Dorsett is posting absurd per-catch numbers for Miami. He has 550 receiving yards on only 16 receptions, leading the nation with an average of 34.38 yards each time he hauls in the ball.
The record book calls for a minimum of 30 receptions, which Dorsett might struggle to reach. But by the terms of this list, he is currently on pace to get there. (Sort of.) Over a 13-game season, he is on pace for 29.7 catches, which rounds up right to the threshold.
If he in fact reaches 30 catches at his current (or even a slightly lesser) pace, Dorsett would break the record of 31.9 yards per catch set by former Tulsa receiver Brennan Marion in 2007. And he would do it, all the more impressively, with a true freshman quarterback (Brad Kaaya) throwing the passes.
QB Connor Halliday, Washington State
9 of 13
Most Single-Season Attempts/Completions/Passing Yards Per Game in FBS History
As far volume is concerned, the current single-season passing records are almost all owned by Mike Leach-coached quarterbacks. We should not be aghast that Leach's current quarterback, Connor Halliday, is flirting with breaking the lot of them.
Halliday already broke the single-game passing record with 734 yards in a 60-59 loss against Cal two weeks ago and is only being held back by the fact that his team is 2-5. If Washington State does not make a bowl game (which appears likely), he will not get the benefit of a 13th game to break the volume records.
What Halliday can do, however, is top the existing per-game marks. He is averaging 62.6 pass attempts, 41.7 completions and 477.7 passing yards per game, all of which would be the most in FBS history if he continued on this pace until the end of the season.
Former Houston quarterback Dave Klingler set the per-game pass attempts (58.5) and yardage (467.3) records in 1990, and former Texas Tech quarterback/Leach protege Graham Harrell set the per-game completions record (39.4) in 2007.
All three of those should belong to Halliday after the season.
WR Justin Hardy, East Carolina
10 of 13
Most Career Receptions in NCAA History
Justin Hardy entered the season with 266 career receptions, needing just 84 to break the FBS record of 349 set by former Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles (2008-11).
Hardy has caught 47 passes through six games, putting him on pace for 94 this regular season and 360 for his career. He's on pace to finish with 367.8 career receptions if you count the all-but-assured bowl game East Carolina (5-1) will play in.
"I told myself I wouldn’t think about it until after I am done," Hardy said about the record, per Adam Thompson of the New Bern Sun Journal. "I work on perfecting my craft, improving my technique—anything I can do to have an advantage."
QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon
11 of 13
Best Single-Season Passer Efficiency in FBS History
Marcus Mariota is by all means still a Heisman contender, despite his team's home loss to Arizona in Week 6.
Injuries to the offensive line have made Mariota's protection shaky (to put it kindly) at times this season, but even so, he leads the nation with a QB rating of 193.72. He has completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 1,621 yards, 17 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Russell Wilson holds the current FBS efficiency record, having set it during his one season at Wisconsin in 2011. Wilson completed 72.8 percent of his passes that year for 3,175 yards, 33 touchdowns and four interceptions to finish with a QB rating of 191.78.
For what it's worth, Mariota might also catch Sam Bradford's career efficiency record of 175.6. If he continues at his current pace, he will finish a 13-game schedule with a career rating of 174.59.
If Oregon makes the Pac-12 Championship Game or reaches the College Football Playoff, however, things start to get interesting.
KR Alex Ross, Oklahoma
12 of 13
Best Single-Season Yards Per Kick Return in FBS History
Alex Ross has returned nine kicks for an average of 45.67 yards per attempt, scoring a pair of touchdowns to boot.
With exactly 1.5 kickoff returns per game, Ross qualifies for both listed FBS records—and he would break both of them, too.
The record with a minimum of 1.5 returns per game (38.2) was set by Forrest Hall of San Francisco in 1946, and the record with a minimum of 1.2 returns per (40.1) was set by Paul Allen of BYU in 1961.
Ross is flirting with some extra-historic history.
QB Anu Solomon, Arizona
13 of 13
Most Attempts/Completions/Passing Yards/Plays by a Freshman in FBS History
Rich Rodriguez has not put a leash on freshman quarterback Anu Solomon, and the results have been difficult to argue with.
Solomon is on pace to finish a 13-game season with 602 pass attempts, 377 completions, 4,628 passing yards and 722 plays (pass attempts plus carries), all of which would be FBS freshman records.
Jared "Hefty Lefty" Lorenzen set the current attempts (559) and completions (321) records at Kentucky in 2000, and Brett Hundley set the yardage (3,740) and plays (638) records at UCLA two years ago.
Solomon and Hundley will share the field when UCLA hosts Arizona Nov. 1.
Unless otherwise cited, all records came from the 2013 NCAA record book or Sports-Reference.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
