Ground Conversions
October 23rd, 2008Nothing beats a good third- or fourth-and-short situation, especially when the game is on the line. The offense and defense are both in short-yardage formations and the crowd is on its feet and screaming. It usually comes down to which line can get the bigger push, but it helps on offense to have a quarterback or running back that has a nose for the first down marker or goal line.
Here’s a look at the players in the FBS that have had the most success in short-yardage rushing situations this season. Third- and fourth-down rushing plays with two yards to go or less are considered, and the play is converted if the ball carrier gets a first down or touchdown (or both). To qualify for the list, a player must have a minimum of nine third- or fourth-down short-yardage rushing attempts on the season.
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Rush Att. | Conv. | Conv. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Kennedy | Akron | RB | 11 | 11 | 100.00% |
| 1 | Damion Fletcher | Southern Miss. | RB | 9 | 9 | 100.00% |
| 3 | Zac Robinson | Oklahoma State | QB | 12 | 11 | 91.67% |
| 4 | Todd Newell | Air Force | FB | 11 | 10 | 90.91% |
| 5 | Donald Brown | Connecticut | TB | 10 | 9 | 90.00% |
| 6 | Daryll Clark | Penn State | QB | 9 | 8 | 88.89% |
| 7 | Josh Freeman | Kansas State | QB | 17 | 15 | 88.24% |
| 8 | Harvey Unga | BYU | RB | 14 | 12 | 85.71% |
| 9 | Chris Crane | Boston College | QB | 12 | 10 | 83.33% |
| 9 | Frank Summers | UNLV | RB | 12 | 10 | 83.33% |
| 11 | Joseph Turner | TCU | TB | 11 | 9 | 81.82% |
| 11 | Curtis Brinkley | Syracuse | RB | 11 | 9 | 81.82% |
| 13 | Kory Sheets | Purdue | RB | 15 | 12 | 80.00% |
| 13 | Vai Taua | Nevada | RB | 15 | 12 | 80.00% |
| 13 | Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | 10 | 8 | 80.00% |
| 13 | Anthony Dixon | Miss. State | RB | 10 | 8 | 80.00% |
| 13 | Charles Scott | LSU | RB | 10 | 8 | 80.00% |
| 18 | Anthony Turner | Bowling Green | RB | 9 | 7 | 77.78% |
| 18 | Graham Harrell | Texas Tech | QB | 9 | 7 | 77.78% |
| 18 | Aaron Opelt | Toledo | QB | 9 | 7 | 77.78% |
| 18 | Rodney Stewart | Colorado | TB | 9 | 7 | 77.78% |
On this list, both Dennis Kennedy of Akron and Damion Fletcher of Southern Miss are perfect on their attempts this season, and four other players have missed on one attempt. While Florida’s Tim Tebow has converted 80% of his attempts, one of the two that he’s missed was the crucial fourth-and-one play late in the game against Mississippi that sealed the win for the Rebels.
Josh Freeman of Kansas State has the most conversions (15), and he and Javon Ringer of Michigan State have had the most attempts (17). Ringer has converted 12 of 17 (70.59%) for the season so he missed the list above.
The complete list can be downloaded here.
