Benchmarking is a common business practice that most industries adopt because it allows an organization to compare their numbers against the figures of close competitors, key industry players and other strategic business alliances.

In this Hustle Belt FanPost, we will review Central Michigan’s quarterback Ryan Radcliff’s numbers from his sophomore season and we will benchmark his figures against the statistics that, CMU quarterback legend, Dan LeFevour posted during his sophomore season to see where Radcliff compares statistically.  The questions we are looking to answer are, “Is Ryan Radcliff on the right path to becoming a great college quarterback?” and, “Will Ryan Radcliff live up to the legend of Dan LeFevour by the time Radcliff graduates from college?”

Passing Statistics

The following two tables are the sophomore season passing statistics of both Ryan Radcliff (2010 college football season) and Dan LeFevour (2007 college football season):

In 2010, Radcliff led the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in both passing attempts (466) and passing yards (3358); however, he also led the MAC in passing interceptions (17), which was the second highest amount of passing interceptions by any quarterback in the NCAA. In comparison, LeFevour earned the MAC Offensive Player of the Year award in his 2007 sophomore season by leading the MAC in passing attempts (543) and passing completions (355), and by finishing second in the MAC in passing completion percentage (65.4), passing yards (3652), and passing touchdowns (27).

Although LeFevour spent most of his sophomore season on top of the MAC passing leaderboards, the two quarterbacks actually compare very well statistically. Ryan Radcliff fell short of LeFevour in four statistical passing categories by merely a hair. For example, Radcliff’s passing completing percentage was only 4.9 percent less than Dan LeFevour’s sophomore season passing percentage. Also, for example, Radcliff finished his sophomore season with 294 less passing yards than LeFevour finished with.

However, there were statistical passing category numbers that Radcliff posted during his second year that LeFevour was never able to do. Radcliff was able to throw 0.5 yards more per attempt than LeFevour was ever able to do in the 2007 season. National Football League (NFL) scouts would argue that a 7.2 passing yards per attempt average is far from being a professional level average, but the average for Radcliff as a sophomore is a great place to start. If Radcliff can improve his passing yards per attempt average by about 3.5 yards, he could potentially become a fifth to seventh round draft pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Last, it is clear to see that there are statistics that Ryan Radcliff will never be able to reach. For example, LeFevour threw 77 more passing attempts than Radcliff did during his sophomore season. Radcliff will never throw for over 500 passing attempts in a season, but that could be due to several factors. For instance, current Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos has a different offensive philosophy than 2007 CMU head coach Butch Jones had. Dan Enos, who played quarterback in college for Michigan State University, calls passing plays, and uses wide receiver passing routes, that allow Radcliff to post a high passing completion percentage. The short-yard passing game is what is going to benefit Radcliff’s passing statistics during the next two college seasons, but it will also hinder his outlook as a NFL level quarterback prospect. Scouts generally like quarterbacks to complete the long-ball with a high passing completion percentage.

Rushing Statistics

The following two tables are the sophomore season rushing statistics of both Ryan Radcliff (2010 college football season) and Dan LeFevour (2007 college football season):

It is funny to compare the statistics of both Ryan Radcliff and Dan LeFevour during their sophomore years of college football. Dan LeFevour was feared by opposing head football coaches because he was known as a dual-threat quarterback; however, it is clear to see that future opposing defenses will never have to keep an extra defender in the box to spy on Radcliff. Radcliff will not hurt you in the running game unless it is in the end zone.

LeFevour doubled Radcliff’s attempts, had over 1200 rushing yards, and averaged 7.5 yards per attempt more than Radcliff. Also, LeFevour’s 19 touchdowns in the rushing game nearly trump most running backs that get over 200 rushing attempts during a college football season.

Conclusion

What did we learn today while benchmarking passing and rushing statistics of Ryan Radcliff and Dan LeFevour? Did we answer the two proposed questions that were stated in the introduction?

Answer: We learned that Ryan Radcliff has the potential to be a very serviceable field general during the next two college football seasons. He has proved to be a very efficient and effective thrower; however, he will not be effective if the Chips have to rely on his feet to make first downs and touchdowns.

Also, yes, we can answer the two proposed questions that were stated in the introduction. Yes, Ryan Radcliff is on the right path to becoming a great college football quarterback and, no, I do not think that Ryan Radcliff will live up to the legend of Dan LeFevour by the time Radcliff graduates from college because LeFevour brought multiple dimensions to the football field and Radcliff will only be a serviceable passer with one dimension—throwing.

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