Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers: Which running back was better?

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Jacquizz Rodgers walked away with the Pac-10’s Offensive Player of the Year award, but was he the best candidate for the award? 

Before I delve into this story I want to state that I am not taking away what Jacquizz Rodgers has accomplished this season, nor am I against his winning of any awards. He had a tremendous season and is deserved of his hardware.

Now, on to the debate!

While many are quick to say “Quizz” was head-and-shoulders above any other Pac-10 running back this season, I say, “not so fast, my friend.”

Let’s start by taking at look at basic stats, shall we?

Sophomore Jahvid Best rushed for 1,394 yards this season, while Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 1,253. Both players missed time due to injury, and, as I researched back, their playing time was actually fairly equal.

These next few stats were very telling for me (Best’s numbers listed first with Rodgers’ listed second):
Total Carries: 174 / 259
Yards Per Carry: 8.01 / 4.84
Yards Per Game: 126.73 / 113.91
Touchdowns: 13 / 11
National Rank: 5th / 13th

It has taken Rodgers  85 more carries to produce less than Best. 85 more carries-that’s three to four games worth of carries for an average running back.

Many will tell you Jahvid Best is nothing more than an “explosive” runner; meaning he only produces yards in large chunks and cannot be relied upon as a grind it out type of back. Therefore, Jacquizz Rodgers is better suited for most every team out there. I mean, who doesn’t want a running back they can reply on this three or four yards per carry, right?

Well, ponder this: after researching each player’s rushing plays of ten yards or more, the numbers surprised me. Best had 44 total carries for plays that went 10+ yards, while Rodgers had 41. Not a big discrepancy if you ask me. I think it’s safe to throw out the “explosive” only argument against Best.

Both Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers had very similar receiving stats-Best:27 catches for 246 yards, Rodgers: 29 catches for 247 yards.

One last stat I came across leads to me say Best only got stronger as the game went on, whereas, Rodgers got ever-so-slightly weaker.

First Half Stats
Attempts: 108 / 129
Yards Gained: 793 / 667
Average: 7.34 / 5.17
Touchdowns: 8 / 5

Second Half Stats
Attempts: 66 / 130
Yards Gained: 601 / 586
Average: 9.11 / 4.51
Touchdowns: 5 / 6

Best carried the ball quite a bit less in the second half of his games, yet his production increased. Rodgers, carried about the same amount of times from the first half to second, but his production decreased slightly.

One thing that helped Rodgers win the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year award, the first freshman to garner the hardware, is the Beavers had a better record (8-4, 7-2 conf.) than the Bears (8-4, 6-3 conf.).

Another, the coaches, who vote on the award, had to submit their ballots before last weekend. In other words, voting was completed before Jahvid Best turned in his 311 yard performance in just over two quarters against Washington.