Before I get into what I really want to write about, let's first talk about Ashton Jeanty. In a year that may produce three or four Heisman-worthy performances, he's at the top of the list.
The Boise State running back leads the nation in rushing yards (by 260), yards per game (by 52), rushing touchdowns (four) and, among all players with a similar number of carries, yards per carry (by 2.9). In fact, Jeanty is second nationally in yards per carry among all players, his 10.95 average across 95 carries trailing only Army's Noah Short's 12.68 average on 28 attempts. Iowa's Kaleb Johnson is second nationally in total yards, yards per game, yards per carry (min.: 95) and third in touchdowns... and I bet you had no idea. Jeanty has run for 1,031 yards through five games, the next-closest Bronco is Sire Gaines at 156.
So, when I list the following rankings, understand that Jeanty's team would rank toward the top in rushing no matter where he played. He's that dude.
That said, national rushing leaders by team:
1. Army -- 267 carries for 1,806 yards (361.2 per game, 6.76 per carry) with 21 touchdowns
2. Boise State -- 184 carries for 1,506 yards (301.2 per game, 8.18 per carry) with 23 touchdowns
3. Navy -- 234 carries for 1,478 yards (295.6 per game, 6.32 per carry) with 21 touchdowns
National passing efficiency leaders:
1. Army -- 24-of-38 (63.2 percent) for 453 yards (11.9 per) with six touchdowns and no interceptions
2. Navy -- 43-of-68 (63.2 percent) for 849 yards (12.5 per) with eight touchdowns against two interceptions
You'll notice those attempt numbers are quite low. How astute of you. Alabama, third nationally in passing efficiency, has hoisted 123 passes so far. Army and Navy have thrown the fewest and third-fewest passes thus far (Air Force is between them); UNLV is fourth, at 92.
So, what's the point here? Aren't Army and Navy always near the top in rushing and, thus, at the bottom in pass attempts? What's new?
What's new is that both academies are 5-0 for the first time since 1943, and they're 5-0 because they've simultaneously showed vast improvement in the pass game.
PASSING EFFICIENCY
2024
1. Army
2. Navy
2023
114. Navy
117. Army
2022
95. Navy
103. Army
YARDS PER ATTEMPT
2024
1. Navy
2. Army
2023
58. Army
108. Navy
2022
10. Army
27. Navy
This past weekend, Army out-passed Tulsa 160-109 (26-3.6 per attempt) en route to a 49-7 victory. Navy out-passed Air Force 134-115 in their 34-7 triumph.
It's the first time Navy has out-passed an FBS, non-Army opponent since winning the arial battle (ironically) against Air Force in 2020. For Army, it's the first time since doing so against Boston College a year ago today. And that's all part of the plan.
Army switched to pro-style and personnel up front to start the 2023 season. That means conventional pass sets, protections and concepts. After starting 2-5 last season, Army is now in sole possession of college football's longest active winning streak at nine games.
"It's been an aspect of this new system that's been great," an Army assistant told me. "We can be two dimensional when we need to be, and we can do it in a variety of ways. The old Flexbone has a difficult time doing that."
Army and Navy are among 12 unbeatens left in FBS, and two of the three in the Group of 5 (Liberty is the other). As of this moment, the race for the Group of 5 playoff spot looks like the national rushing leaders: Army, Navy and Boise State in some order. Both academies have neutral site games with Notre Dame coming, and then a potential clash in the American Championship before the traditional game Dec. 14 in Landover, Md.
Depending on how Jeanty holds up, it could be a meeting of the two most prolific rushing offenses in major college football, and the two most efficient passing attacks in major college football. When they want to be.
Week 6 Numbers:
-- Rush for more yards: 37-11 (.771)
-- Pass for more yards: 30-19 (.612)
-- Score first: 43-6 (.878)
-- Lead at halftime: 41-3 (.932)
-- Win turnovers: 27-9 (.750)
-- Win all five: 8-0 (1.000)
Year To Date:
-- Rush for more yards: 326-81 (.801)
-- Pass for more yards: 273-136 (.667)
-- Score first: 305-104 (.746)
-- Lead at halftime: 329-57 (.852)
-- Win turnovers: 234-69 (.772)
-- Win all five: 96-2 (.980)
Other Week 6 notes:
-- You'll notice the passing and rushing totals do not add up. That's because Virginia Tech and Stanford both ran for exactly 136 yards in the Hokies' 31-7 win.
-- We've written previously about how poor Arkansas State has been in stopping and executing the run. (The Red Wolves were out-rushed 161-66 in their 18-16 win over South Alabama. It was the 33rd time in 38 games vs. FBS opponents under Butch Jones A-State has been out-rushed.) Oklahoma State is on an even worse trajectory. Mike Gundy's team was abused on the ground in their 38-14 home loss to West Virginia on Saturday. WVU carried 65 times for 389 yards; OSU 21 for 36.
In three games against Big 12 opponents, Oklahoma State is 16th of 16 in rushing (70 yards per game) and 16th in rushing defense (312.7 yards per game). Relatedly, the Cowboys are 0-3.
-- In Toledo's 30-20 win over Miami (Ohio), the Rockets and RedHawks combined for 614 passing yards on 85 attempts and 132 rushing yards on 60 attempts. I don't have the numbers to prove it, but I'm willing to bet that's the largest pass/rush disparity of the season, particularly in a game where the teams ran the ball greater than 40 percent of the time.
-- Much has been made of TCU's plummet from the high of the 2022 season. The Frogs were 33rd nationally in turnover margin that season. In 2023, they were 120th. After losing turnovers 4-0 in Friday night's 30-19 loss to Houston, Sonny Dykes's team is 128th.