Not a bad first year for Dally

I know, it’s apples and oranges comparing FBS and FCS players, playing USC or LSU vs. Idaho State, but after hearing Florida QB Tim Tebow became the NCAA's first 20-20 player today, it got me thinking about the numbers Cal Poly QB Jonathan Dally put up in his first season with the Mustangs. After Saturday’s 55-7 romp of Iona College, Dally finished with a school-record 29 touchdown passes and a 12 rushing touchdowns (four shy of the school record). Forty-one TDs isn't a bad start for a JC transfer who was largely overlooked by most FBS and FCS schools for that matter.
It's a stretch, but for snits and giggles and the stat geeks in the Cal Poly crowd, here’s how Dally’s numbers look when put up against the two big-name, double-threat QBs in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Dally, for the record, is not up for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS version of the Heisman, although his favorite target Ramses Barden is - and for good reason - after catching a school-record 18 touchdowns as a junior.

• Tim Tebow, Florida
  Rushing: 181 carries for 749 yards (4.1 avg) and 20 TDs
  Passing: 198-289-6 (68.5 percent) for 2,870 yards and 26 TDs
  Total offense: 329 yards per game
  

• Dennis Dixon, Oregon
  Rushing: 105 carries for 583 yards (5.6 avg) and 9 TDs
  Passing: 172-254-4 (67.7 percent) for 2,136 yards and 20 TDs
  Total offense: 271 yards per game
  

• Jonathan Dally, Cal Poly
  Rushing: 182 carries for 763 yards (4.2 avg) and 12 TDs
  Passing: 104-192-5 (54.7 percent) for 2,238 yards and 29 TDs
  Total offense: 272.8 yards per game
  

Comparing the stats show exactly what Dally wants to work on this offseason, passing accuracy. While Tebow and Dixon were completing close to 70 percent of their passes this year, Dally was down around 55 percent for most of the season. After getting picked off just once in the first nine games, he was intercepted four times over the final two (including three times in the red zone). The turnovers are the top concern, including the lost fumbles - which Dally had one more of in the finale. But all in all, it was a pretty good debut for the Santa Maria product, and if he improves on these numbers (with 10 starters coming back on offense) he might find his way on the Payton watch list in 2008.