Comparing Joe Burrow's Legendary Season at LSU to Other Historic Seasons From College QBs
By Carter Owen
The LSU Tigers' 2019 campaign was immaculate. Afteer running through the SEC and high-flying Oklahoma before beating Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship, it's a trendy pick for being the greatest season of all time. As the leader of the squad, Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow was the single biggest catalyst for their success, the straw that stirred the drink. However you want to put it, Burrow's individual success is unmatched, and has to go down as the best single-season performance we've ever seen out of a QB in college football.
You can look back to Cam Newton's exceptional 2010 season at Auburn to make a comparison with Burrow's senior campaign, but is it really close? Newton accounted for 50 total touchdowns to Burrow's 65. Burrow threw fewer interceptions than Newton despite logging over 200 more pass attempts. And by the way, Newton played in the BCS era and didn't need to win a College Football Playoff Semifinal to get to the title game.
This makes Burrow's resume look all the more impressive.
All Joe Burrow did was put up 463 passing yards, five passing TDs and an additional rushing score. In a national championship game. That’s all. pic.twitter.com/nvXzWBrG1l
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) January 14, 2020
We can look at another name like Florida's Tim Tebow, who accounted for 3,286 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns along with 895 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground in 2007. He won the Heisman Trophy and posted arguably the best season by a dual threat quarterback in college football history, but his Gators only went 9-4 in a season that fell in between in a pair of national titles. If we're talking full careers, Tebow has an argument for being the GOAT, but not in any individual season.
With all this in mind, Burrow's combination of stats and success cannot be matched.
An FBS single-season record of 65 total touchdowns accounted for. 5,671 passing yards, third-most in college football history. Topping that off with a Heisman Trophy and an undefeated season culminating in a dominant victory in the national championship, there's just no peer.
"It's crazy! Everyone is screaming 'L-S-U!' in Time Square."@LSUfootball @Coach_EdOrgeron recalls @Joe_Burrow10 Heisman Trophy weekend in New York City + becoming #LSU first winner in 60 years.
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) April 11, 2020
"All the things that we said we wanted to do at LSU are coming true. Here we are." pic.twitter.com/tSgMJdaiLh
The facts are there. Joe "Burreaux" had the greatest season ever by a college quarterback.
As Jay-Z once told us: Men lie, women lie, numbers don't.