Cox's Corner: Picking The All-ODAC Quarterbacks Will Be A Tough Choice

BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The 2012 ODAC football race was one of the closest in recent memory. Five teams – Washington and Lee, Randolph-Macon, Hampden-Sydney, Bridgewater and Emory & Henry – finished with overall winning records and Guilford finished at .500. All six of those teams had winning records in the conference. 

When you start looking at the statistics, those six teams had one thing in common. Each received solid play throughout the season at the quarterback position.

The stats are so close that there should be some interesting debate when determining the All-ODAC quarterback selections.

An argument could be made for any of the six when voting for All-ODAC.

Since I work here at Bridgewater, my job should be to present the case for Eagles’ signal caller Willie Logan. And, I think I can make a pretty good argument for the junior quarterback.

Of course, the wild card in the discussion is Washington and Lee signal-caller Nick Lombardo. It’s hard to compare him with the other five QBs since he rarely threw the football. Suffice it to say that he was a very successful runner of the football and was certainly an integral part of a high-scoring offense that carried the Generals to the conference title.

When you compare the other five quarterbacks – Logan, Hampden-Sydney’s Nash Nance, Randolph-Macon’s Zac Naccarato, Emory & Henry’s Kyle Boden and Guilford’s Matt Pawlowski – you are splitting hairs. The numbers really are that close.

First, let me point out that the following comparisons are for the seven ODAC games on the schedule. It’s a good indicator of how the QBs stacked up within the conference against common opponents.

Logan stands out in a couple of categories that should keep him in the discussion for All-ODAC honors.

The junior from Luray led the ODAC in total offense in conference play with 2100 yards in seven games. He also led the conference in yards per pass attempt with 8.64. Logan was the second-best running QB in the league behind Lombardo as he gained 363 yards on the ground.

Logan was less than 200 yards behind Nance in passing yards. After Nash’s 17 TD passes, there’s not much difference among the other four. Ditto for interceptions. Logan was responsible for 17 touchdowns this season (10 passing, seven rushing), trailing only Nash with 20.

Following are the comparisons of the six quarterbacks in several statistical categories. Look at the numbers and it’s tough to separate.

And, that’s what will be difficult when deciding the three All-ODAC teams. Three of the six will be left out and that’s too bad because all six turned in outstanding seasons.

Quarterback Rankings (Conference Games Only)