Self-Assessment Quiz: Traditional Football Statistics

Test your understanding of traditional football statistics and their applications.

Section 1: Counting Statistics (Questions 1-8)

Question 1

A running back has 156 carries for 782 yards. What is his yards per carry?

A) 4.8 B) 5.0 C) 5.2 D) 5.5

Question 2

A quarterback completes 245 of 398 passes. What is his completion percentage?

A) 58.4% B) 61.6% C) 63.2% D) 65.8%

Question 3

Which statistic is NOT a counting statistic?

A) Total rushing yards B) Yards per carry C) Touchdowns D) First downs

Question 4

A team has 325 passing yards and 145 rushing yards. If they ran 75 total plays, what is their yards per play?

A) 5.2 B) 6.0 C) 6.3 D) 6.7

Question 5

A receiver has 85 targets and 58 receptions. What is his catch rate?

A) 62.4% B) 65.8% C) 68.2% D) 71.5%

Question 6

Team A commits 3 turnovers and forces 1 turnover. Team B commits 2 turnovers and forces 2 turnovers. What is Team A's turnover margin?

A) -2 B) -1 C) 0 D) +1

Question 7

A kicker makes 22 of 26 field goal attempts. What is his field goal percentage?

A) 82.5% B) 84.6% C) 86.4% D) 88.0%

Question 8

Which of the following would result in a first down on 2nd and 7?

A) 6-yard gain B) 7-yard gain C) 5-yard gain D) 4-yard gain

Section 2: Passing Statistics (Questions 9-15)

Question 9

A QB has 312 passing yards on 42 attempts. What is his yards per attempt?

A) 6.8 B) 7.1 C) 7.4 D) 7.8

Question 10

In the NFL passer rating formula, each component is capped at:

A) 1.0 and 2.0 B) 0.0 and 2.375 C) 0.5 and 3.0 D) 1.0 and 2.5

Question 11

A QB throws 3 touchdowns on 35 attempts. What is his touchdown percentage?

A) 7.5% B) 8.2% C) 8.6% D) 9.1%

Question 12

Which passing metric is MOST affected by dropped passes?

A) Completion percentage B) Passer rating C) Passing yards D) All of the above equally

Question 13

A QB has the following stats: 22/34, 285 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Which statement is TRUE?

A) His completion percentage is above 60% B) His yards per attempt is below 8.0 C) His TD percentage is above 5% D) All of the above

Question 14

Sack yardage is typically credited to:

A) Rushing yards lost B) Passing yards lost C) Neither - it's a separate category D) Depends on the league/conference

Question 15

What is considered an elite completion percentage in FBS?

A) Above 55% B) Above 60% C) Above 65% D) Above 68%

Section 3: Rushing & Receiving (Questions 16-20)

Question 16

A running back has 1,245 yards on 268 carries. His yards per carry is approximately:

A) 4.3 B) 4.6 C) 4.9 D) 5.2

Question 17

"Explosive plays" in rushing are typically defined as runs of:

A) 5+ yards B) 8+ yards C) 10+ yards D) 15+ yards

Question 18

A receiver has 72 receptions for 1,056 yards. His yards per reception is:

A) 12.8 B) 14.0 C) 14.7 D) 15.2

Question 19

Which receiving metric accounts for incomplete passes targeted to a receiver?

A) Yards per reception B) Catch rate C) Receiving yards D) Receptions

Question 20

A receiver has 95 targets and 892 yards. His yards per target is approximately:

A) 8.4 B) 9.4 C) 10.2 D) 11.1

Section 3: Team & Defensive Stats (Questions 21-25)

Question 21

A team converts 42 of 98 third down attempts. Their third down percentage is:

A) 38.5% B) 42.9% C) 45.2% D) 48.0%

Question 22

A defense allows 385 yards on 72 opponent plays. Their yards per play allowed is:

A) 4.8 B) 5.0 C) 5.3 D) 5.6

Question 23

Which defensive statistic is MOST subject to luck/randomness?

A) Yards allowed per game B) Points allowed per game C) Turnovers forced D) Third down stop percentage

Question 24

A team has 5 red zone trips resulting in 3 TDs and 1 FG. Their red zone TD percentage is:

A) 60% B) 75% C) 80% D) 85%

Question 25

Time of possession is measured in:

A) Total plays run B) Minutes and seconds C) Percentage of game time D) Both B and C

Section 4: Analysis & Application (Questions 26-30)

Question 26

When comparing a 2010 QB to a 2023 QB, which adjustment is MOST important?

A) Adjusting for team quality B) Era-adjusting based on league passing trends C) Adjusting for number of games played D) Adjusting for conference strength

Question 27

A QB throws for 350 yards in a game his team loses 45-14. This example illustrates:

A) The importance of passing yards B) "Garbage time" statistics inflation C) Strong individual performance D) Defensive weakness

Question 28

Which is the BEST metric for comparing running back efficiency?

A) Total rushing yards B) Yards per carry C) Rushing touchdowns D) Carries per game

Question 29

A box score shows Team A with 450 total yards losing to Team B with 285 total yards. Which factor might explain this?

A) Turnovers B) Red zone efficiency C) Field position D) All of the above

Question 30

Traditional statistics are limited because they don't account for:

A) Game situation and context B) Opponent quality C) Play-by-play leverage D) All of the above

Answer Key

Scoring Guide

• 27-30 correct: Excellent! Strong grasp of traditional statistics.
• 22-26 correct: Good understanding. Review missed topics.
• 17-21 correct: Fair. More practice with calculations needed.
• Below 17: Review chapter material thoroughly.

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