| Counting On Carr |
Senior quarterback David Carr has emerged as perhaps the premier quarterback in the nation. After being selected second-team All-WAC last season despite working with an injury riddled offense, Carr has taken his leadership skills to a higher level in 2001. He was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year and has thrown for over 300 yards in 10 of FS's 13 games, including a career-high 432-yard effort last week against Utah State, in which he also passed for a career-high six touchdowns. In guiding the Bulldogs back up the national rankings, Carr has been outstanding, throwing for 28 touchdowns and 2,499 yards in the last seven games. Simply put, the Heisman Trophy candidate has been magnificent when Fresno State has needed him most, much as he was versus Colorado State, when he guided the Bulldogs to a game-tying last second field goal and the eventually game-winner in overtime. His emergence began to show last year, when he threw for 2,729 yards and 23 touchdowns, the fourth most in a season by a Bulldog quarterback. Before last season, Carr had completed 27-52 passes for 281 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions in his career. Carr could be the best all-around athlete to ever play quarterback for the Bulldogs. He bench presses 390 pounds, power cleans 300 pounds and squats 500 pounds. At 6-3, 225 pounds, he runs a 4.67 40-yard dash.
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Carr's Career Stats
| Year | G-GS | Att. | Comp | Int | Yds. | Pct. | TD | LG |
| 2001 | 13-13 | 477 | 309 | 7 | 4,308* | .648 | 42* | 70 |
| 2000 | 12-12 | 349 | 216 | 11 | 2,729 | .619 | 23 | 73 |
| 1999 | Redshirted |
| 1998 | 7-0 | 41 | 22 | 1 | 228 | .537 | 1 | 26 |
| 1997 | 4-0 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 53 | .455 | 0 | 19 |
| Totals | 36-25 | 878 | 550 | 20 | 7,308 | .626 | 66 | 73 |
* Indicates leading the nation
Carr's 2001 Highlights
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 Call Him the Offense: Fresno State has scored 65 touchdowns this year, and David Carr is responsible for 41 of them. He's thrown 42 touchdown passes, tops in the nation, and rushed for five more. In addition, he ran the option against Wisconsin to pick up a two-point conversion.
Completing 'Em at Will: He is on pace to break Billy Volek's school career record completion percentage of .604, set from 1997-99. Carr's is currently completing passes at a .626 clip.
Doing it Again and Again and...: Despite only playing two-and-a-half quarters of the Utah State game, Carr still posted mesmerizing numbers, going 21-of-27 with 432 and a career-high six touchdowns. With Carr at the controls, the Bulldog offense scored a touchdown on six of their first eight possessions.
Loves Home Cooking: His home numbers the last two years are truly staggering. In his 11 games at Bulldog Stadium, Carr is 223-of-337 (.662) for 3,160 yards, 30 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Broken down, that's an average of 20-of-31, 287 yards, 2.7 touchdowns and 0.3 interceptions per game. In his five home games this year, he has thrown for 2,148 yards, 20 touchdowns and only one interception.
Spreading the Wealth: Carr's targets have been vast and numerous. He has completed passes to 11 different Bulldogs through nine games, including touchdown passes to 10. His favorite target has been fellow Bakersfield, Calif., native Rodney Wright, who has caught 91 passes for 1,331 yards.
40-40 Man: David Carr has thrown for 4,308 yards and 42 touchdown passes this year and has become only the sixth player in college football history to eclipse the 4,000-yard, 40-touchdown plateau.
Carr In the NCAA Statistics: Carr is posting number that have him ranked near the top of many NCAA statistical categories. He is first in touchdown passes (42), passing yards (4,308) and points responsible for (22.0), second in completions (309) and passing efficiency (166.7) and third in total offense (338.2).
Getting in His Licks: Carr has thrown for over 300 yards in nine of the last 10 games. Included in that are his first-ever 400-yard games Oct. 26 against Hawai'i and Saturday's 432-yard performance against Utah State.
Record Setting Day: In addition to throwing for 389 yards against Colorado State, Carr also ran for 35, giving him 424 total yards in the game. That is the sixth-highest total yardage game in Fresno State history, surpassing his 394-yard game against Air Force in last year's Silicon Valley Football Classic.
Award Recognition: In posting numbers that no one in the nation can match, David Carr has compiled a long list of awards, with more certainly on the way. Following are the awards he has racked up this season:
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Sammy Baugh Award (nation's top passer)
WAC Offensive Player of the Year
Second-team Football News All-American
CNN/SI honorable mention All-American
First-team All-WAC
WAC Player of the Week (twice)
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Carr in the NCAA Statistics
| Statistic | Number/Avg. | NCAA Rank |
| TD Passes | 42 | 1st |
| Passing Yds. | 4,308 | 1st |
| Pts. Responsible For | 22.0 | 1st |
| Completions | 309 | 2nd |
| Total Offense | 338.2 | 2nd |
| Passing Efficiency | 166.7 | 3rd |
| Carr Comments |
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"I'm sure he's the best quarterback available. I really like the way he throws. He has good rotation on the ball. He's also adequately mobile. If he's sequencing through his receivers, he can drop his arm to three-quarters and zing the ball. Some guys who get to their third or fourth receiver will pull it down and take off, but he zips it. To me, that's worth as much as mobility. If [former Marshall quarterback] Chad Pennington went 18th in the 2000 draft, this guy will go in the top 15. He has better physical ability than Pennington."
--An NFL scout, quoted in the Nov. 19 edition of Sports Illustrated
"David Carr is a lock to be a first rounder. He has all the physical tools to go along with the intangibles he brings to the table to make him a well rounded QB."
--ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit
"He's a great quarterback. He moves around real well, makes all the throws and plays with a lot of confidence. He was a lot of fun to watch ... and I anticipate him being a top pick in next year's draft. It gives you a really good idea of what kind of player he's going to be. It showed me that he's got not only great talent but great heart. He never quits, always keeps fighting."
-- John Elway, who attended the Colorado State game where Carr directed a thrilling fourth quarter comeback
"I was in the league for five years and David Carr has what it takes to be a great player in the NFL. He has all of the physical tools, he is smart and he is extremely tough,"
-- Fresno State head coach Pat Hill.
"Carr was 21-of-34 passing for 340 yards and four TD passes in his excellent game against Oregon State. Carr was on target with intermediate passes and long passes and showed touch on shorter passes. He is a tremendous leader who really inspires the Bulldogs. He could end up being a top 10-15 pick in the first round."
-- ESPN Draft Expert Mel Kiper, Jr.
"I think he's the first pick of the draft...it's a no-brainer."
-- Former Fresno State standout and current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Trent Dilfer
"Carr was his usual brilliant self against Utah State...Put him in a Miami uniform, and he’d win the Heisman in a rout. No QB consistently makes better throws, and Carr did so against everyone, from Colorado to Utah State. Want to hold Fresno’s two losses against him? He completed 62 percent for 745 yards, seven TDs and just two INTs in those games."
-- CBSSportsline.com
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