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Total offense (or total offence) is a
gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...
statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from
yards from scrimmage Yards from scrimmage is a gridiron football statistical measure. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. Progress can be made during play by the offensive team by advancin ...
, which gives credit for passing yardage to the person receiving the football rather than the person throwing the football. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
towards the opposing team's goal line. The team on offense can make progress during the play by advancing the ball from the
line of scrimmage In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end o ...
. When the offensive team advances the ball by rushing the football, the player who carries the ball is given credit for the net gain, measured in rushing yards. When the offensive team advances the ball by pass reception, the player who throws the ball earns passing yards and the player who receives the ball earns receiving yards. The total of rushing yards and passing yards (but not receiving yards) is known as total offense. Although the ball may also be advanced by penalty, these yards do not contribute to total offense. Progress lost via
quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...
s are classified differently, depending upon the league and/or level of football. When defenses are measured on total offense allowed, it is called total defense. Some definitions of individual total offense give credit to both the passer and receiver for passing yards. Thus, if a
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
catches a pass in a trick play, or a non-quarterback throws a pass, some statistical issues arise.
Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...
holds the NCAA career and single-season total offense/game records. Case Keenum,
B. J. Symons Brian Jeffrey Symons (born November 19, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Symons played professionally for the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), the Frankfurt Galaxy and Berlin Thunder in ...
, and
David Klingler David Ryan Klingler (born February 17, 1969) is an associate professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary and a former American football quarterback. College career A 6-foot, 2-inch quarterback, Klingler rewrote numerous college p ...
hold the total offense career, single-season and single game records.


NCAA definition

The
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA) defines the term as "Total offense is the total of net gain rushing and net gain forward passing. Receiving and runback yards are not included in total offense." (at pg. 206).


See also

*
Glossary of American football The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...


Notes

{{American football concepts American football terminology