Ballard receives weekly honor from Mountain West Conference
11/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 20, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- TCU quarterback Jeff Ballard has been selected as the Mountain West Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his record-setting performance in Saturday's 52-0 win over San Diego State.Ballard shares the honor with BYU quarterback John Beck, who completed 28-of-48 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-17 victory over New Mexico.
A senior from Friendswood, Texas, Ballard set or equaled four TCU records as he completed 20-of-23 passes for 288 yards and five touchdowns. He also added a 4-yard scoring run as part of 30 yards rushing and 318 in total offense.
Ballard's 87.0 completion percentage set a TCU single-game record, breaking the previous mark of 86.7 by Max Knake (13-of-15, vs. Rice, 1994). It also tied the Mountain West Conference mark set by Colorado State's Caleb Hanie who was 20-of-23 against Colorado earlier this season.
Ballard had 14 consecutive completions against the Aztecs to better the previous standard of 13 in a row by Knake against SMU and Oklahoma State in 1993.
The five touchdown passes by Ballard equaled the Frogs' single-game mark set by Matt Vogler (vs. Houston, 1990) and Steve Stamp (vs. UT-Arlington, 1981).
Ballard tied his own TCU record by accounting for six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing). The mark was set initially by LaDainian Tomlinson in 1999 versus UTEP and equaled last year by Ballard against New Mexico in his first collegiate start.
Ballard's 88.9 winning percentage (16-2) as a starting quarterback ranks first all-time at TCU. The Frogs' quarterback history includes Sammy Baugh and Heisman Trophy winner Davey O'Brien leading TCU to national titles in 1935 and 1938, respectively.
Including his 22-2 record for Friendswood High School, Ballard is a combined 38-4 as a starting quarterback in his prep and collegiate career.
Ballard has thrown 74 passes since his last interception, tying for the fifth-longest current streak in the nation.
