OKLAHOMA Efficiency is White's strength

The Sooners' quarterback has one of the best passer ratings in the country.
THE DAILY OKLAHOMAN
NORMAN, Okla. -- Get out the calculator. Grab the slide rule. Take off your shoes and socks. Do whatever it is you need to do to add, divide, multiply and subtract -- all to the power of 100, because that's what it takes to figure out the NCAA's pass-efficiency statistic.
It's a hodgepodge of numbers complicated enough to challenge Pythagoras.
But what's clear is this: Oklahoma's Jason White not only has one of the best pass efficiency ratings in the country (179.5), he is more than 20 points ahead of his rating last season after three games (156.7), and for the entire season (158.1).
Spreads the credit
All White did last year was win the Heisman Trophy. All he's done this year, much like last, is deflect the praise to those around him.
"It starts up front with the offensive line and the way they are blocking this year and the way they are picking up blitzes and giving me time to throw," White said. "[And] the backs and the receivers the way they are catching the balls. Not every ball is on target, most of them they run and get."
No matter how the balls have gotten into the receivers' hands, it all adds up to a 72.2 percent completion rate. White has six touchdowns, 708 passing yards and has averaged 13.6 yards per completion. Through three games last year, White had completed 64.5 percent of his passes, thrown for nine touchdowns, 848 yards and a 12.3-per-completion average.
Better accuracy
"He's always had great accuracy with the football, but you can even see better accuracy this year," offensive coordinator Chuck Long said. "He's putting that ball in places where they can run with it after the catch."
That has been particularly true on third down. On third downs of six or more yards, White is 15-of-18 for 306 yards. In the past two games, White is 14-of-16 on all third downs.
Much of that can be attributed to the wide receivers' uncanny ability to get open and White's ability to find them.
"He's just being smart with the ball and the overall understanding of the offense," Long said. "He's seen a lot of those coverages on third downs over a couple of years and that's helped."
Peterson a plus
White's also had big help out of the backfield. With the addition of a stronger run game led by Adrian Peterson, OU has been more efficient before passing downs.
"The biggest key has to be that we are in a lot more third-and-shorts and third-and-mediums than anything," White said.
There is also the ability to play-action pass and freeze defenses.