What kind of numbers do you think Reno put up in '72'?

And I thought I was the only person who thought of stuff like this! LOL

Actually, at that point in time, before the spread offense, tighter rules on bumping receivers, etc., numbers like that would have been virtually unheard of.

I would guess 20-25 TDs (Remember, he had NONE in that game, so apparently a strong team was caplable of shutting him down...or at least keeping him out of the end zone.), maybe 1,500 to 1,800 yards. I'm sure most states' all-state quarterbacks in the 1970s would have been in the 1,300 to 1,500 yard range with 15-20 TD and maybe a 2-1 TD-Int ratio. (Rememnber, until things went wild in the post David Klingler era, any QB with more TDs than Int. and better than a 50% completion percentage was a good QB in pros, college OR high school!) I was a sports writer in Missouri in the late 1980s and 1990s and I can only recall 2-3 30-TD QBs off-hand in those years...one who started 2-3 years at D-II Southwest Missouri (now Mo. State) and one who started part of one season at Oklahoma State...and that was 15-20 years later than the movie's setting.

I agree about him being a D-II backup (maybe finally starting as a senior) or a 3 or 4-year starter in D-III or NAIA ball.

I would imagine you are right about Luther's 1,000 yards rushing.

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I know these comments are from a while back, but I just re-watched this (for about the 10th time). I'd have loved to sit at a sports bar with some of you guys.

Love the comments. My only two-cents would be about Reno's possible college career. They mention in the beginning that he blew out his knee, which still gave him trouble all his life. Remember, this was before the days of super-fine, less invasive arthroscopic surgery to repair blown ACL/MCLs, so he would never be able to get back to 100%. College scouts would never have taken the chance.

"Oh Lordy, he's wearing his whhhite shoes!"
I've always loved the delivery of that line!

KILL BAKERSFIELD!

As others have pointed out, offensive football, especially at the high school level was a completely different animal in 1972 from what we see every day now. Spread offenses were unheard of. High school (and most college) teams typical ran some form of option offense (either the veer or the wishbone) where the large majority of plays were running plays. Heck, even in the mid-80s, my own high school team only had something like 5 different pass plays in our entire offensive playbook and two of them were screen passes! In other words, even a high school team with a hot shot like Reno at quarterback simply would not throw the ball very much. I think he probably threw for 1,000 to, at most, 1,500 yards. Moreover, I would be shocked if he even had 10 passing touchdowns. I think 8 or 9 would be more realistic.

As for his college career, his knee put the kibosh on that. There is a chance that he got recruited by a lower caliber Division I program or a Division II program (there is no chance he went Division III simply because he was not able or interested in paying for college himself). He was too short for the USCs and Notre Dames of the early 70s and nowhere near fast enough for the wishbone teams of the old SWC and Big 8. Regardless of where he was recruited and whether he actually ended up on a campus, once he hurt is knee, his playing career was over. Knee surgery was still in the stone age in the early 70s and a bad knee usually meant the end of a career. Even the best pros, Joe Namath for example, were never the same after major knee injuries in that era. It goes without saying that a guy like Reno was NOT the type to stay in school without football so, once the knee was hurt, he quickly found himself back in his hometown.

Whatever dude... the Caribou said it best. "Reno Hightower was the greatest quarterback in the history of America!" LOL

After careful consideration of all the responses posted on the topic of this discussion. I've come to the conclusion that it's very possible Reno Hightower could have put up some seriously big numbers in '72.

After all, Pat Hayden threw for 42 touchdowns with 224 completed passes in 1970 during his senior year at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in Southern California.

While Pat Hayden was only 5'11 and always had a weak throwing arm. However, he could keep his eyes down field while scrambling around until something developed. Also, in the same year Hayden threw for 470 yards in a single game. Now, grant it, those are some extraordinary stats for a high school QB in any year. Especially for 1970.

But, with the area in-and-around Taft buzzing about the great Reno Hightower in 1972. Along with a few tidbits of information sprinkled in through out the movie about how good Reno actually was. I don't think that it's so absolutely inconceivable Reno didn't put-up at least similar numbers in '72, that Pat Hayden did in 1970 during his senior year in high school.

Otherwise, I doubt anyone would probably have payed much attention to Reno if they were just average or below average stats of a high school QB from the small town of Taft if they weren't extraordinary. And Pat Hayden definitely raised the bar on extraordinary in '70, and for many years later for high school QB's in the southern California area.

So, assuming that Reno Hightower had similar numbers in '72 as Hayden did in '70? Which is at least 30-40 touchdowns and 150-200 completions, in order to get all of Taft and the surrounding area of California crazy about Reno, and if Reno didn't blow out his knee in the final game of his senior year. Then I think that it's quite possible Reno would have been recruited by a DivI southern California team like UCLA or USC.

Reno probably chooses a proven winning organization like USC over UCLA in '73, backing up Pat Hayden for the next two years, while working with offensive coordinator John Robinson until Pat Hayden is drafted in '75 by the LA Rams in the 7th round.

With Pat Hayden now gone to the NFL, Reno Hightower gets his chance to compete for the vacant QB position against the small but fleet footed Vince Evans.

Head coach John McKay decides to go with Reno over Evans as the starting quarterback for the '75 season, because while Vince Evans has better running skills, Reno is the better passer and team leader.

Reno is proud over winning the starting QB position at USC, but soon becomes concerned that he can't lead the team back to the Rose Bowl after realizing that Lynn Swann was drafted by the Steelers in '73, and Keyshawn Johnson is still only 3 years old and won't be available until the 90's. So, the Trojans simply don't have much receiving talent in 1975-77.

OH, sure USC has a very talented backfield with Ricky Bell running the ball, along with a strong offensive line and defense. But who is Reno going to throw the ball to, Randy Simmrin? HAH!!! Who ever heard of Randy Simmrin?

Reno becomes so distraught with the fear of failing that he quits the team, leaves the University, and moves back to his hometown of Taft where he becomes a van specialists.

He is eventually approached by Jack Dundee 11 years later with a proposal to replay the '72 game against Bakersfield where Jack dropped the winning touchdown pass that could have won the game in the last few seconds.

So, you see? It would have all turned out the same anyways.