It is said that the most appealing element of statistics is that "a 5 is a 5." In the world of college athletics administration, where so much depends on how the rules are interpreted, the maintenance of game statistics remains an island of exactitude, where one total is absolutely required to balance against another.

But football statistics involving tackles are a bit different. They involve an element of subjectivity, which is now causing an issue in the statistics reporting world.

The NCAA statistics staff has maintained tackles and assists on a non-weekly basis in Divisions I-A and
I-AA for four years now -- longer in Divisions II and III. Earlier this year, the statistics staff surveyed Division I-A and I-AA members to determine whether they were interested in providing tackling statistics each week.

The membership responded with an enthusiastic "yes."

It was the next step that has caused the problem. Developing the additional report in a way that blends with the traditional Sunday report has proved to be as complicated as developing an effective zone blitz.

The issue is that about half of those who were surveyed wanted to use pressbox statistics for tackles while the remainder wanted to use statistics provided after defensive coaches have graded game film.

Since all other football stats in I-A and I-AA are provided at the conclusion of Saturday's games, using videotape for tackle statistics would result in a delay.

Which is what will happen this fall.

"The statistics staff believes that the pressbox statistics are the appropriate statistics to use," said Jim Wright, NCAA director of statistics. "In football, all other statistics are kept by the pressbox crew. As far as we know, that is true in all other sports for which statistics are maintained. In this case, it is the only way that a single report can be issued on Sunday for Division I football."

This year, the staff will deal with the problem by issuing two reports. All football stats other than tackles will be issued on Sunday, as they have been in the past. Tackle statistics then will be provided every Monday by conference offices to accommodate institutions that choose to use the coaches' reports.

Wright acknowledges that the solution is something of a Band-Aid approach since a common report clearly would be preferable. "But we are sensitive to SIDs and conferences that are more comfortable with using videotape," Wright said.

In early August, the statistics staff will mail a set of guidelines regarding the timing of these statistics to the I-A and I-AA membership. Contained in the communication will be a pitch to move the membership toward using the pressbox version of tackle statistics.

"Not only do we have the issue of delivering the Division I statistics at different times," Wright said, "we also believe that statistics that are compiled at varying times are simply going to be different.

"In some ways, this is similar to when we began assists, steals and blocked shots in basketball. We have guidelines for how those stats should be compiled, but there were inconsistencies at the beginning. It's the same with tackle statistics in football, except that we have this added dimension of using postgame videotape."

Wright said the statistics staff will challenge school and league SIDs throughout the year to make certain that tackle stats are applied consistently, regardless of how the compilation is done. If, for example, the statistics staff sees that eight of the top 10 tackle leaders in the nation are from one conference, that result may be challenged.

"We're not saying that coaches can't keep their own statistics for their own purposes," Wright said. "This discussion applies only to the national statistics program. We certainly don't want to be perceived as steamrolling anybody."

Or hitting them with a blindside tackle, as the case may be.

NCAA intern Sydney Merz contributed to this article.