Ok, I finally got around to running the yardage stats for this season and I'll be keeping them updated now. Here are some interesting findings from week 6:
Total Offense:
Rank Team Rec Total (rank) Rush (rank) Pass (rank)
1. Texas Tech 5-0 579.3 [ 1] 160.6 [ 52] 418.6 [ 1]
2. Missouri 5-0 575.6 [ 2] 215.9 [ 16] 359.6 [ 3]
3. Houston 2-3 565.3 [ 3] 167.8 [ 49] 397.4 [ 2]
4. Oklahoma 5-0 551.0 [ 4] 196.7 [ 27] 354.3 [ 4]
5. Tulsa 5-0 536.3 [ 5] 211.7 [ 18] 324.5 [ 6]
6. Louisiana-Lafayette 2-3 504.3 [ 6] 314.4 [ 3] 189.8 [ 89]
7. Oklahoma St 5-0 483.9 [ 7] 195.7 [ 28] 288.1 [ 15]
8. Oregon St 2-3 478.5 [ 8] 183.1 [ 35] 295.3 [ 11]
9. Southern Cal 3-1 478.1 [ 9] 151.3 [ 60] 326.8 [ 5]
10. Nevada 3-2 477.9 [ 10] 275.2 [ 4] 202.6 [ 73]
No big surprise here: Texas Tech and Missouri are on top, with Oklahoma, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State (who are in the top 5 in scoring offense) also in the top ten. Oregon State and Southern Cal are not surprising, but maybe Houston, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Nevada are.
The Red Raiders were #1 at the end of last year, but this time their rushing offense is a respectable #52 in stead of last season's #118. With more balance in their attack, teams can't just focus solely on stopping the pass. Most of the teams in the top ten are pass-happy teams, but Lafayette and Nevada are run-focused, while Oklahoma State is almost evenly balanced.
Passing Offense:
Rank Team Rec Total [rank] Rush [rank] Pass [rank]
1. Texas Tech 5-0 579.3 [ 1] 160.6 [ 52] 418.6 [ 1]
2. Houston 2-3 565.3 [ 3] 167.8 [ 49] 397.4 [ 2]
3. Missouri 5-0 575.6 [ 2] 215.9 [ 16] 359.6 [ 3]
4. Oklahoma 5-0 551.0 [ 4] 196.7 [ 27] 354.3 [ 4]
5. Southern Cal 3-1 478.1 [ 9] 151.3 [ 60] 326.8 [ 5]
6. Tulsa 5-0 536.3 [ 5] 211.7 [ 18] 324.5 [ 6]
7. Kansas 4-1 441.3 [ 20] 120.9 [ 91] 320.3 [ 7]
8. Brigham Young 5-0 415.5 [ 26] 107.7 [103] 307.8 [ 8]
9. Middle Tennessee St 2-3 338.9 [ 81] 38.0 [120] 300.8 [ 9]
10. Rice 3-3 428.2 [ 24] 127.5 [ 80] 300.6 [ 10]
Looks quite a bit like the total yardage list, with six of the same teams. But a few lopsided passing teams make the list, like Kansas, BYU, and Rice. Middle Tennessee State has almost no rushing attack to speak of. This year in the Big Twelve, Kansas may be easier to defend against than Texas Tech, as their running game is inferior.
Rushing Offense:
Rank Team Rec Total [rank] Rush [rank] Pass [rank]
1. Navy 4-2 412.1 [ 30] 330.0 [ 1] 82.0 [119]
2. Georgia Tech 4-1 441.2 [ 21] 323.1 [ 2] 118.1 [113]
3. Louisiana-Lafayette 2-3 504.3 [ 6] 314.4 [ 3] 189.8 [ 89]
4. Nevada 3-2 477.9 [ 10] 275.2 [ 4] 202.6 [ 73]
5. West Virginia 3-2 372.5 [ 57] 261.3 [ 5] 111.1 [115]
6. Baylor 2-3 395.8 [ 44] 253.2 [ 6] 142.5 [106]
7. Connecticut 5-1 379.4 [ 54] 249.2 [ 7] 130.2 [109]
8. Alabama 6-0 393.7 [ 46] 236.7 [ 8] 156.9 [103]
9. TCU 5-1 376.2 [ 56] 234.8 [ 9] 141.4 [107]
10. Florida St 4-1 438.1 [ 22] 227.0 [ 10] 211.0 [ 65]
Speaking of rushing, it's no surprise that Navy is #1 again, nor that Georgia Tech (now led by last season's Navy coach Paul Johnson) is #2. #3 Louisiana-Lafayette may be a surprise though, as well as the fact that their passing game isn't in the bottom 20 like the Midshipmen's and the Yellow Jackets'. In fact all but three of the top ten rushing teams can't really pass to save their lives, and that includes West Virginia who ranks 115th despite an attempt to balance the offense this season.
Now defense, starting with the overall figures:
Rank Team Rec Total [rank] Rush [rank] Pass [rank]
1. TCU 5-1 196.6 [ 1] 30.1 [ 2] 166.5 [ 17]
2. Wake Forest 3-1 208.6 [ 2] 23.1 [ 1] 185.5 [ 31]
3. Southern Cal 3-1 209.6 [ 3] 55.1 [ 3] 154.5 [ 11]
4. South Carolina 4-2 210.9 [ 4] 71.2 [ 11] 139.7 [ 4]
5. Auburn 4-2 253.1 [ 5] 85.9 [ 16] 167.2 [ 19]
6. Boston College 4-1 253.6 [ 6] 56.4 [ 4] 197.1 [ 44]
7. Tennessee 2-3 263.2 [ 7] 107.3 [ 25] 155.9 [ 12]
8. Utah 6-0 263.6 [ 8] 63.1 [ 8] 200.5 [ 47]
9. Florida 4-1 268.7 [ 9] 105.8 [ 24] 162.9 [ 14]
10. Pittsburgh 4-1 269.2 [ 10] 112.9 [ 28] 156.2 [ 13]
TCU is currently tops in total defensive yardage, adjusted for their competition (which includes Oklahoma). Florida won games last year based on offense, but they aren't in the top ten in either offensive category but place 9th on defense. Southern Cal and Auburn both make the top 5, but no team ranks in the top ten in both categories, though USC and South Carolina come very close. Another surprise is Ohio State's absense. Last year the Buckeyes were easily #1, leading in both rushing and passing some weeks. They returned 9 starters on defense but aren't as effective this season.
Passing defense:
Rank Team Rec Total [rank] Rush [rank] Pass [rank]
1. Ohio State 5-1 269.8 [ 11] 144.0 [ 61] 125.8 [ 1]
2. Troy 2-2 358.0 [ 61] 225.2 [113] 132.8 [ 2]
3. Arizona 4-1 281.9 [ 14] 145.4 [ 64] 136.5 [ 3]
4. South Carolina 4-2 210.9 [ 4] 71.2 [ 11] 139.7 [ 4]
5. Colorado 3-2 313.6 [ 30] 169.3 [ 86] 144.2 [ 5]
6. New Mexico St 2-2 420.9 [107] 274.7 [119] 146.2 [ 6]
7. Louisiana-Lafayette 2-3 382.6 [ 81] 231.6 [114] 150.9 [ 7]
8. Washington St 1-5 410.8 [101] 259.3 [118] 151.4 [ 8]
9. Wyoming 2-4 338.6 [ 45] 185.9 [ 99] 152.6 [ 9]
10. Oregon St 2-3 277.4 [ 13] 124.1 [ 43] 153.3 [ 10]
It's not because they can't defend the pass. Once again, the Buckeyes are #1 against the pass, just as they finished the 2007 season. Overall they rank 11th, so it's their (relative) inability to stop the run that's hurting them this year defensively. Several teams on this list have a similar problem, to an even greater degree: Troy, New Mexico State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Washington State rank #2, 6, 7, and 8 against the pass but just 113th, 119th, 114th, and 118th against the run. Often what this means is that teams find it so easy to run against the defense that they don't even need to resort to pass plays that could result in turnovers. Arizona, however, has a profile similar to Ohio State's: they are great against the pass, and simply average against the run.
Another team of note on the list is Oregon State. Last year the Beavers were #1 against the run. All seven starters up front on their defense had to be replaced, and they've fallen from #1 to #43 so far. But their secondary has picked up the slack and ranks in the top ten against the pass.
Rushing defense:
Rank Team Rec Total [rank] Rush [rank] Pass [rank]
1. Wake Forest 3-1 208.6 [ 2] 23.1 [ 1] 185.5 [ 31]
2. TCU 5-1 196.6 [ 1] 30.1 [ 2] 166.5 [ 17]
3. Southern Cal 3-1 209.6 [ 3] 55.1 [ 3] 154.5 [ 11]
4. Boston College 4-1 253.6 [ 6] 56.4 [ 4] 197.1 [ 44]
5. Alabama 6-0 276.1 [ 12] 57.3 [ 5] 218.8 [ 72]
6. Georgia 4-1 294.8 [ 19] 59.8 [ 6] 234.9 [ 89]
7. Missouri 5-0 316.9 [ 33] 60.4 [ 7] 256.4 [103]
8. Utah 6-0 263.6 [ 8] 63.1 [ 8] 200.5 [ 47]
9. Texas 5-0 293.8 [ 18] 65.7 [ 9] 228.1 [ 85]
10. Duke 3-2 344.0 [ 54] 66.8 [ 10] 277.1 [116]
Wake Forest is the big run-stopper this year. Southern Cal has had an iron run defense for several years now. Boston College is winning games with defense this season instead of through the air, and while Missouri's defense has been questioned, their rushing defense is no slouch. The way to attack the Tigers is definitely through the air. Likewise Duke, who has been sturdy against the run but is in the bottom five against the pass. Texas and Georgia both are relatively weak in the secondary this season.
Overall yardage differential:
Rank Team Rec Yards Off Def
1. Texas Tech 5-0 279.0 1 23
2. Southern Cal 3-1 268.5 9 3
3. Missouri 5-0 258.6 2 33
4. Oklahoma 5-0 255.0 4 20
5. Oregon St 2-3 201.0 8 13
6. TCU 5-1 179.6 56 1
7. Georgia 4-1 176.5 12 19
8. Illinois 3-2 165.3 11 27
9. Texas 5-0 152.1 18 18
10. Utah 6-0 151.7 27 8
These teams have outgained their opposition the most (adjusted for the opposition, of course). These are the teams with the best balance of strong offenses and defenses that don't yield a lot of yards. Note that return yards are not included in either category.
Only USC has a top ten offense and defense. But five other teams are in the top 25 in both categories. Texas Tech's defense is markedly improved this year; Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas, not surprisingly, are solid both on O and D overall. The surprise may be Oregon State, who has the #8 offense and #13 defense. Though only 2-3, they of course conquered USC and almost beat Utah. Another team that might be destined for an improved record is Illinois.
been waiting for this. It looks like the B-12 is for real.
Posted by: Finally | October 08, 2008 at 11:18 PM