Let's compare apples to apples. Take the first five games from last year (Utah State, Arkansas State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida) and the first five games this year (Bowling Green, Oklahoma, Western Carolina, Florida, Arkansas). The opponent quality is roughly similar, so let's just look at the stats. We'll focus on yards per play, because rate stats are the best! 2014 yards per play (first five games) offense: 4.53 2015 yards per play (first five games) offense: 5.48 2014 yards per play (first five games) defense: 4.75 2015 yards per play (first five games) defense: 5.61 2014 yards per play (first five games) margin: -0.22 2015 yards per play (first five games) margin: -0.13 Our offense has gotten almost a full yard per play better! That's genuinely good improvement, taking us from 2014 UConn territory to 2014 Iowa territory. So it's still not awesome, but it's gone from terrible to average. The defense, on the other hand, has gotten almost a full yard worse. Overall, we've improved by about nine-hundredths of a yard per play. With us averaging about 75 plays per game, that comes out to about 6.8 yards per game. With an average of around 15 yards per point across college football, that means we're improving by almost half a point per game! At this rate, we'll be able to take Florida to overtime in two years! Give Butch another 25-30 years improving like this, and we might even beat Bama!
More seriously, what the hell Jancek? You lost four contributors from last year (Williams, Johnson, Maggitt, Coleman), how did you tank so hard?
I bet if you compare the last 5 games of last year to the first 5 games of this year, the offense is significantly worse.
I'm sure, but I am trying to actually give a fair comparison. The last five games of last year included games against the vaunted defenses of South Carolina, Iowa, and Kentucky.
I can buy that to some degree, but I also still remember that performance against Mizzou last year, so even being dead serious, I don't want to overstate the regression on offense. The regression on defense, on the other hand, seems pretty clear.
I think the defense's problems are even more glaring. I fully expected with this talent to have a top 10ish defense. We've seen nothing of the sort.
.97 for 2015 YPP margin 2.09 for 2014 YPP margin .51 for 2014 offense 1.79 for 2015 offense 2.09 for 2014 defense (that OU game was a huge outlier) .94 for 2015 defense
The only quote I ever heard that I liked from Lou Holtz was: Stats are for losers. If you win, who cares.
as far as the offense is concerned ---- honestly, i'm so cross-eyed and forgetful trying to recall ----- but it seems the majority of "good" last year happened with Dobbs ****ing around and scrambling for 1st downs because the OLine sucked so hard. Now the OLine is supposedly better (year older, I guess) but Dobbs isn't scrambling ... so, oh no, we suck again? i suppose that's the difference I think I see between last year and this year on offense.... or am I way off base? Maybe we should go back to a shittier OLine and let Dobbs just run... better yet... Hurd/Kamara Wildcat, 24/7. ... think I'll go back to my 4 martini lunch now.
We have had 2 stat pumping patsies so far this year. It would be interesting to compare at the end of the year after we get through the SEC schedule.
we did last year too. while there was a lot of sarcasm in the analysis of the OP, I genuinely think it's decent apples to apples as far as beginning of last year vs beginning of this year