Mid-Season Observations

[jtm0097]

Normally, I do an observations write up after each game. However, the Temple game was a blow out. We played complementary football, didn't turn the ball over, and our defense pitched a shut out during the second half. I am very happy that we were able to dominate and get our first conference win in the American. With that being said, I thought I would do a quick write up of where we currently stand.

There have been several growing pains this season. The Cal game was not close, but the others have all been winnable. If we took advantage of certain situations, we would be 5-1 right now. However spoiler alert, we did not and we currently are 3-3 with the toughest stretch of games on the horizon. I really do think that the team is starting to buy into Coach Morris' program. There is a ton of enthusiasm on the sideline and the guys are playing really hard for him. The next few weeks will determine if we make a bowl game or not. Our offense will keep us in games, and I hope that our defense continues to improve. If we can some how win 3 of these next 6 games and make a bowl, I will be thrilled!

One last thing before I jump into the stats, thanks so much to @Harry and the other members that started the Mean Green Collective. We have seen several posts these last few months about starting a program to support our athletes. If you enjoy reading content on this free board, please think about donating to the collective. We have over 10,000 members on this site. Even a small amount will help out with the cause.

Alright, so I got creative in Excel this morning (I'm putting that UNT Business Degree to use). Below you will find some visuals for our Top Statistical Leaders as well as our Total Defense/Offense by game. 

Offensively we are currently averaging 478 yards a game. Defensively we are giving up 461 yards a game.  On offense, we have been pretty balanced all year long with 52% rushing plays against 48% passing plays. 

Ayo Adeyi is our leading rusher with 481 yards on the year. However, we use multiple running backs throughout the game. Oscar Adaway and Isaiah Johnson have been solid all year long. Their stats are almost identical as both are averaging about 40 yards a game. Chandler Rogers has played really good football for us this season. He was an absolute steal in the portal this offseason. He is calm in the pocket, makes great reads, and doesn't turn over the football. Dare I say, he is the best QB we have had since Mason Fine? I am certainly starting to lean that way. Chandler currently has a 64% completion percentage with 1419 yards and 12 TDs. Ja"Mori Maclin has been our leading WR with 587 yards and 8 TDs. This has been another great addition from the transfer portal. He is electric and makes so many great plays for us. I have enjoyed watching him this season. Roderic Burns has also played great for us this season. He has the most receptions with 27 for 275 yards. 

The defense has been trending in the right direction these last few games. The first few weeks were not good. I don't love the 3-3-5, but it has been nice to see the defense playing better. We essentially lost our best LB and DB to the portal, and have played a lot of younger guys. This defense doesn't get a lot of sacks, and has struggled against the run. However, they are improving, and making stops when they need to. The next few weeks will be a big challenge for them. Jordan Brown and Logan Wilson are the leading tacklers with 41. Kevin Wood and Mazin Richards each have 2 sacks on the year. Redshirt Freshman Ethan Wesloski and Patrick Smith have been solid contributors this year with 31 and 30 tackles. Phil Hill, Jaylen Smith, Carson Kropp, Ridge Texada, Nick Nakwaasah, John Davis, and Evan Jackson all have 1 INT on the year. 

These next few weeks will determine if the first season of the Eric Morris regime is successful or not. I hope we make a bowl game, but it is ultimately up to the players and coaches. Lets continue to support these guys. GMG!

Edited October 15, 2023 by jtm0097

[Glory to the Green]

Great info!  Thanks for putting this together. GMG!

[Matt from A700]

Without a bowl or conference championship game, Maclin is on pace for 50 catches for 1,174 yards and 16 TDs.

By comparison, Shorter, who was a devastating portal loss, caught 23 passes for 628 yards and 11 TDs in 2022.

Shorter's YPC was astonishing at 27+ per catch, but Maclin isn't far behind at 23.5.

[NT93]

Good stuff.  I enjoy reading your recaps each week.  

[jtm0097]

2 hours ago, Glory to the Green said:

Great info!  Thanks for putting this together. GMG!

 

1 hour ago, NT93 said:

Good stuff.  I enjoy reading your recaps each week.  

Thank you both, I enjoy writing them!

[wardly]

Great job! I am afraid the very winnable loss to Navy will come back to bite us. With Tulane,Memphis,UTSA, and SMU our next four opponents it may be slim pickings for a win.

[El Paso Eagle]

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Great job! I am afraid the very winnable loss to Navy will come back to bite us. With Tulane,Memphis,UTSA, and SMU our next four opponents it may be slim pickings for a win.

I believe that FIU will be the one that no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out how we lost to that team

[THOR]

1 hour ago, El Paso Eagle said:

I believe that FIU will be the one that no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out how we lost to that team

i believe it is called the wrong qb starting...

[wardly]

1 hour ago, THOR said:

i believe it is called the wrong qb starting...

 

We scored enough points to win. They just ran it down our throats.

[greenminer]

21 hours ago, Matt from A700 said:

Without a bowl or conference championship game, Maclin is on pace for 50 catches for 1,174 yards and 16 TDs.

By comparison, Shorter, who was a devastating portal loss, caught 23 passes for 628 yards and 11 TDs in 2022.

Shorter's YPC was astonishing at 27+ per catch, but Maclin isn't far behind at 23.5.

Puts some perspective on Darden's monstrous 2020 run.  Maclin has 8 TDs throught he first 6 games.  Darden had 11.

[jtm0097]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:35 PM, El Paso Eagle said:

I believe that FIU will be the one that no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out how we lost to that team

The turnovers hurt us that game for sure.

[GMG_Dallas]

Great write-up. Thank you. Saw this statistic on Twitter:

 Adeyi and Maclin are killing it. Going to need both to break some tackles and steal some yards this Saturday against Tulane.

[Green Crazy]

I've been looking at stats too, but more focused on our opponents.  Like most of us know, the second half will be much tougher than the first on both sides of the ball.  These are the our opponents team stats Scoring Defense/Total Defense and Scoring Offense/Total Offense.  I know these can be swayed/skewed by different things like style of play (e.g. Navy), but 6 games is a pretty good picture of what a team is.

 

Our offense will be tested more than it was in the first half, but not near as much as the defense will.  These numbers make me think it will tougher than I first thought.  On the bright side, I know UTSA has been without Harris for a stretch, but they are easily the best chance at a win in these next four games and only an SMU upset would make me happier.  This second half of the season will give us a better idea of where we are as a team.

[jtm0097]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:59 AM, Green Crazy said:

I've been looking at stats too, but more focused on our opponents.  Like most of us know, the second half will be much tougher than the first on both sides of the ball.  These are the our opponents team stats Scoring Defense/Total Defense and Scoring Offense/Total Offense.  I know these can be swayed/skewed by different things like style of play (e.g. Navy), but 6 games is a pretty good picture of what a team is.

 

Our offense will be tested more than it was in the first half, but not near as much as the defense will.  These numbers make me think it will tougher than I first thought.  On the bright side, I know UTSA has been without Harris for a stretch, but they are easily the best chance at a win in these next four games and only an SMU upset would make me happier.  This second half of the season will give us a better idea of where we are as a team.

Thanks for the added context! Agreed, these next few weeks are going to show how good this team really is.

[NT93]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:35 PM, El Paso Eagle said:

I believe that FIU will be the one that no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out how we lost to that team

I agree.  I feel like we’d beat them by 4 touchdowns or more if we played again.

[NT80]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:59 AM, Green Crazy said:

 

 

Our offense will be tested more than it was in the first half, but not near as much as the defense will.  These numbers make me think it will tougher than I first thought.  On the bright side, I know UTSA has been without Harris for a stretch, but they are easily the best chance at a win in these next four games and only an SMU upset would make me happier.  This second half of the season will give us a better idea of where we are as a team.

Defense is trending in the right direction in Points Allowed.

[Green Crazy]

23 minutes ago, NT80 said:

Defense is trending in the right direction in Points Allowed.

As it should, but the offenses we've faced have also got weaker.

[NorthTexan95]

Looking at the remaining schedule, we'll most likely have a .500 season.  This is what I expected before the season and, imo, would be a successful first season.