CFN on this week's games

MeanGreen61 · October 14, 2005

From College Football News.

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sun_bel...ons/SunBelt.htm

untgirl04 · October 14, 2005

I think it's interesting how we're going on the road to SMU next week. I wonder if anyone's told the team yet.

MeanGreen61 · October 14, 2005

I think it's interesting how we're going on the road to SMU next week. I wonder if anyone's told the team yet.
←

user posted image

Tattle-tale

gangrene · October 14, 2005

It's not just that North Texas is allowing lots of yards, it's that it's not doing anything to make big plays to stop drives. Opposing offenses are converting 44% on third downs.
←

I have to dismiss the entire article after reading that comment. Has this writer actually watched any of our games or is he basing everything entirely off of the statistics?

Our defense has done plenty to stop big drives. How about the 99-yard interception for a touchdown against MUTS and the 1st quarter interception in our own endzone last week against Troy??

SpaceMonkey · October 14, 2005

since both those interceptions clearly occured inside our own red zone there is a very high chance that the offense converted one or more 3rd downs to get to that point.

2 stops versus 44% of the 3rd down plays hardly equals coming up with a lot of big stops.

gangrene · October 14, 2005

since both those interceptions clearly occured inside our own red zone there is a very high chance that the offense converted one or more 3rd downs to get to that point.
2 stops versus 44% of the 3rd down plays hardly equals coming up with a lot of big stops.
←

Those were the two plays that immediately came to mind, without doing any research. As far as "big plays" go...they don't get any bigger than an INT returned 99 yards for a TD. Opponents obviously have to convert 3rd downs to get into the red zone. I wasn't debating the fact that opponents have moved the ball at will against our defense but I do think we need to give our D a little credit for that "bend but don't break" attitude...in the first half anyway. The defense is so tired by the second half that they couldn't stop a pee wee team.

SpaceMonkey · October 14, 2005

I don't dispute that. But the issue isn't that they have had NO big stops, but rather that they've been forced to come up with big stops like an interception in the end zone in order to stop a drive. If they're so tired then someone should inform them that stopping a drive on an early third would mean having to be on defense less and not having to come up with interceptions in the endzone in order to keep the offense from scoring. End Zone interceptions are often just as easily a touchdown for the other team.

Bend but don't break attitudes more often than not end up in field goals for the other team. And thats usually palettable for fans, until the other teams wins on or by a field goal, or makes 5 of them in route to a win. I'd rather see 3rd down stops than 2nd and goal interceptions.

I think to go along with the 44% of third down conversions the only other stat that would be relevant here would be the percentage of drives that end up in scores. anyone have that?

Edited October 14, 2005 by SpaceMonkey