Length Of Games?

[Cooley]

I saw Bret Vito's Blog today (from yesterday) accurately stating that Troy's 45-7 victory (under Dodge) was worse than any prior Dickey loss in the Sunbelt. (35-0 to MTSU)

It's quite obvious that passing 50-60 times a game will stop the clock more than a running offense. I also took into consideration that the clock today starts on kickoffs. (maybe it did last year as well)

For the statisticians on this board and/or in the AD area, do we keep stats on the time of each game? I'd be interested in the comparison. I know 2 games this year approached 3 1/2 hours.

Thanks.

[untgeorge]

I saw Bret Vito's Blog today (from yesterday) accurately stating that Troy's 45-7 victory (under Dodge) was worse than any prior Dickey loss in the Sunbelt. (35-0 to MTSU)

It's quite obvious that passing 50-60 times a game will stop the clock more than a running offense. I also took into consideration that the clock today starts on kickoffs. (maybe it did last year as well)

For the statisticians on this board and/or in the AD area, do we keep stats on the time of each game? I'd be interested in the comparison. I know 2 games this year approached 3 1/2 hours.

Thanks.

Dallas Morning News article of a couple of weeks ago addressed this issue, which is more than just a UNT issue. But as to UNT, 2007 games last more than 3:45, 2006 games about 3:00.

Times are up all over college football. UNTs 3:45 wasn't even in the top longest.

[KingDL1]

Dallas Morning News article of a couple of weeks ago addressed this issue, which is more than just a UNT issue. But as to UNT, 2007 games last more than 3:45, 2006 games about 3:00.

Times are up all over college football. UNTs 3:45 wasn't even in the top longest.

Didn't NCAA Change the rules again this year and killed the run time stuff they were doing last year?

[NT80]

Dallas Morning News article of a couple of weeks ago addressed this issue, which is more than just a UNT issue. But as to UNT, 2007 games last more than 3:45, 2006 games about 3:00.

Times are up all over college football. UNTs 3:45 wasn't even in the top longest.

Last I saw, UNT was in the Top 10 in game length. More passing offenses have increased the game times and we have played mostly passing teams, Navy will be a true running offense. I look for the NCAA to try and shorten game lengths again, maybe losing the clock stoppage after first downs like the NFL?

[eagle213]

Games involving passing teams also lead to more possessions in the course of a game. This is partially to blame for the dip in our defensive statistics that everyone compares to last year. I would be more interested in seeing the comparisons of number and time of possessions year over year.

[ADLER]

I always hated the existance of that meaningless time of possession stat. All it meant was a team ran the ball and was tackled in bounds more than the other; Big whoopee.

The far better stat would be just totalling offensive plays for each team, that combined with yardage figures would more accurately display which defense was getting worn down.

I do think that the yards-per-play for our defense would not compare favorably to previous seasons but I do have faith that it will imrove significantly as Dodge is able to bring in more recruits. I am not criticizing our current players, they are working their tales off on the field, but the Sun Belt defensive All-Conference squad was formerly dominated by North Texas players at almost every position. That's not the case any more.

[eagle213]

I do think that the yards-per-play for our defense would not compare favorably to previous seasons but I do have faith that it will imrove significantly as Dodge is able to bring in more recruits. I am not criticizing our current players, they are working their tales off on the field, but the Sun Belt defensive All-Conference squad was formerly dominated by North Texas players at almost every position. That's not the case any more.

While I do agree with this statement, you will notice that I did not mention the 2002 team. I was attempting to compare the number of possessions from last year to this year because defenses wear down the more they are on the field. As much as you don't like the time of possession stat, it plays a big role in how much time and for how many possessions your defense is on the field. The main point that I am trying to make is that if you want to compare the defense from one year to the next, you have to take into account all variables that are causing the change.