Our new forums (and even our new Twitter activity) have become fantastic places to share a higher volume of information and items from the internet that we can’t necessarily find the opportunity to share on the front page of the blog. But, this morning we ran across a few items that deserve front page billing.
(1) Instead of texting has done a great analysis on “useful yardage” that I guess is a sister concept to “wasted yards” that was discussed in this entry.
The concept is relatively simple and the author states, “is a derivative of the one used at footballoutsiders.com: a carry is successful if it (a.) gains at least 40% of needed yards on first down, (b.) gains at least 60% of needed yards on second down, (c.) converts a first down on third or fourth down or (d.) yields a first down or touchdown, under any circumstances.”
Using those parameters, NC State’s Toney Baker shines as the ACC’s most effective back with a 62.5% success rate. You can view the detail of the analysis in the entry.
Toney Baker
Baker’s season started horribly. On his first carry, he lost three yards and the ball. South Carolina returned the fumble 14 yards for a touchdown. That score decided State’s only loss thus far.
Baker has been solid as stone since then, rolling up 10 first downs and 5 touchdowns on 40 carries. Coming into 2009, Baker had had a star-crossed career, losing two seasons to leg injuries. He’s finishing on an up note this year.
Best carry: A 2-yard touchdown run that won the Pitt game Saturday. The second-down run with 3:49 left in the game capped State’s comeback from a 14-point deficit.
Worst carry: The aforementioned fumble against South Carolina.
(2) In this entry, ‘Yet Another’ has peeled back the onion on NC State’s impressive defensive statistics through four games.
We’ve heard a good bit this week about State’s defense being ranked #1 in total defense. That’s an impressive statistic, for sure, but given State’s played two FCS opponents in its four games, that stat’s a bit misleading. So let’s look at how the numbers shake out with those two opponents taken out:
* 556 total yards in two games, for a per-game average of 278. That would slot State 22nd just behind Central Mich.
* Those 556 yards were surrendered over 110 plays for a per-play average of 5.05. That slots State 53rd, just behind Army.
* 202 total rushing yards over two games, good for a per-game average of 101. That’s 28th best. Those 202 yards came over 65 carries, a 3.11 per-carry average, 30th best.
* 354 total passing yards, 177 per game, 38th best. Those 354 yards came on 45 attempts for a per-attempt average of 7.87, 98th best.So you can see, state’s defensive numbers are a tad inflated by their cupcake games. Against the FBS competition, the numbers tend to fall more in line with what your eyes would tell you, not the stat sheet.
(3) College GameBalls talks a little about the ACC’s out of conference performance in this entry.
