The D keeps holding up - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

jay santos · 11-06-2006, 04:28 PM

It's amazing to me, but it's about time to acknowledge this D is pretty good. Just how good is the question.

We're #11 in scoring D. That's just freakin' amazing to me. Allowing just 14 pts a game.

But check this out. Our oppenents are averaging a measly 18 pts a game all year. My adj-scoring D stat ranks teams by taking Opponents average scored vs Team average allowed. In this we are 18 - 14 = 3.8 which ranks us #38. That feels about right for our D. Not quite as good as 2003, and some of the late 90's D's but still very good.

Ohio State is #1 in this stat with 24 - 8 = 16, #1. Also notable is BC with 27-17 = 10, #9.

il Padrino Ute · 11-06-2006, 04:34 PM

BYU's defense is very impressive this year. It would seem that going to the 3-4 made all the difference.

BYU is on a roll right now. If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that the 4 game losing streak ends this year.

OhioBlue · 11-06-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

BYU is on a roll right now. If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that the 4 game losing streak ends this year.

Way to go out on a limb there, IlPad.

Detroitdad · 11-06-2006, 08:22 PM

Don't you also need to subtract out the results of the BYU game from the average point total? Wouldn't this give a more reflective account of how the D is doing relative to how they have produced throughout the season? Maybe you have already done that.

I would agree that 38 is a more reasonable ranking than #11 if you are counting the entire season. However, the defense as currently constituted is clearly much better than it was at the start of the year, which is a testament to Bronco. It also gives one a lot of hope for next year, considering that most of the defense is back next year.

jay santos · 11-06-2006, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

Don't you also need to subtract out the results of the BYU game from the average point total? Wouldn't this give a more reflective account of how the D is doing relative to how they have produced throughout the season? Maybe you have already done that.

I would agree that 38 is a more reasonable ranking than #11 if you are counting the entire season. However, the defense as currently constituted is clearly much better than it was at the start of the year, which is a testament to Bronco. It also gives one a lot of hope for next year, considering that most of the defense is back next year.

No, I don't take out the BYU game from the average total. I don't think it has an effect on the ranking, which is all I'm really looking at. Also, I think the D started playing great from the first game. Best game all year might have been Tulsa. But anyway you stack it, the D is great and Bronco should be commended.

il Padrino Ute · 11-07-2006, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhioBlue

Way to go out on a limb there, IlPad.

Notice, that I didn't say it was a lock.

SoCalCoug · 11-07-2006, 06:01 AM

What I like is how dominant we have been in the conference. In that respect, we're comparable to the dominant BYU teams of the past (not a comment on whether that's due to a weak conference this year, or a particularly strong BYU team). We just haven't been in any close conference games.

I looked back at some of the past years. Going back to 1983, there have been 5 seasons where we've won (or tied) all of our conference games: 2001, 1996, 1991, 1984, 1983. Of those, only in 1983 was there a higher average margin of victory (31.0 ppg) than we have this year to date (25.8 ppg). Further, in 1983, the lowest point differential was 18 points (twice). This year, our lowest margin of victory in conference games is 14.

In all of the other undefeated-in-conference years, there have been multiple single-digit wins: 4 in 2001, with a low of 3; 2 in 1996, both 3; 2 in 1991, with a tie and a 2-point win, and 3 in 1984, with a low of 3.

In addition, there are 3 seasons with one conference loss (a hiccup?): 1985, 1990, and 1989. 1990 was the most dominant with a 32.3 point average margin of victory, when you throw out the loss to Hawaii.

It's interesting - one of those other season, 1989, also had a loss to Hawaii, and 1985, of course, had the UTEP loss.

What does all this mean to me?

1. We're dominating the conference (so far) like we used to in the glory years.
2. Even in the dominant seasons, there have been stumbles - I hope that doesn't happen this year.

I'm really enjoying this now.

11-06-2006, 04:34 PM	#2
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	BYU's defense is very impressive this year. It would seem that going to the 3-4 made all the difference. BYU is on a roll right now. If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that the 4 game losing streak ends this year. __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

11-07-2006, 06:01 AM	#7
SoCalCoug Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orange County, California Posts: 3,059	What I like is how dominant we have been in the conference. In that respect, we're comparable to the dominant BYU teams of the past (not a comment on whether that's due to a weak conference this year, or a particularly strong BYU team). We just haven't been in any close conference games. I looked back at some of the past years. Going back to 1983, there have been 5 seasons where we've won (or tied) all of our conference games: 2001, 1996, 1991, 1984, 1983. Of those, only in 1983 was there a higher average margin of victory (31.0 ppg) than we have this year to date (25.8 ppg). Further, in 1983, the lowest point differential was 18 points (twice). This year, our lowest margin of victory in conference games is 14. In all of the other undefeated-in-conference years, there have been multiple single-digit wins: 4 in 2001, with a low of 3; 2 in 1996, both 3; 2 in 1991, with a tie and a 2-point win, and 3 in 1984, with a low of 3. In addition, there are 3 seasons with one conference loss (a hiccup?): 1985, 1990, and 1989. 1990 was the most dominant with a 32.3 point average margin of victory, when you throw out the loss to Hawaii. It's interesting - one of those other season, 1989, also had a loss to Hawaii, and 1985, of course, had the UTEP loss. What does all this mean to me? 1. We're dominating the conference (so far) like we used to in the glory years. 2. Even in the dominant seasons, there have been stumbles - I hope that doesn't happen this year. I'm really enjoying this now. __________________ Get your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty Yewt! "Now perhaps as I spanked myself screaming out "Kozlowski, say it like you mean it bitch!" might have been out of line, but such was the mood." - Goatnapper "If you want to fatten a pig up to make the pig MORE delicious, you can feed it almost anything. Seriously. The pig is like the car on Back to the Future. You put in garbage, and out comes something magical!" - Cali Coug

11-06-2006, 04:28 PM	#1
jay santos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,177	The D keeps holding up It's amazing to me, but it's about time to acknowledge this D is pretty good. Just how good is the question. We're #11 in scoring D. That's just freakin' amazing to me. Allowing just 14 pts a game. But check this out. Our oppenents are averaging a measly 18 pts a game all year. My adj-scoring D stat ranks teams by taking Opponents average scored vs Team average allowed. In this we are 18 - 14 = 3.8 which ranks us #38. That feels about right for our D. Not quite as good as 2003, and some of the late 90's D's but still very good. Ohio State is #1 in this stat with 24 - 8 = 16, #1. Also notable is BC with 27-17 = 10, #9.

11-06-2006, 08:22 PM	#4
Detroitdad Resident Jackass Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Roswell, New Mexico Posts: 1,846	Don't you also need to subtract out the results of the BYU game from the average point total? Wouldn't this give a more reflective account of how the D is doing relative to how they have produced throughout the season? Maybe you have already done that. I would agree that 38 is a more reasonable ranking than #11 if you are counting the entire season. However, the defense as currently constituted is clearly much better than it was at the start of the year, which is a testament to Bronco. It also gives one a lot of hope for next year, considering that most of the defense is back next year.