25 Turtle Questions
How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?
They have 30, which is a lot. Big sophomore class sprinkled throughout the depth chart.
Who were their statistical leaders?
Last year, Ty Johnson was #15 in yards per carry.
What was their turnover ratio?
They were +2 last year.
Well, that's interesting. They used 2 QBs against Texas and say they will do the same in BG. Kasim Hill played most of the snaps and Tyrell Pigrome also was in. They were effective in both sets. Hill completed 59% of his passes at over 13 yards a completion.
What was their scoring and yards per play?
They scored 34 points against Texas on 5.1 yards per play. They definitely started out hot and then Texas adjusted over the rest of the game. They were 100th in scoring offense and 119th in offensive yardage last year, so what we saw last week was a huge improvement.
Can they run the ball?
They struggled to run the ball against Texas. They averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Last year, they averaged 4.5 yards per rush.
Do they pass the ball?
As noted, they had good success with their passing game against Texas. Also, note that their true FR Jeshaun Jones threw for a TD, ran for one and received one on his first three collegiate touches.
How was their run/pass balance?
Despite their struggles, they were committed to the run. They had 58% running attempts against Texas and that was their percentage last season as well. Remember, Durkin is a Harbaugh discipline and Matt Canada coached at NIU with their rushing offenses.
Did they convert on 3rd Down?
Last year, they were one of the worst teams in the country on 3rd down and they were only 33% against Texas.
Did they score in the red zone?
They had 5 points per trip last week and were 3 points per trip last year, which is awful.
Did they protect the quarterback?
Gave up only one sack on 36 attempts against Texas. Last year was terrible, they allowed sacks on almost 10% of passing attempts.
Defense:
Topline: Scoring and yards per play.
They were not good on defense. They were #119 in the nation in scoring offense and in total defense. They allowed Texas 29 points and 5.4 yards per play, which would be considered an improvement, I would think.
Did they defend the run effectively?
No. They allowed 4.7 YPC which was #92 in the nation. They held Texas to 3.9 YPC.
Can they be passed on?
They were decent last year, ranked #62. They allowed 59% completions for 11.4 per completion, both of which are pretty good. 23 TDS over 10 INT won't help your case. Texas completed 54% but 12.5 per completion.
Did they get off the field on 3rd down?
They were bad last year, allowing almost 50%. Held Longhorns to 3 of 15.
Do they defend in the red zone?
They allowed 5 points per attempt, which isn't great. Texas scored TDs on both of their attempts.
Did they pressure the QB?
Not very good. They had sacks on 3.8% of their pass defenses and had 1 against Texas.
Special Teams:
Punting?
Their punting game is not great. Lees was #97 last year. His average against Texas was only 38, but it included four inside the 20, which can impact your yardage.
Punt Return?
Their PR from last year is gone and they had one for 9 yards against Texas.
Placekicking?
After struggling last year, they have a new kicker. He was 2-2 against Texas.
Kickoff?
Their coverage was not great. They started the game against Texas on the 29.
Kickoff Return?
They started on the 24 against Texas.
All right. There's a lot here this time.
First, we're all aware of the turmoil at Maryland. That said, they appeared very ready to play against Texas and much improved over last year's 4-8 team.
Second, though, is that this is a classicly difficult situation for them. They win week 1 in the Jerrydome and then the next week they are running onto the field at the Doyt. This will be a test of Coach Canada's ability to get his team mentally ready.
Third, BG has put a lot of eggs into this basket. The school has worked every angle possible to get people into the stands Saturday. I hope it is successful. The weather is all right, if not idea. A big crowd really helps our guys, many of whom have never played to a big home crowd.
Fourth is that the game represents a huge opportunity for the program. If they notch the big win in front of the big crowd, maybe some momentum turns around. If they don't, then the opposite happens.
Fifth..beyond crowd issues, BG has a lot of pressure on it for this game. There has been a lot of hype and in front of your peers...it's a different kind of pressure. A win builds confidence. Even a close loss helps, if you're talking about a real close loss not a Mike Jinks we were two missed opportunities from being in the game at halftime close game.
Sixth, BG beat Maryland in Maryland the last time these two teams played and one year before Jinks was our coach.
They scored 34 points against Texas on 5.1 yards per play. They definitely started out hot and then Texas adjusted over the rest of the game. They were 100th in scoring offense and 119th in offensive yardage last year, so what we saw last week was a huge improvement.
Can they run the ball?
They struggled to run the ball against Texas. They averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Last year, they averaged 4.5 yards per rush.
Do they pass the ball?
As noted, they had good success with their passing game against Texas. Also, note that their true FR Jeshaun Jones threw for a TD, ran for one and received one on his first three collegiate touches.
How was their run/pass balance?
Despite their struggles, they were committed to the run. They had 58% running attempts against Texas and that was their percentage last season as well. Remember, Durkin is a Harbaugh discipline and Matt Canada coached at NIU with their rushing offenses.
Did they convert on 3rd Down?
Last year, they were one of the worst teams in the country on 3rd down and they were only 33% against Texas.
Did they score in the red zone?
They had 5 points per trip last week and were 3 points per trip last year, which is awful.
Gave up only one sack on 36 attempts against Texas. Last year was terrible, they allowed sacks on almost 10% of passing attempts.
Topline: Scoring and yards per play.
They were not good on defense. They were #119 in the nation in scoring offense and in total defense. They allowed Texas 29 points and 5.4 yards per play, which would be considered an improvement, I would think.
No. They allowed 4.7 YPC which was #92 in the nation. They held Texas to 3.9 YPC.
Can they be passed on?
They were decent last year, ranked #62. They allowed 59% completions for 11.4 per completion, both of which are pretty good. 23 TDS over 10 INT won't help your case. Texas completed 54% but 12.5 per completion.
Do they defend in the red zone?
They allowed 5 points per attempt, which isn't great. Texas scored TDs on both of their attempts.
Did they pressure the QB?
Not very good. They had sacks on 3.8% of their pass defenses and had 1 against Texas.
Special Teams:
Punting?
Their punting game is not great. Lees was #97 last year. His average against Texas was only 38, but it included four inside the 20, which can impact your yardage.
Their PR from last year is gone and they had one for 9 yards against Texas.
Placekicking?
After struggling last year, they have a new kicker. He was 2-2 against Texas.
Their coverage was not great. They started the game against Texas on the 29.
Kickoff Return?
They started on the 24 against Texas.
First, we're all aware of the turmoil at Maryland. That said, they appeared very ready to play against Texas and much improved over last year's 4-8 team.
Second, though, is that this is a classicly difficult situation for them. They win week 1 in the Jerrydome and then the next week they are running onto the field at the Doyt. This will be a test of Coach Canada's ability to get his team mentally ready.
Third, BG has put a lot of eggs into this basket. The school has worked every angle possible to get people into the stands Saturday. I hope it is successful. The weather is all right, if not idea. A big crowd really helps our guys, many of whom have never played to a big home crowd.
Fourth is that the game represents a huge opportunity for the program. If they notch the big win in front of the big crowd, maybe some momentum turns around. If they don't, then the opposite happens.
Fifth..beyond crowd issues, BG has a lot of pressure on it for this game. There has been a lot of hype and in front of your peers...it's a different kind of pressure. A win builds confidence. Even a close loss helps, if you're talking about a real close loss not a Mike Jinks we were two missed opportunities from being in the game at halftime close game.
Sixth, BG beat Maryland in Maryland the last time these two teams played and one year before Jinks was our coach.
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