Offensive Efficiency, Week Four

This is the fourth week I have looked at our offensive efficiency, based on a method outlined in The Hidden Game of Football. If you look on the left sidebar, you can find a link to the original explanation as well as to the data.

The basic idea is that you evaluate each play individually based on the situation. On 1st and 10 and eight yard gain is a winning play worth two points. On 3rd and 10, an eight yard play is a losing play and worth nothing.

This is an experiment. It has revealed little to date that was not otherwise obvious, except for BG's offensive struggles on 3rd down. Yet, I soldier on.

As anyone would already know, this was our best game of the season on both sides of the ball.

For example, on offense:

• We had 50% winning plays for the first time.
• We averaged .93 points per play, our highest of the season.
• Our 1.86 points per winning play was the highest by any team on our schedule this year.
• Our 1.1 points per passing play was by far the highest this year.
• We had 1.2 points per 2nd down play, also a season high.
• 3rd down improved to .69 which is still a little low

Those numbers, combined with 5 turnovers, got us to 38 offensive points.

Now, on the defensive side of the ball....

Wyoming on its first 42 plays (2/3 the game), the Pokes had only 10 winning plays and 32 failed plays. They were averaging only .02 points per play. That's some pretty good domination on our part.

The numbers that follow include the last parts of the game, when it was relatively meaningless but the numbers did improve.

• Wyoming had only 37.8% winning plays....the lowest by any team this season.
• The Pokes had .41 points per play and 1.08 points per winning play, both also season lows.
• They ran OK (.71 points per play) but passing was anemic (.09 points per play).
• They were also stopped on first (.36) and second (.21) downs.

So, there you go. Like I said, no huge surprises. We dominated both sides of the ball, and had our best game statistically both ways...independent of opposition, of course.