BG Football Defense: Nowhere to go but up.

So, BG had the opportunity to mic up Carl Pelini recently.  It's worth a watch.  I would say that his addition--along with an entirely new defensive staff--is the primary reason for some optimism in the BG camp.  First, the defensive coaches are finally guys who have been around a little.  Second, Pelini is a seasoned coach and a former head coach, something that Coach Jinks has already said is of great value to him.  Third, he has a proven track record of success in this exact job, something that no one on the original Jinks squad had.

With an improved offense...even if it might not be as good as some people expect...BG has a shot to stabilize on defense, combining better coaching with improving young players.

Also, I like Pelini because this is a perfect opportunity for him.  If you google him, you'll see that there have been some issues here and there.  And presumably, he wants to be a head coach again and this is a perfect opportunity for him to earn redemption.  He can hardly go anywhere but up.

To illustrate that last point, check this out.  Phil Steele did an analysis of how teams did in relation to their opponent's average.  For example, if you played a team averaging 400 yards per game, how did you do in terms of that average.  Did you hold them under their average or did they exceed their average against you?  (I like this because it eliminates all the whining about tough schedules.)

BG allowed teams 127 yards per game ABOVE their season average.  That's the second worst in the country.  For perspective, the media yards per game is 397 yards or so, meaning that BG an additional 32% over that.  (The actual number is actually a little less because Steele weeded out overtime and garbage yards for his analysis).

Anyway, with better coaching and improving players and talent, the defense almost has to get better this year and next, and Pelini is motivated to make the jump as big as it can be.