Friday, October 05, 2018

25 Questions about a hated rival

What is their body of work?

They are one of the most consistent programs in the MAC.  They finally broke through to a title last year.  They seem slightly not as good this year, but that's still good.  You're hearing about defensive issues and trouble running the ball.

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 26 which is a pretty good number.

Who are their statistical leaders?

Diontae Johnson is #3 in KOR
Mitch Guadagni is #4 in passing efficiency and in yards per completion
Jon'vea Johnson is #8 in yards per recepetion

What is their turnover ratio?

They are +3.

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Offense:

How is their QB play?

It has been good, as per usual.  Guadagni was doing really well, but is injured and may not play.  Eli Peters is the backup and had a shot at the job in camp.  His passing efficiency for the season is lower than Doege, but he is getting first team reps this week (I would assume).  One thing is that Guadagni is their leading rusher as well and BG has struggled with running QBs, so I would assume Peters is a better matchup for us.

What is their scoring and yards per play?

Yeah, they are scoring 45 a game and 6.4 yer play, both really good numbers.  Even holding them to their average will be a challenge for BG.

Can they run the ball?

Not what they expect.  It's 4.1 per rush and only one RB above 4 yards per carry.  You'd expect them to eclipse this on Saturday, if form holds.

Do they pass the ball?

Yes.  See above for info on the QBs. They have at least four show-stopping WRs, probably the best
WR corps BG has faced since being at Oregon.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 48% of their plays, which is slightly run heavy in today's game.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

They are poor on third down at 35%

Did they score in the red zone?

They are outrageously good at 6 per trip.

Did they protect the quarterback?

No.  They give up sacks on 11.2% of their passing attempts.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play.

They give up 36 per game and 5.9 per rush.  Last year, they had the best offense and defense in the MAC and this year that's not the case.

Do they defend the run effectively?

Not especially good at 4.9 YPC.  They are like 103rd.

Can they be passed on?

They are a middle of the pack passing defense.  They allow 62% completions and 11.2 per completion.  They are getting an INT a game.

Did they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are pretty good at 32%

Do they defend in the red zone?

They might be having the worst red zone season I have ever seen at 6.7 points per trip.

Did they pressure the QB?

No.  They get sacks on 3.8% of their pass defenses.

Special Teams:

Punting?


Very, very good.  #11 in the nation and they have 3 blocks.

Punt Return?

They are very good.  They have 2 punt returns for TDs.

Placekicking?

Vest is struggling, which is unusual.  He's 4-7 with 3 over 40 and a long of 37. Two misses inside 40.

Kickoff?

Typical, opponents start at the 25.  19 touchbacks on 32 kicks.

Kickoff Return?

They start on their 27 which is decent.  They have one TD return.




Miscellaneous, Intangibles?

Look, it's tough to get this one lined up.  UT is dominating this rivalry and on paper there's no reason to expect it to stop in this game.  Who knows?  Maybe.  BG has played better against UT than against other opponents in the Jinks era, but again, they were losses.

If BG wins, it will be in a shoot out.  My hope is we come in playing somewhat like BG did against Indiana at the Doyt.  Stand on the accelerator, 117 plays, Go-Go, short passes creating gaps for the run, etc.  Anything else, and I think it goes as predicted.

You can't ignore the coaching issue either.  First, a win over UT is a game changer, no doubt at it, both for the win itself but also for the sign that things are truly turning around.  On the other hand, a blow out is another nail in the coffin and will sink the morale in the program really low.

BG won't stop them (I suspect) but has to keep them off the big plays.  That includes on special teams as well as on offense.  BG will need to play as well as they possibly can.  We shall see.

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