I pretty much said my piece on the run blocking last year up above, but want to reiterate that the point was that reexamining the results (stats) and film was worth posting about precisely because the result is surprising: it seems the OL performed run blocking better than what I thought I had been watching all season. Of course there we some games and many plays where there weren't holes and linemen couldn't get a push, but there are always such plays and it is hard to mentally average over the entire body of work merely by watching. In the good years, one more easily forgets the bad runs because the overall offense is keeping the ball, driving, and scoring.
I think the stats below are pretty interesting, though of course they don't tell you everything.
It's pretty common to focus on carries by running backs in trying to get a feeling for the OL run blocking, for example Football Outsiders uses RB carries as the basis for their adjusted line yards stat, which Hulk apparently referred to above.
For the last several years, here are the RB avg per carry (for efficiency), the RB yds/game (for total contribution/degree to which running carried the load), the Football Outsiders Ajusted Line Yards for the three years available, and notes giving the QB, main RB, and season finale.
year  RB avg  RB yds/gm FO ALY Notes   Â
2008Â Â 5.52Â Â Â Â Â Â 166Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Pritchard, Gerhart, no bowl
2009Â Â 5.33Â Â Â Â Â Â 183Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Gerhart, Sun Bowl
2010Â Â 4.77Â Â Â Â Â Â 163Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Taylor, Orange Bowl
2011Â Â 5.42Â Â Â Â Â Â 190Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Taylor, Fiesta
2012Â Â 4.77Â Â Â Â Â Â 150Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Nunes/Hogan, Taylor, Rose vs Wisconsin
2013Â Â 5.03Â Â Â Â Â Â 168Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hogan, Gaffney, Rose vs MSU
2014  4.81      126   103.6/59th Hogan, Wright, Foster Farms
2015Â Â 5.60Â Â Â Â Â Â 201Â Â Â 108.0/41st*Â Hogan, McCaffrey, Rose Bowl vs Iowa
2016  6.18      193   106.2/48th Burns/Chryst, McCaffrey, Sun Bowl
Now I certainly don't think this means the 2016 OL was better are run blocking than 2015, but I think the numbers are surprising enough that they are worth a reexamination towards the thought that the run blocking itself was okay but that the offense floundered in the pass game (QB and OL).
*I am not entirely sure why, but it appears that the Football Outsiders stat undervalues our type of running game. I refuse to believe that in 2015 our OL anywhere near 41st best in run blocking.
I think the stats below are pretty interesting, though of course they don't tell you everything.
It's pretty common to focus on carries by running backs in trying to get a feeling for the OL run blocking, for example Football Outsiders uses RB carries as the basis for their adjusted line yards stat, which Hulk apparently referred to above.
For the last several years, here are the RB avg per carry (for efficiency), the RB yds/game (for total contribution/degree to which running carried the load), the Football Outsiders Ajusted Line Yards for the three years available, and notes giving the QB, main RB, and season finale.
year  RB avg  RB yds/gm FO ALY Notes   Â
2008Â Â 5.52Â Â Â Â Â Â 166Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Pritchard, Gerhart, no bowl
2009Â Â 5.33Â Â Â Â Â Â 183Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Gerhart, Sun Bowl
2010Â Â 4.77Â Â Â Â Â Â 163Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Taylor, Orange Bowl
2011Â Â 5.42Â Â Â Â Â Â 190Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Luck, Taylor, Fiesta
2012Â Â 4.77Â Â Â Â Â Â 150Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Nunes/Hogan, Taylor, Rose vs Wisconsin
2013Â Â 5.03Â Â Â Â Â Â 168Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Hogan, Gaffney, Rose vs MSU
2014  4.81      126   103.6/59th Hogan, Wright, Foster Farms
2015Â Â 5.60Â Â Â Â Â Â 201Â Â Â 108.0/41st*Â Hogan, McCaffrey, Rose Bowl vs Iowa
2016  6.18      193   106.2/48th Burns/Chryst, McCaffrey, Sun Bowl
Now I certainly don't think this means the 2016 OL was better are run blocking than 2015, but I think the numbers are surprising enough that they are worth a reexamination towards the thought that the run blocking itself was okay but that the offense floundered in the pass game (QB and OL).
*I am not entirely sure why, but it appears that the Football Outsiders stat undervalues our type of running game. I refuse to believe that in 2015 our OL anywhere near 41st best in run blocking.