10-09-2017, 10:35 AM
(10-09-2017, 09:23 AM)stupac2 link Wrote:I'm also surprised at how low WSU is here. Has anyone been watching their games and have any idea what the deal is? They've been pretty dominant on the scoreboard, is it just slipping into prevent-ish defense early and giving up lots of big plays in garbage time or something? Leach doesn't turtle on offense, so it's not a bunch of 1-yard runs dragging the average down, I wouldn't think.
Two stats provide some insight.
WSU is #6 in the country in 3rd down defense. Opponents only converting 24.7% of the time on 3rd down.
WSU defense is #5 in the country in takeaways with 15 takeaways in 6 games.
U.SC was 2 for 11 on 3rd down. Oregon was 2 for 17 on 3rd down. A defense can give up some big plays, but they can be very successful if they stop the opponent on 3rd down (and also get turnovers).
As a point of contrast, Stanford is #111 in the country in 3rd down defense at 45.9%
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