Okay nerds, you sick of these numbers yet? I'm not. (Please, Michigan Week, get here soon!)
Here are the leaders of the Alvarez-Bielema era in key statistical categories.
OFFENSE
Yards per game: 1993 (455.2), 1994 (423.6), 1999 (417.2), 2007 (408.8). I don't think people remember just how explosive that 1993-94 offense was. Had Lee Deramus not been injured that '94 team could have been absolutely awesome. And that '07 average being so high is a testament to Paul Chryst.
Rushing attempts per game: 1999 (53.0), 1993 (50.3), 1998 (50.0). Whether rushing attempts are a cause or an effect is debatable, but the fact is our three Great Teams rushed the ball more than the other 12. The first two are the same in rushing yards per game, but the 2006 team is third ... thank you, Ron Dayne.
Passing yards per game (fixed, thanks Toohey): 2005 (228.4), 1995 (221.7), 2003 (217.9), 2001 (213). Several points here:
1. John Stocco's 2005 was so overlooked because for three-quarters of the season everyone was still bitching about how bad he played in 2004. But what a season!
2. 1995 and 2001 are our only two non-bowl years since 1993. They were also seasons that got Darrell Bevell and Brooks Bollinger's butt whipped.
3. Is it really that surprising that Jim Sorgi ('03) has stuck in the NFL this long? He was a nice quarterback in college, and more pro-style than just about anyone we've had.
4. Last on this list: 1998, when Mike Samuel and friends passed for just 113.6 yards per game. Unreal.
Third-down conversion percentage: 1993 (58.3%!), 1996 (47.4%), 2005 (46.6%). The '93 team's margin of 'victory' here is staggering. Imagine how demoralizing it had to be playing against that team, when it converted so many of its third-down chances. Remember, UW's average in this period is 43.6%. Why again did the '96 team only go 8-5?
Turnovers per game: 1998 (0.8), 1999 (0.9), 2005 (1.1). On the other end of the spectrum, the '94 team turned it over 2.2 times per game. Obviously an important factor in a team's success.
Penalty yards per game: 1995 (25), 1997 (34.4), 1993 (35.1), 1998 (35.3). Funny, I don't remember that '95 team being an exceptionally disciplined bunch.
Points per game: 2005 (34.3), 1999 (34.1), 1998 (31.8), 1994 (29.8), 1993 (29.5). Few surprises here, except that the '98 team averaged almost 32 points per game while throwing for just over 100. A testament to Ron Dayne and, I presume, Jamar Fletcher.
So there you have it, another post that reinforces that we win big when we run the ball well and run it a lot. It's fun seeing a stat, seeing where it ranks, and remembering who was involved in making it happen.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Statistical leaders: Offense
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4 comments:
Passing yards per game: 2005 (2,969), 1995 (2,439), 2003 (2,833), 2001 (2,556).
Wow! That's a lot of passing yards per game. We must have set a lot of records those years. ;)
t
Whoops! Thanks for the catch T.
I'm a huge John Stocco fan. The worst thing you could say about him was that when he screwed up/threw a bad pass he REALLY SCREWED UP. But that rarely happened. He had the ability to make some nice throws, had a nice arm, was a nice leader ... you see where this is headed.
What I'm saying is that if Curt Phillips or Jon Budmayr (sp?) turn out like Stocco did, I'll be pleased.
Phil - Let's just say it rarely happened after 2004 with JS ... but I completely agree with you on the young 'uns, we haven't had made QBs who have put together better careers than Stocco.
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