Since the 2nd half vs. Ohio State

It'sNotAFakeID

It'sNotAFakeID

All-American
Crunching some numbers since I'm bored and thought this was an interesting topic:

Since the 2nd half of the Ohio State game:

24 points allowed [roughly 9 per game]

521 Yards allowed [52.1 yards per quarter]

Opposing QBs: 21/55 [38%], 221 yards, 0 TDs 2 INTs

+3 Turnover Differential

50 consecutive minutes without allowing a score [10:56 3rd qtr tOSU--6:45 3rd Qtr Minnesota]

 
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Keyest stat of the game: One opposing QB down with an injury.

had Russell Wilson not played the second half, we may have beaten Wisconsin.

And i don't want to think of how poorly we would have done if Martinez went down.

 
I realize that it wasn't Braxton Miller in their and that may have [we can't say with 100% certainty] made a difference. Still...they shut down their running game and didn't allow them to score for roughly 20 minutes.

Another stat: 24 points allowed [approximately 9 per game]

 
Those kinds of stats are why we saw the Blackshirts handed out. Not simply because we beat Michigan State, but because we played solid (not spectacular, just solid) defense for longer than a quarter or two at a time.

 
I believe the D has come a ways ... it is without question getting better. I especially like what I see in the DBs. The word is still out, however, whether this will translate into stopping a running QB. My understanding is NW has a running QB? I don't know much about that team, except they are among the bottom ones. Thus, if they have a fairly decent running QB, that will be a test for the improvement of our D.

 
Spartness said:
I believe the D has come a ways ... it is without question getting better. I especially like what I see in the DBs. The word is still out, however, whether this will translate into stopping a running QB. My understanding is NW has a running QB? I don't know much about that team, except they are among the bottom ones. Thus, if they have a fairly decent running QB, that will be a test for the improvement of our D.
Click to expand...
NW's QB, Dan Persa, is pretty good runner. However, he has been struggling with turf toe so he probably won't be running too much. And if so, it won't be too fast. He does have a very good arm however.

 
MJSkers said:
NW's QB, Dan Persa, is pretty good runner. However, he has been struggling with turf toe so he probably won't be running too much. And if so, it won't be too fast. He does have a very good arm however.
Click to expand...
Turf toe on top of his ruptured achilles from last year? That's a tough combination. I can't imagine he'll be as mobile as billed.

 
Marqueis Gray was a mobile QB and we did a good job stopping him. The true test will come when we face Denard Robinson--that will truly test the improvement of our defense.

 
Bye Bye Big XII said:
I realize that it wasn't Braxton Miller in their and that may have [we can't say with 100% certainty] made a difference. Still...they shut down their running game and didn't allow them to score for roughly 20 minutes.

Another stat: 24 points allowed [approximately 9 per game]
Click to expand...

I think NU's inability to stop Braxton Miller is a bit overblown. Prior to the Husker game, Ohio State's offense was anemic in part because they tried to limit his runs and keep him the pocket. Its pretty obvious the OSU coaches realized they needed to unleash Miller if they desired any chance to win games this year. They did a lot of things against the Huskers that NU hadn't seen yet on film.

 
Take these numbers with a grain of salt, since the last 3 teams we have played are garbage offensively. Is it encouraging and a step in the right direction? Yes. Will it give our defense some confidence? Hopefully, and hopefully they don't get too full of themselves.

If we stop Northwestern and Michigan, and whomever we play in the CCG (if we get there), then we can say that this defense is fixed. And lets not forget, this is the Big Ten, the offenses here are far from what the SEC, Big 12, or Pac 12 put on the field.

 
I don't know. Numbers are numbers--good defenses do that to their opponents no matter what. I'm not saying the defense is fixed nor that it is unreasonable for one to not fully believe the defense is fixed. All I'm saying is that those numbers are pretty impressive.

 
I like the numbers, the trend, and think the defense has improved by leaps and bounds but, please remember that in the middle of these 10 quarters of stats is 4 quarters of Minnesota. I'll take it but I'm a lot more impressed with the first 2 qtrs and the last 4. The next 3 games will hopefully prove this trend and partial snapshot is for real.

 
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