Historical stat of Nebraska's scoring defense since 1962

[Nexus]

I chose to highlight this particular stat because it's the one Pelini harped on a couple years ago in an interview. If you exclude the Callahan era altogether, you'll notice a roughly 3 point increment from Devaney to Osborne to Solich to Pelini.

 

These are just pure numbers. No agenda on my part. I'm not interested in debating the differences between each era. However, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge how much the game has evolved since 1962. Interpret away as you wish.

 

DEVANEY ERA

1962 - 12.7

1963 - 10.7

1964 - 7.5

1965 - 9.0

1966 - 8.4

1967 - 8.3

1968 - 16.1

1969 - 10.8

1970 - 15.8

1971 - 8.0

1972 - 8.1

Average = 10.4

 

OSBORNE ERA

1973 - 13.6

1974 - 11.0

1975 - 13.0

1976 - 13.9

1977 - 16.7

1978 - 18.0

1979 - 10.9

1980 - 8.5

1981 - 9.4

1982 - 12.3

1983 - 15.5

1984 - 9.5 -

1985 - 12.4

1986 - 13.6

1987 - 12.1

1988 - 15.2

1989 - 15.8

1990 - 13.4

1991 - 18.9

1992 - 15.6

1993 - 16.0

1994 - 12.1

1995 - 13.6

1996 - 12.8

1997 - 16.4

Average = 13.6

 

SOLICH ERA

1998 - 15.2

1999 - 12.5

2000 - 19.4

2001 - 15.8

2002 - 23.9

2003 - 14.5

Average = 16.8

 

CALLAHAN ERA

2004 - 27.1

2005 - 21.0

2006 - 18.3

2007 - 37.9

Average = 26.1

 

PELINI ERA

2008 - 28.5

2009 - 10.4

2010 - 17.4

2011 - 23.4

Average = 19.9

[HuskerBCS]

This year we have ave'd 23pts a game. That takes Pelini's yearly ave up to 20.5. If you take out 2009 because Suh was a once in a lifetime player and greatly changes the average, Pelini's yearly ave jumps to 23. Pretty middle of the road defense.

[dvdcrr]

Holding teams to an average of 10-12 points now for a season average is a lot more difficult than it used to be. You see Alabama getting it done year in and an year out with one of the best coaches money can buy and consistenly top tier talent. Short of that its going to be tough sledding trying to match those old numbers from Osborne and Devaney. We did it one year recently with some freak talent on the D line. What happened is first the scholarships got limited to 85 for everyone making the big schools like Nebraska the same as the Kansas States of the world. At about the same time, coaching knowledge increased at a great number of schools dramatically as did strength training. Erase the Nebraska advantage there too which we historically had. Suddenly you had fast strong athletes spread around with great facilities. Also these former doorstep programs began to get more money from donors and better facilities. You add all this up and what you get is opponents with great talent, coaching and strength running advanced offensive schemes where before you had a team of 3/4 walk ons running the wishbone. Things have changed.

[shyndy]

This year we have ave'd 23pts a game. That takes Pelini's yearly ave up to 20.5. If you take out 2009 because Suh was a once in a lifetime player and greatly changes the average, Pelini's yearly ave jumps to 23. Pretty middle of the road defense.

I'm sorry but you can't really start saying things like, take this year out bc of a player. You could also take 08 out bc it was installing a new system and taking over a terrible defense. The other thing is mentioned above, but also just in general stats don't always tell the whole story.

[Mavric]

... and if you take out 2007 Callahan was only 22. Someone get him on the phone.

[I am I]

the game has changed and teams, especially lesser ones, can seem to score the ball a lot more.

 

but even the best years of Solich and Pelini, it's obvious that if you have a good team D, it is possible to hold teams to the 12-15 point avg.

 

to do it year in and year, that's the difference. the game has changed, but it's still possible and we should (considering Pelini was hired for his defense prowess) that we could still be in the 14-18 point range.

 

i don't care how many yds we give up really; i'd like to see us in the + for turnovers every year and be in the top 15 for scoring D....that's who we should be

[I am I]

btw, anothe great stat research Nexus...thanks

[HuskerBCS]

This year we have ave'd 23pts a game. That takes Pelini's yearly ave up to 20.5. If you take out 2009 because Suh was a once in a lifetime player and greatly changes the average, Pelini's yearly ave jumps to 23. Pretty middle of the road defense.

I'm sorry but you can't really start saying things like, take this year out bc of a player. You could also take 08 out bc it was installing a new system and taking over a terrible defense. The other thing is mentioned above, but also just in general stats don't always tell the whole story.

 

Regardless, if you look at all the years, we are a lot closer to a 23pt per game ave than we are to 10pt per game ave. Even including Suh's freak defense, we are only at 20.5 pts per game. Hardly anything to write home about considering we hired a supposed "defensive genius."

 

We will never hold teams to a 10pt per game ave but we should be able to be around 14-17. IMO, our defense has underwhelmed under Pelini, except for 1 year.

[Red Tape]

I did a quick google to see if I could come up with it, but what may be intersting is to compare the national (all NCAA teams factored in) average of yards per game or points per game for each year.

 

I had this discussion with a friend recently. With the increasing speed of the game, it's become more and more difficult to field a dominant defense. A great deal of defense has to do with reaction, and there is far less time to react to the offensive plays than there used to be. A defense stock loaded with smart, fast, physical guys is the only way to have a dominant D. Unfortunately there aren't too many programs with that sort of talent on D.

[JTrain]

I think you will see that, throughout the last two decades at least, the top ten scoring defenses fall mostly between 10 and 16 ppg. That has stayed pretty consistent.

[I am I]

I think you will see that, throughout the last two decades at least, the top ten scoring defenses fall mostly between 10 and 16 ppg. That has stayed pretty consistent.

 

I would agree. Although I don't of a great search engine to find out such info, and if there were one I'm far too lazy to do it, I'd say those ranked I top 7 or 8 are pretty highly ranked at the end of the year.

Which means to me even though I love all our playmakers on offense and the direction Beck is taking them, I'd love a top 10 defense over a top 10 offense.

[California Husker]

The thing that stands out to me is, once agian, how amazing those Osborne years were. The way Nebraska was scoreing back then, and thus giving the ball back to the other team, it is amazing that any of those teams ever gave up less than 10 points a game on D. And to average only 13.6 per game for his career??? Wow!

[NUance]

CALLAHAN ERA

2004 - 27.1

2005 - 21.0

2006 - 18.3

2007 - 37.9

Average = 26.1

 

Wow, I knew we sucked in 2007. But I had no idea how bad. 2007 gave up 33% more points than the next worst defense in fifty years.

 

 

 

/Nice job on the stats Nexis. 1 to you. :

[KJ.]

Year - Neb Scoring Defense - National Average - Standard Normal

2011 --------- 23.4 --------------------- 26.6 ---------------- 0.3118

2010 --------- 17.4 --------------------- 26.8 ---------------- 0.0958

2009 --------- 10.4 --------------------- 25.7 ---------------- 0.0126

2008 --------- 28.5 --------------------- 25.9 ---------------- 0.6370

2007 --------- 37.9 --------------------- 27.6 ---------------- 0.9331

[funhusker]

This year we have ave'd 23pts a game. That takes Pelini's yearly ave up to 20.5. If you take out 2009 because Suh was a once in a lifetime player and greatly changes the average, Pelini's yearly ave jumps to 23. Pretty middle of the road defense.

 

Actually, if you take out a fumble recovery in the endzone, a 100 yard kickoff return, and a safey, Pelini's defense is giving about 17 pts per game. Qualifying statistics to make an argument goes both ways.