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Dave Revsine's Bio: Our lead studio host crunches the numbers during football and basketball season. Got a question for Dave? Maybe a stat that caught your eye? Submit a comment below or e-mail Dave on the right. |
| Sep 3 2009, 10:55 AM | Topic: College football |
| The numbers are back. If you're not familiar with the concept, you can see my original post way back in September 2007 and read the entire glorious history of this blog or column or whatever you want to call it. Or just read the first few entries below and you'll get the gist of it. Let's get right to it, with Thursday night's primetime clash on the Big Ten Network between Indiana and Eastern Kentucky. With a difficult schedule, it's imperative that the Hoosiers get off to a good start to their season. "Starts" weren't an area of strength for IU last year, as evidenced by this large set of digits: 215: The Hoosiers gave up 215 first-half points last year, more than 50 more than any other Big Ten team. There is certainly hope, though. Arguably their two biggest stars are on the defensive side of the ball – ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton. 36.5: Kirlew and Middleton have combined for 36.5 sacks in their careers – most of any duo in the nation. Problem is, Middleton was missing in action last year (just four sacks after totaling 16 in 2007). He needs to get back on track. As for the opponent, Danny Hope's former team has an impressive little run going: 31: Eastern Kentucky is riding a streak of 31 straight winning seasons. That's second among all Division I schools behind only Florida State. Speaking of streaks, Ohio State puts one of the nation's more impressive ones on the line Saturday when the Buckeyes host Navy. 30: OSU has won 30 straight home openers. That's the longest such streak in the nation. The Buckeyes last lost a home opener in 1978, when Joe Pa and Penn State knocked them off. The storyline in this game is fairly straight-forward: Navy's great rushing attack against Ohio State's fabulous run defense. 4: The Middies have led the nation in rushing in each of the last four seasons. Before this run (no pun intended), no school had ever won the rushing title more than two years in a row. 169: Navy has rushed for 169 TDs since the start of the 2005 season, most in the nation. 31: Ohio State has given up 31 rushing TDs since the start of the 2005 season, fewest in the nation. Minnesota isn't looking to become Navy, but the Gophers will put a renewed emphasis on the rushing attack this year, as they move away from the spread - and with good reason. 12: The Gophers have totaled just 12 individual 100-yard rushing performances over the last three seasons (2006-2008). 13: Minnesota had 13 individual 100-yard rushing performances in the 2005 season alone. 6-0: The Gophers were 6-0 when they rushed for at least 100 yards as a team last season. 1-6: Minnesota was 1-6 when held under 100 yards. Minnesota's opponent, Syracuse, isn't necessarily concerned with HOW it moves the ball. The issue is simply moving it at all. 114th: The Orange finished 114th nationally in total offense last year. In Doug Marrone they've found a man whose resume would seem to indicate an ability to reverse that futility: 1st: Marrone was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints last year, when they finished No. 1 in the NFL in total offense. When it comes to moving the ball, though, few teams were as challenged as Northwestern's season-opening opponent, the Towson Tigers. 233rd: The Tigers were 233rd out of 237 Division I teams (FBS and FCS – or I-A and I-AA for those who believe language is meant to be understood) in rushing offense last year, averaging 55.5 yards per game. They don't figure to find their rushing attack at Ryan Field against a 'Cats team that was pretty stingy last season. 4: NU held four opponents under 100 rushing yards last season and climbed from 88th to 26th in the nation in scoring defense. While we're on the topic of rushing, how about this one from the "Shocking but True" file. 2,050: The leading active rusher in the Big Ten, with 2,050 career yards is none other than Illinois quarterback Juice Williams. Really. Juice and the Illini will try to end their run of futility against Missouri as Illinois is 0-6 all-time in season openers against the Tigers. The Mizzou team they face Saturday, though, has lost some serious firepower since topping Northwestern in overtime in last year's Valero Alamo Bowl. 6: Missouri had six players chosen in last year's NFL draft. Not only was that the most in the Big 12, it was more than the other five teams in the Big 12 North had combined. Also off to the NFL, Michigan State's Javon Ringer, which leaves a bit of a void in the Spartans' rushing attack: 390: Ringer's 390 carries last year were 23 more than anyone else in the nation. In fact, the three returning backs who saw the field for MSU last year (A.J. Jimmerson, Andre Anderson and Ashton Leggett) combined for just 40 carries last season. Ringer had more than that in two individual games. 0: The top three backs on MSU's depth chart for Saturday's opener against Montana St. (Caulton Ray, Edwin Baker and Larry Caper) have zero combined career carries. MSU's battle with the Bobcats will be the school's first-ever game against an FCS team, leading us to this little number: 4: There are now just four FBS schools that have never faced an FCS opponent since the split into I-A and I-AA in 1978. They are: USC, UCLA, Washington, and Notre Dame. Of course, there are some really good FCS teams out there, and Iowa gets one of them on Saturday. Northern Iowa comes in ranked fourth in the nation. Still, the Panthers are experiencing a bit of a drought against the Hawkeyes. 1898: Northern Iowa last beat Iowa in 1898. Since then, the Hawkeyes have won 13 in a row in the series. While trying to figure out who will pick up the slack for the departed Shonn Greene and the injured Jewel Hampton, the Hawkeyes will lean on their defense, and it's an awfully good one. 33: Iowa allowed just 33 plays of 20 or more yards all of last season. That was the fewest in the Big Ten. It's not at the level of Iowa's, but Wisconsin still faces an awfully good defense on Saturday. 18: Northern Illinois gave up just 18 points per game last year, 14th best in the nation. They do lose an outstanding player off that "D," though in defensive end Larry English. That little tidbit comes as a welcome piece of news for Scott Tolzien, who will make his first career start at QB for the Badgers. The passing game has been Wisconsin's undoing the last couple of years, as evidenced by this number: 11: Wisconsin had just 11 TD passes as a team last season, tied for the fewest in the Big Ten. Tied for the fewest with ... Michigan, which will also be breaking in a new QB (or three) against Western Michigan. The passing game wasn't the Wolverines' only issue, though. 93: Michigan had 93 negative plays from scrimmage last season. That was the most in the Big Ten. The Western Michigan team they face is no push-over. 2-2: The Broncos are 2-2 against Big Ten teams under Bill Cubit, with wins over Iowa in 2007 and Illinois last year. They're not the only MAC team that has had success against the Big Ten lately, though. 4-4: Toledo is 4-4 in its last eight games against the Big Ten, including last year's win at Michigan. How about Tom Amstutz? You're the coach at Toledo. You beat Michigan at Michigan. And your reward? You get fired. New Coach Tim Beckman's team faces a Purdue team that is trying to crank up the offense again in Danny Hope's debut. 4: The Boilers were held to single digits in four Big Ten games last season. That equaled their total for the past five seasons combined. Joe Paterno surely remembers Toledo. As you'll recall, the Rockets beat Joe Pa and Penn State in 2000. It's fair to say that game was an aberration, though. 39-1: Paterno is 39-1 against MAC teams as Penn State's Head Coach. History isn't on the Zips' side either. 0-19: Akron is 0-19 all-time against ranked teams. That Akron–Penn State battle, one of seven games we have for you on the Big Ten Network this weekend. Between that, three pre-game shows, three wrap-up shows, and the debut of Big Ten Football Four Pack with the "Big Ten and Beyond" on Friday night, we've got plenty to keep you occupied all weekend. Can't wait to get started! |
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