Following our demolition of the Chips in the bowl game, we finished as a top-25 scoring defense for the first time since the COVID season, and before that the last time was in 2017. We also held teams to less than 20 points per game, which is the first time we've done that also since the COVID season, and before that 2015. Each of those teams had 7-8 players who at least got a look in the NFL.
Part of the way we did it is by playing extremely slow - every year Braun has been the HC, we have run fewer plays on offense than any other year this century except Fitz's first year in 2006. On defense, opponents only ran 58.4 plays per game, 4th-fewest in the country and the fewest of any NU season this century. Interestingly Big Ten teams took 7 of the top 10 spots in this stat this season.
If it doesn't feel like we were a top-25 defense, it might be because we allowed 5.65 yards per play, which was 80th in the country and 14th in the Big Ten.
On the other side of the ball - and again demonstrating just how awful our offenses have been for a very long time - we averaged 5.42 yards per play, good enough for 91st in the country and 12th in the conference, but also our best number since...2011. Again, since we play very slow, it means we didn't score all that much, though our 23.4 points per game put us at 98th in the country and 14th in the conference, our best ranks since the COVID season and before that 2018.
It will be interesting to see whether Kelly sticks to the slower tempo. At UCLA he averaged over 70 plays/game every season, but at OSU in his one year, they only ran 61.8 plays per game, which is in line with what we have done under Braun. Kelly averaged 35.7 points in those 61.8 plays though. In the last decade, no P4/P5 conference champion has scored fewer than 31.3 points per game or been ranked lower than 42nd in scoring, with the exception of 2018 Washington. We've hit that mark exactly twice this century - 2005 (32.3/28th) and 2012 (31.7/43rd). The average of all these champions is 39 points per game and 13th in the country in scoring, which we've certainly never even sniffed. If Braun is serious about wanting to make the CFP, then it's clear what needs to happen on offense.
Part of the way we did it is by playing extremely slow - every year Braun has been the HC, we have run fewer plays on offense than any other year this century except Fitz's first year in 2006. On defense, opponents only ran 58.4 plays per game, 4th-fewest in the country and the fewest of any NU season this century. Interestingly Big Ten teams took 7 of the top 10 spots in this stat this season.
If it doesn't feel like we were a top-25 defense, it might be because we allowed 5.65 yards per play, which was 80th in the country and 14th in the Big Ten.
On the other side of the ball - and again demonstrating just how awful our offenses have been for a very long time - we averaged 5.42 yards per play, good enough for 91st in the country and 12th in the conference, but also our best number since...2011. Again, since we play very slow, it means we didn't score all that much, though our 23.4 points per game put us at 98th in the country and 14th in the conference, our best ranks since the COVID season and before that 2018.
It will be interesting to see whether Kelly sticks to the slower tempo. At UCLA he averaged over 70 plays/game every season, but at OSU in his one year, they only ran 61.8 plays per game, which is in line with what we have done under Braun. Kelly averaged 35.7 points in those 61.8 plays though. In the last decade, no P4/P5 conference champion has scored fewer than 31.3 points per game or been ranked lower than 42nd in scoring, with the exception of 2018 Washington. We've hit that mark exactly twice this century - 2005 (32.3/28th) and 2012 (31.7/43rd). The average of all these champions is 39 points per game and 13th in the country in scoring, which we've certainly never even sniffed. If Braun is serious about wanting to make the CFP, then it's clear what needs to happen on offense.
