According to Sagarin (not my favorite rating service, but still useful), Minnesota has played the second weakest schedule to date (next to Maryland) in the conference. Below are some Gopher conference rankings in defensive stats.
Scoring defense (10th)
Passing defense (14th at 253.3 yards per game)
Pass defense efficiency (10th)
Interceptions by (14th - 1 in 4 games) - of course, we have 4 fumbles against us keeping our turnover margin about even
Sacks by (10th - 2.3 per game)
Opponent first downs (10th)
Opponent's 3rd down conversions (13th - 40.6%)
Red zone defense (14th, opponents have scored on all 12 chances)
Here's another stat that's killing us: Penalties (14th - 75.8 yards per game)
So, the numbers confirm what we have seen: a poor defensive team and a team that lacks the mental discipline and focus to keep the penalties down.
Not surprisingly, on the offensive end, the story is better than usual.
Total offense (6th - 439.8 yards per game)
Scoring offense (6th - 36.3 pts. per game)
Rushing offense (4th - 228.3 yards per game)
Passing offense (9th - 211.5 yards per game - not bad at all by our standards)
First Downs (2nd - 26 per game)
Third down conversions (4th - 50%)
Fourth down conversions (1st - 80%)
Red zone offense (2nd - scored on 18 of 19 chances)
So, for those who still go apoplectic every time Leidner makes a poor throw or an occasional boneheaded mistake: neither Leidner nor the offense has been the problem. This is a significantly better offensive team than we've seen in recent years despite still not having a deep receiving threat. Claeys made a good hire for the OC. Yes, the offense hasn't played against the greatest competition so far but neither has the defense. Unfortunately, this is a poorer defensive team than we've seen in recent years. We'll just have to hope and pray that they can improve enough to hold a couple of teams below 25 points.
Scoring defense (10th)
Passing defense (14th at 253.3 yards per game)
Pass defense efficiency (10th)
Interceptions by (14th - 1 in 4 games) - of course, we have 4 fumbles against us keeping our turnover margin about even
Sacks by (10th - 2.3 per game)
Opponent first downs (10th)
Opponent's 3rd down conversions (13th - 40.6%)
Red zone defense (14th, opponents have scored on all 12 chances)
Here's another stat that's killing us: Penalties (14th - 75.8 yards per game)
So, the numbers confirm what we have seen: a poor defensive team and a team that lacks the mental discipline and focus to keep the penalties down.
Not surprisingly, on the offensive end, the story is better than usual.
Total offense (6th - 439.8 yards per game)
Scoring offense (6th - 36.3 pts. per game)
Rushing offense (4th - 228.3 yards per game)
Passing offense (9th - 211.5 yards per game - not bad at all by our standards)
First Downs (2nd - 26 per game)
Third down conversions (4th - 50%)
Fourth down conversions (1st - 80%)
Red zone offense (2nd - scored on 18 of 19 chances)
So, for those who still go apoplectic every time Leidner makes a poor throw or an occasional boneheaded mistake: neither Leidner nor the offense has been the problem. This is a significantly better offensive team than we've seen in recent years despite still not having a deep receiving threat. Claeys made a good hire for the OC. Yes, the offense hasn't played against the greatest competition so far but neither has the defense. Unfortunately, this is a poorer defensive team than we've seen in recent years. We'll just have to hope and pray that they can improve enough to hold a couple of teams below 25 points.
