Gophers went from 80th best in penalty yds/game in 2016 to 2nd best in 2017

[pharmacygopher]

I believe some look at this trend as a positive sign. Obviously the team still has many obstacles, as you and others have pointed out numerous times, but it's one metric that looks like it's heading in the right direction.

Whether or not this metric specifically leads to additional wins is another story. That said, I believe most would rather see a decline in penalities vs. an increase.

+1

Don't think anyone here said it was the end-all stat of all time, rather a single data point that could point to progression and a disciplined team. There are many other data points still - turnovers, offensive/defensive efficiency, 3rd downs, etc. - but it's interesting that some seem to dismiss penalities.

Next time the Gophers jump offsides and give a free play to the offense or have a crucial holding call on a long TD, I expect there to be no complaining from these people

 

[OddStack]

Yep, and it really has no correlation as to whether a program is successful on the field.

+1
See "The U" in the late 80s/early 90s
See the Raiders in the 70s

 

[Spoofin]

Fewer penalties is a positive. Not sure why one would debate that. Then again, some view certain victories as losses, so what do I know.


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[leadpipegopher]

So losing by 7 is getting dominated? What about winning by 7? Did Iowa get dominated then? I mean BC still had almost double the yards Iowa did. Is that what determines the outcome? Yards?

GWG ... you actually made a post that makes sense...kind of. Thank you for proving the point of my original post, which is a lot of stats like penalty yards can be totally meaningless. One indicator of many, the only stat that matters is Ws and Ls. I knew you would come around. Hey...you’re the big Pitino guy aren’t you? How’s little Ricky doing? Does he have them in the top 10 yet? If not I’m assuming they must be pretty close.

 

[fmlizard]

Has anyone ever done a comprehensive study on penalties? If they are avoidable at a "team culture" level? Or over the long haul and across a whole team, are penalties sort of random -- like recovering fumbles, injuries, or hitting a baseball in the field of play?

Other than the Raiders perpetually pacing the NFL in flags over the years across many coaches and groups of players, I've never heard of a college/pro team having a "culture of penalties" or a lack thereof.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Mich - 89
MSU - 96
Georgia - 78
Okla - 100
Ohio St - 120
TCU - 84
USC - 121
UCF - 112

All undisciplined Top 20 teams with 10+ wins.

All teams are also in the top 32 of team talent with the exception of UCF who is the most talented team in their league.

When you have more talent than the majority of the teams you play, the easier it is to overcome mistakes.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

GWG ... you actually made a post that makes sense...kind of. Thank you for proving the point of my original post, which is a lot of stats like penalty yards can be totally meaningless. One indicator of many, the only stat that matters is Ws and Ls. I knew you would come around. Hey...you’re the big Pitino guy aren’t you? How’s little Ricky doing? Does he have them in the top 10 yet? If not I’m assuming they must be pretty close.

Iowa absolutely won that game because they had fewer penalties and won the turnover battle. They were the more disciplined team.

Richard Pitino is doing just fine.

 

[grumps]

I think that this is a good sign of a very well coached team. I like it.

 

[50PoundHead]

Has anyone ever done a comprehensive study on penalties? If they are avoidable at a "team culture" level? Or over the long haul and across a whole team, are penalties sort of random -- like recovering fumbles, injuries, or hitting a baseball in the field of play?

Other than the Raiders perpetually pacing the NFL in flags over the years across many coaches and groups of players, I've never heard of a college/pro team having a "culture of penalties" or a lack thereof.

Whether or not is was a culture or a simply an instructional issue, we'll never know, but it seems the two penalties which got called against the Gophers a lot during the Kill/Claeys tenure were chop blocking and targeting. That's just an observation on my part. As long as the penalties are stupid penalties like illegal motion, I can live with them. I think that's where the discipline part does come into play and Fleck appears to be a stickler on that. Not that Kills/Claeys weren't, but a lot of guys sure seemed to forget the snap count.