10-29-2010, 03:08 PM
UC is second to last in the Country in getting turnovers. Didn't know that.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2010/10/2...n-defense/
"UC has plenty of playmakers on offense. What the Bearcats need are a few playmakers on defense.
Seven games into the 2010 season, the Bearcats are a distant last in the Big East in forcing turnovers with a mere five, which puts them second-last in the nation. They have intercepted only two passes. They haven’t forced a single turnover in their last three games.
“When you have an opportunity to force a turnover, you need to take advantage of that,” Butch Jones said. “We had that Friday night starting the first series and we did not do that.”
Jones understands the value of forcing turnovers. In fact, when I asked him about it earlier this week, he had a stat handy.
“When you talk about driving the ball, it’s a law of percentages,” Jones said. “If an offensive football team starts inside the 10-yard line, their chances of scoring are 10 percent. As you work down the field, obviously your percentage grows.”
“You force turnovers by gang tackling,” Jones said, “by your physicality and your gang tackling. A lot of it is the overall development of your football program. A lot of times when you’re forced to play freshmen and sophomores, maybe they’re not as developed in your weight room, from your strength and conditioning standpoint, so that has a little bit of their physicality, their explosiveness. It’s understanding how to secure the tackle and rip the ball.”
It also doesn’t help that the Bearcats don’t put much pressure on the opposing quarterback. They rank seventh in the Big East in sacks with 11.
“The secondary is always singled out,” Jones said. “So much of creating turnovers and interceptions, it’s not just on the back end. It’s generating a pass rush, getting to the quarterback, tipping the ball. It’s our linebackers in their pass coverage.”
It’s having playmakers on defense, which, so far this year, UC hasn’t had."
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/uc/2010/10/2...n-defense/
"UC has plenty of playmakers on offense. What the Bearcats need are a few playmakers on defense.
Seven games into the 2010 season, the Bearcats are a distant last in the Big East in forcing turnovers with a mere five, which puts them second-last in the nation. They have intercepted only two passes. They haven’t forced a single turnover in their last three games.
“When you have an opportunity to force a turnover, you need to take advantage of that,” Butch Jones said. “We had that Friday night starting the first series and we did not do that.”
Jones understands the value of forcing turnovers. In fact, when I asked him about it earlier this week, he had a stat handy.
“When you talk about driving the ball, it’s a law of percentages,” Jones said. “If an offensive football team starts inside the 10-yard line, their chances of scoring are 10 percent. As you work down the field, obviously your percentage grows.”
“You force turnovers by gang tackling,” Jones said, “by your physicality and your gang tackling. A lot of it is the overall development of your football program. A lot of times when you’re forced to play freshmen and sophomores, maybe they’re not as developed in your weight room, from your strength and conditioning standpoint, so that has a little bit of their physicality, their explosiveness. It’s understanding how to secure the tackle and rip the ball.”
It also doesn’t help that the Bearcats don’t put much pressure on the opposing quarterback. They rank seventh in the Big East in sacks with 11.
“The secondary is always singled out,” Jones said. “So much of creating turnovers and interceptions, it’s not just on the back end. It’s generating a pass rush, getting to the quarterback, tipping the ball. It’s our linebackers in their pass coverage.”
It’s having playmakers on defense, which, so far this year, UC hasn’t had."