(01-05-2020 11:22 AM)Rocket Man Wrote: Hopefully we get a great DC that can turn around our defense and give us some long over due swagger back on that side of the ball. We need a more aggressive scheme and no bend but not break philosophy.
Long post- I got on a roll. Lol. 2020 will be our year! GO ROCKETS!!!
I shortened it to the biggest issue you covered...Couldn't agree more on this. Hard to believe it has been 20 years since we had a defense that had exactly those characteristics.
Go back to 2000: Penn State - 6 points (24-6). Marshall shut out (42-0). Central Michigan shut out (41-0); Weber State shut out (52-0 - amazingly similar to Murray State in 2019), Tony Romo and Eastern Ill. got us for 26 (31-26) and that was the most points given up that season by Toledo. In the only loss - we give up 21 to Western Mich (who then gets beat in the MACC by Marshall).
We gave up 125 points in 11 games that year - just over 11 ppg. Now we give that up with 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter... Last 3 games of 2019 - we gave up 129 points (43 ppg). For the season - 386 points, or 35.1 ppg in 11 games (if you ignore FCS Murray State where we got a shut out).
2000 - 125 in 11 games (11 ppg) (10-1 on season)
2001 - 297 in 12 games (25 ppg) Championship year (10-2 on season)
2002 - 406 in 14 games (29 ppg) (9-5 on season including MACC loss and bowl loss in which we gave up 100 points combined in those 2 games)
2003 - 285 in 12 games (24 ppg) (8-4 on season)
2004 - 404 in 13 games (31 ppg) Championship year (126 points in first 2 games); then only 25 ppg thereafter). (9-4 on season) Including bowl loss.
2005 - 261 in 12 games (22 ppg) (9-3 on the season)
2006 - 332 in 12 games (28 ppg) (5-7 on the season)
2007 - 470 in 12 games (39 ppg) (5-7 on the season)
2008 - 397 in 11 games (36 ppg) (3-8 on the season) and only 10 to Michigan - so, 39 ppg to everyone else.
2015 - (final year with Heacock as DC) = 249 in 12 games (20.8 ppg) (10-2 on season, no contest vs. Stoney Brook or would have been 11-2)
Brian George record as defensive coordinator
2016 - 334 in 13 games (26.0 ppg) (9-4 on season) includes Maine (3 pts)
2017 - 369 in 14 games (26.5 ppg) (11-3 on season) includes Elon (13 pts)
2018 - 397 in 13 games (30.5 ppg) ( 7-6 on season) includes VMI (3 pts)
2019 - 386 in 12 games (32.2 ppg) (6-6 on season) includes Murray St. (0 pts)
Adjusted for cupcakes:
2016 - 331 in 12 games (27.6 ppg)
2017 - 356 in 13 games (27.4 ppg)
2018 - 394 in 12 games (32.8 ppg)
2019 - 386 in 11 games (35.1 ppg)
Got worse each year except 2017 when it stayed constant after jumping up following Heacock departure.
Not hard to see how defense affects a season. Also how our defense slides after solid seasons. When Beckman came in and he was the DC with Ward as run game defensive run coordinator and Paul Nichols as defensive pass coordinator:
2009 - 452 in 12 games (37.8 ppg) (5-7 on season)
2010 - 372 in 13 games (28.0 ppg) (8-5 on season)
2011 - 412 in 13 games (31.7 ppg) (9-4 on season) gave up 63 each to NIU; WMU
and Beckman was a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.... Not such a great performance and only a moderate improvement over the final horrid seasons under Amstutz. Thank God, we only gave up 10 to Michigan in 2008.
So he was 22-16 at Toledo and averaged giving up (32.5 ppg) (1,236 pts in 38 games, including Air Force in bowl game that he did not actually coach)
Seems like the cut-off to a great season is less than 20 ppg. So we have to improve by 2 TD's per game on defense from 2019.