(10-06-2021 09:52 AM)Tiger87 Wrote: I heard on the radio that our team defensive efficiency rating was 73 and our offensive efficiency rating was 60. (They mentioned ESPN, but I can't actually find the stats - just going from Calkins word.)
So there's actually not much difference on either side of the ball. I'm sure the fumbles the last 2 weeks have killed our offensive efficiency.
I see large problems with both.
But I suppose the O is understandable with the 2 guys touching the ball the most being 2 freshmen. The D is certainly more disappointing as it is a lot of upperclassmen and we were told all offseason how the D was going to be the strong point of this team.
In general, the tackling has been good. In general, we have been getting decent pressure considering that we rush 3 or 4. We have given up a few long plays, but certainly nothing that compares to the long plays our offense has generated the last 5 years. Our defensive backs have fared poorly on 50/50 balls; we are losing a lot of battles.
The bottom line is that our DC is putting our players in horrible situations. Our opponents swing the ball out to their backs who are wide open, and we are relying on a defender to run up and make a tackle in space, one on one. If he makes the tackle they still gain between 4-8 yards. We drop 7 or 8 but we rely on them to defend when the quarterback often has all day to throw.
IMO, the answer on how we should defend, is exactly how every opponent has defended US so far. Our backs and receivers almost never have any room when they catch the ball near the line of scrimmage because the defensive backs play tight on them. The defensive lines put a lot of men in the box to defend against the run, not so worried that we will break a long one on them.
When we do complete a long pass, unless it goes for a touchdown, the defense does exactly the same thing, and dares us to complete another long pass in order to beat them.
Time of possession our last 4 games is 36:51 to 23:09. How the hell are you supposed to win ballgames that way?