Last year's Hetherman/Minnesota defense...

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So last week I did a comparison of what last season's Miami defense did compared to the season average of points given up against their opponents. Someone asked me to do how Corey Hetherman's unit at Minnesota did last year. Ask and you shall receive.

This time, I also included how those teams offenses ranked nationally per Pick Six Preview. Here are the results...

- North Carolina 19/ (season avg) 30.9 -- national rank (scoring offense) - 45
- Iowa 31/ (season avg) - 27.7 - national rank -72
- Michigan 27/ (season avg) 22 - national rank - 113
- USC 17/ (season avg) 30.2 -- national rank 51
- UCLA 17/ (season avg) 18.4 -- national rank 126
- Maryland 23/ (season avg) 23.7 - national rank 101
- Illinois 17/ (season avg) 28.3 -- national rank - 65
- Rutgers 26/ (season avg) 28.9 -- national rank 56
-Penn St 26/ (season avg) 33.1 -- national rank 28
- Wisconsin 7/ (season avg)-- 22.6 -- national rank 109
- Virginia Tech 10/ (season avg) -- 28.2 -- national rank 68

OK, now this is just surface level stuff, admittedly. And you can add variables like weather, injuries, etc. But this is what the data says. Minnesota didn't play that many great offenses in the Big10. At the same time, Hetherman has more talent to work with in Coral Gables

Watching a cut up of the USC game, this much is clear: Miami has to get better safety play. Last year wasn't nearly good enough, forget Sean Taylor or Ed Reed, but Hurlie Brown, Charles Pharms and James Lewis weren't walking through that door. It was the worst safety play I've ever seen at UM. Not only were the guys slow -- they had low football IQ to boot.

The Gophers had a guy like Koi Perich that could fill the alley and make tackles that kept 8-yard gains from becoming 50 yard explosives.

So there ya have it. Those are the numbers you can translate them any way you want.
I am hearing good things about Poyser and the young Safety group like Bryce Fitzgerald so maybe things are looking up for the Canes defensive backfield
 
I am hearing good things about Poyser and the young Safety group like Bryce Fitzgerald so maybe things are looking up for the Canes defensive backfield
Man DMoney has got me so juiced about Fitzgerald. It has been so long since we had a truly dynamic threat in the defensive backfield. I desperately hope this kid can blossom into the sort of threat to house takeaways that our great teams had.
 
K9 had to say hello. Last years defense just had to be average and me might have only lost 1 game. The hype we are getting from CSI has me getting my Valium’s ready for the 31. I hope K9 has this as a knockout… I just believe, but I’ve been going to games since 1952. We need to win while I’m alive.
 
Was at 3 of those Minny games. Won’t comment much on the D except they did have a couple of good players and Perich is the gawwwd up here as he should be. I remember the D coming up big in big game moments. Perich’s interviews are hilarious because he just says whatever he wants. He’s a special player. He said if it was up to him he’d skip college and go straight to the Vikes because that’s all he cares about.



 
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K9 had to say hello. Last years defense just had to be average and me might have only lost 1 game. The hype we are getting from CSI has me getting my Valium’s ready for the 31. I hope K9 has this as a knockout… I just believe, but I’ve been going to games since 1952. We need to win while I’m alive.
Rich!! Hope you are well!!
 
I'm actually interested to see if Guidry gets another major P4 job ever again. Last year was coaching malpractice...
In all my years watching college football(45+) last year's defense was the worst coached defense that I have ever seen and I've seen some bad defenses. More specifically, that safety tandem was the most abysmal pair of safeties that I have seen wear a Miami uniform.
 
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No stat is perfect but if you’re going to look at just one, I think yards per play is the best one. Points obviously is the name of the game, but your defensive points allowed can be skewed by return TDs, and short field TDs.

Here is where Minnesota ranked in yards per play, and what that team did for the season

North Carolina - 3.94 YPP allowed - finished at 5.84 a game (55th)

Nevada - 3.25 YPP allowed - finished at 5.74 a game (65th)

Iowa - 5.22 YPP allowed - finished at 5.48 a game (81st)

Michigan - 3.95 YPP allowed - finished at 4.69 a game (125th)

USC - 5.65 YPP allowed - finished at 6.32 a game (17th)

UCLA - 5.31 YPP allowed - finished at 5.36 a game (89th)

Maryland - 6.19 YPP allowed - finished at 5.17 a game (102nd)

Illinois - 5.68 YPP allowed - finished at 5.80 a game (59th)

Rutgers - 4.92 YPP allowed - finished at 5.34 a game (90th)

Penn State - 5.92 YPP allowed - finished at 6.54 a game (7th)

Wisconsin - 2.96 YPP allowed - finished at 5.31 a game (94th)

So, they played some objectively awful offenses. A lot of them. Two ranked in the top 10, but no one else in the top 50. Six ranked in the 80s or worse. But, for the whole year, they only allowed one team to get better than their season average. Maryland. And they only gave up 23 points. The two top 20 offenses they played, Minnesota did hold them under their season average.

I wish we’d have been able to see them play some better offenses but you can only play who’s on your schedule, and in 11 of 12 games, Minnesota did hold their opponent under their season average. That’s impressive.
 
So last week I did a comparison of what last season's Miami defense did compared to the season average of points given up against their opponents. Someone asked me to do how Corey Hetherman's unit at Minnesota did last year. Ask and you shall receive.

This time, I also included how those teams offenses ranked nationally per Pick Six Preview. Here are the results...

- North Carolina 19/ (season avg) 30.9 -- national rank (scoring offense) - 45
- Iowa 31/ (season avg) - 27.7 - national rank -72
- Michigan 27/ (season avg) 22 - national rank - 113
- USC 17/ (season avg) 30.2 -- national rank 51
- UCLA 17/ (season avg) 18.4 -- national rank 126
- Maryland 23/ (season avg) 23.7 - national rank 101
- Illinois 17/ (season avg) 28.3 -- national rank - 65
- Rutgers 26/ (season avg) 28.9 -- national rank 56
-Penn St 26/ (season avg) 33.1 -- national rank 28
- Wisconsin 7/ (season avg)-- 22.6 -- national rank 109
- Virginia Tech 10/ (season avg) -- 28.2 -- national rank 68

OK, now this is just surface level stuff, admittedly. And you can add variables like weather, injuries, etc. But this is what the data says. Minnesota didn't play that many great offenses in the Big10. At the same time, Hetherman has more talent to work with in Coral Gables

Watching a cut up of the USC game, this much is clear: Miami has to get better safety play. Last year wasn't nearly good enough, forget Sean Taylor or Ed Reed, but Hurlie Brown, Charles Pharms and James Lewis weren't walking through that door. It was the worst safety play I've ever seen at UM. Not only were the guys slow -- they had low football IQ to boot.

The Gophers had a guy like Koi Perich that could fill the alley and make tackles that kept 8-yard gains from becoming 50 yard explosives.

So there ya have it. Those are the numbers you can translate them any way you want.
Good stuff man!
 
Jaden Harris was worse imo


Yep...************ played like another Jaden

1000010989.jpg
 
Someone needs to set up an AI football simulation of last year's Gophers against Notre Dame. Then we might get an idea of how Heatherman stacks up.
 
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No stat is perfect but if you’re going to look at just one, I think yards per play is the best one. Points obviously is the name of the game, but your defensive points allowed can be skewed by return TDs, and short field TDs.

Here is where Minnesota ranked in yards per play, and what that team did for the season

North Carolina - 3.94 YPP allowed - finished at 5.84 a game (55th)

Nevada - 3.25 YPP allowed - finished at 5.74 a game (65th)

Iowa - 5.22 YPP allowed - finished at 5.48 a game (81st)

Michigan - 3.95 YPP allowed - finished at 4.69 a game (125th)

USC - 5.65 YPP allowed - finished at 6.32 a game (17th)

UCLA - 5.31 YPP allowed - finished at 5.36 a game (89th)

Maryland - 6.19 YPP allowed - finished at 5.17 a game (102nd)

Illinois - 5.68 YPP allowed - finished at 5.80 a game (59th)

Rutgers - 4.92 YPP allowed - finished at 5.34 a game (90th)

Penn State - 5.92 YPP allowed - finished at 6.54 a game (7th)

Wisconsin - 2.96 YPP allowed - finished at 5.31 a game (94th)

So, they played some objectively awful offenses. A lot of them. Two ranked in the top 10, but no one else in the top 50. Six ranked in the 80s or worse. But, for the whole year, they only allowed one team to get better than their season average. Maryland. And they only gave up 23 points. The two top 20 offenses they played, Minnesota did hold them under their season average.

I wish we’d have been able to see them play some better offenses but you can only play who’s on your schedule, and in 11 of 12 games, Minnesota did hold their opponent under their season average. That’s impressive.
YPP is a better metric for this kind of analysis! Especially because it says what I want it too.
 
In all my years watching college football(45+) last year's defense was the worst coached defense that I have ever seen and I've seen some bad defenses. More specifically, that safety tandem was the most abysmal pair of safeties that I have seen wear a Miami uniform.
Linebackers were even worse. I’m biased there but it’s always been my favorite position (pause)

It got to the point I was switching to other games when we were on defense. I literally couldn’t watch it

Toure is triple circled for me for the ND game
 
K9 had to say hello. Last years defense just had to be average and me might have only lost 1 game. The hype we are getting from CSI has me getting my Valium’s ready for the 31. I hope K9 has this as a knockout… I just believe, but I’ve been going to games since 1952. We need to win while I’m alive.
As one Caneslifer to another, I salute you sir. And, winning isn’t just the thing, it’s the ONLY thing.🙌🏽
 
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