A look inside the numbers is always fascinating to me.
The good
Total Offense: #20 .
When I first saw this had to take a double take. Had no idea we were ranked that high. With all the extended lulls we have had on that side of the ball it just shows how explosive we can be.
Rushing Offense: [URL=https://www.canesinsight.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 7[/URL]
Pretty good ranking considering our top back is out and was basically hobbled for 2 games. A real testament to Homer working his tail off this offseason to be ready to step up.
Passing Offense: [URL=https://www.canesinsight.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 2[/URL]
Rosier has surpassed all expectations. I don't think anyone predicted he would play at this level. Yes, he needs to improve his consistency. Look for that to improve over the season and this ranking to trend higher.
The bad
3rd Down Conversion Percentage: #97
Just horrible. Imagine if we were ranked around 50th. That means the offense stays on the field, we improve time of possession, and total Offense could easily be top 15.
How to fix:
Get Herndon involved earlier in the game.
Get Langham in the game. Everyone has fallen in love with his two game winning plays. But do not forget how dominant he has looked going over the middle. Said it before and I will say it again, this guy can be our Kelvin Benjamin.
Stop throwing back shoulder or jump ball fades on 3rd down. We need high percentage plays. Quick slants. Better route trees in general on 3rd down. Richt has to recognize this at this point in season. Basically 3rd and long has become 3rd and say a prayer with the plays we have been running. This is the area I will key in on this week.
Defense:
Total Defense: #46 . We continue to trend up as I predicted a few weeks ago. Hopefully we get healthier and stay that way. If we do, I see us as a top 25 defense by end of season.
Sacks per game: #5 . We dipped on this number due to GT never throwing the ball. The boys will be back against Syracuse. I have us getting 5+ sacks this game.
Tackles for loss: #3 . We still had 7 TFL against GT. This defense loves to eat.
The bad:
3rd Down Conversion: #81 . This stat has improved over the last few games. We got off to a horrible start defending on 3rd down. We should continue to improve here. Syracuse offense is #5 1 in 3rd down conversions. We should be able to handle them on 3rd down if recent trend continues.
Overall:
We are top 15 in turnover margin. Always a sign of a very good team.
What is holding this team back from being a dominant top 3 team is 3rd down conversion on Offense and Defense. If we can improve here and carry that over into next season, then look out folks!
The good
Total Offense: #20 .
When I first saw this had to take a double take. Had no idea we were ranked that high. With all the extended lulls we have had on that side of the ball it just shows how explosive we can be.
Rushing Offense: [URL=https://www.canesinsight.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 7[/URL]
Pretty good ranking considering our top back is out and was basically hobbled for 2 games. A real testament to Homer working his tail off this offseason to be ready to step up.
Passing Offense: [URL=https://www.canesinsight.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 2[/URL]
Rosier has surpassed all expectations. I don't think anyone predicted he would play at this level. Yes, he needs to improve his consistency. Look for that to improve over the season and this ranking to trend higher.
The bad
3rd Down Conversion Percentage: #97
Just horrible. Imagine if we were ranked around 50th. That means the offense stays on the field, we improve time of possession, and total Offense could easily be top 15.
How to fix:
Get Herndon involved earlier in the game.
Get Langham in the game. Everyone has fallen in love with his two game winning plays. But do not forget how dominant he has looked going over the middle. Said it before and I will say it again, this guy can be our Kelvin Benjamin.
Stop throwing back shoulder or jump ball fades on 3rd down. We need high percentage plays. Quick slants. Better route trees in general on 3rd down. Richt has to recognize this at this point in season. Basically 3rd and long has become 3rd and say a prayer with the plays we have been running. This is the area I will key in on this week.
Defense:
Total Defense: #46 . We continue to trend up as I predicted a few weeks ago. Hopefully we get healthier and stay that way. If we do, I see us as a top 25 defense by end of season.
Sacks per game: #5 . We dipped on this number due to GT never throwing the ball. The boys will be back against Syracuse. I have us getting 5+ sacks this game.
Tackles for loss: #3 . We still had 7 TFL against GT. This defense loves to eat.
The bad:
3rd Down Conversion: #81 . This stat has improved over the last few games. We got off to a horrible start defending on 3rd down. We should continue to improve here. Syracuse offense is #5 1 in 3rd down conversions. We should be able to handle them on 3rd down if recent trend continues.
Overall:
We are top 15 in turnover margin. Always a sign of a very good team.
What is holding this team back from being a dominant top 3 team is 3rd down conversion on Offense and Defense. If we can improve here and carry that over into next season, then look out folks!