Wednesday, September 29, 2010

BC Offense vs. ND Defense

To paraphrase Coach Spaziani last year at Clemson, “this [article] could get ugly.”  The stats are not good at all for the Eagles, nor are they any good for Notre Dame, so you may want to sit down. Let’s get this over with already.

Scoring and Total Yardage

Boston College Points Scored: 21.3 (90th in FBS, last in ACC)
Notre Dame Points Allowed: 27.8 (85th in FBS)

Boston College Net Yards Per Game: 322 (92nd in FBS, 11th in ACC)
Notre Dame Net Yards Allowed: 433.75 (103rd in FBS)

Wow, that’s not good. Boston College has demonstrated they don’t score many points and that they’re near the bottom of FBS in total offense, but in a more difficult schedule, Notre Dame’s defense has held up just as badly. A good offense (which means it doesn’t apply to BC) can torch these guys, which is why they’re in the bottom third of FBS in points allowed and yards allowed.

Passing Game

Boston College Passing Yards Per Game: 207 (73rd in FBS, 7th in ACC)
Notre Dame Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 244 (92nd in FBS)

Boston College Passing Efficiency: 124.32 (75th in FBS, 10th in ACC)
Notre Dame Defensive Passing Efficiency: 125.99 (69th in FBS)

This is already screaming mediocrity again, isn’t it? Boston College’s passing game and Notre Dame’s passing defense have not been good at all. A wrinkle is being thrown into the mix, however: it has become apparent in the BC blogosphere that Chase Rettig – not the man who amassed those stats for the Eagles, Dave Shinskie – will be the new starter. He gets to play his first ever collegiate game mid-season against the Fighting Irish. The Eagles have some talent at receiver, but they’re sorely in need of a more accurate QB.  Is Rettig that man?  Stay tuned.

Running Game

Boston College Rushing Yards Per Game: 115 (93rd in FBS, 11th in ACC)
Notre Dame Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 189.75 (98th in FBS)

Ouch. I mean, just ouch. The Eagles have Montel Harris, but there’s not much doing with him. Part of that is the failure of the Eagles’ offensive line, which has been nowhere near as good as in years past. Without improvement, this running game may never truly get off the ground.

On Notre Dame’s side of the ball, they can’t stop the run, but against this team last year in South Bend, BC only rushed for 70 yards. The 2010 Irish have allowed 100 rushing yards or more in all four of their games, over 150 in three, and over 200 in two.

I can’t write this article without discussing Manti Te’o, ND linebacker, who leads the nation in tackles per game (FWIW, Luke Kuechly is 5th). Despite his strong efforts, and even we BC fans must admit he is a very good player, this run defense is STILL getting torched. That just goes to show you that effective defense is more than just one player’s efforts.

Miscellaneous

Boston College First Downs Per Game: 17.3 (89th in FBS, last in ACC)
Notre Dame First Downs Allowed: 23.25 (111th in FBS)

Boston College Third Down Conversions: 30.77% (T-107th in FBS, 10th in ACC)
Notre Dame Third Down Conversion Defense: 37.88% (62nd in FBS)

Boston College Red Zone Offense: 66.7% conversions (T-111th in FBS, last in ACC), 3-5 TD-FG
Notre Dame Red Zone Defense: 86% conversions (T-74th in FBS), 6-6 TD-FG

Boston College Average Time of Possession: 27:47 (T-99th in FBS, 9th in ACC)

Boston College Turnover Margin: +1 (4th in ACC)

I just, I, I can’t. Just look away now.

Lowdown

Despite having one of the best rushers in the conference, Boston College’s offense sucks. It’s not hard to discover when reading over the game logs and stats that Notre Dame’s defense sucks, too. When both of these units are out on the field, it should be quite interesting. One of them is going to suck less than the other, but there’s no telling who that will be.

This is a pure tossup. Neither BC’s offense nor ND’s defense have done anything special this year, and throwing in a new BC starting quarterback, your guess is as good as mine as to who will have the edge.

3 comments:

  1. When are we going to start talking about Gary Tranquill’s abysmal play calling. I think our slightly-above-average offense becomes mediocre at best when Tranquill consistently looks unprepared for opposing defenses. But then again, I can't blame him considering his bedtime is 7:00 and he only has so much time in the day to watch tape. Sigh, I miss Steve Logan.

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  2. I feel as though because ND has played good offensive teams their mediocre defense will look at least decent if not good against our mediocre offense. Of course, Chase could look good and/or Montel could break out for a few big runs and that would be that, but until I see our offense click I will reluctantly give ND the advantage in the battle between our offense and their defense.

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  3. Justin: Yes, the playcalling is abysmal, no question about it. Hopefully this is the last season we'll have to endure it.

    Mandm: I don't necessarily disagree. Like I said, it's a tossup and you could make a case for either. It is true, though, that ND is playing better teams than we have. Still, when you're coming in near the bottom of the defensive rankings in as many as they are, that D still isn't good. It should be quite frustrating to watch.

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