Statistically Speaking

Statistics that caught my eye in college football

This first hit has nothing to do with stats, but T. Kyle King of Dawg Sports raises a question we all must think about time-to-time during his stream-of-consciousness piece in reaction to the Gators domination of Georgia -

This Whole Thing Is Sick, Twisted, and Weird: We’re grown men with real lives. Tying any part of our emotional well-being to what an anonymous group of 18- to 22-year-olds does over three and a half hours on a Saturday afternoon is silly, strange, unseemly, and sad. We tell ourselves it’s for the glory of our state, but that argument holds little water when our favorite players are from New Jersey and Texas. The idea that anyone invests himself in these games is, at best, bizarre, and very well may be utterly indefensible. The fact that we care at all, much less this much, may be a warning sign that we all need professional help.

I know I felt that way after Ole Miss, but a couple of games later and I’m happily back into that comforting place of irrationality that occupies so much of my delusional being. It’s good here!

- Another week, another scoring defense totally blown up by the Gators. Entering the WLOCP - Georgia was 36th nationally surrendering 20.3 ppg. After the 2008 Cocktail Massacre, the Dawgs find themselves 53rd nationally in scoring defense at 23.4 ppg.

- Not to rub it in (OK, actually to do exactly that) for scoring defense Georgia finds itself ensconced between Arkansas State at 52nd and Troy at 54th.

- Speaking of defenses, what is up with the SEC this year? The scoring defenses of the league by national rank as of this week(with points allowed per game) –

5 Florida 11.6
6 Alabama 12.2
12 South Carolina 15
14 Auburn 15.9
15 Vanderbilt 16.5
18 Kentucky 17.7
25 Tennessee 18.7
42 Mississippi St. 21.2
45 Mississippi 22.2
53 Georgia 23.4
58 LSU 23.9
97 Arkansas 31

- How much of an explosive talent is Jeff Demps? Demps doesn’t appear on the NCAA’s list of top rushers as he hasn’t played the requisite “75% of games played”, but the top of the NCAA’s list by yards per carry are –

1 Shun White, Navy 8.42
2 Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 8.36
3 Derek Lawson, Arkansas St. 7.8
4 Michael Desormeaux, La.-Lafayette 7.52
5 Keith Toston, Oklahoma St. 7.43
6 Lonyae Miller, Fresno St. 7.39
7 Joe McKnight, Southern California 7.22
8 Evan Royster, Penn St. 7.19
9 Baron Batch, Texas Tech 7.17
10 LeGarrette Blount, Oregon 6.93

Demps yards per carry? 10.2 (on 37 carries).


- Tim Tebow has clawed back into the top 10 college quarterbacks. The QB ratings top ten are –

1 David Johnson, Tulsa 198.25
2 Zac Robinson, Oklahoma St 192.46
3 Sam Bradford, Oklahoma 189.04
4 Colt McCoy, Texas 181.35
5 Chase Daniel, Missouri 176.3
6 Max Hall, BYU 166.86
7 Kellen Moore, Boise St 166.61
8 Graham Harrell, Texas Tech 165.9
9 Mark Sanchez, USC 163.28
10 Tim Tebow, Florida 162.71

In Tim’s Heisman winning year he posted a 172.47 QB rating average. Tim’s average this year is easily the SEC’s best, as the second best is Stafford at 31st nationally with a 140.58.

And though it isn’t a fair comparison because of his limited action, John Brantley currently has a 203.8 QB rating.