Football
By The Numbers
OSU Nine-Game Cummulative Totals
By Jeff Amey
Three more weeks have passed, and it's time to tally up the offensive statistics once more. The last one of these came on the heels of the loss to Iowa, and the analysis reflected the struggling that the Buckeye offense was going through at the time. The stats haven't gotten much better on a per game basis, but the team has won the past three games which makes this article much easier to write.
There were some interesting statistical trends that have taken place in the different 3 games segments so far this season, and this one is no different. The insertion of Troy Smith into the starting QB spot has shifted the playcalling percentages signifigantly over the past three weeks. We'll take a closer look at this after we look at the 9 game totals with changes in averages from the 6 game total in parenthesis. Positive changes are colored blue, negative changes are colored red, and no change is colored green.
551 Total Plays--2,645 yards--4.8 (+0.3) ypp
61.2 (-1.6) plays for 293.9 (+8.4) yards per game
231 pass (42%)--123/231 for 1,501 yards 10 TD 6 INT
25.7 (-4.0) passes for 166.8 (-23.2) yards per game
320 runs (58%) for 1,145 yards 7 TD--3.6 (+0.7) ypc
35.6 (+2.4) runs for 127.2 (+31.7) yards per game
113 Total Drives--12.6 (-0.7) per game
ave. of 4.9 (+0.2) plays--23.4 (+2.0) yards
ave. start--OSU 32 (0)
1st Down--234 (42%) plays for 1,043 yards
26.0 (-0.7) plays for 115.9 (-7.1) yards per game
68 pass (29%)--27/68 for 395 yards 3 TD 1 INT
7.6 (-1.7) passes for 43.9 (-7.1) yards per game
166 runs (71%) for 648 yards 4 TD--3.9 (+0.3) ypc
18.4 (+1.1) runs for 72.0 (+10.3) yards per game
ave. gain of 4.5 (-0.1) yards
2nd Down--188 (34%) plays for 987 yards
20.9 (-0.8) plays for 109.7 (+2.5) yards per game
87 pass (46%)--61/87 for 640 yards 3 TD 2 INT
9.7 (-1.6) passes for 71.1 (-9.2) yards per game
101 runs (54%) for 347 yards 2 TD--3.4 (+0.8) ypc
11.2 (+0.9) runs for 38.6 (+11.8) yards per game
ave. of 8.1 (0) yards to go
ave. gain of 5.3 (+0.4) yards
3rd Down--125 plays (23%) for 614 yards
13.9 (-0.1) plays for 68.2 (+13.4) yards per game
76 pass (61%)--39/76 for 466 yards 4 TD 3 INT
8.4 (-0.6) passes for 51.8 (+3.5) yards per game
49 runs (39%) for 148 yards 1 TD--3.0 (+1.7) ypc
5.4 (+0.4) runs for 16.4 (+9.9) yards per game
ave. of 7.8 (-0.2) yards to go
ave. gain of 4.9 (+1.0) yards
conversions--43/125 (34%)
4th Down--4 plays (1%) for 2 yards
0.4 plays for 0.2 yards per game
4 runs (100%) for 2 yards--0.5 ypc
0.4 runs for 0.2 yards per game
ave. of 1.0 yards to go
ave. gain of 0.5 yards
conversions 2/4 (50%)
FORMATION BREAKDOWN
Formations w/ FB--165 plays (30%)--18.3 (+3.0) per game
37 pass (22%)--17/37 for 228 yards
4.1 (-0.4) passes for 25.3 (-6.5) yards per game
128 runs (78%) for 589 yards 5 TD--4.6 (0) ypc
14.2 (+3.4) runs for 65.4 (+15.9) yards per game
Shotgun--194 plays (35%)--21.6 (-1.6) per game
131 pass (68%)--73/131 for 796 yards 7 TD 4 INT
14.6 (-2.1) passes for 88.4 (+0.2) yards per game
63 runs (32%) for 141 yards--2.2 (+1.8) ypc
7.0 (+0.5) runs for 15.7 (+12.9) yards per game
1 back/empty formations--191 plays (35%)--21.2 (-3.0) per game
62 pass (32%)--33/62 for 477 yards 3 TD 2 INT
6.9 (-1.4) passes for 53.0 (-17.0) yards per game
129 runs (68%) for 420 yards 2 TD--3.3 (+0.6) ypc
14.3 (-1.5) runs for 46.7 (+3.5) yards per game
RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN--320 attempts
counter/trap--27 (8%) for 87 yards--3.2 (+0.8) ypc
draw--24 (8%) for 139 yards--5.8 (0) ypc
sweep--12 (4%) for 20 yards--1.7 (+0.1) ypc
base/iso--122 (38%) for 545 yards 6 TD--4.5 (+0.7) ypc
power--28 (9%) for 122 yards--4.4 (+0.1) ypc
QB run/scramble--90 (28%) for 137 yards--1.5 (+1.0) ypc
option--3 (1%) for 6 yards--2.0 (-1.0) ypc
stretch--10 (3%) for 55 yards--5.5 ypc
reverse--4 (1%) for 44 yards 1 TD--11.0 ypc
Three weeks ago, I compared this season's offensive performances to Jim Tressel's stated offensive goals of 250 yards passing, 200 yards rushing and 40 points per game. The Buckeyes still haven't reached those goals even once this season, but from the statistics, look to be taking some baby steps in the right direction.
When we take a look at the numbers I added to this for comparison to three weeks ago, there are some definite trends that can be seen. Most noticable is that nearly every statistic that deals with the running game has improved over the past three weeks, in some places very much so. The Buckeyes average almost 32 more rushing yards per game and 0.7 more yards per attempt than they did three weeks ago as well as nearly every type of run increasing in average per attempt.
Most of that can be reflected in Troy Smith's ability to run the ball from the Shotgun and out of passing plays in general. QB runs average a full yard more per carry than they did three weeks ago, and the Buckeyes as a whole are averaging 1.8 yards more per carry out the shotgun over the same stretch.
Another noticable trend is that the Buckeyes haven't been doing as well on first down in the past three weeks as they did early in the season, but this is made up for by a vast improvement on third down over the same period. The Buckeyes average 13.4 yards per game more and a full yard more per play than they did three weeks ago on third down as well as converting 3rd downs at a 5% higher clip.
There has also been an obvious re-commitment to the running game in general since Troy Smith took over. What was nearly a 50/50 pass/run ratio in overall playcalling has now become closer to 60/40 run/pass. Three weeks ago, Ohio State also had gained almost exactly twice as many passing yards as they had rushing yards. That has changed, and for the season the passing game now only accounts for 57% of the total yardage gained.
Another trend that I found encouraging was the increase in the average number of plays with a fullback in the backfield and a decrease in the average number of plays with one back or out of the shotgun. The Buckeyes average 4.6 yards every time they hand the ball off to the halfback behind a fullback this season. I'm sure just about anyone would take that kind of average for the season. These formations also account for 5 of the 7 rushing touchdowns for the season. Let's hope this trend continues.
Have the Buckeyes turned the corner?
That's a pretty tough question, but the answer to it probably has to be "not yet". No matter how you try to sugar-coat it, the Buckeyes are still averaging only 294 yards per game and the insertion of Troy Smith into the lineup has only managed to raise that a little over 8 yards per game after 3 weeks with him at the helm full time. There is obviously a lot of room left for improvement.
The most important improvement in this team over the past three weeks is their record, from 3-3 to 6-3 overall and from 0-3 to 3-3 in the Big Ten. What could've turned into a real disaster this season now has the potential to be a real confidence builder heading into next season if the Buckeyes are able to maintain the momentum and finish with 2 more wins before heading into what has become a certain bowl berth somewhere (anywhere from Outback to Motor City is still possible).
The pieces are finally looking like they might be falling into place for this team. The excitement has returned to Columbus (mainly due to a certain #7) and the Buckeyes are starting to be mentioned on ESPN again after falling completely off the radar for a couple of weeks. A winning record certainly sounds a whole lot better than the 3-8 some fans were fearing possible three weeks ago. Let's hope the Buckeyes can get it all together before the big game with Michigan in a couple of weeks. It would be nice to fulfill that spoiler role that Michigan has filled so well over the past 20+ seasons against the Buckeyes.
E-mail Jeff Amey at:
tallabuck@the-ozone.net
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