Our opponents in the second half of the season are pretty good, but I wanted to take a closer look at the defenses we’ll be playing. I think the quality of defense vs. our young OC/QB is a major matchup to watch the rest of the way.
When looking at yards per play allowed, Syracuse is one of the worst in the country (109th), allowing 6.3 yards per play. Thats a defense I think we should be able to exploit.
Similarly, Virginia (6ypp, 96th), Louisville (6 ypp, 94th), and Boston College (5.7 ypp, 78th), aren’t terribly impressive.
The defenses (and opponents) that worry me the most are Clemson (5.2 ypp, 51st) and SMU (5.3 ypp, 57th). But even those defenses seem gettable with the right game plan.
I try not to dig too deep with stats in college football. In this instance, we know our offense can move the ball. But we also recently saw them get shut down by a quality defense (Cal only allows 4.9 yards per play, good enough for 29th in the country). Defenses who regularly allow easy yardage are ripe for the picking for Kade Bell, it seems.
PS - For reference, Pitt’s defense is No. 16 in the country at 4.6 ypp. I think our ability to stop other offenses is going to be a bigger factor than whether we can move the ball and score.
When looking at yards per play allowed, Syracuse is one of the worst in the country (109th), allowing 6.3 yards per play. Thats a defense I think we should be able to exploit.
Similarly, Virginia (6ypp, 96th), Louisville (6 ypp, 94th), and Boston College (5.7 ypp, 78th), aren’t terribly impressive.
The defenses (and opponents) that worry me the most are Clemson (5.2 ypp, 51st) and SMU (5.3 ypp, 57th). But even those defenses seem gettable with the right game plan.
I try not to dig too deep with stats in college football. In this instance, we know our offense can move the ball. But we also recently saw them get shut down by a quality defense (Cal only allows 4.9 yards per play, good enough for 29th in the country). Defenses who regularly allow easy yardage are ripe for the picking for Kade Bell, it seems.
PS - For reference, Pitt’s defense is No. 16 in the country at 4.6 ypp. I think our ability to stop other offenses is going to be a bigger factor than whether we can move the ball and score.
