Pilchard
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UNC's was without their best defensive player and sack leader Noah Taylor. WF had a better DL when we was there, without him, WF has much better DL. When Carson and Holmes are healthy; WF has a better group of DBs than UNC. WF puts a lot on its OL because they rarely help their tackles. Think D'Vonte Gordon has a solid NFL shot. Jurgens is a top center in the ACC. Maginn has been a starter for parts of three years. Think that OL is an easy target because they were overwhelmed at L'ville, but they played great against Clemson and good enough to win against UNC and NC State (the Pack brought the house all of the time; no OL is going to win when they are outnumbered; that's when the coaches, QB and receivers need to adjust).
The biggest difference between last year's team and this year's team is defensive turnovers forced. Last year, WF forced 29 TOs in 14 games - more than two per game. This year, WF has forced only 13 TOs in 10 games. When you look at the four losses, the TO numbers are crazy. Clemson, L'ville, NC State and UNC attempted 145 passes against WF. WF has no picks -- not one (WF is 111th in defensive interception % and ahead of only VT among ACC teams). Those four opponents also turned it over on a fumble once (3 fumbles and WF recovered one). One TO in four games. Not going to get it done, particularly when WF does turn it over in those losses.
In those 4 WF losses, WF attempted 152 passes and has thrown 8 picks and fumbled 6 times losing 4. So, WF has given the opponent 11 more chances to score than WF has had in the four losses. Even the best teams can't overcome that. Feel like Brad Lambert has improved the defense, and TOs are often a function of luck, but for whatever reason, WF has suffered major turnover regression this year after dominating that stat for several years.
There is one overwhelming constant in WF losses; lack of TOs.
The biggest difference between last year's team and this year's team is defensive turnovers forced. Last year, WF forced 29 TOs in 14 games - more than two per game. This year, WF has forced only 13 TOs in 10 games. When you look at the four losses, the TO numbers are crazy. Clemson, L'ville, NC State and UNC attempted 145 passes against WF. WF has no picks -- not one (WF is 111th in defensive interception % and ahead of only VT among ACC teams). Those four opponents also turned it over on a fumble once (3 fumbles and WF recovered one). One TO in four games. Not going to get it done, particularly when WF does turn it over in those losses.
In those 4 WF losses, WF attempted 152 passes and has thrown 8 picks and fumbled 6 times losing 4. So, WF has given the opponent 11 more chances to score than WF has had in the four losses. Even the best teams can't overcome that. Feel like Brad Lambert has improved the defense, and TOs are often a function of luck, but for whatever reason, WF has suffered major turnover regression this year after dominating that stat for several years.
There is one overwhelming constant in WF losses; lack of TOs.
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