CumberlandDeac
Well-known member
I'm doing some research now on points per game that we've scored since 2003 (I won't be including the 2013 season). I'll show what the teams we played gave up and i'll also subtract defensive/special teams scores.
The next two weeks will tell us a lot about the defense, but we know enough about the offense to know major changes must be made at the top.
I'm doing some research now on points per game that we've scored since 2003 (I won't be including the 2013 season). I'll show what the teams we played gave up and i'll also subtract defensive/special teams scores.
Stats aren't telling the whole story on the defense, especially with the hugely lopsided stats of the Presby game. I've maintained that our defense looks "good" in comparison to our offense, but it too will prove very weak. We've played 3 of the 4 weakest teams on our schedule and save for Presby, our defense has trouble getting itself off the field. Of course being on the field for 40 minutes a game will hurt, but we're unable to get off the field early in the game. Even with multiple third and longs. Kudos are due for finding some way to hold down the score so far, but believe me, the dam will burst and when it does it'll be downhill the rest of the way. The team is lacking in size and talent, and this will become more pronounced with the advent of our ACC schedule.
I'm doing some research now on points per game that we've scored since 2003 (I won't be including the 2013 season). I'll show what the teams we played gave up and i'll also subtract defensive/special teams scores.
The defense is not lacking in talent, but is lacking slightly in size. Personnel-wise, this is one of the better defenses Wake Forest has ever had. <snip>
Not sure how you define "talent". Our guys were missing tackles right and left against BC and ULM. Plus, we just don't recruit well enough to have "talent" in the ACC sense of the word. We have veteran players who should be playing better, but I can't see a top 50 defense out of them. We'll see how it pans out. I think you're going to be retracting these posts in the near future.
The defense is not lacking in talent, but is lacking slightly in size. Personnel-wise, this is one of the better defenses Wake Forest has ever had. I already took the stats out for the Presbyterian game and Wake is still in the top half in the country in every major statistical defensive category. As I said we will see what happens when we play better teams, but the defense has done a pretty good job with what they've been given: 1) bad defensive play calls where we run a zone with guys eight to ten yards off the line and 2) a bad offense which has the defense on the field an incredibly large amount of time.
I agree the first drive of the game for ULM was frustrating, but those long drives will occur and the guys made adjustments and made plays to get the ball back in the hands of the offense. There was a lot of pressure on Browning on a good number of plays and we were able to get in there at times with only three or four guys rushing. The problems were, and will continue to be, that we're dropped back into a conservative zone where we're not challenging any receivers.
The defense is going to end up giving up more than 22.5 points a game against FBS teams, but I fully expect the defense to finish the year in the top 50 in the country in total defense and scoring defense. We have a pretty talented defensive team which makes the fact that the offense is so terrible even more apparent. The defense doesn't just look "good in comparison to our offense," the defense looks good compared to the rest of the country at this stage of the season. Don't let your disdain for the coaching staff to get in the way of the fact that we have a pretty good defense.
I'm asking this here since PH and I have discussed this a few times going back to late 90s. How many opposing players have set career or team records in football games against WF? That BC back last night had a career best 200+.