I've seen so many posts that show frustration with the defense. And I get it, I see plays being left out on the field as well. However, I think we're seeing far too much negativity surrounding the defense versus what the numbers indicate. So I compiled the numbers from the first 5 opponents, and compared them against their season averages to determine on an opponent adjusted basis, how was our defense performing.
Average Pts Against: 21.4
Average Yards Against: 366.8
Average Points vs Season Average: -14.56
Average Yards vs Season Average: -86.76
Conclusion: I think our defense is seeing significant improvement, and the numbers indicate that our defense has the ability to keep us in games.
Notices & Assumptions:
| Team | PPG Season Average | Points Against Texas | Pts vs Season Avg | YPG Season Average | Yards Against Texas | Yds vs Season Avg |
| ULM | 20.2 | 10 | -10.2 | 312.2 | 259 | -53.2 |
| Alabama | 48.4 | 20 | -28.4 | 525 | 374 | -151 |
| UTSA | 38.6 | 20 | -18.6 | 500.8 | 408 | -91.2 |
| Texas Tech | 35 | 37 (OT) | +2 (OT) | 475.6 | 479 (OT) | +3.4 (OT) |
| WVU | 38.2 | 20 | -18.2 | 454.8 | 314 | -140.8 |
Average Pts Against: 21.4
Average Yards Against: 366.8
Average Points vs Season Average: -14.56
Average Yards vs Season Average: -86.76
Conclusion: I think our defense is seeing significant improvement, and the numbers indicate that our defense has the ability to keep us in games.
Notices & Assumptions:
- This only takes the first 5 weeks into account. However, because most teams schedule easier opponents earlier in the schedule, we're at the point of the season where numbers are artificially inflated/deflated. I'd like to revisit this at EOY.
