Considering the startling ease with which the football team’s offense has run away with its last two games over FCS opponents, it would be easy to dismiss any statistical evidence of good defense. But how thoroughly the defense has dominated in its first three games has been nothing short of startling, and this includes an otherwise disastrous season opener against the Gamecocks.
That the offense had an opportunity to score a game-winning touchdown drive that night was a testament to the defensive effort and virtually nothing else. Surrendering just one scoring drive, which saw South Carolina march all of 14 yards, is even more impressive after that same offense scored 37 points on the road against then No. 21 Georgia the following week.
And while the Pack’s own offense has posted 65 and 45 points in its past two games, it has been the defense that has stood out in my mind. Holding Murray State to one yard rushing is unbelievable, as limiting anyone to less than 50 yards rushing is almost unheard of.
Before pessimists or realists point out that the feat occurred against a team that finished 5-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference — one of the least respected conferences in the FCS — last year, think about what it takes to hold a team to one yard rushing, especially when they hand the ball off 25 times. Shutting down a run game that completely requires so much intensity that grounded college coaches would probably expect their defense to give up more than one running yard to most high school teams.
The defense continued its stingy ways Saturday against Gardner-Webb, giving up just 213 yards of total offense without forcing a turnover. While some would consider the lack of turnovers problematic, holding a team to less than 220 yards of offense without taking the ball away is yet another difficult feat to accomplish, regardless of the quality of the opposing offense.
My confidence in this team going into this weekend’s showdown with Pittsburgh is growing, and it’s not because of the offensive outbursts of 65 and 45 points the past two weeks. Some stats are so profound they require one to ignore the nature of the competition, and giving up 168.3 yards of total offense per game three weeks into the season is one of those types of numbers.
Say what you will about the quality of the offenses this defense has stifled, but in their two other games this season, South Carolina has scored 75 points, Murray State has scored 76, and Gardner-Webb has scored 85. These offenses, which have had no difficulty scoring on other opponents, have combined to score 28 against State’s defensive unit. To add yet another factor to the mix — as though this column is not quite statistic-ridden enough yet — consider this number: 47.5, the average length of the opposition’s four scoring drives through three games.
