AZGrizFan said:
PlayerRep said:
I agree with many of the observations, but the D isn't close to best D UM has had in the past 20 years. It remains to be seen whether they are as good as last year. The d-line and its depth is the strength of the D, in my view
Well, I'm not sure how you're going to judge it...to me the already PLAY TOGETHER better than any D since Breske's....stats are already better than last year's....they're young....
Oh, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the guys Stitt brought in in the D-backfield. Markell Sanders, Strong and Reynard are freaking awesome. Great coverage skills, great closing speed, all hit like a freight train. Even Yamen had a better game Saturday. Add in McKinley, Sandry, etc., and that's a very formidable group.
Speaking of that, McKinley apparently got hurt (I think it was on that well covered TD pass to #11) and never returned. Commentators mentioned it a couple times but nothing has been said about it here...hope he's OK...he's taken a huge step up in his game skills this year and is needed out there.
AZ, you are the one the declared this D perhaps the best in past 20 years (with no statistical back up for it, by the way), not me. So you can get to say that, but you're not sure how I'm going to judge it?
So I went to the conference website, which has stats back to 2001, and looked up the 14-year period from 2014 back to 2001. I used rounded numbers, by the way.
In that 14-year period, the current points allowed per game, of 25, would be second to the worst in that period. 2012 had 27. 9 years were 20 and under. The highest from 2009 to 2005 was 19.
In total defense, now 333, the 2016 at this point would be middle of the pack for the period. The 2006 defense was 226, and 2010 was 280. Personally, I see the total defense number rising as the season goes on.
Like I said, I don't think it's even a close call. UM has had many better defenses in the past 20 years. I found it interesting that the only total defense number over 400 was the 2004 defense, a year UM went to the championship game, and the next highest year was 2001, a year UM went the championship. Perhaps the long and tough championship run caused the stats to rise.
