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Chris Ash => Rutgers? Probably..
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(Photo courtesy of northjersey.com)
As Joe mentioned earlier, Ohio State Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Chris Ash appears to be lined up as Rutgers’ next head coach, replacing the departed (not that departed) Kyle Flood. At the moment, this is through source(s). And when has been the last time that a “source” has been wrong?
In Ash’s two years at Ohio State, he has, with some help, transformed OSU’s defense from functional to pretty damn good. Below is a summary table of OSU’s defensive performance in the year prior to Ash’s arrival (2013) and his two years at Ohio State.
It’s pretty clear that ‘The Ash Effect’ has made a difference. Total yards improved significantly, but not quite as much as passing yards allowed, which makes sense, since Ash’s wheelhouse is in the defensive secondary. The points-per-game improved by a touchdown per game, or in OSU’s case, approximately one-third. That’s a good improvement.
The improvement in TD/INT ratio warrants a comment. In 2013, Ohio State’s 31 passing touchdowns allowed, tied them for 117th place in the country; ironically tied with Rutgers, among others. The 2014 team were “ball-hawkers”, as evidenced by their 25 interceptions (4th in country). This season, the INTs were down, but more importantly, the TDs allowed were down as well. Not getting a turnover doesn’t always mean preventing a score, but reductions TDs allowed always save points. I don’t mind fewer interceptions as long as it’s accompanied by fewer touchdowns allowed. That’s kind of the whole point of a defense..
What does it mean for Chris Ash? Well, he is being recognized/rewarded for his accomplishments with an opportunity to be a head coach at a Big Ten school. He is young (41) and certainly upwardly mobile in the coaching ranks. He has an opportunity to “make his bones” with revamping the Rutgers defense. They rank near the bottom in meaningful defensive stats. Improving the defense could buy him time to get his offense powered up. I think one of his biggest challenges will be the introduction of a new culture at Rutgers. In addition to the on-field performance issues, Rutgers has had more profound off-field issues, that led to the firing of Kyle Flood.
What does it mean for Ohio State? Well, they are saying goodbye to a very good coach. It also means that the ‘Urban Meyer Coaching Tree’ has a new branch. Does it mean that other coaching “shoes” are about to drop? Maybe..
My sources are the Ohio State Athletic Dept website, ESPN and cfbstats.
The post Chris Ash => Rutgers? Probably.. appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(Photo courtesy of northjersey.com)
As Joe mentioned earlier, Ohio State Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Chris Ash appears to be lined up as Rutgers’ next head coach, replacing the departed (not that departed) Kyle Flood. At the moment, this is through source(s). And when has been the last time that a “source” has been wrong?
In Ash’s two years at Ohio State, he has, with some help, transformed OSU’s defense from functional to pretty damn good. Below is a summary table of OSU’s defensive performance in the year prior to Ash’s arrival (2013) and his two years at Ohio State.
Total Def
Conf
Pass Def
Conf
Conf
Pass
YPG
YPG
Rank
YPG
Rank
PPG
Rank
TD’s
INTs
2013
377
7
268
11
22.6
5
31
16
2014
342
5
201
6
22.0
4
17
25
2015
303
3
176
4
14.0
2
12
11
It’s pretty clear that ‘The Ash Effect’ has made a difference. Total yards improved significantly, but not quite as much as passing yards allowed, which makes sense, since Ash’s wheelhouse is in the defensive secondary. The points-per-game improved by a touchdown per game, or in OSU’s case, approximately one-third. That’s a good improvement.
The improvement in TD/INT ratio warrants a comment. In 2013, Ohio State’s 31 passing touchdowns allowed, tied them for 117th place in the country; ironically tied with Rutgers, among others. The 2014 team were “ball-hawkers”, as evidenced by their 25 interceptions (4th in country). This season, the INTs were down, but more importantly, the TDs allowed were down as well. Not getting a turnover doesn’t always mean preventing a score, but reductions TDs allowed always save points. I don’t mind fewer interceptions as long as it’s accompanied by fewer touchdowns allowed. That’s kind of the whole point of a defense..
What does it mean for Chris Ash? Well, he is being recognized/rewarded for his accomplishments with an opportunity to be a head coach at a Big Ten school. He is young (41) and certainly upwardly mobile in the coaching ranks. He has an opportunity to “make his bones” with revamping the Rutgers defense. They rank near the bottom in meaningful defensive stats. Improving the defense could buy him time to get his offense powered up. I think one of his biggest challenges will be the introduction of a new culture at Rutgers. In addition to the on-field performance issues, Rutgers has had more profound off-field issues, that led to the firing of Kyle Flood.
What does it mean for Ohio State? Well, they are saying goodbye to a very good coach. It also means that the ‘Urban Meyer Coaching Tree’ has a new branch. Does it mean that other coaching “shoes” are about to drop? Maybe..
My sources are the Ohio State Athletic Dept website, ESPN and cfbstats.
The post Chris Ash => Rutgers? Probably.. appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...