When does "great offense" equal crappy defense?

[OHSportsFan]

On one hand, I'd gladly take OSU scoring 40..50...60 points a game. :)

But

It'd make me sick to watch an OSU D give up 40, 50, 60 points week in and week out like some of these "shootout" teams do.

Oh well, I guess all that matters is W's.

 

[Nutriaitch]

not buying the 'old school offense' argument for one second. Nebraska used to score 50+ PPG with their option. GaTech just put up 45 on UGA running the option. hell, the Gators run single wing option looks about half the time, and that offense is 80 years old. all they do is widen the gaps at the ends by about 10 yards. :p

I did say until recently.

Meaning for years and years, SEC teams would run it up the middle on 1st and second down, then run a pass route designed to get pretty much exactly the amount of yards needed for a 1st down. Which is why you saw a lot more SEC runningbacks make it to the NFL than QBs or WRs.

At that rate, it takes the better part of forever to pile up yards and points, especially against a decent defense.

Over the last handful of years, teams down here started changing over to a more spread out offense with a lot more passing involved. Because of this, more yardage and points are being accumulated, and you're starting to see more QBs and WRs make it to the next level.

 

[TheIronColonel]

Not to start an flamewar, but I actually did predict this season for LSU. They just lost waaaaay too much talent to be a contender this year. They're gonna be really good in a couple years, though.

 

[jwinslow]

Not to start an flamewar, but I actually did predict this season for LSU. They just lost waaaaay too much talent to be a contender this year. They're gonna be really good in a couple years, though.

You predicted half a hundred scored on their defense? Twice? One of those at home?

Sure they lost a lot on offense, but the utter collapse on D has been nothing short of stunning.

 

[jwinslow]

Not to start an flamewar, but I actually did predict this season for LSU. They just lost waaaaay too much talent to be a contender this year. They're gonna be really good in a couple years, though.

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/college-football/609951-lsu-26-auburn-21-final.html

Anyone else see this game winding up 3-0 LSU and Ricky-Jean Francios finishing with 11 dozen sacks? Auburn is fucking inept; no amount of Hatch can change that.

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...-a-post1252985.html?highlight=lsu#post1252985

I'm just not sure you can really say they're the same team, though. The roster has changed substantially from last year - they lost their starting and backup quarterbacks, starting running back, #1 wide receiver, a starter on the offensive line, their top two tight ends, an all american defensive tackle, an all american safety, both starting cornerbacks (including one all SEC performer), an all american linebacker, and another starting linebacker. They also lost their defensive coordinator. That's a huge amount of personnel churn.

Which is largely why I don't think you can simply accept them as #1. It's not the same team that won the national championship last year. That's not to say LSU isn't a good team, but, in my opinion, simply winning the title doesn't make you #1 the next season. I don't think Florida should have been ranked #1 going into last season, nor do I think Texas should have been #1 the year before. Philosophically speaking, I think you have to actually analyze the teams to rank them.

Can someone explain why Vanderbilt gets a caviar enema from SEC fans when they beat a MAC team, but OSU gets shit on for the same? Yes, I recognize that Vanderbilt couldn't carry OSU's jock, so any win is big for them, but this is ridiculous. I fully expect the same bullshit when OSU and LSU hammer Troy.

I think you're overstating your prediction quite a bit, Colonel. 7-5 was an epic collapse.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Question: When does "crappy offense" equal "crappy defense" and vice versa?

Ans: When they wear yellow and blue winged helmets.

 

[Nutriaitch]

Not to start an flamewar, but I actually did predict this season for LSU. They just lost waaaaay too much talent to be a contender this year. They're gonna be really good in a couple years, though.

I fully expected a drop-off due to who we lost. But we actually lost more talent from '06-'07 than we did '07-'08, so I figured we'd at least be relevant.
But never in my wildest dreams did I think a losing conference record, finishing BEHIND Ole Piss, losing 3 home games, and finishing unranked would happen.
Considering most of the guys on our defensive side saw pretty good playing time last year, I expected them to still be stout.

What I didn't expect, is that not a single person on this entire team stepped up to assume a leadership type role. Last year, we had those types of guys at all the key spots (QB, RB, WR, DL, LB, DB). This year, nothing. And it showed.

 

[Taosman]

Highest rated defense in the Big XII

50. Texas

66. Oklahoma

http://statistics.ncaafootball.com/...otball&page=cfoot/stat/ncaa-team-totaldef.htm

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Highest rated defense in the Big XII

50. Texas

66. Oklahoma

ncaafootball.com

And it should be also noted that the gargantuan offensive output in the B12 have been against these less than stellar defenses. How quickly people forget the 55-16 drubbing of an OU squad that college football pundits wanted to give three heismans to. (four if you want to count lehman on defense.)

 

[mross34]

And it should be also noted that the gargantuan offensive output in the B12 have been against these less than stellar defenses. How quickly people forget the 55-16 drubbing of an OU squad that college football pundits wanted to give three heismans to. (four if you want to count lehman on defense.)

Completely agree. On top of that, the draft pundits throw around Sam Bradford as possibly the top QB NFL prospect in the country. I guess you have to assume that, given the prolific careers of Josh Heupel, Jason White and Nate Hybl.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Completely agree. On top of that, the draft pundits throw around Sam Bradford as possibly the top QB NFL prospect in the country. I guess you have to assume that, given the prolific careers of Josh Heupel, Jason White and Nate Hybl.

Absolutely. What really piss me off about OU is that they pulled this [censored] before, in '03 when they got their doors blown off by KSU in the B12 title game by the score of 35-7, and yet still managed to sneak into the national title game. Silliness like this happens when you allow pundits to arbitrarily disregard results on the football field and make up matchups in their tiny little brains.

 

[bukIpower]

If a good offense can do what they normally do against a strong defense (statistics maybe? or a team with returning starters) then you can call an offense great.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

If a good offense can do what they normally do against a strong defense (statistics maybe? or a team with returning starters) then you can call an offense great.

An offense that possess players with extraordinary attributes that are able to perform to a high level regardless of competition, then we can call it a great offense. The key is that you would have to have freak athletes, not just good athletes on a good system.

 

[scooter1369]

The only people predicting the abysmmal season that LSU had were maybe their rivals and in those cases, it was wishful thinking. We kind of saw a drop off coming with the departure of some huge playmakers for them, but five losses was not written in the farmer's almanac.

I truly believe that even though the Big 12 offenses appear to be picking on defenses that are mediocre at best (other big 12 teams), I refuse to believe that there isn't at least one really good defense in that conference. 12 teams with high quality, legit Div1A recruits with minds like Bo Pelini, Bob Stoops and Mack Brown leading these players tells me there has to be some some decent defenses.

I would love to see Ohio State' offense put up the numbers that OU, UT and TTU are putting up. But I would never want to see it at the expense of a defense that we know can hold any team in the nation well below its scoring average. So I'm happy with 24-7 wins as opposed to 54-37 wins.

 

[stxbuck]

Offense and defense are 2 totally different beasts. Given that the offense has the ball, they have the advantage, in that they are bringing the attack to the defense. Most great plays on offense are not made by sheer physical skill, they are made by doing the right thing-block,cut,pass-in the right place-the correct defenders midsection, 15 yards downfield on the post, at the right time. Spreading out the ball in a spread offense does this, if the players are trained well-their physical talents do not need to be "elite" to be highly effective-Texas Tech(Crabtree is an anomaly at TT),Hawaii,Kansas,etc.
Defense, on the other hand, cannot be done w/ smoke and mirrors. Sure, the players need to have the right coverages, but inside the box, or out on an island w/ a reveiver "scheme" doesn't mean squat-it's about speed, strength, and bad attitude. If your team has more of that, they will have a great defense. Does anyone think that it is a coincidence that most great college defenses-tOSU,LSU,Bama,USC over the past few years-all have a bunch of players who are/will be making serious $$$ in the NFL, while lots of QBs and receivers from spread teams that averaged 500 yards a game are working at Home Depot or teaching junior high? Elite defense really is about "out-athlete-ing " the opposition, combined w/ a solid scheme. To put it another way-Jim Tressel could amp up the Buckeye offense fairly easily w/ the a new hire or two on the staff. Texas Tech or Kansas, on the other hand, are not going to become defensive factories anytime soon, b/c their recruiting is a notch below the elite teams.