August 21, 2013 · 2:31 PM

Awesomer than awesome

I realize that to a certain extent this question is based on a superficial premise, but still, after watching this clip, can somebody explain to me why last year’s 62nd ranked team in defensive passer rating should be expected to do any better two Saturdays from now than last year’s 9th ranked team did against a Georgia offense that brings everyone back except Tavarres King?

22 Comments

Filed under Clemson: Auburn With A Lake, Georgia Football

22 responses to “Awesomer than awesome”

  1. Dave
    August 21, 2013 at 2:40 PM

    Last team with the ball wins?

    Like

  2. Bad Marinara
    August 21, 2013 at 2:57 PM

    Don’t forget, they also get Bennett back.

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    • pantslesspatdye
      August 21, 2013 at 3:03 PM

      I hope he comes back playing at full force. You never know about those things.

      Like

      • SouthWing
        August 21, 2013 at 9:55 PM

        The bright side is it seems ACL surgeries or recoveries from them have made a decent leap in the last 5-10 years. Look no further than Adrian Peterson who had an ACL tear LATE in the season in 2011 and then almost broke the NFL record in rushing the next season.

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    • Will (the other one)
      August 21, 2013 at 4:43 PM

      And vs. Nebraska Malcolm Mitchell was out for most of the game too.

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  3. lawdawg
    August 21, 2013 at 3:03 PM

    Perhaps a little preseason Dawgrading is afoot….

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  4. Mayor of Dawgtown
    August 21, 2013 at 4:07 PM

    The thing that jumps out to me from that chart is that Vandy was 7th and the Dawgs down in the 30s. I’m beginning to have doubts about the direction of our D now.

    Like

  5. Skeptic Dawg
    August 21, 2013 at 6:28 PM

    We all have seen this team recently in big time season openers (OSU, BSU). For whatever reason, the Dawgs have struggled under the opening day spotlight, and that light will be even brighter in Clemson. Also, Murray tends to get over amped in big games, which leads to turnovers. While I would expect a veteran offensive unit to avoid these pitfalls, only time will tell. I expect to see the team that showed up for the SECCG.

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  6. Gatorhater27
    August 21, 2013 at 7:35 PM

    I’d file Nebraska’s pass d ranking under “stats can be misleading.”

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    • I Wanna Red Cup
      August 21, 2013 at 8:53 PM

      I predict a game like the Nebraska game. Close for 3 quarters and we pull away for win. Our young DBs get coached up at half time and our O rolls

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  7. Dawgfan Will
    August 21, 2013 at 9:07 PM

    Because they got better and we didn’t or something like that…

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  8. BR Dawg
    August 22, 2013 at 12:13 AM

    I’m not worried about Cemson at all. I don’t think they will have any answer for our offense and if I’m right and Clemson has to play catch up all night, our D will be able to just pin their ears back and go. Game 2 is the heart burn game on my schedule.

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    • Bazooka Joe
      August 22, 2013 at 3:19 PM

      I’m the opposite… I am more worried about Clumpson than the chickens. If you think about it, every time we have either been on the wrong end of a serious butt whuppin, or something nasty happened in the game, we come back with a vengange the following year (OK, we are taking multiple years to pay back Auburn, but thats because they are Auburn !). I have the feeling weve got something for South Carolina this year…..

      Like

  9. Michael
    August 22, 2013 at 8:05 AM

    There is a really simple answer to your question: the Big Ten was bad last year and specifically, it had some wretched offenses. Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan State were complete tire fires on offense and Nebraska played all three of them. The Huskers played 0-12 Southern Miss, Utah State, and Arkansas State (admittedly, a pretty good offense for a lower tier team) in the non-conference schedule. They played Wisconsin before the Badgers had made the changes on offense that turned their season around. They benefited from playing Michigan in a game where Denard Robinson got hurt in the second quarter, Devin Gardner was a WR, and the back-up QB literally couldn’t complete a forward pass. The good offenses that Nebraska played – UCLA, Ohio State, Northwestern, Penn State, Georgia, and end-of-year Wisconsin – mostly put up huge numbers against them. Nebraska is a great example of the utility of advanced stats. Their defense was 30th according to F+. Was it really that great an accomplishment for Georgia to put up 45 points against them when Ohio State put up 63 and Wisconsin put up 70?

    I would say the same thing about Michigan’s defense. They were touted as being #1 in the nation in pass defense, but that was a result of: (1) playing at a slow pace; and (2) spending half of their conference schedule playing Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Iowa, along with Air Force, UMass, and a relatively punchless Notre Dame in the non-conference schedule.

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