Spiff's Spots of Observation and Other Statistical Nonsense

[SpiffCoug]

Full disclosure. I was picking up lunch on Saturday about 11:00 am (we went to Bajio and I got the Green Chili Chicken Quesedilla, which I highly reccommend) and it started raining. As I drove home it started raining even harder. I got home and said, "I'm not going to the game. I don't want to be wet and cold all game and all day."

So I didn't go. And of course the sun comes out and the rain stops and BYU kills an awful team. But the rain did come back and I didn't regret my decision. Even it does make me a bit of a wussy, fair weather fan.

But here is what I noticed while watching and looking at the stats.

- Savannah coaches and players deserve a lot of credit for playing hard the entire game. They're not very good, but I though they were still playing hard to the final whistle. That's gotta be tough to be that bad, have that little success, but still be willing to fight and give it your all.

- Christian Stewart's passer rating of 245.58 is the fifth highest passer rating in BYU history.

- Savannah State's 63 total yards are the fewest by an opponent since UNLV gained 98 in 1998.

- Their six first downs are the fewest since Colorado St had seven in 2006.

- Savannah St did not have an explosive play (20+ yards) the last opponent with no explosion was Middle Tennessee last year.

- The 64 point margin of victory was the most under Bronco.

- BYU only faced two 3rd & 7 or more, the fewest since facing two on three occassions in 2011 (Utah St, San Jose St and Idaho St).

- The last two games, Mitch Mathews has 10 catches on 13 targets for 230 yards 3 TDs. Stewart has completed 76.9% of his passes to Mathews and has a passer rating of 301.69 when throwing to him. I suggest they continue doing that.

- The last three games, when throwing to WRs, Stewart's PER is 176.28.

- BYU ran 25 plays in the blue zone. Savannah St ran zero. Idaho in 2012 was the last team to run zero plays in the blue zone. Hawaii that same year also ran zero.

-

[Schmoe]

As much as the Savannah St. coaches may be doing wrong, as evidenced by their season record, they are definitely doing something right: if you can get your players to play their hearts out during a fourth quarter of a shutout/blowout of the last game of a winless season, you've connected with your players and you are the kind of coach that they want to play for. Now the guy's just gotta get his X's and O's figured out and his players will buy into whatever system he throws at them.

[BroncoBot]

As much as the Savannah St. coaches may be doing wrong, as evidenced by their season record, they are definitely doing something right: if you can get your players to play their hearts out during a fourth quarter of a shutout/blowout of the last game of a winless season, you've connected with your players and you are the kind of coach that they want to play for. Now the guy's just gotta get his X's and O's figured out and his players will buy into whatever system he throws at them.

Agreed, hats off to SSU coaches and players for bringing the effort.