Both are true.You need a new stat source, or you just suck at reading...
Both are true.You need a new stat source, or you just suck at reading...
You are correct, my memory slipped, but the point was really more of the Air Raid offense opening up the game for the running backs and OU went 8 and 5, 5 and 4 in the big 12, this year they are currently 11 and 1.
It appears that Oklahoma State is the only pass oriented offense that is ranked near the bottom in rushing yards and yds/carry, while Texas is the only non air raid offense in the top half of the Big 12 in rushing.
Clearly ISU doesn't have to run the spread to have success... and K-State proves that.
Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.
If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.
We had our best rushing game in years and went 3-9. Enough said.
The problem with this is two fold. 1. the best in 3 years is still not good enough. 2. It seems like ISU ended the season with a negative 50 in the TO margin. Way too many TO and the defense couldn't take the ball away if it was handed to them.
I agree with " defense couldn't take the ball aaway if it was handed to them".....How many times has one of our Dbacks had his hands on an interception and couldn't close the deal.........Way too many times.....
Also under Coach Paul Rhoads our offense was atrocious with all the 3 and outs and all the turnovers....Looking to see a better offense under Coach Matt Campbell
Go Cyclones beat the Bulls....from Buffalo not Chicago..lol
Iowa wins some games they might not because of dedication to the run. When you keep pounding it and make their defense stay on the field, sometimes by the end of the game, you can just see it - the defense is exhausted and you can do just about anything you want with success.
I think Campbell could really do damage to some of the big 12 defenses, and keep the explosive offenses off the field.
Using Oklahoma and Baylor as your examples that running the Air Raid offense makes teams better at running the football is a failure for multiple reasons. #1. Baylor and Oklahoma have the best offensive lines in the Big XII. #2. Baylor and Oklahoma have the best RB talent in the Big XII. #3. Baylor and Oklahoma have the most explosive wide receivers in the Big XII. #4. Baylor and Oklahoma have some of the best talent and depth at the QB position in the Big XII. Baylor and Oklahoma are horrible examples simply because the amount of talent they have in the trenches, at QB, and at the skill positions is at a level that ISU will never be able to achieve.
Since the Big XII went to 10 teams K-State a ball control power running offense has 43 wins in 5 years (a chance for 44 this weekend). K-State would be the Big XII team outside of KU that is closest to ISU in talent, recruiting similarities, recruiting challenges, etc... Iowa State tries to run the spread and they have 20 wins in that same time span. Of the spread teams Texas Tech would be the closest match to ISU in terms of talent, recruiting similarities, recruiting challenges, etc... They have 32 wins in that time span. I think we can all agree that Tech is far superior at running the spread/Air Raid offense than ISU, they have had better QB's than ISU, they are in a better recruiting area than ISU, they have had more explosive talent at the skill positions than ISU, etc.... yet in 5 years they only have 12 more wins than ISU. K-State has a chance this weekend to have 24 more wins than ISU during that same span. Clearly ISU doesn't have to run the spread to have success... and K-State proves that.
Since the Big XII went to 10 teams... (win totals)
OU - 50
Baylor - 49
OSU - 47
K-State - 43 with a chance this weekend to go to 44
Tech - 32
ISU - 20
If you look at conference wins in that time span it looks like this...
OU - 34
Baylor - 32
OSU - 31
K-State - 29 with a chance this weekend to go to 30
Tech - 16
ISU - 10
well heres the top 25 rushing teams.
1 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 436.9 375.6 6.71 2 NAVY 420.5 330.1 5.71 3 AIR FORCE 462.1 323.5 5.41 4 BAYLOR 616.0 291.5 5.69 5 OREGON 548.3 287.9 6.06 6 APPALACHIAN STATE 470.1 266.8 5.61 7 GEORGIA TECH 378.0 256.7 5.28 8 ARMY 337.6 254.0 4.88 9 NEW MEXICO 379.0 249.2 5.26 10 LOUISIANA STATE 419.0 245.9 5.80 11 SOUTH FLORIDA 428.7 243.8 5.33 12 OHIO STATE 428.9 242.0 5.65 13 WEST VIRGINIA 464.8 241.5 4.85 14 HOUSTON 499.8 240.7 5.01 15 SAN DIEGO STATE 373.5 235.5 4.89 16 OKLAHOMA 542.9 235.0 5.21 17 TEXAS 376.5 231.1 5.22 18 NORTH CAROLINA 495.7 230.0 6.01 19 ARIZONA 494.2 226.9 5.52 20 ARKANSAS STATE 440.2 226.1 4.76 21 TENNESSEE 422.5 223.5 4.76 22 STANFORD 437.4 221.8 5.06 2 23 TEXAS CHRISTIAN 564.3 218.9 5.10 3 24 NOTRE DAME 471.9 215.6 25 TOLEDO 463.8 213.7 5.13