Now that the 2015 season is in the books, I think it's important to see how we fared statistically in the major categories in comparison with all of college football as well as in the conference.
Defense:
11th in the country and 4th in the conference in pass defense (179 yards per game)
61st in the country and 10th in the conference in rush defense (166 yards per game)
45th in the country and 9th in the conference in scoring defense (25 points per game)
24th in the country and 7th in the conference in total defense (345 yards per game)
106th in the country and 12th in the conference in red zone defense (89% score)
89th in the country and 11th in the conference in 3rd down defense (42% conversion)
84th in the country and 11th in the conference in sacks (22 total)
62nd in the country and 9th in the conference in tackles for loss (81 total)
78th in the country and 10th in the conference in interceptions (10 total)
96th in the country and 9th in the conference in fumbles forced (8 total)
A couple of things that really stand out to me is our sad red zone and third down defense. Turnovers is obviously another area where we didn't capitalize much on last season. Otherwise, our defense as a whole is top 25 which is very good and we'll need to stay in that territory if we want to win the Big Ten West. It's remarkable the job that Sawvel and Claeys have done with our defensive backfield, especially considering the lack of pressure we generate.
Defense:
11th in the country and 4th in the conference in pass defense (179 yards per game)
61st in the country and 10th in the conference in rush defense (166 yards per game)
45th in the country and 9th in the conference in scoring defense (25 points per game)
24th in the country and 7th in the conference in total defense (345 yards per game)
106th in the country and 12th in the conference in red zone defense (89% score)
89th in the country and 11th in the conference in 3rd down defense (42% conversion)
84th in the country and 11th in the conference in sacks (22 total)
62nd in the country and 9th in the conference in tackles for loss (81 total)
78th in the country and 10th in the conference in interceptions (10 total)
96th in the country and 9th in the conference in fumbles forced (8 total)
A couple of things that really stand out to me is our sad red zone and third down defense. Turnovers is obviously another area where we didn't capitalize much on last season. Otherwise, our defense as a whole is top 25 which is very good and we'll need to stay in that territory if we want to win the Big Ten West. It's remarkable the job that Sawvel and Claeys have done with our defensive backfield, especially considering the lack of pressure we generate.
