Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 29, 2016 17:30:29 GMT -6
It sure seems like there is a difference of opinion on the Coyote defense and whether they are very bad, so-so, or pretty good. I don't think anyone is claiming they are very good unless I missed it. The point is there seems to be a difference in opinion so I decided to look into it a little deeper. I know I have called the defense horrible (or something to that effect) at one point during a game thread.
When the Coyotes played New Mexico they gave up 48 points to them and all or most of their points were earned by the Lobos offense. They racked up 615 yards against the Coyotes. This performance did not seem very good but the question kind of comes back to the FBS factor with the opponent. For New Mexico's other games they played New Mexico State and lost scoring 32 and gaining 307 yards. They played Rutgers and won scoring 28 and giving up 350 yards. The stength of those opponents is debatable but I think an argument can be made that both are MVFC level type teams. Neither can claim to be much better. The Coyote defense faired by far the worse of the teams New Mexico had played. The eye test was very much a fail as the Lobos moved the ball at will.
When the Coyotes played Weber State the Wildcats scored 49 and gained 373 yards. Of course the offense was directly responsible for 2 touchdowns and 1 possession that Weber Started inside the 10. So we will give the D the benefit of the doubt but they still gave up 28 of those points on defense and the offense giving up touchdowns actually limits the defense from having to be on the field as long. Weber played Utah State who is a good FBS program and gained 245 and scored 6 points. Against Sacramento State they scored only 7 but gained 520. Against UC Davis they scored 38 on the road and gained 463. Against the Coyotes they scored 35 on offense and gained 373. In general this would probably be rated as an average performance by the D considering all the other Weber opponents but not a bad performance overall.
Against North Dakota the D gave up 33 points and 391 yards. ND scored 47 points in all. ND scored only 9 points and gained 177 yards against a mediocre Stony Brook. They scored 26 and gained 383 against Bowling Green and scored 17 and gave gained 348 vs Montana State. Overall the Coyotes did the worse job of all teams against the Hawks.
Of course there are other factors to consider such as the hurry up offense that compliments the defense. The O may spend less time on the field but they also run more plays wearing out the opposing defense. When it comes to the Coyote D the offense may or may not help them but no matter how quickly they have to come back out to play it's still the job of the D to get themselves off the field. The offense doesn't effect the amount of 3 and outs they get so ultimately the D still is responsible for their own fate. The Coyote D also doesn't get as warn out as they would if the team they were playing was like the Coyote O.
So my conclusion is that this defense doesn't quite match my description of horrible, but they also don't match the description of being real good either. If I had to grade them it would probably have to be a C- or D+. I don't see how anyone can grade them higher than a C+. The defense is ok at best but certainly not the kind of a unit that can make up for the free touchdowns that the Coyote offense has been giving up. The D is probably barely good enough to do just enough to pick up a W if the offense plays mistake free football and scored quite a few points on their own. At this point the O will probably have to put up a 30 spot on the board at minimum and minimize the turnovers. I see the defensive unit improving throughout the season but to date they have not been anything special. We will see how the unit is trending after battling with the Penguins a team that figures to be very strong running the ball.
When the Coyotes played New Mexico they gave up 48 points to them and all or most of their points were earned by the Lobos offense. They racked up 615 yards against the Coyotes. This performance did not seem very good but the question kind of comes back to the FBS factor with the opponent. For New Mexico's other games they played New Mexico State and lost scoring 32 and gaining 307 yards. They played Rutgers and won scoring 28 and giving up 350 yards. The stength of those opponents is debatable but I think an argument can be made that both are MVFC level type teams. Neither can claim to be much better. The Coyote defense faired by far the worse of the teams New Mexico had played. The eye test was very much a fail as the Lobos moved the ball at will.
When the Coyotes played Weber State the Wildcats scored 49 and gained 373 yards. Of course the offense was directly responsible for 2 touchdowns and 1 possession that Weber Started inside the 10. So we will give the D the benefit of the doubt but they still gave up 28 of those points on defense and the offense giving up touchdowns actually limits the defense from having to be on the field as long. Weber played Utah State who is a good FBS program and gained 245 and scored 6 points. Against Sacramento State they scored only 7 but gained 520. Against UC Davis they scored 38 on the road and gained 463. Against the Coyotes they scored 35 on offense and gained 373. In general this would probably be rated as an average performance by the D considering all the other Weber opponents but not a bad performance overall.
Against North Dakota the D gave up 33 points and 391 yards. ND scored 47 points in all. ND scored only 9 points and gained 177 yards against a mediocre Stony Brook. They scored 26 and gained 383 against Bowling Green and scored 17 and gave gained 348 vs Montana State. Overall the Coyotes did the worse job of all teams against the Hawks.
Of course there are other factors to consider such as the hurry up offense that compliments the defense. The O may spend less time on the field but they also run more plays wearing out the opposing defense. When it comes to the Coyote D the offense may or may not help them but no matter how quickly they have to come back out to play it's still the job of the D to get themselves off the field. The offense doesn't effect the amount of 3 and outs they get so ultimately the D still is responsible for their own fate. The Coyote D also doesn't get as warn out as they would if the team they were playing was like the Coyote O.
So my conclusion is that this defense doesn't quite match my description of horrible, but they also don't match the description of being real good either. If I had to grade them it would probably have to be a C- or D+. I don't see how anyone can grade them higher than a C+. The defense is ok at best but certainly not the kind of a unit that can make up for the free touchdowns that the Coyote offense has been giving up. The D is probably barely good enough to do just enough to pick up a W if the offense plays mistake free football and scored quite a few points on their own. At this point the O will probably have to put up a 30 spot on the board at minimum and minimize the turnovers. I see the defensive unit improving throughout the season but to date they have not been anything special. We will see how the unit is trending after battling with the Penguins a team that figures to be very strong running the ball.
