Offensive Points Per Drive:
Texas Tech - 2.00 points per offensive possession. 82nd in the country.
82nd in the country would be the second worst offense for Tech in the post-Leach era. The 2020 offense finished 93rd in the country (for what it's worth, it also didn't get to play any non-conference games since the HBU game isn't reflected in these numbers).
Oklahoma State - 2.93 points per offensive possession. 30th in the country.
Offensive TD Percentage:
Texas Tech - 23.2% of possessions end with a TD play. 85th in the country.
The 2020 offense finished 87th in the country in TD play percentage. All other post-Leach offenses ranged between 8th in the country (peak Mahomes) to the mid 40s.
Oklahoma State - 37.5% of possessions end with a TD play. 32nd in the country.
Offensive Turnover Percentage:
Texas Tech - 17.9% of possessions end with a turnover. 115th in the country.
If this percentage holds up, it would be the most turnover prone offense in the post-Leach era.
Oklahoma State - 5% of possessions end with a turnover. 16th in the country.
Offensive Yards Per Play:
Texas Tech - 5.16 yards per play. 91st in the country.
On pace to finish with the lowest yards per play in the post-Leach era.
Oklahoma State - 6.35 yards per play. 32nd in the country.
It should be noted that this year's offense will, pretty easily, play the toughest schedule from a defenses-faced standpoint compared to the post-Leach era teams. The only other team that has a similar argument is the 2020 Yost debacle, since COVID caused only conference stats to be considered that year. To this point in the season, we've played a top 10ish toughest schedule -- probably top 5 toughest after this Saturday.
I do buy the argument that our personnel just isn't up to our normal standards on that side of the ball, especially at O-line, an issue that is well documented. I also believe that, had this offense played a cupcake game at home instead of @ NC State, these numbers would be a lot different. There is also a lot of youth on that side of the ball, especially at QB (we are playing our backup...).
Having said all that, these numbers still don't quite add up. I think we're better than what we've put on paper. At least, I hope so. Last year, Cumbie's offense generated over 6 yards per play (with a revolving door at QB) and it was top 25 nationally in points per drive. We're experiencing a big drop off and it's not all a result of the high turnover percentage (we turned it over quite a bit last year).
I don't necessarily think any noticeable improvement will start this Saturday, but I do believe that after the bye week this offense will begin to settle in, at least somewhat. We will have played 6 games and had a week off to recalibrate and, potentially, get a new QB back in the mix. We will also begin to a play a somewhat easier schedule, including 4 out of 6 games at home.
It has to get better, though. Having one of the least-productive offenses in the country makes it nearly impossible to win in this league.
Defensive Points Per Drive:
Texas Tech - 2.03 points allowed per possession. 58th in the country.
On pace to finish the best out of any post-Leach defense. The 2013 defense -- which had a couple NFL players on it -- finished the season with very similar numbers. That defense also played 3 really bad football teams (Texas State, SMU, Kansas). This year's defense may not play any bad teams.
Oklahoma State - 2.00 points allowed per possession. 54th in the country.
Defensive TD Percentage:
Texas Tech - 23.5% of possessions end with opponents running a TD play. 44th in the country.
In the post-Leach era, only two defenses allowed less than 30% of opponents' possessions to end in a TD. None of those defenses kept that number below 25%. The post-Leach average is in the mid 30s percent.
Oklahoma State - 26.8% of possessions end with opponents running a TD play. 66th in the country.
Defensive Turnover Percentage:
Texas Tech - 11.8% of opponents' possessions end with a turnover. 62nd in the country.
Oklahoma State - 9.8% of opponents' possessions end with a turnover. 86th in the country.
Defensive Yards Per Play:
Texas Tech - 5.77 yards allowed per play. 68th in the country.
K-State racking up almost 8 yards per play really gutted this number.
Oklahoma State - 6.39 yards allowed per play. 103rd in the country.
What the heck is going on with Oklahoma State's defense? They did lose a lot of guys from last year's team, including their defensive coordinator, but I wasn't expecting them to look this bad on paper. Well, fortunately for them, this could be their "get right" game.
Our defense showed some real chinks in the armor on Saturday. And this week will be a really tough test. Oklahoma State's offense has been really good thus far, and they are pretty versatile in what they do. They run it (including with the QB), they throw it (quick game and deep shots), and they use the fastest tempo of anyone we've played to date. If our offense plays like they *should* play, it's going to take a heroic effort from the defense to pull out a win.
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