For two decades we as a fan base have viewed Tech football through an offense lens which contributes to our frustration about Kittley and the offense being so "bad".
We had an offensive innovator in Mike Leach and again in Kliff Kingsbury.
Kittley has been billed as another great offense mind. 2023 was the worst in many metrics since the 90s.
Some of us have been saying for a few years now that the next great wave of innovation needs to and will happen on the defensive side of the ball.
Enter Joey McGuire and Tim DeRuyter.
The 2023 Tech team surrendered 338 points in 13 games for an average of 26.0 ppg.
Do you know what we would have given to have done that while Patrick Mahomes was launching the ball just a few seasons ago?
Here are the defensive ppg averages from the last decade:
2023 26.0 ppg
2022 29.2 ppg
2021 30.2 ppg
2020 36.7 ppg
2019 30.4 ppg
2018 31.1 ppg
2017 32.3 ppg
2016 43.5 ppg
2015 41.4 ppg
2014 41.2 ppg
Here are some good Tech defenses from the last 50 years:
2009 22.5 ppg
2008 27.9 ppg
2007 25.9 ppg
2006 25.1 ppg
2005 18.8 ppg
2004 26.2 ppg
2001 21.8 ppg
2000 18.3 ppg
1996 17.1 ppg
1995 17.2 ppg
1994 15.9 ppg
1986 20.7 ppg
We haven't arrived yet but we are on our way. The future for the front seven is so bright.
I am good with us becoming a defense team again. If Kittley can improve his side from the 2023 27.4 ppg to just 35.0 ppg and our defense continue on their trajectory of keeping teams below their season averages and somewhere in the 20 ppg range we will see some double digit win seasons, we will compete for conference championships, and we will win bigger prizes.
Hopefully we hold on to DeRuyter because he is the best football coach that Tech has had in a while.
We had an offensive innovator in Mike Leach and again in Kliff Kingsbury.
Kittley has been billed as another great offense mind. 2023 was the worst in many metrics since the 90s.
Some of us have been saying for a few years now that the next great wave of innovation needs to and will happen on the defensive side of the ball.
Enter Joey McGuire and Tim DeRuyter.
The 2023 Tech team surrendered 338 points in 13 games for an average of 26.0 ppg.
Do you know what we would have given to have done that while Patrick Mahomes was launching the ball just a few seasons ago?
Here are the defensive ppg averages from the last decade:
2023 26.0 ppg
2022 29.2 ppg
2021 30.2 ppg
2020 36.7 ppg
2019 30.4 ppg
2018 31.1 ppg
2017 32.3 ppg
2016 43.5 ppg
2015 41.4 ppg
2014 41.2 ppg
Here are some good Tech defenses from the last 50 years:
2009 22.5 ppg
2008 27.9 ppg
2007 25.9 ppg
2006 25.1 ppg
2005 18.8 ppg
2004 26.2 ppg
2001 21.8 ppg
2000 18.3 ppg
1996 17.1 ppg
1995 17.2 ppg
1994 15.9 ppg
1986 20.7 ppg
We haven't arrived yet but we are on our way. The future for the front seven is so bright.
I am good with us becoming a defense team again. If Kittley can improve his side from the 2023 27.4 ppg to just 35.0 ppg and our defense continue on their trajectory of keeping teams below their season averages and somewhere in the 20 ppg range we will see some double digit win seasons, we will compete for conference championships, and we will win bigger prizes.
Hopefully we hold on to DeRuyter because he is the best football coach that Tech has had in a while.
