Thursday, October 10, 2013

Pass happy offenses - another look behind and ahead

A few weeks back I wondered if perhaps we'd seen the worst of it when it comes to defending against elite arms. Well, I went back and updated the spreadsheet I used, and to put it plainly...we ain't out of the woods just yet. (In parentheses I've noted the change in completion percentage and QB rating.)

comp % yards TD INT rating
Boyd, Clemson 66 (+5) 1449 14 2 182.22 (+33)
Shaw, S. Carolina 68.8 (+4) 927 7 0 173.92 (+7)
Thompson, N. Texas 68 (-3) 1346 8 5 139.49 (-10)
Mettenberger, LSU 68.2 (+3) 1738 15 2 190.12 (-15)
Worley, Tenn 55.8 (-6) 940 9 6  121.54 (-20)
Franklin, Missouri 67.9 (+1) 1407 13 3 160.18 (+5)
Carta-Samuels, Vandy 66.1 (+8) 1561 10 6 152.05 (+14)
Driskel, Florida 70.9 444 2 2 143.45
Murphy, Florida 72.2 530 5 1 181.52
Bryant, App State 72.0 (+5) 900 6 2 170.3 (+32)
Marshall, Auburn 59.2 (-2) 902 4 4 126.64 (-18)
Smith, Kentucky 57.9 (+1) 634 4 1 158.5 (-4)
Lee, GA Tech 44.7 (-11) 625 7 4 133.69 (-85)

Further impressions and other notes:
  • Given Florida's change at quarterback after Driskel's injury I just added in Murphy's numbers for comparison purposes. Could've done the same thing for Kentucky, but looks like Max Smith will only miss the one game, and he's really their best option under center.
  • Other than a pretty significant upswing for Florida in Tyler Murphy and a huge drop for Vad Lee on The Flats (bless his heart), things have remained relatively steady. 
  • The next two QB's we face have only improved the last couple games. Oh joy!
  • Looking at the SEC passing offense rankings, Missouri is fourth and Vandy is fifth. Catch our breath a bit, then we have Florida at 11th, Auburn at 12th and Kentucky at 10th.
  • The longer I look at that chart the more it appears Georgia's pass coverage has two more weeks of a trial by fire before getting any type of relief from the other side of the line of scrimmage. Murphy has definitely been a statistical upgrade in Gainesville, but from what I've seen he is not on the level of what we've already faced as far as a murderers row of pure passers - Boyd, Shaw, Mettenberger, Worley). 
  • Nick Marshall averages 5.42 yards per carry, and 7.5 per pass attempt. After a scare Saturday night, will he be around by the time we visit The Plains? I admit I haven't seen him play much thus far, but given his numbers on the season he reminds me of a young quarterback that is much quicker to trust his feet than what he's seeing downfield.
And again, just because:
Murray, Georgia    64.9 (-7)    1534    14    3    176.87 (-18)