clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

No points for you: 2012 drive-finishing data (part 2)

A look at the defenses that best prevented you from scoring when you had the chance.

By Bill C.
Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

This morning, we ranked 2012 FBS offenses according to points per trip inside the opponent's 40. Now let's look at the same list for defenses. Who did the best job of preventing you from scoring (much) when you got inside their 40?

There are some fascinating teams on this list. First of all, you've got UNLV. The Rebels had one of the 25 best defenses when it came to preventing you from taking advantage of your opportunities; they were also the second-worst team in the country at handing you opportunities. On nearly two-thirds of all drives, UNLV opponents advanced inside the Rebels' 40. That they were good at turning teams back didn't really matter. (Navy, Colorado State, and California also experienced similar dynamics.)

Meanwhile, the anti-UNLV was probably Arizona State: fantastic at quickly shutting drives down before you could build any hope, terrible at shutting promising drives down once they got going. (Others like this: Missouri, Wisconsin, and UCLA.)

And yes, Hawaii was dead last in points per trip on both offense and defense. Woof.

Anyway, one of the conclusions I have begun to reach is that the red zone itself is not all that useful. Teams separate themselves at the 40 and the 5. There's a lot more work to do with this data, of course. It will be interesting to look at which offenses and defenses are particularly good year in and year out, and it will be even more interesting to look at correlations from year to year regarding the teams with the biggest differences in rankings between the Pct. of Drives and Points Per Trip figures below. But today was a good start, I think.

Defense Total Drives Trips inside 40 Pct of drives Rk Pts/Trip Rk Record Def. F/+ Rk
Rutgers 170 66 38.8% 18 2.70 1 9-4 11
Notre Dame 149 57 38.3% 17 2.79 2 12-1 13
Utah State 175 63 36.0% 10 2.90 3 11-2 9
BYU 163 50 30.7% 3 2.98 4 8-5 10
Florida 159 58 36.5% 13 3.02 5 11-2 2
Cincinnati 167 71 42.5% 30 3.07 6 10-3 29
Boise State 153 60 39.2% 21 3.10 7 11-2 17
Michigan State 167 59 35.3% 9 3.12 8 7-6 3
Penn State 151 66 43.7% 35 3.15 9 8-4 19
Georgia 184 77 41.8% 28 3.23 10 12-2 18
Alabama 166 43 25.9% 1 3.28 11 13-1 1
Oregon 191 83 43.5% 32 3.34 12 12-1 4
Northern Illinois 178 80 44.9% 45 3.36 13 12-2 39
Michigan 148 69 46.6% 53 3.45 14 8-5 28
South Carolina 165 68 41.2% 26 3.53 15 11-2 7
Vanderbilt 168 62 36.9% 14 3.58 16 9-4 35
N.C. State 200 89 44.5% 40 3.62 17 7-6 49
Stanford 181 66 36.5% 12 3.65 18 12-2 8
Virginia Tech 182 71 39.0% 19 3.68 19 7-6 22
Kansas State 151 72 47.7% 57 3.68 20 11-2 16
USC 173 83 48.0% 59 3.70 21 7-6 33
UNLV 161 103 64.0% 123 3.70 22 2-11 98
Connecticut 163 61 37.4% 15 3.70 23 5-7 26
San Diego State 158 79 50.0% 67 3.72 24 9-4 36
Bowling Green 171 58 33.9% 7 3.74 25 8-5 38
Defense Total Drives Trips inside 40 Pct of drives Rk Pts/Trip Rk Record Def. F/+ Rk
Central Florida 171 78 45.6% 48 3.74 26 10-4 42
Pittsburgh 149 66 44.3% 38 3.76 27 6-7 45
Ohio State 161 65 40.4% 24 3.77 28 12-0 20
Northwestern 161 75 46.6% 52 3.77 29 10-3 46
Iowa State 177 81 45.8% 50 3.83 30 6-7 47
Oregon State 174 68 39.1% 20 3.84 31 9-4 25
SMU 184 84 45.7% 49 3.85 32 7-6 55
Florida State 186 53 28.5% 2 3.89 33 12-2 5
Ole Miss 175 83 47.4% 56 3.90 34 7-6 34
Washington 166 74 44.6% 41 3.91 35 7-6 37
Arkansas State 156 76 48.7% 64 3.91 36 10-3 56
Iowa 148 71 48.0% 58 3.92 37 4-8 63
Louisville 150 72 48.0% 60 3.92 38 11-2 48
TCU 183 72 39.3% 22 3.92 38 7-6 12
Oklahoma State 181 81 44.8% 43 3.93 40 8-5 24
LSU 175 59 33.7% 6 3.95 41 10-3 6
Navy 137 82 59.9% 117 3.95 42 8-5 107
Texas A&M 175 71 40.6% 25 3.96 43 11-2 15
Minnesota 162 76 46.9% 55 3.96 44 6-7 59
Colorado State 148 87 58.8% 111 3.99 45 4-8 106
Nebraska 196 87 44.4% 39 3.99 45 10-4 30
Boston College 155 86 55.5% 100 4.00 47 2-10 81
Clemson 178 81 45.5% 47 4.00 47 11-2 51
Tulsa 206 75 36.4% 11 4.00 47 11-3 27
South Alabama 180 95 52.8% 87 4.02 50 2-11 83
Defense Total Drives Trips inside 40 Pct of drives Rk Pts/Trip Rk Record Def. F/+ Rk
UTEP 151 82 54.3% 96 4.02 51 3-9 94
Ohio 164 74 45.1% 46 4.04 52 9-4 75
California 163 93 57.1% 106 4.05 53 3-9 67
Mississippi State 156 68 43.6% 34 4.06 54 8-5 54
Buffalo 162 80 49.4% 66 4.06 55 4-8 65
Kent State 191 84 44.0% 37 4.07 56 11-3 43
Western Kentucky 153 78 51.0% 78 4.08 57 7-6 61
Western Michigan 159 82 51.6% 84 4.11 58 4-8 82
North Carolina 160 70 43.8% 36 4.14 59 8-4 74
San Jose State 175 66 37.7% 16 4.15 60 11-2 44
Middle Tennessee 137 81 59.1% 115 4.16 61 9-3 114
Toledo 177 87 49.2% 65 4.17 62 9-4 62
Houston 180 92 51.1% 80 4.17 63 5-7 66
UL-Lafayette 174 84 48.3% 61 4.27 64 9-4 78
Florida Atlantic 150 80 53.3% 90 4.29 65 3-9 104
UTSA 120 73 60.8% 120 4.29 66 8-4 120
Utah 154 66 42.9% 31 4.29 67 5-7 57
Miami 158 85 53.8% 93 4.29 68 7-5 88
Auburn 147 77 52.4% 85 4.30 69 3-9 95
Purdue 176 85 48.3% 62 4.31 70 6-7 60
Tulane 166 98 59.0% 114 4.31 71 2-10 102
Rice 173 88 50.9% 75 4.33 72 7-6 89
Wake Forest 163 82 50.3% 69 4.34 73 5-7 77
Virginia 159 74 46.5% 51 4.35 74 4-8 53
UL-Monroe 165 88 53.3% 90 4.35 75 8-5 86
Defense Total Drives Trips inside 40 Pct of drives Rk Pts/Trip Rk Record Def. F/+ Rk
Miami (Ohio) 153 91 59.5% 116 4.36 76 4-8 115
Oklahoma 172 71 41.3% 27 4.38 77 10-3 23
Washington State 159 84 52.8% 88 4.38 78 3-9 76
Texas State 146 89 61.0% 121 4.38 79 4-8 119
Air Force 148 83 56.1% 103 4.39 80 6-7 99
Maryland 161 70 43.5% 33 4.39 81 4-8 50
Georgia Tech 174 88 50.6% 72 4.39 82 7-7 58
Fresno State 190 62 32.6% 5 4.39 83 9-4 21
South Florida 146 74 50.7% 73 4.41 84 3-9 73
Arkansas 159 80 50.3% 71 4.43 85 4-8 72
Texas Tech 156 84 53.8% 94 4.43 86 8-5 64
Akron 162 95 58.6% 109 4.43 87 1-11 105
UCLA 206 83 40.3% 23 4.43 88 9-5 32
Florida International 160 82 51.3% 82 4.45 89 3-9 70
Syracuse 161 68 42.2% 29 4.46 90 8-5 52
Wisconsin 183 59 32.2% 4 4.46 91 8-6 14
North Texas 152 71 46.7% 54 4.46 92 4-8 108
Troy 161 78 48.4% 63 4.47 93 5-7 93
Memphis 147 75 51.0% 79 4.49 94 4-8 80
Missouri 170 76 44.7% 42 4.50 95 5-7 41
Idaho 161 105 65.2% 124 4.52 96 1-11 92
Kansas 154 93 60.4% 119 4.53 97 1-11 84
Temple 142 72 50.7% 74 4.54 98 4-7 96
Texas 160 82 51.3% 82 4.57 99 9-4 40
Tennessee 173 91 52.6% 86 4.58 100 5-7 85
Defense Total Drives Trips inside 40 Pct of drives Rk Pts/Trip Rk Record Def. F/+ Rk
Wyoming 144 82 56.9% 105 4.59 101 4-8 112
East Carolina 167 85 50.9% 76 4.60 102 8-5 91
Central Michigan 157 87 55.4% 99 4.62 103 7-6 109
Arizona State 191 67 35.1% 8 4.63 104 8-5 31
Duke 173 94 54.3% 97 4.64 105 6-7 116
West Virginia 172 101 58.7% 110 4.64 106 7-6 69
New Mexico 145 81 55.9% 102 4.68 107 4-9 121
New Mexico State 155 93 60.0% 118 4.69 108 1-11 122
Illinois 157 80 51.0% 77 4.70 109 2-10 71
UAB 163 91 55.8% 101 4.73 110 3-9 101
Baylor 177 101 57.1% 107 4.73 111 8-5 79
Eastern Michigan 152 88 57.9% 108 4.75 112 2-10 103
Kentucky 142 76 53.5% 92 4.75 112 2-10 113
Ball State 160 85 53.1% 89 4.78 114 9-4 87
Nevada 160 87 54.4% 98 4.83 115 7-6 111
Southern Miss 153 90 58.8% 112 4.87 116 0-12 97
Arizona 182 91 50.0% 67 4.89 117 8-5 68
Indiana 163 82 50.3% 69 4.91 118 4-8 110
Massachusetts 156 88 56.4% 104 5.00 119 1-11 118
Army 136 80 58.8% 112 5.14 120 2-10 124
Louisiana Tech 172 88 51.2% 81 5.18 121 9-3 100
Colorado 159 99 62.3% 122 5.19 122 1-11 123
Marshall 159 86 54.1% 95 5.34 123 5-7 117
Hawaii 163 73 44.8% 44 5.34 124 3-9 90

More From Football Study Hall