[Husker] Blackshirts

[Steve Reichenbach]

> After 6 games NU is ranked #1 in rushing defense with a 65 yard ave.
> Add to this the fact that they are also #1 in sacks with 34 and 262
> yards lost, and #1 in tackles for loss 68 for 345 yards.  NU's 3rd
> down defense efficiency is at 25.6% (23 conversions on 90 attempts)
> - 3rd in the nation.
> 
> Just for kicks, I wonder how Bo Pelini's defense is doing down at LSU?
> 
> Scott in NY

Nebraska is giving up 289.1 yds/game (#12) and LSU is giving up
290.6 yds/game (#14).  That's pretty much a dead heat, but it also
depends on how well a team's offense is playing and which opponents
have been played.

One measure of how well the offense is doing to help the defense
(regardless of how many yards they make or much they score) is to
look at the number of defensive plays per game.  Nebraska has allowed
1735 yds in 418 plays in six games while LSU has allowed 1453 yds in
341 plays in five games.  That works out to 69.67 plays per game for
NU and 68.2 plays per game for LSU.  Again, about a dead heat.
Neither NU's nor LSU's offense is in the top 50 offensively.

LSU has played three ranked teams, ASU #15 now unranked, Tennessee
#10 now #17, and Florida #11 now #18.  Nebraska has played one ranked
team, Texas Tech, now #10.  Sagarin has LSU's schedule-to-date ranked
#6 and NU's schedule-to-date ranked #82.  The edge here is to LSU,
which has played a much tougher schedule than NU has.  (That said,
one bad day against Texas Tech could result in enough yards for two
games.)  LSU has two more ranked teams on its schedule, #16 Auburn and
#5 Alabama.  Nebraska has one of its softest schedules in years.

Given that LSU's schedule and the fact that the offense is not playing
that well, it appears Pellini's defense is doing very well.  NU's
defense also has been playing very well, despite an offense that isn't
very productive, but against an easier schedule.