Offensive Efficiency

When I first saw this the other day, I was surprised that 1983 wasn't on the list. Finally got around to looking into it.

Penn State - 500

Wyoming - 581

Minnesota - 790

UCLA - 600

Syracuse - 458

Oklahoma State - 417

Missouri - 405

Colorado - 398

Kansas State - 429

Iowa State - 503

Kansas - 680

Oklahoma - 424

Miami 478

Pretty noticeable lull in the middle of the year.  I thought it was probably one game that kept this team off the list.  

 
Mavric said:
When I first saw this the other day, I was surprised that 1983 wasn't on the list. Finally got around to looking into it.

Penn State - 500

Wyoming - 581

Minnesota - 790

UCLA - 600

Syracuse - 458

Oklahoma State - 417

Missouri - 405

Colorado - 398

Kansas State - 429

Iowa State - 503

Kansas - 680

Oklahoma - 424

Miami 478

Pretty noticeable lull in the middle of the year.  I thought it was probably one game that kept this team off the list.  
Click to expand...
That Oklahoma State game was a tough game, as NU only won 14-10.  Okie State was coached by a young Jimmy Johnson.  That was his last year in Stillwater before replacing Schnellenber in Miami. 

 
Some crazy stats via HOL:

Not trying to throw shade of former Huskers but these give you some idea of the lack of offensive efficiency under Tommy Armstrong.  I believe these are all for 2016.

  • Pro Football Focus passer grade of 54.8.  Martinez has had an overall rating in the 80s recently
  • 12 for 50 (24%) on passes thrown longer than 20 yards plus 3 INTs
  • 5 for 29 (17%) on passes thrown longer than 10 yards to the left
  • 39.2% on passes under pressure
 
Mavric said:
Some crazy stats via HOL:

Not trying to throw shade of former Huskers but these give you some idea of the lack of offensive efficiency under Tommy Armstrong.  I believe these are all for 2016.

  • Pro Football Focus passer grade of 54.8.  Martinez has had an overall rating in the 80s recently
  • 12 for 50 (24%) on passes thrown longer than 20 yards plus 3 INTs
  • 5 for 29 (17%) on passes thrown longer than 10 yards to the left
  • 39.2% on passes under pressure
Click to expand...
I think the yolobomb days are behind us now 

 
Not sure I like the term efficiency when describing our current offense.  Total yards is very good certainly but it would seem to me that efficient offense would be scoring a higher number of points per game and points scored per yards gained or something.   Our offense seems, in some ways, to be rather inefficient in the sense that we are gaining lots of yards but not scoring at a very high rate.   I would not think this year's offense is very comparable to some of the high octane offenses of the past referenced.

It seems likely that at some point, with more refinement, development and additional talent and repetitions, we could very well enjoy something approaching the great offenses of the glory days.   But we are no where close at this point in my opinion.   Some of those great offenses hardly every punted and the punter was nowhere near the household name of our current ones.

I don't know the numbers and am not going to bother to search the records, but I would tend to guess that college football today has a much higher average offense yards per game across all teams as well as more scoring that 20 or 30 years ago.  

Nevertheless, I am quite excited to see the dramatic improvement in our offensive output this year - we surely have a much more powerful and effective offense this year than in the past 6 or 7 years at least.  We will only get better if we can build up the O line and add more skill players across the board. 

 
84HuskerLaw said:
Not sure I like the term efficiency when describing our current offense.  Total yards is very good certainly but it would seem to me that efficient offense would be scoring a higher number of points per game and points scored per yards gained or something.   Our offense seems, in some ways, to be rather inefficient in the sense that we are gaining lots of yards but not scoring at a very high rate.   I would not think this year's offense is very comparable to some of the high octane offenses of the past referenced.

It seems likely that at some point, with more refinement, development and additional talent and repetitions, we could very well enjoy something approaching the great offenses of the glory days.   But we are no where close at this point in my opinion.   Some of those great offenses hardly every punted and the punter was nowhere near the household name of our current ones.

I don't know the numbers and am not going to bother to search the records, but I would tend to guess that college football today has a much higher average offense yards per game across all teams as well as more scoring that 20 or 30 years ago.  

Nevertheless, I am quite excited to see the dramatic improvement in our offensive output this year - we surely have a much more powerful and effective offense this year than in the past 6 or 7 years at least.  We will only get better if we can build up the O line and add more skill players across the board. 
Click to expand...


You have a fair point about the efficiency aspect.  Currently, Nebraska is 72nd in points per play.  That being said, they're 26th in their last 3 which is a nice positive sign and syncs up with what the coaching staff said about things starting to jell after the Purdue game.  

https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/points-per-play

On a side note, the rates that OU and Bama are scoring are simply jaw dropping.  Averaging almost a point per play is like...6 man football level scoring.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Xmas32 said:
You have a fair point about the efficiency aspect.  Currently, Nebraska is 72nd in points per play.  That being said, they're 26th in their last 3 which is a nice positive sign and syncs up with what the coaching staff said about things starting to jell after the Purdue game.  

https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/points-per-play

On a side note, the rates that OU and Bama are scoring are simply jaw dropping.  Averaging almost a point per play is like...6 man football level scoring.
Click to expand...


Coming into the season, I thought NU would be playing its best football at the end of the season.  I didn't expect the mistakes and losses at the beginning of the season, but the team has improved as the season has gone on.  It helps to have Minnesota and Bethune-Cookman in the 2nd half of the season, but the offense still played fairly well against Ohio State.  Hopefully, NU's scheme and speed can still cause troubles for Michigan State and Iowa.

 
OK...I got interested so I went back and spent some time on this.  Hey...it's Friday.

Colorado = .337 PPP

Troy = .253 PPP

Mich = .185

Purdue = .346

Wisk = .352

Northwestern = .383

Minnesota = .726

BC = .703

OSU = .436

I think it's clear that there has been a steady improvement with obvious ups and downs based on quality of opponent.  Last 5 games are .520 compared to the season average of .364.

 
BigRedBuster said:
OK...I got interested so I went back and spent some time on this.  Hey...it's Friday.

Colorado = .337 PPP

Troy = .253 PPP

Mich = .185

Purdue = .346

Wisk = .352

Northwestern = .383

Minnesota = .726

BC = .703

OSU = .436

I think it's clear that there has been a steady improvement with obvious ups and downs based on quality of opponent.  Last 5 games are .520 compared to the season average of .364.
Click to expand...


Not asking you to do this but I wonder what the number would be if you just even take out the time Martinez was injured or playing hurt - Last several plays against Colorado, Troy game and Michigan game.

 
Mavric said:
Not asking you to do this but I wonder what the number would be if you just even take out the time Martinez was injured or playing hurt - Last several plays against Colorado, Troy game and Michigan game.
Click to expand...
Obviously Troy and Michigan drag down the average.

 
Back
Top