Welcome to the weekly installment where we look at the game from a statistical perspective. Feel free to add your thoughts. What stats impressed you? Any stats concern you? The past two games have been eerily similar in flow (slow first half / dominant second half). Do the numbers tell the same story? Here are 5 stats that stood out to me against Iowa and a few bonus stats since I missed the last game against Northwestern.
273/222 – The headline of Bill Rabinowitz’s colmun in the Dispatch reads, “Ohio State 34, Iowa 24: Buckeyes regain their balance”. The Buckeyes used a balanced attack to outlast Iowa. OSU rushed for 273 and passed for 222 yards. Comparatively, the Buckeyes rushed for 248 and passed for 203 yards against Northwestern. Not sure what balance was regained this week; I think the Buckeyes have done a good job all year maintaining balance, especially since the return of Braxton and Carlos. Looking at the balance over the last two games got me thinking about the entire season. I have expressed some concern after other games about the lack of touches for some players. After looking at the yearly offensive stats to date, I was amazed how much this year has been a true “team effort”. Obviously there have been some extenuating circumstances such as injuries and suspensions that have led to the team balance, but nonetheless I thought this graphic was impressive.
The same can be said for the defense. In my opinion, not one defensive player has been head and shoulders better than anyone else. There have been a lot of guys contributing to the cause as seen by this graphic.
24-7 – After the first few games, we were raving about how the Buckeyes were starting games and absolutely dominating the first quarter. The last two games have been the complete opposite. The Buckeyes have started slow and dominated the second half. I agree with most things I have read, Iowa had a great game plan and the 24-7 second half score had a lot to do with adjustments at half time. Two consecutive 10 point wins were supported by an impressive second half. The Buckeyes beat down Northwestern 27-10 in the second half two weeks ago.
24-149-2 – Carlos Hyde is a huge reason why the Buckeyes dominated the second halves. He rushed for 149 yards and 2 TD’s (both in the second half) on 24 carries. Against NW, he rushed for 168 yards and 3 TD’s (all three in the second half) on 26 carries. HOLY BUCKEYE! He is crazy good.
25:00 – 35:00 – Time of Possession does not always decide who is going to win the game. In my opinion, its importance is dependent on a team’s offensive scheme and style. That being said, an offense cannot score without the ball (duh!). For OSU, I think time of possession is key because of its balanced attack of run and throw. The more time with the ball in Braxton’s hands, the better. Another eye-opening stat about the tale of two halves in the Iowa game was the ToP. Check out the difference between the first and second half (OSU on the right).
Contrast that with Oregon this past week…WSU ToP 35:39 – ORE ToP 24:21 and Oregon won 62-38.
0 – The number of punts and turnovers. If the OSU offense does that every week, they will be hard to beat. What we learned…keep the ball in the offense’s hands and the Buckeyes win. No one has been able to stop the offense on a consistent basis yet! GO BUCKS!
Any other key stats against Iowa?
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