Archive for Statistics
Pac-10 Scoring Trends, 2004-2008
(Scoring offense is points scored by the team, scoring defense refers to points given up, just to avoid any confusion. This is not a competition between how many touchdowns Jahvid Best or Syd’Quan Thompson would score, although that would be sick.) WOOOOOOOOO! Graphs baby graphs! There are some immediate trends you can notice. The powerful […]
It’s All About Desire
For more reasoned analysis concerning USC, check out The Bear Will Not Quit (who also warns you about that damned Havili wheel play ARRRGH). Information on watching Cal-USC online or at meetups is here. (This was originally a response to Hydrotech’s post about cautious optimism) [youtube 6nJLgKvVzY4] To be honest, most Cal fans already won […]
Will Cal’s Offense Finally Break Through Against USC?
Continuing where Tony left off, it’s not hard to envision a scenario where USC goes down, and it starts on the defensive end. For all the complaints about Bob Gregory that have been voiced, there’s no doubt the defense has been the strongest part of the 2008 California Golden Bears. Currently the Bears defense are […]
Stake Your Place: Arizona State Preview
From a yardage standpoint, Cal looked on even terms with the Sun Devils last season (359 to 363). The Bears defense also came up big early, garnerng an early fumble return for a touchdown and two sacks and maintaining strong pressure on Carpenter through the first half. Even the running game was less than sparkling, […]
How Has Cal Football Performed in the Humidity?
After the disappointing showing by the Bears at Maryland, many fans wondered how much the humidity adjustment played a factor. Zack Follett himself said that the team struggled its way throughmost of the game. “It was tough,” said Follett. “The offense was not firing in the first three quarters and the defense was playing a […]
The Pac-10 Report: Week 1
For the record, I divided time between USC-Virginia and Oklahoma St.-Washington St., watched the end of Oregon-Washington, and watched most of Oregon St.-Stanford and UCLA-Tennessee. I did not see the Arizona games at all. The Cal recaps are here. USC 52, Virginia 7: During the past five seasons and including the Virginia game, USC has […]
Statistically Speaking: Michigan State-Cal Preview
As we gear up for the season opener, it’s time to scope out the Spartans. This is mostly Michigan State; the evaluation on how Cal can handle them will come soon enough. This is also longer than some passages of the Bible, so pop a can of beer or grill some sausages before you settle […]
Pac-10 Quarterback Analysis, Part III: The Situation Room
(Read Part I on Longshore and Part II on Pac-10 QBs here) Seems people demand it, but it looks like it’s time to figure out what Nate Longshore and his Pac-10 bretheren are truly capable of situationally. You’ve probably read about the situational practices Tedford is placing his quarterbacks through and how each of them […]
Give Me Bad Numbers: Pac-10 Quarterback Analysis, Part II
The college quarterback rating formula is absurdly reductionist. It overvalues completions rather than completion percentage, it overvalues touchdowns rather than drives, it overvalues interceptions by placing them all at the same value, and it really really really overvalues yardage without analyzing yards after catch. Almost all of the things plugged into the formula represent outcomes […]
Them Shores Be Long: Pac-10 Quarterback Analysis, Part I
Part-time BN contributor Danzig wrote a killer post on CGB discussing the merits and demerits of Nate Longshore. There are a few parts I want to analyze and some other issues I’d like to expand upon, as I look across the state of Pac-10 QBs this week going into 2008. Passing efficiency: Also notice that […]
