Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me

[Conway Gamecock]

The per-season national CFB rankings of our Total Defense and Scoring Defense, going back to the 1989 season. The NCAA website for statistics had links for team stats prior to the 1989 season, but they were dead links. I'll see if I can find the official stat rankings for earlier seasons, and post them here.

Stat rankings in the national top 40
Stat rankings outside the national top 40


(Total Defense / Scoring Defense)

2020: 39 / 43
2019: 67 / 53
2018: 84 / 67
2017: 44 / 25
2016: 66 / 51

(Head Coach Will Muschamp)

2015: 95 / 70
2014: 94 / 91
2013: 19 / 12
2012: 11 / 13
2011: 3 / 10
2010: 46 / 43
2009: 15 / 24
2008: 13 / 31
2007: 56 / 39
2006: 63 / 29
2005: 47 / 40

(Head Coach Steve Spurrier)

2004: 20 / 29
2003: 53 / 63
2002: 44 / 34
2001: 27 / 12
2000: 16 / 6
1999: 20 / 58

(Head Coach Lou Holtz)

1998: 81 / 87
1997: 39 / 60
1996: 22 / 40
1995: 81 / 99
1994: 45 / 48

(Head Coach Brad Scott)

1993: 28 / 31
1992: 59 / 48

USC Joins the SEC

1991: 77 / 66
1990: 21 / 44
1989: 64 / 47

(Head Coach Sparky Woods)


What all the colors above mean:

Coach Will Muschamp's defenses have yet to have one season where both the Total Defense AND Scoring Defense rankings finish in the national top 40. And even though the team's Total Defense this season is clinging for life currently at 39th in the nation - with the understanding that all game stats have yet to be turned in and tallied up this day by the NCAA - it's doubtful we'll have EITHER statistical category finish in the top 40 at the end of the season, with Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, UGA, and Mississippi (where if anything they should have a high-flying offense under Kiffin) still left to be played. Going back to 1989, past head coaches Woods, Scott, Holtz, and Spurrier all have had at least one season with both statistics in the top 40. Holtz and Spurrier have had several.

In fact, Coach Muschamp is on pace to finish with three (3) consecutive seasons with BOTH Total and Scoring Defenses outside of the national top 40. This would be the first for all coaches listed above, going back to the 1989 season. Further, if it wasn't for the 2017 team finishing 25th in Scoring Defense against a weak schedule, Coach Muschamp would be on pace for every single season being outside of the top 40 in those categories for his defenses since becoming our head coach in 2016.

Woods, Scott, Holtz, and Spurrier were ALL offensive-minded head coaches. Only Muschamp is the defensive-minded HC of the bunch.....

 

[jonesz21]

Muschamp only makes $440,000 per game this year.

 

[pepsicock]

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Ellis Johnson is responsible for that run under Spurrier.

 

[fowl_mood]

Nice work. Great stats!

Whether men's basketball or football, all the attention is on D. So much so, it seems to be to the exclusion of all else. How's that working for us?

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Nice work. Great stats!

Whether men's basketball or football, all the attention is on D. So much so, it seems to be to the exclusion of all else. How's that working for us?

I love watching our men’s basketball. They are consistently ranked among the elite defensive teams. The play extremely tough.

 

[fowl_mood]

I love watching our men’s basketball. They are consistently ranked among the elite defensive teams. The play extremely tough.

Yes, and the results are incredibly.....mediocre.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Yes, and the results are incredibly.....mediocre.

Ugh. Ok.

 

[MScott64]

Best total defense ranking since 2013? Give that man a contract extension.

 

[keydet#]

Not sure what this tells you, but it tells me that Muschamp was handed a defense headed to the stratosphere - at least his defense has trended downward. He also took over as Clemson was hitting an upward national trajectory which made for recruiting pretty hard for us both in state and nationally. Look at Spurrier's rankings his last two years, they stopped recruiting probably in the 2010 to 2012 timeframe and that recruiting hurt for the next 5 years - at least Muschamp's trendline is downward. At least Spurrier got have decent defenses from Holtz. My vote is to keep him for 10 years and bring stability to the system - restructure contracts with major incentive clauses based on how we finish in the rankings annually in all categories - including bonuses to staff personnel. And I would be shocked if the team performs well this year with an all SEC schedule.

If I could figure out how to post the graph when you load this into Excel, you could somewhat see the trendline.

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

Ellis Johnson is responsible for that run under Spurrier.

We had some of the best defenses in our history under Johnson. No doubt about it. There was just a different attitude out there. Amazing DL play, solid CBs, but the biggest difference was having an absolute HEAD HUNTER at safety every year. Dswag being probably the best of them all but for years we always had great safety play. We haven’t had that for a while now and today it was so evident. I cannot name a capable safety on our roster right now. Swearinger would not have ever let that long TD pass happen, and he would have let their TE know he was in the wrong place if he tried to push him around. The guys we have now just folded. Scared to hit...

 

[Flameout12]

Is it too late to still blame Spurrier?

 

[Tyrannosaurus cox]

Thank you for this. I am real sad now.

The per-season national CFB rankings of our Total Defense and Scoring Defense, going back to the 1989 season. The NCAA website for statistics had links for team stats prior to the 1989 season, but they were dead links. I'll see if I can find the official stat rankings for earlier seasons, and post them here.

Stat rankings in the national top 40
Stat rankings outside the national top 40


(Total Defense / Scoring Defense)

2020: 39 / 43
2019: 67 / 53
2018: 84 / 67
2017: 44 / 25
2016: 66 / 51

(Head Coach Will Muschamp)

2015: 95 / 70
2014: 94 / 91
2013: 19 / 12
2012: 11 / 13
2011: 3 / 10
2010: 46 / 43
2009: 15 / 24
2008: 13 / 31
2007: 56 / 39
2006: 63 / 29
2005: 47 / 40

(Head Coach Steve Spurrier)

2004: 20 / 29
2003: 53 / 63
2002: 44 / 34
2001: 27 / 12
2000: 16 / 6
1999: 20 / 58

(Head Coach Lou Holtz)

1998: 81 / 87
1997: 39 / 60
1996: 22 / 40
1995: 81 / 99
1994: 45 / 48

(Head Coach Brad Scott)

1993: 28 / 31
1992: 59 / 48

USC Joins the SEC

1991: 77 / 66
1990: 21 / 44
1989: 64 / 47

(Head Coach Sparky Woods)


What all the colors above mean:

Coach Will Muschamp's defenses have yet to have one season where both the Total Defense AND Scoring Defense rankings finish in the national top 40. And even though the team's Total Defense this season is clinging for life currently at 39th in the nation - with the understanding that all game stats have yet to be turned in and tallied up this day by the NCAA - it's doubtful we'll have EITHER statistical category finish in the top 40 at the end of the season, with Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, UGA, and Mississippi (where if anything they should have a high-flying offense under Kiffin) still left to be played. Going back to 1989, past head coaches Woods, Scott, Holtz, and Spurrier all have had at least one season with both statistics in the top 40. Holtz and Spurrier have had several.

In fact, Coach Muschamp is on pace to finish with three (3) consecutive seasons with BOTH Total and Scoring Defenses outside of the national top 40. This would be the first for all coaches listed above, going back to the 1989 season. Further, if it wasn't for the 2017 team finishing 25th in Scoring Defense against a weak schedule, Coach Muschamp would be on pace for every single season being outside of the top 40 in those categories for his defenses since becoming our head coach in 2016.

Woods, Scott, Holtz, and Spurrier were ALL offensive-minded head coaches. Only Muschamp is the defensive-minded HC of the bunch.....

 

[Conway Gamecock]

Ellis Johnson is responsible for that run under Spurrier.

Some may say that since Spurrier was the guy who hired Johnson, that he's ultimately responsible, as the head coach. Muschamp also has a DC of his very own, that he hired for his staff.

None of that changes the rankings in the slightest, nor does it change the fact that Muschamp is a defensive-minded coach, and the others were offensive-minded. I'm sure that as a defensive coach, Muschamp may have some input into how Robinson runs the defense, and that that input may be more in-depth than any possible input Spurrier may have had with Johnson's defenses...

 

[world famous 3rd base hecklers]

Ellis Johnson is responsible for that run under Spurrier.

Then Whammy took over and downhill from there... Johnson wasn't the best, but he was good and knew where the best players were located in SC...

 

[castlesl]

Then Whammy took over and downhill from there... Johnson wasn't the best, but he was good and knew where the best players were located in SC...

Johnson is considered to be an upper echelon Defensive Guy.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Then Whammy took over and downhill from there... Johnson wasn't the best, but he was good and knew where the best players were located in SC...

He actually was the best.

 

[Gamecock122]

Muschamp only makes $440,000 per game this year.

about 6,000 per offensive snap.

 

[LakeMurrayUSCFan]

Ellis Johnson is responsible for that run under Spurrier.

And Spurrier hired him.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

And Spurrier hired him.

Great point! He also hired Whammy.

 

[Conway Gamecock]

After the full schedule of games yesterday was tallied up, our Total Defense rankings improved to 27th, and our Scoring Defense declined to 59th. So we'll watch these as the season progresses.....

 

[GarnetBlood80]

We will be outside of the top 80 in both by end of the year.

 

[fowl_mood]

This article debates hiring a defensive minded vs offensive minded coach. It's fairly recent, and makes some interesting points. One is particularly illustrative. Offensive minded coaches who make a bad call on first down, get to do it over on second. Defensive coaches who make a mistake may give up a score that moment. It's all goes to mindset.

For Muschamp, defense is coached, executed, plotted. Offense just "happens." It's really to "shorten" the game as he said yesterday. You could get that with his discussion of "explosive" plays in the presser. It was all about Toney's play. And in commenting about the slow last drive, he said Florida was doing everything it could to limit explosives. So you don't even try. They might happen. You can't and shouldn't make anything happen on offense, too risky.

So Tanner and Muschamp have us on the slow, low risk track. Settle in, settle down, just settle.

Offensive or Defensive: What kind of head coach reigns supreme?

Current groupthink would have you believe simply hiring a great offensive mind as your head coach will turn your team around, but guys like Sean McVay and Matt Nagy are not doing it alone.

www.google.com

 

[Poultrygeist]

What do the ‘11, ‘12, and ‘13 years have in common? Clowney. It’s amazing what one player can do for a team.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

What do the ‘11, ‘12, and ‘13 years have in common? Clowney. It’s amazing what one player can do for a team.

That entire defense was full of pros.

 

[1vagamecock]

you are what your record says you are.