FCS Top 25 Defensive Stats

[GetEmGriz]

I've been keeping track of defensive stats of Top 25 teams and how they relate to each other. Here's how the top 25 stacks up defensively in week 4:

FCS Top 25 Defensive Rankings:

Total Yards/Game:
1.Tennessee State (3) - 219
2. Furman (3) - 224
3. Bethune-Cookman (2) - 227
4. North Dakota State (3) - 236
5. Villanova (2) - 270
6. Montana (3) - 297
7. Chattanooga (3) - 303
8. Richmond (3) - 307
9. Southeastern Louisiana (3) - 315
10. Southern Illinois (3) - 316
11. Liberty (3) - 329
12. Jacksonville State (2) - 338
13. Eastern Kentucky (3) - 342
14. Fordham (3) - 348
15. South Dakota State (3) - 361
16. Coastal Carolina (3) - 376
17. McNeese State (2) - 387
18. Northern Iowa (2) - 387
19. Youngstown State (3) - 399
20. Northern Arizona (3) - 404
21. Montana State (3) - 416
22. William & Mary (3) - 417
23. Eastern Washington (3) - 448
24. New Hampshire (2) - 490
25. Sam Houston State (4) - 514

Pass Defense/Game:
1. Liberty (3) - 93
2. Furman (3) - 113
3. Tennessee State (3) - 126
4. Fordham (3) - 129
5. Coastal Carolina (3) - 131
6. Chattanooga (3) - 145
7. North Dakota State (3) - 162
8. Montana (3) - 164
9. South Dakota State (3) - 164
10. Richmond (3) - 172
11. Bethune-Cookman (2) - 182
12. Villanova (2) - 193
13. Jacksonville State (2) - 196
14. Southern Illinois (3) - 199
15. Southeastern Louisiana (3) - 207
16. Eastern Washington (3) - 215
17. Northern Iowa (2) - 238
18. McNeese State (2) - 242
19. Northern Arizona (3) - 251
20. William & Mary (3) - 259
21. New Hampshire (2) - 260
22. Montana State (3) - 265
23. Sam Houston State (4) - 269
24. Youngstown State (3) - 284
25. Eastern Kentucky (3) - 284

Rush Defense/Game:
1. Bethune-Cookman (2) - 45
2. Eastern Kentucky (3) - 58
3. North Dakota State (3) - 74
4. Villanova (2) - 77
5. Tennessee State (3) - 93
6. Southeastern Louisiana (3) - 108
7. Furman (3) - 111
8. Youngstown State (3) - 114
9. Southern Illinois (3) - 118
10. Montana (3) - 133
11. Richmond (3) - 134
12. Jacksonville State (2) - 142
13. McNeese State (2) - 145
14. Northern Iowa (2) - 150
15. Montana State (3) - 151
16. Northern Arizona (3) - 153
17. William & Mary (3) - 158
18. Chattanooga (3) - 158
19. South Dakota State (3) - 197
20. Fordham (3) - 219
21. New Hampshire (2) - 231
22. Eastern Washington (3) - 233
23. Liberty (3) - 236
24. Coastal Carolina (3) - 245
25. Sam Houston State (4) - 245

[JMUNJ08]

SHSU - 25th Overall/ 23rd Pass/ 25th Run

I found the one that doesn't belong!

Very nice though. Shows where teams have their bread and butter to success

[BisonFan02]

Definitely interesting but REALLY skewed by opponents in the first 2-3 games.

[msupokes1]

Very difficult to read this early. McNeese gave up 437 yards against Nebraska which is a lot of yards but considering FAU gave up 784 yards and Fresno gave up 562 yards against the Cornhuskers I guess it doesn't seem all that bad. Of course 58 of those yards happened on the last play for Nebraska.

[GetEmGriz]

Yeah the first few games of the year really skews the stats, but now that teams are starting to play more level competition, we should start seeing these numbers become more accurate. I'm planning on updating this each week as the season goes along.

[msupokes1]

I miss read this and thought it was top 25 defenses of all teams. Here is the NCAA stats on all FCS teams. http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs/current/team/22

[Mattymc727]

Should be by average. No reason UNH should be top 25 in any of these categories after their first two performances.

[msupokes1]

They are not top 25. What he is doing is average yards given up per Top 25 teams. Of all the teams in the top 25 UNH gives up the 24th most yards.

[Thumper 76]

This is pretty cool. You going to keep this up week by week? Cause that would be awesome!!!

[robsnotes4u]

I miss read this and thought it was top 25 defenses of all teams. Here is the NCAA stats on all FCS teams. http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs/current/team/22

That is where I go to look up stats also

[GetEmGriz]

This is pretty cool. You going to keep this up week by week? Cause that would be awesome!!!

I should have rephrased it as "TOP 25 POLL FCS Teams - Defensive Stats". I am planning on making this a weekly thing! xthumbsupx

[deez_na]

Bison had less than 35 yards allowed til the backups went in Saturday lol. They ended with 150, wouldn't have hit the 50 yard mark with the starters.

[superman7515]

The MEAC teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 defenses year after year, but that's only because they play against MEAC offenses which are consistently terrible. Those same defenses then proceed to get beat up in the playoffs.

[GetEmGriz]

The MEAC teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 defenses year after year, but that's only because they play against MEAC offenses which are consistently terrible. Those same defenses then proceed to get beat up in the playoffs.

Which is why I thought it'd be beneficial to compare the defensive stats of the teams in the top 25 instead of the general overall top 25 defenses. Most of those teams are the ones who are most-likely to make any noise in the playoffs.

[marenlee]

Not trying to work you even harder, but I think PPG allowed should be included in this list. xthumbsupx

[BEAR]

Defense? What's that? xeyebrowx



106
Central Ark. (http://www.ncaa.com/schools/central-ark)

[GetEmGriz]

Not trying to work you even harder, but I think PPG allowed should be included in this list. xthumbsupx

xlolx I'll see if I can add that in as well for the next time. xthumbsupx

[UNIFanSince1983]

The MEAC teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 defenses year after year, but that's only because they play against MEAC offenses which are consistently terrible. Those same defenses then proceed to get beat up in the playoffs.

Your classic chicken and egg huh? Are they good defenses because offenses are bad or are they bad offenses because defenses are good? ;)

[marenlee]

The MEAC teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 defenses year after year, but that's only because they play against MEAC offenses which are consistently terrible. Those same defenses then proceed to get beat up in the playoffs.
Kept hearing last year about SC State's #1 defense. Love how that worked out. Nevermind that NDSU had the lowest defensive PPG which I like to rely on more.

[Nickels]

Defense? What's that? xeyebrowx



106
Central Ark. (http://www.ncaa.com/schools/central-ark)


That's bad in most conferences but not in the SLC this year.


SHSU 104/112
NWS 105/112
UCA 106/112
Nicholls 110/112

[Big Dawg]

The MEAC teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 defenses year after year, but that's only because they play against MEAC offenses which are consistently terrible. Those same defenses then proceed to get beat up in the playoffs.

Our defensive backs, which were ranked top s in FCS, would've hung with ANYBODY in FCS last season. Throwing the ball deep on us was impossible. That included Samford, who we played last season. The only team who absolutely had their way with us was Ohio State...and even they couldn't destroy us deep...they just worked the ball up-field on us all game long.

I say that to say that some of our defenses are genuinely good...I mean, Furman didn't exactly light SCSU up in the playoffs last season. Even when Hampton and SCSU had teams that SHOULD'VE won playoff games, they had great defenses who didn't get torched in the playoffs.