20 Statistics That Will Surprise You After Week 2
Can anything about college football really shock you?
Come on—you are a fan who remembers 2012, when five-loss Wisconsin waltzed into the Big Ten title game and put up 539 yards of rushing on the No. 14 Nebraska Blackshirts defense.
And you sat there with the rest of us last season, mouths all agape, and watched in awe as Auburn’s Chris Davis returned Adam Griffith’s 57-yard field-goal attempt 100 yards for the most improbable 34-28 win in the history of the game.
Yeah, you’ve seen two freshmen win the Heisman, Vince Young ice USC in the BCS National Championship Game and Terry Bowden take the Akron job; what could possibly surprise you?
Well, take a look at a mere 20 numbers from the first 14 days of the 2014 season. This is why we love college football.
Cincinnati Is 0-0
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The Bearcats started off 2014 with two byes and won’t get their season underway until this Friday night when they square off with Toledo in Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.
The fact that they haven’t played a game yet hasn’t stopped Cincinnati from getting the attention of voters in both polls—it got six votes in this week’s AP poll and eight in the coaches poll.
The Bearcats also hold the honor of being the only undefeated team remaining in the American Athletic Conference.
SMU Is Averaging a Field Goal Per Game
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After averaging more than 25 points per game each of the last five seasons, SMU has gotten off to a slow start in 2014, scoring only a single touchdown in two weeks.
The Mustangs managed only 67 total yards of offense in their 45-0 loss to Baylor in Week 1 and then improved to 274 yards and six points in their 43-6 loss to North Texas on Saturday.
SMU has turned the ball over eight times this season and racked up minus-14 yards of rushing. According to an Associated Press report on ESPN.com, SMU's seventh-year head coach June Jones resigned on Monday, citing "personal issues."
Michigan Has Not Forced a Single Turnover
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Not only have the Wolverines turned the ball over five times in two games, but they also have yet to record an interception or fumble recovery in 2014.
Michigan is one of only seven FBS teams to play two games without forcing a turnover. Compare this to 2013, when the Wolverines recovered nine fumbles and tallied 17 interceptions, giving them 26 total gains or an average of two per game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
An FCS QB Has Outpaced the FBS in TD Passes
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Even though a handful of FBS quarterbacks have managed to throw five touchdown passes in a single game this season (Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty had six), the guy with the most in an FBS game hails from an FCS school.
The quarterback is Vernon Adams from FCS Eastern Washington, who threw a whopping seven touchdowns in a wild 59-52 loss to Washington in Week 2. Adams went 31-of-46 for 475 yards, seven scores and zero interceptions.
It was the most passing yards allowed by a Huskies defense since 2007 when Arizona hung up 510 yards passing on Washington in a 48-41 loss.
Florida State’s Defense Has One Sack in 2 Games
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The No. 1-ranked Seminoles scoring defense from last season, the same unit that finished last 2013 with 35 sacks, has managed only a single sack in 2014.
The one shining moment came in Florida State’s Week 1 win over Oklahoma State when junior defensive end Mario Edwards sacked J.W. Walsh for a 14-yard loss in the fourth quarter, forcing an intentional grounding penalty.
The Seminoles will need to average more than three sacks per game in their 10 remaining regular-season games to match last season’s mark.
Central Michigan Leads the FBS in Interceptions
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After recording 14 interceptions in all of 2013, Central Michigan’s defense has six picks in the first two games of 2014.
The Chippewas scored four interceptions in their 20-16 win over FCS Chattanooga in Week 1 and then registered two more in last week’s 38-17 win at Purdue.
Sophomore Tony Annese leads the team with two interceptions (both in Week 1), and junior Brandon Greer has contributed the lone pick-six, a 57-yard thriller in the opening quarter versus the Boilermakers.
Central Michigan is 2-0 for the first time since 2002 when it beat FCS Sam Houston State, Wyoming and Akron for a 3-0 start.
Miami (Fla.) Has Converted Only 3 Third Downs
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The Hurricanes have only converted three third downs in 23 attempts this season. That 13.04 percent mark is the lowest in the FBS.
Miami went 1-of-13 (7 percent) on third down in its opening loss to Louisville in Week 1 and improved to 2-of-10 (20 percent) in last week’s win over FCS Florida A&M.
The Hurricanes finished last season ranked No. 96 in third-down conversions, converting 56 of 160 for a 35 percent success rate.
Duke Has Gone for It on 4th Down 9 Times
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Tying Temple’s Matt Rhule for the gutsiest first two games of the season, Duke’s David Cutcliffe has already opted to go for it on fourth down nine times this season.
The only thing separating the two coaches is one successful conversion: The Blue Devils are 7-of-9 on fourth down (77.7 percent), while the Owls are 6-of-9 (66.6 percent).
Duke was 5-of-6 on fourth down in its opening win over FCS Elon and 2-of-3 in last week’s win over Troy.
The Blue Devils went for it 23 times last season, which was the 40th-most in the FBS.
Steve Spurrier’s Pass Defense Is Ranked No. 125 in the FBS
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Though South Carolina has faced two of the best pass offenses in the land—No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 15 East Carolina—it's still worth noting that only two teams in the nation have given up more yards through the air than the Gamecocks have this season.
South Carolina has allowed an average of 416 passing yards in two games, the most ever in the Spurrier era. To put it into perspective, the Gamecocks have only given up more than 415 yards of total offense 16 times in the 116 games Spurrier has coached since taking over in 2005.
UCLA Has Allowed 8 Sacks
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UCLA’s offensive line returned four starters in 2014, giving it one of the most experienced groups in the FBS. This make the Bruins' No. 121 ranking in sacks allowed through two games—against Virginia and Memphis—almost unbelievable.
Only Miami (Ohio) (nine) and SMU (12) have given up more sacks than UCLA, which is tied at eight with Fresno State, Florida International, Ohio State and Wake Forest.
Oklahoma State’s 3-Block Night
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The Cowboys quietly tied an NCAA FBS record in Week 2 by blocking a field goal, extra point and punt in their 40-23 win over FCS Missouri State.
The fun started when safety Jordan Sterns blocked a punt in the first quarter, and continued when, a few minutes later, defensive tackle James Castleman blocked an extra-point attempt after a Missouri State touchdown.
The trifecta was completed in the second quarter when defensive tackle Ofa Hautau blocked a Marcelo Bonani 39-yard field-goal attempt.
The only other team to complete the feat in a single game was the 1996 Oregon State Beavers, who picked up one of each type of block in a 46-17 loss to No. 16 USC.
Texas Tech Is 100 Percent Generous in the Red Zone
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The Red Raiders are a perfect 2-0 after a seven-point win over FCS Central Arkansas in Week 1 and a four-point triumph over UTEP in Week 2.
Included in the piles of stats from the two games is Tech’s defensive performance in the red zone, where it's allowed its pair of opening opponents a 100 percent success rate inside the 20-yard line.
Central Arkansas went 6-of-6 in the red zone, scoring four touchdowns and two field goals, while UTEP went 4-of-4 with two touchdowns and two field goals.
Things ought to get even more interesting when Arkansas—averaging 47 points per game—comes to Lubbock in Week 3.
The No. 2 QB in FBS Yards Per Game Plays for Western Kentucky
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Did you know that the No. 2 quarterback in total yards and yards per game is Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty?
Doughty, a senior from Davie, Florida, is 74-of-104 (71.2 percent) for 866 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception through the first two games of the season. His eight touchdown passes tie him with Buffalo’s Joe Licata, Missouri’s Maty Mauk and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott for the most in the FBS.
He threw for 569 yards and six scores in the Hilltoppers’ 59-31 win over Bowling Green in the opener and tacked on 297 yards and two more touchdown passes in Week 2’s 42-34 near upset of Illinois.
Rutgers’ Paul James has Scored More Points than Vandy, FAU and SMU Combined
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With six touchdowns in two weeks of play, Rutgers running back Paul James has scored 36 points in 2014, 13 more than the 23 that Vanderbilt, Florida Atlantic and SMU have combined between them.
James scored three rushing touchdowns in the 41-38 win over Washington State and tacked on an additional rushing score and two receiving touchdowns in the 38-25 win over FCS Howard in Week 2.
The Independents Have More Ranked, Undefeated Teams Than the Big Ten
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With No. 8 Ohio State losing to unranked Virginia Tech, No. 7 Michigan State falling to No. 3 Oregon and No. 19 Nebraska falling out of the AP rankings (it is No. 21 in the coaches poll) after beating FCS McNeese State by a touchdown, the Big Ten is losing ground in the College Football Playoff race.
The only other ranked team from the conference is No. 18 Wisconsin, which is 0-1 after losing to No. 13 LSU in Week 1.
While the Big Ten has nobody left up top, the remaining power-five leagues each have multiple undefeated, ranked representatives. Even the four-team independent contingency has two, with 2-0 Notre Dame at No. 11 and 2-0 BYU at No. 25 (in the AP).
Temple Is Tied for No. 1 in the FBS in Turnover Margin
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If you’re wondering how a Temple program that went 2-10 last season beat Vanderbilt in its opener and fell to Navy by only a touchdown in Week 2, think turnover margin.
The Owls have recorded 10 gains (seven fumble recoveries and three interceptions) versus only four balls lost (three fumbles and one interception) through two weeks, earning a plus-six margin. This ties Temple with Notre Dame and Kentucky.
The Owls finished last season ranked No. 97 in turnover margin with 13 gains versus 19 losses for a minus-six margin.
Washington’s Danny Shelton Is on His Way to Breaking Terrell Suggs’ Sack Record
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Huskies defensive lineman Danny Shelton has registered six sacks in two games this season, putting him just 18 away from Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs’ single-season record of 24 in 2002.
Shelton will need 1.63 sacks in each of Washington’s remaining 11 regular-season games to challenge what is one of the most untouchable marks in the FBS record book.
To put it into perspective, the leader for the entire season in 2013 was Stanford’s Trent Murphy with 15 sacks in 14 games.
Even if Shelton falls short, which history tells us he likely will, collecting six sacks in two games is a mind-blowing accomplishment.
Shelton registered two sacks in the 17-16 opening win at Hawaii and earned four more in the wild 59-52 win over FCS Eastern Washington last weekend.
Note: Derrick Thomas' 27-sack season in 1988 came before sacks were officially counted by the NCAA.
The Pac-12 South and SEC West Are Off to a 24-2 Start
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The strongest two divisions in college football through two weeks of play are the Pac-12 South and the SEC West, where the 13 combined teams have only two losses between them.
Highlights from the win column were USC’s triumph over Stanford and Texas A&M’s blowout of South Carolina. The only shared losses were Colorado’s defeat at the hands of Colorado State and Arkansas’ loss to Auburn (a fellow SEC West member).
Could these divisions be the home of two of the future College Football Playoff teams?
New Mexico State is Off to Its Best Start Since 1999
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How big of a deal is it that New Mexico State is 2-0 after beating FCS Cal Poly in the opener and then handling Georgia State in Week 2?
Well, the last time the Aggies kicked off their season with back-to-back wins was 15 years ago, in 1999 when they beat FCS New Mexico Highlands, New Mexico and No. 22 Arizona State on their way to a 3-0 start.
If it can win at UTEP in Week 3, New Mexico State will score consecutive wins over FBS foes for the first time since 2011 when it beat New Mexico and Idaho in back-to-back games.
Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett Is Averaging an Interception Per Every 11 Throws
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Though it may be unfair to pick on the new kid, Ohio State freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett has thrown too many interceptions in his first two starts.
Barrett’s four picks in only 44 attempts amounts to an interception every 11 passes, the most in the FBS. Compare it to Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, who also has thrown four picks but has 83 attempts, making his number one in every 21 throws.
Even Boise State’s Grant Hedrick—with a nation-high five interceptions—has 79 attempts, making his ratio a still scary, but better, 1-in-16.
Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com and Sports Reference/College Football.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
