Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
As you may know, I'm very interested in original football statistical study.
That's why I was so intrigued with some work that Seth Jungman at Double-T Nation developed on how Texas Tech's defense fared over the final six games of the season. I think he did it to gauge how Tech's defense improved down the stretch under Ruffin McNeill.
Jungman's research found that Tech averaged fifth in the Big 12 with an average of 401.2 yards per game. While Jungman's statistics were geared toward Texas Tech, they also highlight how wild the offensive binge that surged through the Big 12 the final half of the season really was. It was the highest scoring I can ever remember and likely was among the highest in college football.
At times, I thought I was watching something from the Arena Football League when I saw Kansas' 76-39 beatdown of Nebraska, the Cornhuskers' 73-31 trampling of Kansas State or Colorado's wild 65-51 victory over the Cornhuskers to finish the regular season. In two of the three games, the Big 12's record for combined points in a game was broken.
The Cornhuskers were gashed for an average of 46.8 points per game in the second half of the season, along with 273.8 yards rushing per game and 512.2 total yards. That's a pretty good indication why the Blackshirts went into mothballs last season and why Kevin Cosgrove isn't coaching in college football this season. And it should be a stark reminder of the challenge that new Nebraska coach Bo Pelini really is facing in his first season at his new job.
But the most interesting items were the comparison between the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 over the final six games of the season. Jungman found that total offense was higher in the Big 12 than in either of its two supposed rivals for the best conference. But he found that total offense between the Big Ten and Big 12 was comparable and that rushing defense was the worst in the Southeastern Conference than any of the three conferences.
There's a lot of good information in Jungman's blogpost, as usual. But check it out for a really interesting study that will get you excited about all the football approaching -- less than two weeks away.
Tim Griffin joined ESPN.com in February 2008. He has covered the Big 12 since its inception, among a variety of beats during a 24-year career at the San Antonio Express-News. Griffin, a Memphis State University graduate, lives in San Antonio with his wife and son.
