Under the Hood: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Iowa State Cyclones Statistical Match Ups

by Jon Johnston on Oct 21, 2009 8:15 AM CDT in Nebraska Husker Football

I would guess that if you polled Husker fans, 99% would say that the upcoming game is a gimme. That's kind of to be expected when you're playing your 99th game against an opponent and your all-time record against them stands at 83-14-2.

Gimme status is emphasized when you're playing at home where you have a 48-6 advantage, haven't lost to said opponent in Lincoln since 1977, and the average margin of victory is over 20 points. If you're wondering why the betting line is around 17-18 in favor of Nebraska, there's your answer.

Are things any different this time? Maybe the '92 loss tends to make one paranoid, but I don't think so.

Statistics are once again courtesy of cfbstats.com. This time I've included the national and conference rankings in parentheses, to provide a better view of where these two teams stand.

Offensive Comparisons

	Nebraska	Iowa State
Rush YPG	151.7 (55/8)	213.57 (14/1)
Rush YPC	4.72 (26/3)	5.17 (11/1)
Rush TDS	11 (47/8)	13 (30/5)

Pass YPG	233 (45/7)	195.3 (80/11)
Pass YPA	7.2 (56/8)	6.4 (89/11)
Pass TDS	12 (33/6)	10 (50/9)
Pass Efficiency	137.84 (38/5)	118.62 (88/11)

Total Offense	384.7 (56/9)	408.9 (36/7)

Defensive Comparisons

	Nebraska	Iowa State
Rush YPG	94.83 (12/3)	140.86 (67/10)
Rush YPC	2.75 (11/3)	3.99 (73/10)
Rush TDS	5 (20/4)	5 (20/4)

Pass YPG	174.5 (23/1)	245.9 (95/10)
Pass YPA	5.5 (13/3)	7.2 (78/10)
Pass TDS	2 (2/1)	15 (109/11)

Total Defense	269.3 (11/3)	386.7 (88/9)
Scoring Defense	11.8 (6/2)	21.6 (42/7)

Opponent Positional Rank

Total Offense Rank	Nebraska Opponent	Total Defense Rank	Total Offense Rank	Iowa State	Total Defense Rank
33	Florida Atlantic	115	xx	North Dakota State	xx
96	Arkansas State	57	79	Iowa	22
59	@Virginia Tech	32	101	Kent State	83
84	UL-Lafayette	79	115	Army	17
40	@Missouri	45	70	Kansas State	47
3	Texas Tech	49	2	Kansas	53
			68	Baylor	95
52.5	Average	62.83	72.5	Average	52.83

*North Dakota State not included as they are not a FBS team.

- I was aware that Iowa State had a decent running game, but i was not aware that they were the best in the Big 12. They have faced some decent defenses, but no where the caliber of Nebraska's defense coming into this game.

- Nebraska's running game versus Iowa State's ground game.... well, let's just say the Husker offense agains the Cyclone defense weighs heavily in our favor, even with an offense that can't seem to perform on a consistent basis. Perhaps this is a game where the offense gains some confidence on the ground and in the air.

- The Husker defense compares very favorably with the Cyclone offense as well. Their strength on the ground plays right into our strength, so they don't gain much of an advantage in that sense.

- Fact is, we should smash Iowa State again, but the angst felt over how badly the offense performed against Texas Tech lingers in the air this week.

- Thoughts?

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Comments

if there's one thing we've got going in our favor

it’s the apparent bounce back factor of the Huskers under Pelini.

by Nebrascal on Oct 21, 2009 11:27 AM CDT reply actions

What are the odds that NU just had a bad game against TTech?

Is that just sunshine pumping?

It’s not like this doesn’t happen for most teams every year, or that NU had an elite offense this season.

Could NU not make any drastic changes on offense and be ok?

You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation

by JLew on Oct 21, 2009 12:25 PM CDT reply actions

not very good

odds.

remember the red zone problems at VT that cost us that game.
remember the consistent high number of penalties
remember that this offense could do nothing against Missouri for three quarters (blamed on the rain)

I’m not sure we need to blow up the offense and start over, but something needs to happen where we find a playmaker. If that’s Cody Green, so be it.

Go Big Red Nebraska!
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by Jon Johnston on Oct 21, 2009 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions

But we moved the ball on VaTech

And should* have scored a TD against them. (*yeah I know what a should is worth but anyway)
And we scored against MU. Plus in the rain I’m not sure what conclusions you can draw from that game about our offense.

The penalties are a problem, but they will be a problem no matter who is at QB.

Will the mistakes that Green is bound to make (INT’s) be worth whatever big plays he can provide? Can he be that effective of a runner with no reliable WR’s and our 4rth string RB?

You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation

by JLew on Oct 21, 2009 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Not so sure..

..that this a gimme at all.

Wait, let me back up. What the hell is a gimmie in todays CFB world anyway? How many times have we seen an Arkansas take a Florida to the final bell? Or a Purdue humiliate a heavily favored OSU team?

Come on guys, there is no such thing as a gimmie anymore. Not even with Nebraska. If you think there is, you are still holding onto those memories of the Big 8, and not ready to accept the game today. Just because it’s ISU, and some know-it-all writers picked them last at the start of the season, doesn’t mean jack. Even CornBlight admitted that he didn’t know the Clones led the Big 12 in rushing! Nothing is safe anymore, and we see it every week.

If I were the Huskers, I would be showing a lot of respect for the Cyclones this week. If they don’t, they could very well get embarrassed at home again.

by Brian Speers on Oct 22, 2009 6:55 AM CDT reply actions