We're nearly midway through the 2009 season and there is still so much we don't know about a lot of teams. You'd like to think we know a lot about Nebraska, but other than our defense being impressive, I'm not sure you could say that much that's definitive. The offense has done well against mediocre (being kind) opposition, and it just so happens that those games have also been at home. You could say that Nebraska's offense has struggled on the road, but you could also throw out the Missouri game due to flash-food conditions that hurt both offenses.
If you're feeling the same way about Nebraska (unsure), then what can you say about Texas Tech? My initial reaction would be that they haven't really played anybody, but that statement is completely off the mark. They played a top five-ranked team at Texas, and another ranked opponent, Houston.
If the two teams have similarities, it's that both offenses have played extremely well against mediocre opponents at home. It just so happens that both teams have lost to a top five opponent on the road, but Nebraska beat a ranked team on the road at Missouri, while Tech lost to ranked Houston.
Let's take a quick look at some key statistics for both offenses:
Offensive Comparisons
| Nebraska | Texas Tech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush YPG | 168 | 78 | |
| Rush YPC | 5.15 | 3.55 | |
| Rush TDs | 11 | 11 | |
| Pass YPG | 236.6 | 443.5 | |
| Pass YPA | 7.63 | 8.45 | |
| Pass TDs | 11 | 25 | |
| Pass Efficiency | 144.31 | 161.27 | |
| Total Offense | 404.6 | 521.5 | |
| Scoring Offense | 36.8 | 43.2 |
Defensive Comparisons
| Nebraska | Texas Tech | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush YPG | 108.8 | 107.17 | |
| Rush YPC | 2.99 | 3.15 | |
| Rush TDs | 3 | 7 | |
| Pass YPG | 162.6 | 242.5 | |
| Pass YPA | 5.1 | 6 | |
| Pass TDs | 1 | 5 | |
| Total Defense | 271.4 | 349.7 | |
| Scoring Defense | 6.4 | 21.3 |
Nebraska vs Texas Tech Opponent Positional Ranks
| Total Offense Rank | Nebraska Opponent | Total Defense Rank | Total Offense Rank | Texas Tech Opponent | Total Defense Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Florida Atlantic | 110 | xx | North Dakota | xx | |
| 83 | Arkansas State | 71 | 109 | Rice | 115 | |
| 54 | @Virginia Tech | 35 | 7 | @Texas | 4 | |
| 98 | UL-Lafayette | 92 | 1 | @Houston | 111 | |
| 38 | @Missouri | 45 | 108 | New Mexico | 109 | |
| 75 | Kansas State | 53 | ||||
| 65.8 | Average | 70.6 | 60 | Average | 78.4 |
*North Dakota not included because they're not a FBS team.
- Like I said earlier, both teams have played tough opponents on the road which allowed them to inflate their statistics against mediocre competition at home.
- Could Tech have possibly played two worse opponents statistically than Rice and New Mexico? Holy Cow!
- Surprising number of rushing touchdowns on the ground for Tech. So much so that I went back and verified that number. Baron Batch has five, Harrison Jeffers has four, and quarterback Taylor Potts has two. All of these no doubt come from everyone worrying about Tech throwing the ball that they're leaving the run open in the red zone.
- Midway through the season, the Blackshirts have given up only one passing TD and allowed under seven points per game ought to have fans freaking out (like they are).
- Big advantage Nebraska - the front four defending the run while the back seven defend the pass in the red zone, ala the high number of rushing TDs reference for Tech.
- The fact that Texas Tech lost both road games to ranked teams ought to stick out in your mind. A lot.
- Thoughts?