Big 12 Football Defenses by the Numbers: Week 6
Starting this week, I’m breaking the numbers report into defensive and offensive numbers. Week 6 was not kind to Big 12 offenses, even in winning efforts.
As always, caveat lector: stats can be deceiving.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. . .
1 Rushing touchdown allowed by Oklahoma against Texas and Bijan Robinson
2 Sacks by Baylor’s Siaki Ika against WVU (2.5 on the season)
3 Oklahoma sacks against Texas
4 Baylor missed tackles against WVU
5 Rushing touchdowns allowed by Texas Tech against TCU
6 Baylor sacks against WVU
FEWEST MISSED TACKLES (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
* = Film review change
1. Iowa State – 46 (DNP); 9.2 per game
2. West Virginia – 50 (+10); 8.33 per game
3. Kansas – 57 (DNP) +1*; 11.4 per game
4. Kansas State – 59 (DNP) +2*; 11.8 per game
5. Oklahoma State – 63 (DNP) -2*; 12.6 per game
6. TCU – 63 (+10); 12.6 per game
7. Oklahoma – 67 (+13); 11.16 per game
8. Texas – 72 (+11); 12 per game
9. Baylor – 73 (+4); 12.16 per game
10. Texas Tech – 79 (+10); 13.16 per game
Note: West Virginia still has the lowest per game average; Oklahoma’s 11.16 average is the third-lowest in the league. Three teams with byes had their missed tackles total change due to film review correcting previous errors.
TEAM SACKS (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. West Virginia – 17 (+0*); 2.833 per game
2. Oklahoma State – 16 (DNP); 3.6 per game
3. Kansas State – 15** (DNP); 3 per game
4. Oklahoma – 15*** (+3); 2.5 per game
5. Baylor – 12 (+6); 2 per game
6. Texas – 12 (+2); 2 per game
7. Iowa State – 11 (DNP); 2.25 per game
8. Texas Tech – 11 (+0); 1.83 per game
9. TCU – 6 (+1); 1.2 per game
10. Kansas – 3 (DNP); 0.6 per game
*I thought I saw WVU DE Darius Stills record a sack against Baylor, but it has not been counted by any of the stat banks I follow.
** The NCAA’s official stats give K-State credit for 16 sacks, but a game-by-game count shows the correct number is 15.
*** The NCAA’s official stats give OU credit for 18 sacks, but a game-by-game count shows the correct number is 15 (it’s as if they added 6 sacks for the Texas game, not 3).
NOTE: Oklahoma State and K-State now average more sacks per game than the raw numbers leader, WVU.
POINTS AGAINST (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. Iowa State – 78 (DNP); 15.6 per game
2. Oklahoma State – 93 (DNP); 18.6 per game
3. Baylor – 107 (+20); 17.83 per game
4. Kansas State – 115 (DNP); 23 per game
5. West Virginia – 134 (+45); 22.33 per game
6. TCU – 140 (+31); 28 per game
7. Oklahoma – 143 (+48); 23.83 per game
8. Texas – 175 (+55); 29.15 per game
9. Texas Tech – 206 (+52); 34.33 per game
10. Kansas – 219 (DNP); 43.8 per game
Note: By average points per game, the ranking 1-10 is Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, WVU, K-State, OU, TCU, Texas, Tech, KU. So much for Big 12 defenses being more dominant: every team that played in Week 6 saw its average points allowed per game go up.
TOTAL DEFENSE (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. Iowa State – 1,166 yards (DNP); 233.2 yards per game
2. Oklahoma State – 1,526 yards (DNP); 305.2 yards per game
3. Kansas State – 1,713 yards (DNP); 342.6 yards per game
4. Baylor – 1,925 (+362); 320.83 yards per game
5. West Virginia – 2,109 (+525); 351.5 yards per game
6. TCU – 2,146 (+558); 429.2 yards per game
7. Oklahoma – 2,150 yards (+516); 358.33 yards per game
8. Texas Tech – 2,447 yards (+498); 407.83 yards per game
9. Kansas – 2,459 yards (DNP); 491.8 yards per game
10. Texas – 2,646 yards (+662); 441 yards per game
Note: Just as with points against, yards allowed is up on average for every team that played. By average yards allowed per game, the rankings from 1-10 are Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, K-State, WVU, OU, Tech, TCU, Texas, KU.
RUSHING DEFENSE (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. Kansas State – 432 yards (DNP); 6 TDs (DNP)
2.Iowa State – 450 yards (DNP); 4 TDs (DNP)
3. Oklahoma State – 455 yards (DNP); 5 TDs (DNP)
4. Oklahoma – 546 yards (+128); 5 TDs (+1)
5. West Virginia – 613 yards (+171); 5 TDs (+1)
6. Baylor – 874 yards (+90); 7 TDs (+1)
7. Texas Tech – 996 yards (+394); 12 TDs (+5)
8. TCU – 1,030 yards (+214); 10 TDs (+4)
9. Kansas – 1,245 yards (DNP); 20 TDs (DNP)
10. Texas – 1,369 yards (+339); 13 TDs (+4)
Note: Oklahoma fell from 1st in the league to 4th by virtue of the current top 3 not playing. OU has already faced UT’s Bijan Robinson and KSU’s Deuce Vaughn and is only allowing 91 yards rushing per game. Only KSU (86.4) and ISU (90) are allowing fewer rushing yards per game.
PASSING DEFENSE (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. Iowa State – 714 yards (DNP), 4 TDs (DNP), 3 INTs (DNP)
2. Baylor – 1,050 yards (+272), 5 TDs (+1), 8 INTs (+1)
3. Oklahoma State – 1,071 yards (DNP), 3 TDs (DNP), 2 INTs (DNP)
4. TCU – 1,116 yards (+344), 7 TDs (+0), 6 INTs (+1)
5. Kansas – 1,214 yards (DNP), 9 TDs (DNP), 1 INT (DNP)
6. Kansas State – 1,281 yards (DNP), 6 TDs (DNP), 5 INTs (DNP)
7. Texas – 1,445 (+323), 7 TDs (+2), 4 INTs (+1)
8. Texas Tech – 1,445 (+104), 14 TDs (+1), 6 INTs (+0)
9. West Virginia – 1,491 yards (+354), 10 TDs (+4), 2 INTs +(0)
10. Oklahoma – 1,595 yards (+388), 12 TDs (+5), 3 INTs (+0)
Note: Baylor is averaging 1.333 INTs per game; TCU is averaging 1.2 per game; KSU and Tech are averaging 1 per game; everyone else is averaging less than 1. ISU and Baylor statistically have the best pass defenses in the conference, but neither has faced a truly explosive passing offense. The best passing offenses Baylor has faced are WVU (ranked 42nd nationally) and ISU (46th). The best passing offenses ISU has faced are Baylor (66th) and Iowa (100th). Oklahoma State has the 3rd best statistical passing defense in the conference but has faced more productive passing attacks in Boise (30th) and Tulsa (33rd). As for Oklahoma, currently 10th in the league in raw numbers and by average passing yards allowed per game (265.83), the best passing offenses the Sooners have faced are Tulane WVU (42nd) and Tulane (48th). Compare that to K-State, the second-worst team by average passing yards allowed per game (256.2), which has faced Nevada (6th) and Oklahoma (26th).
INDIVIDUAL SACKS (CHANGE FROM LAST WEEK)
DNP = Did not play
1. Felix Anudike-Uzomah (KSU) – 5 sacks (DNP)
2. Perrion Winfrey (OU) – 4.5 sacks (+1)
T3. Taijh Alston (WVU) – 4* sacks (+0)
T3. Nick Bonito** (OU) – 4 sacks (+1.5)
T3. Darius Stills (WVU) – 4*** sacks (+0)
T6. Will McDonald IV (ISU) – 3.5 sacks (DNP)
T6. Isaiah Thomas (OU) – 3.5 sacks (+0)
T8. Jared Bartlett (WVU) – 3 sacks (+0)
T8. Jaylon Hutchings (TTU) – 3 sacks (+0)
T8. Eyioma Uwazurike (ISU) – 3 sacks (DNP)
*The NCAA’s official stats give Alston credit for 5 sacks, but a game-by-game count shows that 4 is the correct number.
**Bonito was omitted from last week’s list due to my error.
***As mentioned in Team Sacks, I thought I saw Stills record a sack against Baylor, but none of the stat banks concur.
Note: Players must have at least 0.5 sacks per game to rank in the Top 10 of Big 12 sack artists for Week 6. The sack leader, Anudike-Uzomah, is averaging 1 sack per game – not a lot of separation.
