The Spartans posted a victory vs WMU in the opening game 35-13, and then posted another win vs Akron 52-0, but despite beating both teams, the Spartans didn’t earn an abundance of style points in either game.
In fact, Mel Tucker referred to the victory vs WMU as “Unacceptable” while the victory vs Akron came against one of the worst teams in America, a team that posted just 3 wins in the past 3 years offset by 27 losses.
To put the victory vs Akron into perspective Akron ranked #100 or worse in 15 critical categories last season when measured against 130 D-1/FBS schools.
Those rankings include Total Offense #119…Rushing Offense #123…Scoring Offense #120…Total Defense #110…Rushing Defense #123…Scoring Defense #112…and 1st Downs #113, and the list goes on and on (each ranking in the bottom 15th percentile when measured vs 130 D-1/FBS schools).
Meanwhile, this season Akron currently ranks #100 or worse in 12 critical categories, so, the Spartans 52-0 victory is a win, but they don’t get a victory cigar or a gold star.
From another perspective, when measured in the Big Ten, the Spartans are currently ranked #9 in Total Offense and #9 in Total Defense so it’s hard to get too excited regarding the efficiency of their execution, and now they face a huge test at Seattle.
University of Washington:
Washington is 2-0.
The Husky’s posted a 45-20 victory vs Kent State (MAC), and a 52-6 victory vs Portland State (Big Sky) so Washington’s won/lost record and strength of schedule is essentially comparable to the Spartans.
Moreover, the Husky’s are averaging nearly 49 PPG while yielding just 13 PPG. Meanwhile the Spartans are averaging 44 PPG and yielding just 7 PPG so it would be “splitting hairs” to seek and find a meaningful advantage for either team.
It’s worth noting, the Husky’s are under the guidance of first year Head Coach, Kalen DeBoer, yet I recommend you get familiar with that name, because DeBoer is about to make his mark in Power 5 Football.
DeBoer has an auspicious 8-year Head Coaching record of 81-9 (90%) and never posted a losing season.
To break it down, DeBoer was 67-3 at Sioux Falls (NAIA) including 3 unbeaten seasons and “3 National Titles”. He also posted a record of 12-6 at Fresno State and while some may try to diminish the accomplishment of DeBoer winning 3 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Titles), that would be a huge mistake.
It’s all relative, and let’s agree, it takes impeccable planning, preparation, and execution to become a champion at any level and in DeBoer’s case he won 3 NAIA titles in just 4 years.
And now, DeBoer has everyone taking notice of the Washington Husky’s after just two football games given the fact he has built a prodigious Offense ranked #3 in the land, and a Passing Offense ranked #6.
The Chess Match:
This will be another Chess Match measuring the effectiveness of the Spartans revamped Pass Defense vs Washington’s high octane Pass Offense, and by all measures it will be a huge test for the Spartans.
Washington is averaging 385 Yards Passing per game, completing 78% of its passes at nearly 15 Yards per completion, posting 6 TD’s offset by a single Interception.
By another measurement, Washington Pass Efficiency ranks a highly regarded #18 in the land given it has thrown 77 passes for nearly 770 yards while only yielding 1 Interception.
Meanwhile, the Spartans Pass Defense ranks #49 in the land (good but not great), allowing opponents to complete 58% of their passes at 10 Yards per completion, and while the Spartans have yielded zero Passing TD’s, on the other hand, they have zero “take away” Interceptions!
So, Washington has a slight advantage because Offenses call the plays while Defenses are forced to react. Is it a meaningful advantage? And how much of an advantage?
Game day will tell!
At the bottom line (the Big Ten gauntlet awaits):
If the Spartans hope to compete for a Big Ten Championship, then it is extraordinarily important the Spartans conclude their non-conference schedule unscathed because the first 3 weeks of the Big Ten gauntlet is daunting and they need to prove in Seattle they are up to the task.
Standing in wait over the next 3 weeks are Minnesota #1 Total Offense in the land, Maryland #8 Total Offense in the land, and Ohio State which boasts the #12 Offense in terms of Pass Efficiency.
Will the Spartans vanquish the Washington Husky’s on the road at night and commence its Big Ten schedule with an impressive 3-0 record? We’ll see…
Thank you for reading and I always welcome your comments and opinions.
