How Colorado turned its defense around, plus stop rate for
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Max Olson, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 29, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
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- Covers the Big 12
- Joined ESPN in 2012
- Graduate of the University of Nebraska
When Deion Sanders required a brand-new protective coordinator back in January, he aimed to the NFL and leaned on peers he trusts. They pointed him in the direction of a 38-year-old coach who ‘d never been a DC anywhere however had the potential to be just what Colorado needed.Ten months later
, it’s tough not to be impressed by what Robert Livingston is attaining in Boulder. Under his management, the Buffaloes have one of college football’s most enhanced defenses. Just take a look at their stop rate.What is stop rate? It’s a fundamental measurement of
success: the portion of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. Protective coordinators have the very same goal despite their scheme, opponent or conference: prevent points and leave the field. Stop rate is a basic metric however can offer a good reflection of a defense’s efficiency on a per-drive basis in today’s faster-tempo game.Last year, nationwide champ Michigan ended up No. 1 with a stop rate of 81.6%in its games against FBS opponents. The top 25 teams in the final 2023 stop rate standings won an overall of 249 games, with 7 earning conference titles. Terrific teams find a way to get drop in important situations.Stop rate is not an advanced stat and is no substitute for Costs Connelly’s SP+or other more detailed metrics. It’s simply a various technique for examining success on defense.Team Games Stop Rate Pts/Drive 1. Tennessee 6 81.3 %0.90 2. Texas 8 80.2 %0.90 3. Notre Dame 8 80%1.04 4. Ohio State 7 79.5%0.99 5. Army 6 78.9% 1.38 6. Iowa State 6 77.6 %1.26 7.
| Ole Miss 7 77.1%1.04 8 | . James Madison 7 | 76.2%1.37 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. Indiana 7 75%1.47 10. Alabama | 8 74.7%1.33 11. California | 7 | 74.7% | 1.51 | ||
| 12. Wisconsin | 7 | 74% | 1.53 | |||
| 13. Duke 7 | 73.6% | 1.39 | ||||
| 14. Oregon 7 73.6% | 1.39 | |||||
| 15. Utah 7 73.3 | % | 1.39 | ||||
| 16. South Carolina 7 | 72.7% | 1.47 | ||||
| 17. Virginia Tech | 8 | 72.4% | 1.63 | |||
| 18. UConn 7 | 72.3%1.36 19. Colorado 7 72.2%1.66 20. Sam Houston 8 | 71.6% | 1.71 | |||
| 21. Penn State 7 | 71.4% | 1.32 | ||||
| 22. Oklahoma 8 | 71.3% | 1.46 | ||||
| 23. Nebraska 7 | 71.1% | 1.75 | ||||
| 24. SMU 7 | 70.1% | 1.76 | ||||
| 25. Iowa | 7 | 70% | 1.56 | |||
| 25. Northern Illinois 7 | 70% | 1.43 | ||||
| 27. Clemson 7 69.8 | % | 1.83 | ||||
| 28. Missouri 7 | 68.8% | 1.81 | ||||
| 29. Houston 8 | 68.5% | 1.85 | ||||
| 30. Miami(Ohio) | 8 | 68.2% | 1.71 | |||
| 30. Georgia 6 68.2%1.64 32. Pittsburgh 6 68.1 | ||||||
| %1.81 33. Texas A&M 7 67.9 | %1.69 34. Memphis 7 67.9%1.90 35. Kansas State 7 | 67.5% | 1.94 | |||
| 35. Fresno State 7 | 67.5% | 1.70 | ||||
| 37. Northwestern 7 | 67.4%1.81 38. Liberty | |||||
| 5 67.2%1.79 39. Western | Kentucky 6 67.2 | %2.14 40. Navy 6 67.1% | 1.95 41. Old Dominion 8 67%1.81 42. Toledo 7 | |||
| 66.7 %1.71 43. | USC 8 66.3%1.85 44. Florida | |||||
| International 7 66.3%1.91 45. Minnesota 7 66.2% | ||||||
| 1.72 46. Louisiana | Tech 6 66.2 | %1.74 46. Texas State | 6 66.2%1.79 48. Michigan | 8 65.9%1.89 48. San Jose | ||
| State 7 65.9%1.98 50. Kentucky 8 65.8%1.77 51. Rice 7 65.4%1.95 52 | . BYU 7 | 65.4% | 1.73 | |||
| 53. Auburn 7 | 65.3% | 1.84 | ||||
| 54. UNLV 7 65.1%2.06 55. | Miami 7 64.9%1.96 55. Washington 7 64.9% | 1.82 57. Arkansas 7 | 64.6% | 1.96 | ||
| 58. Colorado State 7 | 64.6% | 2.12 | ||||
| 59. Boise State 6 64.3% | 2.13 | |||||
| 60. Rutgers 7 63.6%2.33 61. | Florida 6 63.2 | %2.19 61. San Diego State 6 63.2 %2.13 63. South Alabama 7 63% | 2.07 | |||
| 64. Tulane 7 62.7% | 1.94 65 | . LSU 7 62.5%1.94 66. Maryland 7 | 62.4% | 2.07 | ||
| 67. Georgia Tech 8 | 62.3% | 2.04 | ||||
| 68. UL Monroe 6 62.3%1.97 69. | Ohio 7 61.5% | 2.08 | ||||
| 70. Cincinnati 7 | 61.4% | 1.95 | ||||
| 71. Arizona State 7 61.3%1.98 72 | . Michigan State 7 61.1%2.21 73 | |||||
| . Illinois 7 60.9%2.16 74. UTSA 7 60.8%2.25 75 | ||||||
| . East Carolina 7 | 60.2% | 2.31 | ||||
| 76. UTEP 7 59.8 %2.32 | 77. Washington State | |||||
| 7 59.8%2.18 78 | . Baylor 7 59.3%2.25 79 | |||||
| . Louisville 7 | 59.2% | 2.35 | ||||
| 79. Bowling Green 7 | 59.2% | 1.94 | ||||
| 81. Temple | 8 | 59.2% | 2.58 | |||
| 82. Louisiana | 6 58.9 | %2.34 83. Jacksonville State 7 | 58.8% | 2.22 | ||
| 84. Georgia Southern | 7 | 58.6% | 2.48 | |||
| 84. Oklahoma | State 7 | 58.6% | 2.46 | |||
| 86. North Carolina 7 | 58.3% | 2.27 | ||||
| 87. Eastern Michigan 7 | 58% | 2.45 | ||||
| 88. Marshall 6 58% | 2.32 89 | . South Florida 6 57.9%2.50 90. Tulsa 7 57.8%2.57 91 | . Boston College 7 57.7%2.17 92 | |||
| . Buffalo 7 57.6%2.40 93. | Kansas | 7 57.5 | %2.31 94. Arizona 7 57.5%2.38 95. Kennesaw State 6 56.9% | 2.61 | ||
| 96. TCU 7 | 56.6% | 2.36 | ||||
| 97. Texas Tech 7 | 56.5% | 2.47 | ||||
| 97. West Virginia 7 | 56.5% | 2.69 | ||||
| 99. Vanderbilt 7 56.3%2.40 100. Flying force 6 56.1%2.56 101. Virginia 7 | 55.1% | 2.39 | ||||
| 102. Florida Atlantic 6 55.1 | %2.43 103. | |||||
| Arkansas State 7 | 54.5% | 2.68 | ||||
| 104. Wyoming 7 | 54.4% | 2.38 | ||||
| 105. Syracuse 6 54.2 | % | 2.30 | ||||
| 105. Hawai’i | 6 54.2 | %2.53 107. | ||||
| Florida State 8 | 54.2% | 2.29 | ||||
| 108. UCF 7 53.8%2.46 109 | . Charlotte 7 53.8% | |||||
| 2.68 110. | Georgia State 6 53.1%2.74 111. Coastal | |||||
| Carolina 6 52.8% 2.64 112. Akron 7 | 52.6% | 3.01 | ||||
| 113. NC State 7 | 52.5% | 2.49 | ||||
| 114. Western Michigan 7 | 51.9% | 2.90 | ||||
| 115. Troy 7 51.4%2.56 116 | . UMass 6 50.8%2.76 | |||||
| 117. Wake Forest | 7 | 50.6% | 2.75 | |||
| 118. North Texas 7 50.6%2.84 119 | . Stanford 7 50%2.83 120. | |||||
| Nevada 8 49.4%2.71 121. New Mexico State 6 48.1% | 2.90 | |||||
| 121. Middle Tennessee 7 | 48.1% | 3.25 | ||||
| 123. UCLA 7 47 %2.86 | 124. Southern Miss 7 46.8%3.01 125 | |||||
| . Oregon State 7 | 46.4% | 2.80 | ||||
| 126. Central Michigan | 7 | 46.3%2.77 127. App State 6 42.4%3.22 128. Purdue 6 | 41.8%3.49 129. New Mexico 7 41 | |||
| %3.41 130. Ball State 7 40.8%3.54 131 | . Utah State 7 39.8% | |||||
| 3.38 132. UAB 6 39.4%3.45 133 | . Mississippi State 7 35.6%3.55 134 | . Kent State 7 | 35.3% | 3.83 | ||
| The numbers | weren’t pretty for the Buffaloes | |||||
| in Year 1 of the Coach Prime era | . They enabled 40 or | |||||
| more points in five | games, | gave up 6.3 lawns per play(115th in the | FBS )and finished with a stop rate of 57.8% | versus FBS challengers, which ranked 97th nationally.This year, it’s a various story. The 6-2 Buffs rank 19th in this week’s upgraded | stop rate standings at 72.7%and look as | |
| if they’ll be contenders in the Big 12 title race thanks | to a defense that | |||||
| has materialized development in so | numerous ways.The most obvious location of enhancement | : Colorado has actually played quite | darn excellent defense in the second half of | games. This system is giving up a mere 6.5 points per game after | ||
| halftime this season, 8th | least | in the | FBS, | |||
| with more takeaways( | 11)than touchdowns allowed(7). Livingston | has them carrying out | far better on third downs(conversions are below 47%to 34%)and has actually injected | confidence | into | |
| a defense that took | a great deal of heat | last | ||||
| year.”It’s a testimony to the guys,” | Livingston | said | ||||
| earlier this month.”They have actually purchased in, they play | ||||||
| hard, they play | quick. Is | it ideal | ||||
| ? No, it’s not always ideal. But they | provide | |||||
| their all, and as long as | we get that, I think we’ll like the | |||||
| outcomes.”When Charles | Kelly | left | ||||
| at the end | of December to become the co-DC at | |||||
| Auburn and Sanders went through the search | procedure, Livingston | |||||
| came well-recommended from numerous NFL coaches, including Dallas Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer, and brought valuable experience from his stint as protective backs coach under one of the NFL | ‘s best in Lou Anarumo | |||||
| with the Cincinnati Bengals. Colorado refilled with | ||||||
| 21 new scholarship transfers on defense, | and 10 of them have made starts this season. | Their brand-new leader has actually thrived by developing around their strengths.Editor’s Picks 2 Related” The way he coaches | , the scheme | that | ||
| he establishes for us, it’s a scheme | that everybody love | playing,” | ||||
| Colorado security | Web cam’Ron Silmon-Craig stated earlier this season | . “It plays to all of our strengths | . I’ve stated it in the past, but | |||
| when he was available in, he | can be found in | with no playbook. He | ||||
| said,’What do y’ all succeed? We’re gon na work around | that | |||||
| . ‘I provide coach Rob | Livingston all the credit. The players, we head out and carry out and | play our heart out | for him every day | |||
| . “Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter gives the Buffaloes an opportunity to take on anybody | in the Huge 12. However if this defense can keep finding a method | to get stops, Colorado will be a competitor in November.A couple of more | stop rate updates to note following Week 9: Tennessee moved into the No. 1 spot in the stop rate standings | ahead of Texas and Ohio State | after the latter two had | close wins |
Saturday. The Vols are coming off their bye week and have a stop rate of 81.3% on the year. They’re the only defense in FBS that has held every opponent under 20 points. Last season, Tennessee completed No. 28 in stop rate at 68.6%. Alabama recuperated with a dominant day against Missouri and moved back into the leading 10 in stop rate. The Tide required 7 punts and obstructed backup QB Drew Pyne 3 times in the 34-0 rout.Undefeated Indiana is still in the leading 10 in stop rate after another strong showing in its 31-17 win over Washington. The Hoosiers got 8 stops
on 3rd downs and 2 on fourth downs and still haven’t trailed in a game this season. Oregon is closing in on the top 10 also following its 38-9 thrashing of No. 20 Illinois.Virginia Tech, UConn, Sam Houston and Iowa moved into the top 25 in this week’s standings with Navy, Missouri and Liberty dropping out. Navy’s defense quit scores on 7 of 11 drives in its 51-14 loss to Notre Dame and moved from 15th to 40th. Note: All data is thanks to TruMedia. Games against FCS challengers and end-of-half drives in which the challenger took a knee or ran out the clock were filtered out.