Who really has the very best defense? Stop rate for all
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- Max Olson, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 22, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Close Covers the Big 12 Signed up with ESPN in 2012
- Graduate of the University of Nebraska
Indiana’s offense took pleasure in a dominant day in its 56-7 rout of Nebraska, but an excellent defense continues to be just as crucial to the program’s unbeaten start. The Hoosiers’ defense is among the big movers in this week’s stop rate standings.What is stop rate
? It’s a basic measurement of success: the portion of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. Defensive planners have the exact same objective regardless of their scheme, challenger or conference: avoid points and get off the field. Stop rate is a simple metric however can offer an excellent 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 versus FBS challengers. The leading 25 groups 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 stops in crucial situations.To be clear, stop rate is not an innovative stat and is no substitute for Costs Connelly’s SP+or other more comprehensive metrics. It’s simply a various method for evaluating success on defense.Team Games Stop Rate Pts/Drive 1. Texas 7 82.1%0.76 2
| . Ohio State 6 81.8%0.92 3. Tennessee 6 81.3%0.90 4. Notre Dame 7 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.2%1.00 5. Army 6 78.9% | 1.38 | |||||||||||
| 6. Iowa State | 6 | 77.6% | 1.26 | |||||||||
| 7. James Madison 6 | 76.8% | 1.45 | ||||||||||
| 8. Ole Miss 6 75.7%1.03 9. Indiana | 6 75.4%1.45 10. Wisconsin | 6 | 75% | 1.45 | ||||||||
| 11. Duke 6 | 74.7% | 1.27 | ||||||||||
| 12. Colorado 6 | 74.3% | 1.55 | ||||||||||
| 13. Northern Illinois 6 | 73.9% | 1.32 | ||||||||||
| 14. Oklahoma 7 73.3%1.37 15. Navy 5 | ||||||||||||
| 72.9 %1.56 16. Cal 6 | 72.9%1.59 17. Utah 6 72.7%1.42 17 | . South Carolina 7 72.7 | %1.47 19. Oregon | |||||||||
| 6 72.6%1.48 20 | . Missouri 6 72.3%1.52 21 | |||||||||||
| . Penn State 6 71.7%1.34 22. | Alabama 7 71.3 | %1.50 23. Liberty 4 70.8%1.61 24. Nebraska | 6 70.8 | %1.75 25. SMU 6 70.3%1.73 26. Virginia Tech 7 70.2 | %1.82 27. Clemson 7 69.8%1.83 28. | Toledo | 6 69.7 | %1.52 29. Sam Houston | 7 69 %1.85 30. Memphis 6 68.6% | 1.83 | ||
| 31. UConn 6 68.4%1.57 32. | Georgia 6 68.2% | 1.64 | ||||||||||
| 33. UNLV 6 | 68.1% | 1.97 | ||||||||||
| 34. Northwestern 6 | 68.1% | 1.75 | ||||||||||
| 35. San Jose State 6 | 68% | 1.88 | ||||||||||
| 36. Kansas State 6 | 67.7% | 1.88 | ||||||||||
| 36. Texas A&M 6 67.7%1.70 38. Rutgers | 6 67.2%2.07 38 | |||||||||||
| . Western Kentucky 6 | 67.2% | 2.14 | ||||||||||
| 39. USC | 7 67.1 | %1.83 41. Minnesota 6 66.7%1.68 41. Kentucky | 7 | 66.7% | 1.68 | |||||||
| 41. UL Monroe 5 66.7%1.66 44. Maryland 6 66.2%1.84 45 | ||||||||||||
| . Texas State 6 | 66.2% | 1.79 | ||||||||||
| 46. BYU 6 66.2%1.67 47 | . | Old | Rule 7 | |||||||||
| 65.9 %1.86 48 | . Michigan 7 65.8%1.91 49 | |||||||||||
| . Houston 7 65.8%1.97 50. Cincinnati 6 65.6 | ||||||||||||
| %1.71 51. Miami(OH | ) | 7 65.4 | %1.88 52. Washington | 6 65.1%1.75 53. | Boise State 5 65% | 2.11 | ||||||
| 54. Pitt 5 64.9%1.98 55. | Tulane | 6 64.8 | %1.79 56. Iowa 6 64.7% | 1.87 57. FIU 6 64.4% | 2.05 58 | . Arkansas 6 64.3%1.97 59. LSU 6 | 64.2% | 1.78 | ||||
| 60. Fresno State 6 | 64.1% | 1.87 | ||||||||||
| 61. Illinois 6 | 63.8% | 1.94 | ||||||||||
| 62. San Diego State 5 63.8%2.03 63. Auburn 6 | 63.6 | |||||||||||
| %1.93 63 | . Miami 6 63.6%1.99 | |||||||||||
| 65. Florida 6 | 63.2% | 2.19 | ||||||||||
| 66. Louisiana Tech | 5 | 62.7% | 1.92 | |||||||||
| 67. Georgia Southern 6 62.7 | %2.26 68. Colorado State 6 62.3 %2.37 69. | Rice 6 62.1 | %2.13 70. Arizona State 7 61.3 %1.98 71. Michigan State 6 61.3 | %2.18 72. Temple | ||||||||
| 7 60.7%2.44 73 | . Washington State | |||||||||||
| 6 60.6%2.15 74. UTSA 6 60.5%2.26 75. South Alabama 6 | ||||||||||||
| 60.3 %2.21 76. | Buffalo 6 60% | 2.22 | ||||||||||
| 76. Oklahoma State 6 60% | 2.38 | |||||||||||
| 78. East Carolina 6 | 59.5% | 2.32 | ||||||||||
| 79. Baylor 6 59.4%2.23 80. Arizona | 6 59.2%2.25 80. Jacksonville State 6 | 59.2% | 2.25 | |||||||||
| 82. Ohio 6 59.1% | 2.21 83 | . Louisiana 6 58.9%2.34 84. Georgia Tech 7 58.7% | 2.18 | |||||||||
| 84. Bowling Green 6 | 58.7% | 1.93 | ||||||||||
| 86. Florida State 7 58.7%2.09 87 | ||||||||||||
| . Marshall | 6 | 58% | 2.32 | |||||||||
| 88. South Florida 6 | 57.9% | 2.50 | ||||||||||
| 89. Kansas 6 | 57.4% | 2.36 | ||||||||||
| 90. UCF 6 57.4%2.33 90. Virginia 6 57.4 | %2.29 92. Louisville | 6 57.1%2.44 92 | . Eastern | Michigan 6 57.1%2.48 92. Kennesaw State 5 | 57.1% | 2.64 | ||||||
| 95. Boston | College 6 56.9 | %2.12 96. Vanderbilt | 6 56.7%2.43 96. West Virginia 6 56.7 | %2.66 98. UTEP 6 56.6%2.52 99. TCU | 6 | 56.5% | 2.34 | |||||
| 100. Tulsa 6 56.2%2.65 100 | . North Carolina 6 56.2%2.44 102. Air Force 6 56.1%2.56 103 | . Texas Tech 6 | ||||||||||
| 55.7 %2.46 104. Florida Atlantic 6 55.1 | %2.43 105. | |||||||||||
| Georgia State 5 | 54.5% | 2.68 | ||||||||||
| 106. Arkansas State 6 53.8%2.70 107. Wyoming | 6 53.7%2.40 108. Charlotte 6 | 53.6% | 2.69 | |||||||||
| 109. Troy 6 | 53.2% | 2.55 | ||||||||||
| 110. Syracuse 5 53.1% | 2.35 111. Coastal | Carolina 6 | ||||||||||
| 52.8 %2.64 112. | NC State 7 52.5% | 2.49 | ||||||||||
| 113. Central Michigan 6 | 52.1% | 2.57 | ||||||||||
| 113. Nevada | 7 | 52.1%2.58 115. Oregon State 6 51.7%2.60 116. North Texas 6 | 51.3%2.77 117. UMass 6 50.8%2.76 118. Hawai’i 5 50%2.77 119 | . Stanford 6 49.3%2.96 120. Akron 6 | 49.3% | 3.18 | ||||||
| 120. Middle | Tennessee 6 49.3% | 3.11 | ||||||||||
| 122. New Mexico State | 6 | 48.1% | 2.90 | |||||||||
| 123. Wake Forest 6 | 47.1% | 2.93 | ||||||||||
| 124. UCLA 7 47% | 2.86 125. Western | Michigan 6 | ||||||||||
| 46.9 %3.15 126. Southern | Miss 6 42.4% | 3.27 | ||||||||||
| 127. App State 5 42.1%3.32 128. Purdue 6 | 41.8 | |||||||||||
| %3.49 129. UAB 6 39.4 | % | 3.45 | ||||||||||
| 130. Utah State 6 | 39% | 3.57 | ||||||||||
| 131. Mississippi State 6 | 38.3% | 3.37 | ||||||||||
| 132. Ball State 6 | 36.9% | 3.77 | ||||||||||
| 133. New Mexico 6 | 36.2% | 3.75 | ||||||||||
| 134. Kent State 6 | 35.6% | 3.85 | ||||||||||
| Indiana’s defense climbed from No. 16 to No. 9 | in this week’s upgraded standings, with a stop rate of 75.4% | , after shutting | ||||||||||
| down Dylan Raiola and | the Huskers.Defensive planner Bryant | Haines’team got | five takeaways, including | three interceptions, and got nine third-down stops. The Hoosiers also | ended up being | the only FBS | defense to | |||||
| go 5-for-5 on stopping fourth-down conversions | in a game this season, | according to TruMedia.Editor’s | Picks | 1 Associated Another remarkable stat that stuck out to Indiana coach Curt Cignetti | : Indiana had the ability to transform the 5 turnovers into 28 points.”You do not see | |||||||
| that really typically,”Cignetti | stated Monday.But he | ‘s utilized to seeing it from his | ||||||||||
| DC. Haines coached the No. 12 stop rate defense | in the country last season at James Madison | , | and their 2022 defense completed No. 8 in this metric after Haines was promoted to DC | . Cignetti’s programs are known for cutting-edge offenses, however Haines has | been | |||||||
| with him considering that the Elon and IUP | days and is still prospering even | |||||||||||
| versus tougher Big | Ten competition.A couple of | more movers | to keep in mind following Week 8: Texas ‘stop rate dropped | from 87.1% | to 82.1%following its 30-15 loss to No. | 5 Georgia, but that portion still ranked No. 1 in this week’s stop | rate standings, putting the Longhorns | |||||
| just ahead of Ohio State(81.8% | )and | |||||||||||
| Tennessee( | 81.3% | ). Wisconsin(No. 10) | and Colorado( | No. 12) | likewise made | big moves this week after blowout wins over Northwestern and Arizona, | respectively. Considering that | we’re only midway | through this season, | defenses can still make | huge relocations in these | standings |
| based on one fantastic (or not so excellent)performance.Oklahoma has actually been traditionally terrible on offense | ||||||||||||
| this season and simply fired OC Seth Littrell after seven games, | ||||||||||||
| however the Sooners’ | defense continues to | be exceptional. That unit has actually been put in difficult areas all season long yet still ranks 14th in stop rate at 73.3 %. South Carolina, Oregon, | Missouri and SMU moved into | |||||||||
| the top 25 in this week | ‘s standings. Nebraska dropped | |||||||||||
| from No. 6 | to No. | 24 following its | ||||||||||
| loss to the Hoosiers.Iowa had | a | rough | night against Michigan State | , | permitting | scores on eight of 10 drives in a 32-20 loss, and moved | from 14th to 56th in stop | rate.Note: All | ||||
| information is courtesy | of TruMedia. Games versus FCS | |||||||||||
| opponents and end-of-half drives in which the | opponent took a knee or ran out the clock were | removed. |