SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Everybody remembers Doug Marorne's first game here. We were playing Minnestoa and, on the first play from scrimmage, the ball was snapped way over the quarterback's head and Minnestoa recovered and then scored. What a lousy start. But what I also remember from that game was that in our subsequnet first half possession, we were a dynamic offensive team that rolled to a 20-14 half-time lead. This was the sort of offense we'd waited years to see in the Dome and when the coaches came down through the stands from the booth at the top of the Dome, the fans gave them a standing ovation and the coaches responded by waving to them.
I wondered how many 20 point halves there were to come. We are now 44 games into Doug Marrone's career here and have thus had 88 halves, (plus a few overtimes, but I'm loooking at halves). We've had fifteen 20 point halves, (17%):
2009
MINNESOTA 20-14 + 0-6, (lost in OT 20-23)
NORTHWESTERN 24-21 + 13-13 = 37-34
MAINE 13-17 + 28-7 = 41-24
RUTGERS 24-10 + 7-3 = 31-13
2010
MAINE 17-14 + 21-0 = 38-14
COLGATE 14-0 + 28-7 = 42-7
KANSAS STATE 14-14 + 22-20 = 36-34
2011
WAKE FOREST 7-24 + 22-9 = 36-29 (ot)
TULANE 31-24 + 6-10 = 37-34
WEST VIRGINIA 21-9 + 28-14 = 49-23
2012
NORTHWESTERN 13-21 + 28-21 = 41-42
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 3-14 + 26-28 = 29-42
CONNECTICUT 20-10 + 20-0 = 40-10
There haven't been too many standing ovations for the offensive coaches since. Three of the fifteen 20 point halves have come against FCS teams and other came against Tulane, probably the worst FBS program in the coutnry right now. But three of them came against West Viginia and USC. Last year's West Virginia game and last nights Connecticut game were the only times we score 20+ points in each half and both were blow-outs. Those games and the Akron and Cincinnati games of 2010 are the only times we've beaten FBS teams by 20+ points in the Marorne Era. (Akron was as bad as Tulane is now and Cincinnati drown in a sea of their own turnovers, somehting that has rarely happened in our favor, as well).
Points are like whitewash. When you you have plenty of it, you can cover up a lot of things. When you don't score much, every weakness and every mistake matters and can cost you a game.
I wondered how many 20 point halves there were to come. We are now 44 games into Doug Marrone's career here and have thus had 88 halves, (plus a few overtimes, but I'm loooking at halves). We've had fifteen 20 point halves, (17%):
2009
MINNESOTA 20-14 + 0-6, (lost in OT 20-23)
NORTHWESTERN 24-21 + 13-13 = 37-34
MAINE 13-17 + 28-7 = 41-24
RUTGERS 24-10 + 7-3 = 31-13
2010
MAINE 17-14 + 21-0 = 38-14
COLGATE 14-0 + 28-7 = 42-7
KANSAS STATE 14-14 + 22-20 = 36-34
2011
WAKE FOREST 7-24 + 22-9 = 36-29 (ot)
TULANE 31-24 + 6-10 = 37-34
WEST VIRGINIA 21-9 + 28-14 = 49-23
2012
NORTHWESTERN 13-21 + 28-21 = 41-42
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 3-14 + 26-28 = 29-42
CONNECTICUT 20-10 + 20-0 = 40-10
There haven't been too many standing ovations for the offensive coaches since. Three of the fifteen 20 point halves have come against FCS teams and other came against Tulane, probably the worst FBS program in the coutnry right now. But three of them came against West Viginia and USC. Last year's West Virginia game and last nights Connecticut game were the only times we score 20+ points in each half and both were blow-outs. Those games and the Akron and Cincinnati games of 2010 are the only times we've beaten FBS teams by 20+ points in the Marorne Era. (Akron was as bad as Tulane is now and Cincinnati drown in a sea of their own turnovers, somehting that has rarely happened in our favor, as well).
Points are like whitewash. When you you have plenty of it, you can cover up a lot of things. When you don't score much, every weakness and every mistake matters and can cost you a game.