The other side of the turnover coin | Syracusefan.com

The other side of the turnover coin

otisco

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Yes, our turnovers have been aplenty, largely self-induced, untimely, etc.

However, our defense (and special teams to a much lesser extent) is not evening out the turnover margin, despite how well it has been playing lately and improving. Through the Rutgers game, SU's turnover margin is -1.67, good for a tie for 115th nationally. Rutgers, by comparison, is tied for 1st nationally at +2.17 with Bama, LA Tech, and Mississippi State.

This is not intended to defend the fall-on-our-own sword mistakes, goalline misplays, etc., but it is likely that SU's record would be different if our D could force some turnovers. In which case some emotions here would be less extreme.
 
Yes, our turnovers have been numerous, untimely and largely self-induced, etc.

However, our defense (and special teams to a much lesser extent) is not evening out the turnover margin, despite how well they have been playing lately and improving. Though the Rutgers game, SU's turnover margin is -1.67, good for a tie for 115th nationally. Rutgers, by comparison, is tied for 1st nationally at +2.17 with Bama, LA Tech, and Mississippi State.

This is not intended as a defense to the fall-on-our-own sword mistakes, etc., but it is likely that SU's record would be different if our D could force some turnovers.

I agree. It just seems more times than not when our guys are in position to make that big play, for some reason, we just don't. I recall that final drive in our opener against NW where if Lynch comes up with the pick (went right through his extended hands) we win...game over right there. Unfortunately, just a few plays later they score the game winning TD...
 
We already ask a LOT of our defense. While it would be great if they could be the LSU defense and single-handily win it's just not going to happen. The O and ST needs to stop putting the D in bad situations.
 
We are now tied for 115th in FBS for turnover margin. Only Virginia and Auburn are worse:
http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1059/p3

We are tied for 110th in fewest turnovers forced, with only five teams worse, (including South Florida):
http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1047/p3

We are tied for 101st in turnovers lost, with 11 teams, (including Connecticut), worse:
http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1032/p3

We're on page three in all three stats and we aren't in very good company. I do notice that both our fumbles were the product of "rips". Our guy was going down, (or, in Rene's case, "down"), and Rutgers immediately tried to tear the ball away, which is why it flew up in the air as it did. I don't really approve of that technique. I don't think it's really a legitmate part of the game. Fumbles, when they are caused by the defense, should be the product of hard hits. But if it's legal and other teams are doing it to us, maybe we should start doing it to them.
 
We already ask a LOT of our defense. While it would be great if they could be the LSU defense and single-handily win it's just not going to happen. The O and ST needs to stop putting the D in bad situations.

But Rutgers' D or LA Tech's Ds single-handedly can? Not the point. Dominating defense is not the topic here. It simply concerns forcing turnovers. Maybe providing some total TOs would provide perspective. LSU's D, which you cite, is ranked just 34th in TO margin at +.57, and has turned over offenses 16 times which is about average in absolute numbers for the top 50 or so teams in this category. For your information, that includes teams such as these with the forced TOs indicated parenthetically: Boise St (19), Kansas St (14), TCU (16), Cinci (12), BC (12), Kansas (14), Ole Miss (16).

SU has forced FIVE (5) turnovers in six games, among the worst in the nation. Think about what SU's record might be now if it had forced 7-9 or even 6-8 turnovers, which still would rank it in the bottom quarter of the country. Then imagine what SU's record might be if it had forced 12-14 turnovers this season on par with the top 50 average forced by such teams as those above. Note that the examples I selected have not played chippy schedules.
 

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