SWC75
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THE SYSTEM: The offense wins a play if they get a third of the way to a first down on first down, half way to a first down on second down or gets a first down on third or fourth down. Otherwise the defense wins. Any score is a win for the team that scores. Any turnover is a win for the team that winds up with the ball. The kicking team wins a kick-off where the other team winds up with the ball from their own 25 in to their goal line: outside of that and the receiving team won. The kicking team wins any punt that produces a new +40 yard change in the line of scrimmage or forces the other team to begin from their 20 yard line in. Anny successful place kick is a win for the kicking team. I’ve put the yards to go in parenthesis if it’s other than 10 yards. Penalties are simply tacked onto the play before the play is evaluated if they didn’t nullify it. If the penalty did nullify the play or was a dead ball foul, it’s listed separately.
When Syracuse had the ball:
KO- WF 25, WF 25, WF 22, WF 25, WF 26, WF 35, WF 35 SU 4 WF 3
P- 40 to WF 9, 59 to WF 2, 24 to WF 42, 7 to SU 29, 40 to WF 20, 29 to 50 SU 3 WF 3
FG- 32 good, 41 good, 27 good SU 3 WF 0
XP- good, good, good SU 3 WF 0
Total for kicking game: Syracuse 13 Wake Forest 6
1st rush- 11, 6, 4, -1, 2, 3, 0, 4, 4, 1(5), -3, 86, 8, 4, 1, 4, -3, 4 SU 9 WF 8
1st pass- 6, 2, 23(15), I, 8, 5, I, 3 SU 4 WF 4
First Down total: Syracuse 13 Wake Forest 12
2nd rush- 5(4), 3(8), 2(110< 4TD, 6(10), 0, -4, 0, 7(6), 1(7), 6(9), -4, 3(6) SU 6 WF 7
2nd pass- 9(4), I, I, I,11(15), 3(6), I, 11(5), -8, I, I SU 4 WF 7
Second Down total: Syracuse 10 Wake Forest 14
3rd run- 20(4), 10(6), 5(3), 2(17), 1(3) SU 3 WF 2
3rd pass- 3, 12(9), 29(11), I, 120(7), 9(3), 3(4), 4(2), 33(14), 5(21), 5(10), I, -4, -4 SU 6 WF 8
Third Down total: Syracuse 9 Wake Forest 10
4th run- none
4th pass- none
Fourth Down total: none
Total for plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 32 Wake Forest 36
Running plays: Syracuse 18 Wake Forest 14
Passing plays: Syracuse 14 Wake Forest 19
Penalties (not added on to play): Syracuse 5, 5, 5, 15, 10 (5) Wake Forest none
Turnovers: none
Total for penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 0 Wake Forest 5 (plays won)
Total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 45 Wake Forest 47
When Wake Forest had the ball:
KO- SU 16, SU 25 SU 0 WF 2
P- 40 to SU 32, 65 to SU 8, 41 to SU 30, 41 to SU 9, 24 to SU 36, 51 to SU 11, 45 to SU 26, 31 to SU 12 SU 2 WF 6
FG- none
XP- good SU 0 WF 1
Total for kicking game: Syracuse 2 Wake Forest 9
1st rush- 4, 2, 1, 5, 7, 3, 13, 14, 3, -1, -1, 1, 1, -2 SU 9 WF 5
1st pass- I, 16, 8, 13, 10TD, 4, -15, 5 SU 2 WF 6
First Down total: Syracuse 11 Wake Forest 11
2nd rush- 5(8), -2, 1(6), 4(3), 3(7), 12(7), 1, 5(9), 11(12) SU 4 WF 5
2nd pass- I, I, 0, I, 5(25), 10(5), I, 0, I SU 8 WF 1
Second Down total: Syracuse 12 Wake Forest 6
3rd run- 1(2), 3(11), 0, -4, 6(11), -1, 3(4), -2 SU 8 WF 0
3rd pass- 3, 28(6), 7(3), 6(5), 3(20), 4(14), -3 SU 4 WF 3
Third Down total: Syracuse 12 Wake Forest 3
4th run- 2(1) SU 0 WF 1
4th pass- I SU 1 WF 0
Fourth Down total: Syracuse 1 Wake Forest 1
Total for plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 36 Wake Forest 21
Running plays: Syracuse 21 Wake Forest 11
Passing plays: Syracuse 15 Wake Forest 10
Penalties (not added on to play): SU none WF 5
Turnovers: Interception, Fumble
Total for penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 3 Wake Forest 0
Total when Wake Forest had the ball: Syracuse 41 Wake Forest 30
Overall kicking game total: Syracuse 15 Wake Forest 15
Overall plays from scrimmage total: Syracuse 68 Wake Forest 57
Running plays: Syracuse 39 Wake Forest 28
Passing plays: Syracuse 29 Wake Forest 29
Overall penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 3 Wake Forest 5
Game Total: Syracuse 86 Wake Forest 77
Comment: We won this one on defense, especially on second down passes and third down runs, where we were 16-1. We also won it on big plays, two of them from the defense, with the interception and fumble returns, both of which were caused by pressure on the quarterback. They turned a 16-7 game into a 30-7 game. The other big play was DeVante MacFarlane’s 86 yard burst that led to a field goal./ There weren’t many other big plays. We had passes of 23, 29 and 33 yards and a 20 yard run by the quarterback, AJ long. Wake had one “explosive” play a 28 yard pass. It was more of a grind it out game, all about getting first downs and we did that better than the Deacons did.
TOTALS FOR YEAR
When SU had the ball:
KO- SU 19 OPP 16
P- SU 23 OPP 11
FG- SU 13 OPP 4
XP- SU 15 OPP 2
Total for kicking game: SU 70 OPP 33
1st rush- SU 78 OPP 64
1st pass- SU 28 OPP 37
First Down total: SU 106 OPP 101
2nd rush- SU 41 OPP 30
2nd pass- SU 36 OPP 49
Second Down total: SU 77 OPP 79
3rd run- SU 15 OPP 16
3rd pass- SU 26 OPP 47
Third Down total: SU 41 OPP 63
4th run- SU 3 OPP 1
4th pass-SU 2 OPP 3
Fourth Down total: SU 5 OPP 4
Total for plays from scrimmage: SU 229 OPP 247
Running plays: SU 137 OPP 111
Passing plays: SU 92 OPP 136
Penalties (not added onto play): SU 11 OPP 29 (penalties by the other team that each team benefited by)
Turnovers (by SU): SU 0 OPP 8
Total for penalties and turnovers: SU 11 OPP 37
Total when Syracuse had the ball: SU 310 OPP 317
When the Opposition had the Ball:
KO- SU 6 OPP 28
P- SU 9 OPP 26
FG- SU 2 OPP 8
XP- SU 1 OPP 18
Total for kicking game: SU 18 OPP 80
1st rush- SU 68 OPP 64
1st pass- SU 32 OPP 55
First Down total: SU 100 OPP 119
2nd rush- SU 33 OPP 48
2nd pass- SU 38 OPP 39
Second Down total: SU 71 OPP 87
3rd run- SU 16 OPP 24
3rd pass- SU 36 OPP 21
Third Down total: SU 52 OPP 45
4th run- SU 0 OPP 2
4th pass-SU 2 OPP 1
Fourth Down total: SU 2 OPP 3
Total for plays from scrimmage: SU 225 OPP 254
Running plays: SU 117 OPP 138
Passing plays: SU 108 OPP 116
Penalties (not added on to play): SU 27 OPP 15 (penalties by the other team that each team benefited by)
Turnovers: SU (got) 13 SU 11 OPP 0
Total for penalties and turnovers: SU 40 OPP 15
Total when the opposition had the ball: SU 283 OPP 349
Overall kicking game total: SU 88 OPP 113
Overall plays from scrimmage total: SU 454 OPP 495
Running plays: SU 222 OPP 215
Passing plays: SU 171 OPP 210
Overall penalties and turnovers: SU 51 OPP 52
Game Total: Syracuse 593 Opposition 660
Comments: I think the way to look at this is not as a percentage, (We have been successful in 593 of 1253 plays: 47.3%. But you could the view the difference as if the other team was running extra plays we didn’t get to run that were successful. The opposition has had 67 more successful than we have, an average of 10 per game. That’s really quite a difference.
SEASON SUMMARY
VILLANOVA SU scrimmage: 29-36 VIL scrimmage: 40-46 Kicking: 17-11 PEN/TO: 5-10 Total: 91-103
C. MICHIGAN SU scrimmage: 41-36 CM scrimmage: 36-22 Kicking: 14-13 PEN/TO: 8-5 Total: 99-76
MARYLAND SU scrimmage: 41-34 MD scrimmage: 30-27 Kicking: 14-21 PEN/TO: 6-9 Total: 91-91
NOTRE DAME SU scrimmage: 29-37 ND scrimmage: 22-51 Kicking: 8-18 PEN/TO: 12-8 Total: 71-114
LOUISVILLE SU scrimmage: 23-37 LOU scrimmage: 30-37 Kicking: 9-21 PEN/TO: 9-5 Total: 71-100
FLORIDA STATE SU scrimmage: 34-31 FS scrimmage: 27-45 Kicking: 11-15 PEN/TO: 8-10 Total: 80-101
WAKE FOREST SU scrimmage: 32-36 FS scrimmage: 36-21 Kicking: 15-15 PEN/TO: 3-5 Total: 86-77
I noted that against Louisville, both teams had 14 possessions and we had a combined 1,025 yards to go to score vs. 871 for Louisville. That to me was 154 yards of “hidden offense” the Cardinals didn’t have to generate to score. I decided to keep track of that stat for all the games this season:
Syracuse 9 possessions with 714 yards to go (average 79) Villanova 9/706 (78). +8 hidden yards for Villanova
Syracuse 11/746 (68) Central Michigan 11/865 (79) +119 hidden yards for Syracuse
Syracuse 13/1072 (82) Maryland 14/903 (64.5) +169 hidden yards for Maryland
Syracuse 12/909 (76) Notre Dame 13/930 (72) +21 hidden yards for Syracuse but +4 per possession for Notre Dame
Syracuse 14/1025 (73) Louisville 14/871 (62) +154 hidden yards for Louisville
Syracuse 11/711 (65) Florida State 11/748 (68) +37 hidden yards for Syracuse
Syracuse 12/918 (76.5) Wake Forest 13/913 (70) +5 hidden eyards ofr Wake Forest but +6.5 per possession.
Overall, we’ve had 82 possessions with a total of 6,095 yards to go, an average of 74. The oppstion has had 85 possessions with a total of 5,936 yards to go, an average of 70. In the three games where there was a significant difference, the team with the big advantage won all three games by an average of 24 points. It may not be the only reason they won or won by that margin, but I’m sure it helped.
I’ve also been comparing the number of plays run from scrimmage to time of possession. (I realize that TOP includes plays that weren’t runs and passes from scrimmage but I’m assuming the time of such plays will be about equal for both teams). The Daily Orange preview handed out before the Villanova game says the goal of both offensive coordinator George MacDonald and quarterback coach Tim Lester was to get off plays in an average of 18 seconds and to get off 3.33 plays per minute. In 2013 SDyracuse got off 2.42 plays per minute. The fastest team in the country was Texas Tech at 3.08 plays per minute, (there was no quote on seconds per play).
Syracuse 69 plays in 22:12, Villanova 87 plays in 37:48
That means that we got off a play every 19.30 seconds and 3.11 plays per minute. Villanova got off a play 26.1 seconds and 2.30 plays per minute. But they got off 18 more plays than we did.
Syracuse 79 plays in 33:22, Central Michigan 68 plays in 26:18
We: 25.34 seconds/play and 2.37 plays per minute. They: 23.21 seconds/play and 2.55 plays per minute. But we got off 11 more plays.
Syracuse 79 plays in 32:14, Maryland 58 plays in 27:46
We: 24.48 seconds/play and 2.45 plays per minute. They: 28.72 seconds/ play and 2.09 plays per minute.
Syracuse 68 plays in 26:43, Notre Dame 80 plays in 33:17
We: 23.57 seconds/play and 2.55 plays per minute. They: 24.96 seconds/play and 2.40 plays per minute. But they got off 12 more plays.
Syracuse: 62 plays in 23:02, Louisville 70 plays in 36:58
We: 22.29 seconds/play and 2.69 plays per minute. They: 31.69 seconds/play and 1.89 plays per minute. But they got off 8 more plays.
Syracuse: 67 plays in 23:33, Florida State 72 plays in 36:27
We: 21.09 seconds/play and 2.85 plays per minute. They: 30.38 seconds per play and 1.98 plays per minute. But they got off five more plays.
Syracuse: 70 plays in 31:47, Wake Forest 59 plays in 28:13
We: 27.24 seconds per pay and 2.20 plays per minute. They: 28.69 seconds per play and 2.09 plays per minute. Neither team was playing hurry-up.
Total: Syracuse 494 plays in 192:55, Opposition: 494 plays in 226:47
We: 23.43 seconds/play and 2.56 plays per minute. They: 27.54 seconds per play and 2.18 plays per minute.
It may be that MacDonald and Lester were eliminating the time taken on kicking plays, (which is included in time of possession), so we might be closer to our goals than it appears. But it’s clear that the speed with which you get plays off does little to determine whether you win the game. It doesn’t even determine which team gets off more plays. What matters is how many successful plays you run and how many first downs you get. You aren’t going to wear teams out by hurriedly running plays that don’t work.
When Syracuse had the ball:
KO- WF 25, WF 25, WF 22, WF 25, WF 26, WF 35, WF 35 SU 4 WF 3
P- 40 to WF 9, 59 to WF 2, 24 to WF 42, 7 to SU 29, 40 to WF 20, 29 to 50 SU 3 WF 3
FG- 32 good, 41 good, 27 good SU 3 WF 0
XP- good, good, good SU 3 WF 0
Total for kicking game: Syracuse 13 Wake Forest 6
1st rush- 11, 6, 4, -1, 2, 3, 0, 4, 4, 1(5), -3, 86, 8, 4, 1, 4, -3, 4 SU 9 WF 8
1st pass- 6, 2, 23(15), I, 8, 5, I, 3 SU 4 WF 4
First Down total: Syracuse 13 Wake Forest 12
2nd rush- 5(4), 3(8), 2(110< 4TD, 6(10), 0, -4, 0, 7(6), 1(7), 6(9), -4, 3(6) SU 6 WF 7
2nd pass- 9(4), I, I, I,11(15), 3(6), I, 11(5), -8, I, I SU 4 WF 7
Second Down total: Syracuse 10 Wake Forest 14
3rd run- 20(4), 10(6), 5(3), 2(17), 1(3) SU 3 WF 2
3rd pass- 3, 12(9), 29(11), I, 120(7), 9(3), 3(4), 4(2), 33(14), 5(21), 5(10), I, -4, -4 SU 6 WF 8
Third Down total: Syracuse 9 Wake Forest 10
4th run- none
4th pass- none
Fourth Down total: none
Total for plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 32 Wake Forest 36
Running plays: Syracuse 18 Wake Forest 14
Passing plays: Syracuse 14 Wake Forest 19
Penalties (not added on to play): Syracuse 5, 5, 5, 15, 10 (5) Wake Forest none
Turnovers: none
Total for penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 0 Wake Forest 5 (plays won)
Total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 45 Wake Forest 47
When Wake Forest had the ball:
KO- SU 16, SU 25 SU 0 WF 2
P- 40 to SU 32, 65 to SU 8, 41 to SU 30, 41 to SU 9, 24 to SU 36, 51 to SU 11, 45 to SU 26, 31 to SU 12 SU 2 WF 6
FG- none
XP- good SU 0 WF 1
Total for kicking game: Syracuse 2 Wake Forest 9
1st rush- 4, 2, 1, 5, 7, 3, 13, 14, 3, -1, -1, 1, 1, -2 SU 9 WF 5
1st pass- I, 16, 8, 13, 10TD, 4, -15, 5 SU 2 WF 6
First Down total: Syracuse 11 Wake Forest 11
2nd rush- 5(8), -2, 1(6), 4(3), 3(7), 12(7), 1, 5(9), 11(12) SU 4 WF 5
2nd pass- I, I, 0, I, 5(25), 10(5), I, 0, I SU 8 WF 1
Second Down total: Syracuse 12 Wake Forest 6
3rd run- 1(2), 3(11), 0, -4, 6(11), -1, 3(4), -2 SU 8 WF 0
3rd pass- 3, 28(6), 7(3), 6(5), 3(20), 4(14), -3 SU 4 WF 3
Third Down total: Syracuse 12 Wake Forest 3
4th run- 2(1) SU 0 WF 1
4th pass- I SU 1 WF 0
Fourth Down total: Syracuse 1 Wake Forest 1
Total for plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 36 Wake Forest 21
Running plays: Syracuse 21 Wake Forest 11
Passing plays: Syracuse 15 Wake Forest 10
Penalties (not added on to play): SU none WF 5
Turnovers: Interception, Fumble
Total for penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 3 Wake Forest 0
Total when Wake Forest had the ball: Syracuse 41 Wake Forest 30
Overall kicking game total: Syracuse 15 Wake Forest 15
Overall plays from scrimmage total: Syracuse 68 Wake Forest 57
Running plays: Syracuse 39 Wake Forest 28
Passing plays: Syracuse 29 Wake Forest 29
Overall penalties and turnovers: Syracuse 3 Wake Forest 5
Game Total: Syracuse 86 Wake Forest 77
Comment: We won this one on defense, especially on second down passes and third down runs, where we were 16-1. We also won it on big plays, two of them from the defense, with the interception and fumble returns, both of which were caused by pressure on the quarterback. They turned a 16-7 game into a 30-7 game. The other big play was DeVante MacFarlane’s 86 yard burst that led to a field goal./ There weren’t many other big plays. We had passes of 23, 29 and 33 yards and a 20 yard run by the quarterback, AJ long. Wake had one “explosive” play a 28 yard pass. It was more of a grind it out game, all about getting first downs and we did that better than the Deacons did.
TOTALS FOR YEAR
When SU had the ball:
KO- SU 19 OPP 16
P- SU 23 OPP 11
FG- SU 13 OPP 4
XP- SU 15 OPP 2
Total for kicking game: SU 70 OPP 33
1st rush- SU 78 OPP 64
1st pass- SU 28 OPP 37
First Down total: SU 106 OPP 101
2nd rush- SU 41 OPP 30
2nd pass- SU 36 OPP 49
Second Down total: SU 77 OPP 79
3rd run- SU 15 OPP 16
3rd pass- SU 26 OPP 47
Third Down total: SU 41 OPP 63
4th run- SU 3 OPP 1
4th pass-SU 2 OPP 3
Fourth Down total: SU 5 OPP 4
Total for plays from scrimmage: SU 229 OPP 247
Running plays: SU 137 OPP 111
Passing plays: SU 92 OPP 136
Penalties (not added onto play): SU 11 OPP 29 (penalties by the other team that each team benefited by)
Turnovers (by SU): SU 0 OPP 8
Total for penalties and turnovers: SU 11 OPP 37
Total when Syracuse had the ball: SU 310 OPP 317
When the Opposition had the Ball:
KO- SU 6 OPP 28
P- SU 9 OPP 26
FG- SU 2 OPP 8
XP- SU 1 OPP 18
Total for kicking game: SU 18 OPP 80
1st rush- SU 68 OPP 64
1st pass- SU 32 OPP 55
First Down total: SU 100 OPP 119
2nd rush- SU 33 OPP 48
2nd pass- SU 38 OPP 39
Second Down total: SU 71 OPP 87
3rd run- SU 16 OPP 24
3rd pass- SU 36 OPP 21
Third Down total: SU 52 OPP 45
4th run- SU 0 OPP 2
4th pass-SU 2 OPP 1
Fourth Down total: SU 2 OPP 3
Total for plays from scrimmage: SU 225 OPP 254
Running plays: SU 117 OPP 138
Passing plays: SU 108 OPP 116
Penalties (not added on to play): SU 27 OPP 15 (penalties by the other team that each team benefited by)
Turnovers: SU (got) 13 SU 11 OPP 0
Total for penalties and turnovers: SU 40 OPP 15
Total when the opposition had the ball: SU 283 OPP 349
Overall kicking game total: SU 88 OPP 113
Overall plays from scrimmage total: SU 454 OPP 495
Running plays: SU 222 OPP 215
Passing plays: SU 171 OPP 210
Overall penalties and turnovers: SU 51 OPP 52
Game Total: Syracuse 593 Opposition 660
Comments: I think the way to look at this is not as a percentage, (We have been successful in 593 of 1253 plays: 47.3%. But you could the view the difference as if the other team was running extra plays we didn’t get to run that were successful. The opposition has had 67 more successful than we have, an average of 10 per game. That’s really quite a difference.
SEASON SUMMARY
VILLANOVA SU scrimmage: 29-36 VIL scrimmage: 40-46 Kicking: 17-11 PEN/TO: 5-10 Total: 91-103
C. MICHIGAN SU scrimmage: 41-36 CM scrimmage: 36-22 Kicking: 14-13 PEN/TO: 8-5 Total: 99-76
MARYLAND SU scrimmage: 41-34 MD scrimmage: 30-27 Kicking: 14-21 PEN/TO: 6-9 Total: 91-91
NOTRE DAME SU scrimmage: 29-37 ND scrimmage: 22-51 Kicking: 8-18 PEN/TO: 12-8 Total: 71-114
LOUISVILLE SU scrimmage: 23-37 LOU scrimmage: 30-37 Kicking: 9-21 PEN/TO: 9-5 Total: 71-100
FLORIDA STATE SU scrimmage: 34-31 FS scrimmage: 27-45 Kicking: 11-15 PEN/TO: 8-10 Total: 80-101
WAKE FOREST SU scrimmage: 32-36 FS scrimmage: 36-21 Kicking: 15-15 PEN/TO: 3-5 Total: 86-77
I noted that against Louisville, both teams had 14 possessions and we had a combined 1,025 yards to go to score vs. 871 for Louisville. That to me was 154 yards of “hidden offense” the Cardinals didn’t have to generate to score. I decided to keep track of that stat for all the games this season:
Syracuse 9 possessions with 714 yards to go (average 79) Villanova 9/706 (78). +8 hidden yards for Villanova
Syracuse 11/746 (68) Central Michigan 11/865 (79) +119 hidden yards for Syracuse
Syracuse 13/1072 (82) Maryland 14/903 (64.5) +169 hidden yards for Maryland
Syracuse 12/909 (76) Notre Dame 13/930 (72) +21 hidden yards for Syracuse but +4 per possession for Notre Dame
Syracuse 14/1025 (73) Louisville 14/871 (62) +154 hidden yards for Louisville
Syracuse 11/711 (65) Florida State 11/748 (68) +37 hidden yards for Syracuse
Syracuse 12/918 (76.5) Wake Forest 13/913 (70) +5 hidden eyards ofr Wake Forest but +6.5 per possession.
Overall, we’ve had 82 possessions with a total of 6,095 yards to go, an average of 74. The oppstion has had 85 possessions with a total of 5,936 yards to go, an average of 70. In the three games where there was a significant difference, the team with the big advantage won all three games by an average of 24 points. It may not be the only reason they won or won by that margin, but I’m sure it helped.
I’ve also been comparing the number of plays run from scrimmage to time of possession. (I realize that TOP includes plays that weren’t runs and passes from scrimmage but I’m assuming the time of such plays will be about equal for both teams). The Daily Orange preview handed out before the Villanova game says the goal of both offensive coordinator George MacDonald and quarterback coach Tim Lester was to get off plays in an average of 18 seconds and to get off 3.33 plays per minute. In 2013 SDyracuse got off 2.42 plays per minute. The fastest team in the country was Texas Tech at 3.08 plays per minute, (there was no quote on seconds per play).
Syracuse 69 plays in 22:12, Villanova 87 plays in 37:48
That means that we got off a play every 19.30 seconds and 3.11 plays per minute. Villanova got off a play 26.1 seconds and 2.30 plays per minute. But they got off 18 more plays than we did.
Syracuse 79 plays in 33:22, Central Michigan 68 plays in 26:18
We: 25.34 seconds/play and 2.37 plays per minute. They: 23.21 seconds/play and 2.55 plays per minute. But we got off 11 more plays.
Syracuse 79 plays in 32:14, Maryland 58 plays in 27:46
We: 24.48 seconds/play and 2.45 plays per minute. They: 28.72 seconds/ play and 2.09 plays per minute.
Syracuse 68 plays in 26:43, Notre Dame 80 plays in 33:17
We: 23.57 seconds/play and 2.55 plays per minute. They: 24.96 seconds/play and 2.40 plays per minute. But they got off 12 more plays.
Syracuse: 62 plays in 23:02, Louisville 70 plays in 36:58
We: 22.29 seconds/play and 2.69 plays per minute. They: 31.69 seconds/play and 1.89 plays per minute. But they got off 8 more plays.
Syracuse: 67 plays in 23:33, Florida State 72 plays in 36:27
We: 21.09 seconds/play and 2.85 plays per minute. They: 30.38 seconds per play and 1.98 plays per minute. But they got off five more plays.
Syracuse: 70 plays in 31:47, Wake Forest 59 plays in 28:13
We: 27.24 seconds per pay and 2.20 plays per minute. They: 28.69 seconds per play and 2.09 plays per minute. Neither team was playing hurry-up.
Total: Syracuse 494 plays in 192:55, Opposition: 494 plays in 226:47
We: 23.43 seconds/play and 2.56 plays per minute. They: 27.54 seconds per play and 2.18 plays per minute.
It may be that MacDonald and Lester were eliminating the time taken on kicking plays, (which is included in time of possession), so we might be closer to our goals than it appears. But it’s clear that the speed with which you get plays off does little to determine whether you win the game. It doesn’t even determine which team gets off more plays. What matters is how many successful plays you run and how many first downs you get. You aren’t going to wear teams out by hurriedly running plays that don’t work.
