College football may not be quite like baseball when it comes to the deluge of ever-evolving metrics but even as increasingly complex data becomes readily available, one statistic remains crucial to a team’s success and that’s its ability to stop the run. The value of stopping the run was never more apparent than last year when Ohio State’s defense had its best season since Urban Meyer’s arrival, limiting teams to 105.1 rushing yards per game (6th nationally) on 2.94 yards per carry (4th nationally). Those sturdy numbers marked the third-straight season in which the Buckeye defense improved its yards per carry and rush yards per game metrics. OHIO STATE’S RUSH DEFENSE METRICS SINCE URBAN MEYER’S ARRIVAL YEAR G RUSH ATT TOT RUSH YDS AVG YPC NATL RANK AVG RUSH YDS/G NATL RANK RUSH TD 2017 14 501 1,471 2.94 4 103.1 6 13 2016 13 481 1,610 3.35 12 123.9 19 8…
Continue Reading: Ohio State's 2017 Rush Defense Finished As the Best of the Meyer Era, Set New Standard for the 2018 Squad
