Lies, Darn Lies and Statistics

With the season about 1/2 over, here is a look at how the Gamecocks shape up statistically in the conference:

Scoring Offense, Scoring Defense, Total Offense and Total Defense: The Gamecocks are 5th in all categories.

Red Zone Efficiency: The Gamecocks are second, scoring an amazing 18 of 19 times in the red zone. The good news is 14 of those are touchdowns.

Rushing Offense: The Gamecocks are 2nd.

Rushing Defense: The Gamecocks are 1st.

An old coaching axiom is great teams run, stop the run and win the turnover battle. If this is true, the Gamecocks might be on their way to a good season. These two stats go hand in hand with time of possession which the Gamecocks are ranked 1st.

Passing offense: The Gamecocks are 8th in passing offense, but here is what is interesting- they are 3rd in passing efficiency. The Gamecocks are not throwing it a lot, but when they do, they do it well.

Passing defense: The Gamecocks are 8th. This stat may be skewed by facing pass happy Murray, but JSU must improve in this area. In particular, on deep balls it appears the Gamecock defenders don't know where the ball is. The good news is the defense looks a little better every week. Coach Boone will get us there.

4th down conversions: JSU is first in the conference converting 5 of 6 4th down opportunities. Kudos to the improving offensive line.

Kickoff coverage: The Gamecocks are 1st. This may not sound like a big stat, but a few years back it seemed like opponents started every drive on the 40.

Field Goals: The Gamecocks are 1st in % at 4-4. Notably, our kickers have only missed one extra point.

Individual Statistics:

The Gamecocks are playing as a team and very few players are at the top of the individual list. Notable exceptions are Washaun Ealey who is 2nd in rushing and Spiderman Smith, who is one of the leading tacklers in the conference. Jack Jackson would probably be on that list, but he missed the first two games.