Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
UNDER THE DOME FIVE REQUEST NFL DRAFT PAPERWORK In response to seeing 45 out of a record 107 underclassmen that declared early for the NFL Draft in 2014 go unsigned three months after the event, the NFL took measures to try to prevent such a future occurrence. Since then, collegiate programs are allowed to request paperwork for only five underclassmen con- templating entry into the NFL Draft. With Notre Dame's roster brimming with future professional talent, the Irish easily met that quota this year. CHARTING THE IRISH S&P+ RUSHING RANKINGS Based on advanced statistics, it's arguable that Notre Dame boasted the most potent rushing offense in the country this season. SBNation's Bill Connelly created the S&P+ system, which evaluates units based primarily off their explosiveness and efficiency. The Irish rushing attack ranked No. 3 in the nation this year, behind only Texas Tech and Bowling Green. However, both the Red Raiders and Falcons offenses were pass heavy in play calling, which meant some defenses weren't as ready for their run plays as those teams defending Notre Dame. Texas Tech only called a run on 43.5 percent (120th nationally) of play calls according to TeamRankings.com, while Bowling Green was only slightly higher at 46.3 percent (109th nationally). Notre Dame called a run play on 54.9 percent of calls (51st nationally) — not run dominant, but much more so than the two teams ranked ahead of them. Yet the Irish were able to maintain nearly as much potency. For context, included in this chart is success rate and yards per carry raw numbers. Success rate looks at efficiency running the ball — 50 percent of necessary yardage needed on first down for another first down, 70 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third and fourth down — while yards per carry obviously goes up exponentially the more long running plays you create, thus a beginner's measurement for explosiveness. Strength of schedule is also incorporated into the S&P+ ranking, which is why a team like North Carolina State ranks very high despite much lower raw stats. The Wolfpack played three teams ranked in the top 10 of the S&P+ rushing defense national rankings. S&P+ RUSHING OFFENSE NATIONAL RANKINGS Yards Per Rk. School Success Rate Carry 1. Texas Tech 49.5% (7th) 5.61 (10th) 2. Bowling Green 50.5% (4th) 4.69 (44th) 3. Notre Dame 45.8% (25th) 5.76 (6th) 4. Oregon 48.6% (12th) 6.06 (2nd) 5. Navy 49.9% (5th) 5.71 (8th) Yards Per Rk. School Success Rate Carry 6. NC State 42.4% (61st) 4.94 (30th) 7. LSU 43.6% (43rd) 5.80 (T-4th) 8. Ohio State 47.9% (16th) 5.66 (9th) 9. Florida State 44.1% (37th) 5.40 (14th) 10. Arkansas 50.8% (3rd) 4.92 (31st)