Eye Opening Numbers

[kyyote]

Penalties yards per game; Year             Us                   Them 17              52.08                57.75 18              44.83                51.58 19              79                     49.83 2019 Penalty yards per game; team            Us                   Them HB              6/75                 5/35 TT               9/76                 4/50 NV              7/82                 4/28 SM              7/60                 8/70 UTSA           8/75                9/77 FIU             10/106             4/39 Offensive Balance Team           Us Passing Atpts      Rush Atpts     Yards/Rush          Them Passing Atpts    Them Rush Atpts       Yards/Rush HB                20                         46                   5.2                      37                            34                             3.3 TT                19                          38                   2                         47                            31                            5.2 NV                17                         47                   3.4                      22                             37                            5.2 SM               28                          25                   5                         28                             37                           4.5 UTSA            31                          30                  3.3                       14                            48                            6.7 FIU              21                           45                  2.9                       17                            32                            5.8

Looking at 2017, 18, and 19 the average appears to be about 50 yards per game.  At 44 last year we were low.  The penalty yards per game increase for UTEP this year is a huge amount and it began with the beginning of the season and has held nearly at that rate all season.  The FIU game was just ridiculous on both sides of the coin with us blowing up to 106 yards and FIU down to just 39 yards. I think there is room for study of the penalty factor because it is so apparent.

Offensive Balance
 
I believe the way it works is you try and establish a running game and that opens up the passing game was what I was taught.  That goes back to the old rule that there are three things that can happen with a pass and two of them are bad.  So, if you can run, you run.  Looking at the yards per rush it s pretty easy to see that if you are giving up 5 yards per rush it only takes two downs to get a first down and then drive down the field.  We on the other hand with THREE rushing plays still can't get a first down.  So our opponents don't even have to pass and we can't stop them.  While we can't run and can't pass or chose not to.

Oddly, I feel like our defense has played well enough to win in a few of the games if they had had any help from the offense.  I think the lack of offense is a big part of the reason for the defensive numbers as they get worn down both physically and mentally.  I also think it may be why the penalty yardage piles up.

[UTEPDefense]

Adding to the penalty concern is that the majority of our personal foul penalties this year have been committed by Dimel recruits.  In some cases you could maybe try to say that things will improve once Dimel gets his own guys in here, but at the moment regarding penalties, it's the opposite, and we are actually getting worse at penalties with more and more Dimel recruits playing.

I had posted these just off the top of my head(I might be missing some more):

- Henry, Personal Foul against HBU. Dimel Recruit.
- Ross, Un-sportsman Like Penalty against Nevada. Dimel Recruit.
- Caldwell, Personal Foul at So. Miss. Dimel recruit.
- Ruiz, Personal Foul against UTSA. Dimel recruit.
- Lee, Personal Foul against FIU. Dimel recruit.

[SisyphusMiner]

Even if Dimel recruits all 4 and 5 star athletes, can we win games if:
We can't get plays in on time?
Our play calling is ridiculously predictable?
We can't execute a 2 minute offense?
We penalize ourselves constantly?
We won't throw the ball?

If we were only losing because of the athletes, I could understand that.  But I think coaching has cost us two or maybe even three winnable games already.  I don't think our athletes are significantly worse than some of the teams we lost to, except perhaps at QB.  But at some point you have to wonder how much of the QB problems are that the defense knows what play we are running?

I am just realizing the wisdom of what Kyy has been saying.  If we switched players with La Tech, could this coaching staff beat them?

[kyyote]

Even if Dimel recruits all 4 and 5 star athletes, can we win games if:
We can't get plays in on time?
Our play calling is ridiculously predictable?
We can't execute a 2 minute offense?
We penalize ourselves constantly?
We won't throw the ball?

If we were only losing because of the athletes, I could understand that.  But I think coaching has cost us two or maybe even three winnable games already.  I don't think our athletes are significantly worse than some of the teams we lost to, except perhaps at QB.  But at some point you have to wonder how much of the QB problems are that the defense knows what play we are running?

I am just realizing the wisdom of what Kyy has been saying. If we switched players with La Tech, could this coaching staff beat them?

Think of it like this and it becomes more obvious.  Could a Skip Holtz coached Miners team have beaten Nevada?  How about San Antonio?  Maybe FIU, too?  Would the Miners be 4-2 under Holtz?  Hmmm....