I contend that we played a classic bend don't break defense. We gave up a lot of plays but not a lot of points. Do the numbers support this?

We gave up a lot of short and intermediate passes in the middle of the field (hence a poor passing efficiency defense) but tightened as they crossed the 35 yard line. We did not take as many risks on blitzes and as a result did not have as many sacks or interceptions (Low number of sacks 113th and interceptions 81st). We focused on limiting the big plays. How did this work out for us...?

Advanced metrics Def. S&P+ that adjust for strength of opponent puts our total defense at 45th and rushing defense was only slightly better at 43rd, however our passing defense was 98th. For our total defense to be 45th, almost equal, then our passing defense must not have hurt us that much.

Ultimately points matter most. If you don't like our points per game numbers because they don't adjust for pace, then check out the total number of touchdowns per drive we gave up, we ranked 45th. Not only that, the idea that we played slow paced teams is just false. Also, our offence barely possessed the ball. Look at our time of possession and total number of plays, they are horrible. Granted the defense did not get the ball back quickly, but they also didn't allow the other team to score at a high precentage.

You could argue that teams were trying to run out the clock because they were so far ahead. This is not true. If you break down the defense by quarter, the 4th quarter was our worst by far (see below).

Holistically, the design of our defensive philosophy last year made some numbers look bad and others really good. In reality, the defense was probably middle of the pack.

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/feidef

Def. S&P+ : Rank 45

Def. Rushing S&P+ : Rank 43

Def. Passing S&P+ : Rank 98.3

Percentage of Drives that resulted in touchdowns : Rank 45

Time of possession : Rank 108

https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/2018/team/28

Scoring Defense  : Rank 46

Passing Efficiency Defense : Rank 105

https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/

1st Quarter Points Allowed Per Game : Rank 27

2st Quarter Points Allowed Per Game : Rank 69

3st Quarter Points Allowed Per Game : Rank 49

4st Quarter Points Allowed Per Game : Rank 97

Plays per game : Rank 113

Take Aways Per Game : Rank 81

Sacks per game : Rank 113