The man pictured above could possibly be the most hated man in the Bluegrass State at this time.That man is none other than Kentucky’s defensive coordinator Steve Brown. And judging by the picture, it looks like he’s trying to cut the points allowed by his defense in half. But on a serious note, after the Wildcats fourth straight poor performance on defense against the Florida Gators, many Kentucky football fans became restless with Steve and the fans have reason to be frustrated. As the Wildcats continue to impress on offense with their versatility and big play ability, it’s the defense that seems to be always lagging behind.
Steve Brown was named the defensive coordinator for Kentucky in 2007 and has now been the head of the defense for 25 SEC games. I’ve decided to statistically compare Kentucky’s defense in those 25 games in a head-to-head type comparison. I broke down the statistics into six different categories: home games vs. away games, SEC East vs. SEC West, ranked teams vs. unranked teams, games played in September vs. games played in October vs. games played in November, day games vs. night games, and “hot” games vs. “cold” games. To clarify on the last category, I decided to declare “hot” games as games where the temperature at kickoff was at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit and “cold” games as games where the temperature at kickoff was less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Just keep in mind that these statistics only concern Kentucky’s defense against SEC opponents since 2007. Also, I will only be displaying the average for each category, not the cumulative total. Without further ado, let’s do some comparing:
Home Games (12 Games) vs. Away Games (13 Games)
First Downs: Home: 20.75 Away: 19.77
Takeaways: Home: 1.75 Away: 1.77
Time Of Possession: Home: 31:40 Away: 31:31
Sacks: Home: 1.58 Away: 1.92
Third Down Conversions: Home: 6.17 Away: 5.92
Third Down Attempts: Home: 14.42 Away: 14.38
Third Down Conversion Percentage: Home: 42.77% Away: 41.18%
Fourth Down Conversions: Home: .5 Away: 1.08
Fourth Down Attempts: Home: 1.25 Away: 1.69
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: Home: 40% Away: 63.64%
Red Zone Scores: Home: 4.25 Away: 2.38
Red Zone Chances: Home: 4.67 Away: 3.08
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: Home: 91.07% Away: 77.5%
Carries: Home: 43.25 Away: 42.08
Rushing Yards: Home: 213.5 Away: 184.46
Rushing Yards Per Carry: Home: 4.94 Away: 4.38
Rushing Touchdowns: Home: 1.83 Away: 1.69
Passing Completions: Home: 15.83 Away: 14.54
Passing Attempts: Home: 28.17 Away: 25.92
Passing Yards: Home: 207.67 Away: 187.77
Passing Completion Percentage: Home: 56.21% Away: 56.08%
Interceptions: Home: Home: .92 Away: 1
Passing Yards Per Attempt: Home: 7.37 Away: 7.24
Passing Yards Per Completion: Home: 13.12 Away: 12.92
Passing Touchdowns: Home: 2.42 Away: 1.38
Total Offense: Home: 421.17 Away: 372.23
Total Offensive Plays: Home: 71.42 Away: 68
Yards Per Play: Home: 5.9 Away: 5.47
Total Touchdowns: Home: 4.25 Away: 3.08
Play Selection: Home: 60.56% run, 39.44% pass Away: 61.88% run, 38.12% pass
Amazingly, Kentucky’s defense statistically has been better playing on the road than in the friendly confines of Commonwealth Stadium.
SEC East (16 games) vs. SEC West (9 games)
First Downs: East: 20.75 West: 19.33
Takeaways:
East: 1.75 West: 1.78
Time Of Possession: East: 30:52 West: 32:52
Sacks: East: 1.81 West: 1.67
Third Down Conversions: East: 6.13 West: 5.89
Third Down Attempts: East: 13.44 West: 16.11
Third Down Conversion Percentage: East: 45.58% West: 36.55%
Fourth Down Conversions: East: .75 West: .89
Fourth Down Attempts: East: 1.19 West: 2
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: East: 63.16% West: 44.44%
Red Zone Scores: East: 3.5 West: 2.89
Red Zone Chances: East: 3.94 West: 3.67
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: East: 88.89% West: 78.79%
Carries: East: 40.69 West: 46.11
Rushing Yards: East: 176.75 West: 236.89
Rushing Yards Per Carry: East: 4.34 West: 5.14
Rushing Touchdowns: East: 1.88 West: 1.56
Passing Completions: East: 15.69 West: 14.22
Passing Attempts: East: 26.63 West: 27.67
Passing Yards: East: 227.06 West: 144.44
Passing Completion Percentage: East: 58.92% West: 51.41%
Interceptions: East: .88 West: 1.11
Passing Yards Per Attempt: East: 8.53 West: 5.22
Passing Yards Per Completion: East: 14.47 West: 10.16
Passing Touchdowns: East: 2.38 West: 1
Total Offense: East: 403.81 West: 381.33
Total Offensive Plays: East: 67.31 West: 73.78
Yards Per Play: East: 6 West: 5.17
Total Touchdowns: East: 4.25 West: 2.56
Play Selection: East: 60.45% run, 39.55% pass West: 62.5% run, 37.5% pass
It appears as though Kentucky’s defense prefers the less-than-familiar teams from the SEC West.
Ranked Teams (12 games) vs. Unranked Teams (13 games)
First Downs: Ranked: 20.75 Unranked: 19.77
Takeaways: Ranked: 1.58 Unranked: 1.92
Time Of Possession: Ranked: 30:25 Unranked: 32:39
Sacks: Ranked: 1.92 Unranked: 1.62
Third Down Conversions: Ranked: 6.17 Unranked: 5.92
Third Down Attempts: Ranked: 13.17 Unranked: 15.54
Third Down Conversion Percentage: Ranked: 46.84% Unranked: 38.12%
Fourth Down Conversions: Ranked: .67 Unranked: .92
Fourth Down Attempts: Ranked: 1.25 Unranked: 1.69
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: Ranked: 53.3% Unranked: 54.55%
Red Zone Scores: Ranked: 4.25 Unranked: 2.38
Red Zone Chances: Ranked: 4.75 Unranked: 3
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: Ranked: 89.47% Unranked: 79.49%
Carries: Ranked: 40.75 Unranked: 44.38
Rushing Yards: Ranked: 194.58 Unranked: 201.92
Rushing Yards Per Carry: Ranked: 4.78 Unranked: 4.55
Rushing Touchdowns: Ranked: 2.33 Unranked: 1.23
Passing Completions: Ranked: 16.25 Unranked: 14.15
Passing Attempts: Ranked: 26.92 Unranked: 27.08
Passing Yards: Ranked: 222.33 Unranked: 174.23
Passing Completion Percentage: Ranked: 60.37% Unranked: 52.27%
Interceptions: Ranked: .83 Unranked: 1.08
Passing Yards Per Attempt: Ranked: 8.26 Unranked: 6.43
Passing Yards Per Completion: Ranked: 13.68 Unranked: 12.31
Passing Touchdowns: Ranked: 2.33 Unranked: 1.46
Total Offense: Ranked: 416.92 Unranked: 376.15
Total Offensive Plays: Ranked: 67.67 Unranked: 71.46
Yards Per Play: Ranked: 6.16 Unranked: 5.26
Total Touchdowns: Ranked: 4.67 Unranked: 2.69
Play Selection: Ranked: 60.22% run, 39.78% pass Unranked: 62.11% run, 37.89% pass
Not surprisingly, Kentucky’s defense performs better against worse competition, that being unranked teams.
Games Played In September (3 games) vs. Games Played In October (12 games) vs. Games Played In November (10 games)
First Downs: September: 24.3 October: 19.17 November: 20.3
Takeaways: September: 1.67 October: 1.67 November: 1.9
Time Of Possession: September: 32:27 October: 31:13 November: 31:47
Sacks: September: 1 October: 1.92 November: 1.8
Third Down Conversions: September: 6.33 October: 5.92 November: 6.1
Third Down Attempts: September: 14 October: 14.17 November: 14.8
Third Down Conversion Percentage: September: 45.24% October: 41.76% November: 41.22%
Fourth Down Conversions: September: .67 October: .75 November: .9
Fourth Down Attempts: September: 1.33 October: 1.33 November: 1.7
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: September: 50% October: 56.25% November: 52.94%
Red Zone Scores: September: 4 October: 3.5 November: 2.8
Red Zone Chances: September: 4 October: 4.08 November: 3.5
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: September: 100% October: 85.71% November: 80%
Carries: September: 45.33 October: 43.17 November: 41.2
Rushing Yards: September: 292 October: 202 November: 166
Rushing Yards Per Carry: September: 6.44 October: 4.68 November: 4.03
Rushing Touchdowns: September: 2.67 October: 1.83 November: 1.4
Passing Completions: September: 15.67 October: 14.33 November: 16
Passing Attempts: September: 26.67 October: 26.08 November: 28.2
Passing Yards: September: 193.33 October: 177.75 November: 222
Passing Completion Percentage: September: 58.75% October: 54.95% November: 56.74%
Interceptions: September: 1 October: .92 November: 1
Passing Yards Per Attempt: September: 7.25 October: 6.81 November: 7.87
Passing Yards Per Completion: September: 12.34 October: 12.4 November: 13.88
Passing Touchdowns: September: 1 October: 1.75 November: 2.3
Total Offense: September: 485.33 October: 379.75 November: 388
Total Offensive Plays: September: 72 October: 69.25 November: 69.4
Yards Per Play: September: 6.74 October: 5.48 November: 5.59
Total Touchdowns: September: 3.67 October: 3.58 November: 3.7
Play Selection: September: 62.96% run, 37.04% pass October: 62.33% run, 37.67% pass November: 59.37% run, 40.63% pass
Looks like Kentucky’s defense is slightly bett
er in the month of October.
Day Games (14 games) vs. Night Games (11 games)
First Downs: Day: 19.79 Night: 20.82
Takeaways: Day: 1.71 Night: 1.82
Time Of Possession: Day: 30:44 Night: 32:40
Sacks: Day: 2.07 Night: 1.36
Third Down Conversions: Day: 6.29 Night: 5.73
Third Down Attempts: Day: 14.36 Night: 14.45
Third Down Conversion Percentage: Day: 43.78% Night: 39.62%
Fourth Down Conversions: Day: .71 Night: .91
Fourth Down Attempts: Day: 1.43 Night: 1.55
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: Day: 50% Night: 58.82%
Red Zone Scores: Day: 3.29 Night: 3.27
Red Zone Chances: Day: 3.86 Night: 3.82
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: Day: 85.19% Night: 85.71%
Carries: Day: 40.14 Night: 45.82
Rushing Yards: Day: 167.79 Night: 237.36
Rushing Yards Per Carry: Day: 4.18 Night: 5.18
Rushing Touchdowns: Day: 1.64 Night: 1.91
Passing Completions: Day: 16.93 Night: 12.91
Passing Attempts: Day: 29 Night: 24.45
Passing Yards: Day: 214 Night: 176.09
Passing Completion Percentage: Day: 58.37% Night: 52.79%
Interceptions: Day: .93 Night: 1
Passing Yards Per Attempt: Day: 7.38 Night: 7.2
Passing Yards Per Completion: Day: 12.64 Night: 13.64
Passing Touchdowns: Day: 2.29 Night: 1.36
Total Offense: Day: 381.79 Night: 413.45
Total Offensive Plays: Day: 69.14 Night: 70.27
Yards Per Play: Day: 5.52 Night: 5.88
Total Touchdowns: Day: 3.93 Night: 3.27
Play Selection: Day: 58.06% run, 41.94% pass Night: 65.2% run, 34.8% pass
Kentucky’s defense plays better in day games, when the fans have less time to tailgate and be obnoxious with their displeasure about the defense. Coincidence? I think not.
“Hot” Games (13 games) vs. “Cold” Games (12 games)
First Downs: Hot: 19.46 Cold: 21.08
Takeaways: Hot: 1.46 Cold: 2.08
Time Of Possession: Hot: 30:54 Cold: 32:19
Sacks: Hot: 2.23 Cold: 1.25
Third Down Conversions: Hot: 6.15 Cold: 5.92
Third Down Attempts: Hot: 14.15 Cold: 14.67
Third Down Conversion Percentage: Hot: 43.48% Cold: 40.34%
Fourth Down Conversions: Hot: .69 Cold: .92
Fourth Down Attempts: Hot: 1.31 Cold: 1.67
Fourth Down Conversion Percentage: Hot: 52.94% Cold: 55%
Red Zone Scores: Hot: 3.23 Cold: 3.33
Red Zone Chances: Hot: 3.69 Cold: 4
Red Zone Scoring Percentage: Hot: 87.5% Cold: 83.33%
Carries: Hot: 39.92 Cold: 45.58
Rushing Yards: Hot: 186.23 Cold: 211.58
Rushing Yards Per Carry: Hot: 4.66 Cold: 4.64
Rushing Touchdowns: Hot: 1.77 Cold: 1.75
Passing Completions: Hot: 15.92 Cold: 14.33
Passing Attempts: Hot: 27.69 Cold: 26.25
Passing Yards: Hot: 201.15 Cold: 193.17
Passing Completion Percentage: Hot: 57.5% Cold: 54.6%
Interceptions: Hot: .85 Cold: 1.08
Passing Yards Per Attempt: Hot: 7.26 Cold: 7.36
Passing Yards Per Completion: Hot: 12.63 Cold: 13.48
Passing Touchdowns: Hot: 1.77 Cold: 2
Total Offense: Hot: 387.38 Cold: 404.75
Total Offensive Plays: Hot: 67.62 Cold: 71.83
Yards Per Play: Hot: 5.73 Cold: 5.63
Total Touchdowns: Hot: 3.54 Cold: 3.75
Play Selection: Hot: 59.04% run, 40.96% pass Cold: 63.46% run, 36.54% pass
And, finally, Kentucky’s defense performs slightly better in so called “hot” games.
So, based on the statistics, Kentucky’s defense performs better when:
- on the road
- against unranked teams
- against teams from the SEC West
- in the month of October
- during the day
- when the temperature at kickoff is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit
Who is Kentucky’s next opponent you ask? How about the Ole Miss Rebels, an unranked team from the SEC West, playing them on the road in Oxford, on October 2nd, with a kickoff time of 12:21 p.m., and the expected high for that day in Oxford is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Amazingly, that game fits all 6 criteria for which Kentucky’s defense performs best. So, there’s no need to worry about Steve Brown’s defense, at least for the upcoming week.
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