Apologies for not getting this to you sooner, but sometimes things get in the way, right? Two days ago we covered some statistics on Ball State and Kentucky on their respective offenses. So, as promised, here are some numbers on the other side of the ball.
As we may already know, Ball State’s defensive numbers are a bit better than the offense, but they still leave a bit to be desired. Kentucky is also a relatively uninspired defense, save their passing numbers. Let’s see how we’re doing (number in parentheses is national rank out of 120):
Rush Defense Stats
| Avg Yards per Rush Allowed | Rushing Yards Allowed per Game | Rush TDs Allowed | |
| Ball State | 4.49 (94) | 184.80 (111) | 6 (56) |
| Kentucky | 4.88 (104) | 190.25 (87) | 5 (40) |
Pass Defense Stats
| Passing Yards Allowed per Game | Passing TDs Allowed | Yards Allowed per Completion | Allowed Completion Percentage | INTs Gained | Percentage of Passes Intercepted | |
| Ball State | 242.80 (92) | 13 (116) | 12.39 (84) | 68.53% (117) | 3 (78) | 2.10% (87) |
| Kentucky | 163.00 (16) | 6 (57) | 12.54 (90) | 49.52% (12) | 3 (78) | 2.86% (63) |
Tackles for Loss/Sacks Stats
| Tackles for Loss | Tackles for Loss Yards | Sacks | Sacks Yards Lost | |
| Ball State | 31 (34) | 101 (60) | 6 (86) | 39 (90) |
| Kentucky | 20 (99) | 70 (103) | 8 (63) | 41 (84) |
Drive Stats
| First Downs Allowed | Opponent Third Down Conversion | Opponent Fourth Down Conversion | Opponent Red Zone Drives | Average Red Zone Points Allowed | |
| Ball State | 194 (99) | 39.71% (74) | 33.33% (30) | 15 (59) | 4.80 (67) |
| Kentucky | 163 (46) | 38.71% (66) | 57.14% (71) | 17 (75) | 4.18 (33) |
Once again, there you have it. Defensively, I don’t think anyone that is a fan of either team will be surprised at any of this. As I did a couple days ago, I will pick one stat on Ball State’s side that did slightly (annoy?) concern me. That stat is “Allowed Completion Percentage”. 68.53% is incredibly high, don’t you think? Raise your hand if you think our DBs have been giving a little too much room to our opponents’ receivers. Yeah, I figured everyone’s hand would be up. The bad thing about this is that it’s not as if we’re giving up six to eight yard curls and flats. We’re giving up an average of 12.39 yards per completion (by the way, Kentucky’s numbers are worse). And those Toledo bombs didn’t help that average one bit. One thing is for sure: it’s not just the BSU offense that needs some serious attention. I’ll be back again soon for some special teams stats for both teams. Until then, rock on.
Filed under: Ball State, Kentucky, Statistics
