| NCAA Stat | BSU | EMU |
| Scoring Offense | 33rd (39.3) | 110th (17.0) |
| Rushing Offense | 98th (119.33) | 113th (89.67) |
| Passing Offense | 14th (332.7) | 72nd (222.3) |
| Total Offense | 49th (452.0) | 112th (312.0) |
| Scoring Defense | 67th (25.3) | 94th (32.3) |
| Rushing Defense | 107th (222.67) | 105th (212.67) |
| Passing Defense | 53rd (210.7) | 42nd (198.0) |
| Total Defense | 91st (433.3) | 78th (410.7) |
| Sacks | 74th (4.0) | 5th (10.0) |
| Sacks Allowed | 23rd (3.0) | 120th (11.0) |
| Turnover Margin | 65th (+/- 0) | 36th (+2) |
| 3rd Down Conv. % | 14th (56.1%) | 97th (32.6%) |
| Opp. 3rd Down Conv. % | 95th (44.2%) | 13th (27.3%) |
| Red Zone Conv. % | 1st (100%) | 80th (80%) |
| Opp. Red Zone Conv. % | 37th (75%) | 93rd (100%) |
| Punting | 59th (42.0) | 110th (37.9) |
| Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game | 31st (37.3) | 19th (33.0) |
I’m not sure why I expected this stat comparison to be considerably more eye-opening than it was, but EMU isn’t a team to sneeze at. BSU comes into Saturday’s contest at 2-1, EMU at 1-2, but their losses were to FBS automatic qualifiers Penn State and Rutgers, both on the road. The fact that EMU has such a distinct defensive advantage by the numbers after playing those two schools is a little bit troubling, and the offensive advantage statistically enjoyed by BSU is mitigated a bit.
There are some things to take heed in, though, namely the sacks allowed by EMU and the fact that teams find the red zone every time they are there. The most troubling is that EMU gets to the QB fairly frequently themselves, which means a solid protection plan for Wenning (as has been the case all of his career) is even more important than usual. BSU has also done well on 3rd down conversions this season, EMU done well in stopping them, so something has to give in this game.
We’re three games in and Illinois State/North Texas/Army don’t necessarily equal Howard/Rutgers/Penn State, so take the above with a grain of salt. Having qualified it though, BSU does have a significant advantage statistically over the Eagles come Saturday.
Filed under: BallStateFootball, ByTheNumbers |
Over The Pylon 
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