30 Nov

Georgia Southern: On Paper (Part 3)

The Eagles lead the conference in kickoff return average with 25.3.
And they only average 7.1 yards per punt return. <antijinx>They have no special teams touchdowns.</antijinx>
The kicker – as GSU fans have pointed out in the forum – is their kicker. While 45-for-48 isn’t a terrible number (94%), the 7-for-17 (41%) on field goals is just that. Even the “easy” ones haven’t been easy for Alex Hanks (Fr.) who is 4-for-8 inside 30 yards. Both Hanks and Ryan Nowicki (RFr.) have struggled in their first seasons.
Missed field goals were the difference in their losses to The Citadel (0-for-2) and App State (0-for-3). GSU has had four field goals blocked.
Luke Cherry has been the punter (37 per) and kickoff specialist (8 touchbacks).

Turnover Margin // GSU is -4. UCA is +6.
- The Eagles have fumbled 16 times on the year. Considering they run it so often, that’s probably not a lot compared to the Bears 10 fumbles.
Red Zone Offense // GSU has 30 TD in 46 trips. UCA is allowing 23 touchdowns in 39 trips.
Red Zone Defense // GSU has allowed teams to score a SoCon worst 86.1% of the time. UCA has scored 87.5% of their opportunities and has 29 TD in 40 trips.
Time of Possession // GSU is averaging about what you’d expect at 32:50. Which might sound like a lot (and it kinda is), but Sam Houston is actually averaging 33:53!
3rd-Down Conversions // GSU is converting on 44.4%. UCA is allowing just 31.6%.
Opponents 3rd Down Conversions // GSU is holding teams to 38.3%. UCA is converting at 42.4%.
4th-Down Conversions // Surprisingly (to me at least), GSU has only attempted 16 fourth downs and has been successful on 62.5%. UCA is an amazing 15-of-17 (88.2%).
Penalties // GSU has been penalized 64 times for 55.4 ypg. UCA is at 80 for 66.1.