In 25 major statistical categories tracked by the NCAA, Arizona ranks in the top half of the country in only one — rushing.
The news is just as bad — worse? — for stats not officially tracked by the NCAA. You can see here that Arizona is last (128th nationally) in average starting position, at its own 25.7-yard line.
Arizona State is better in various spots, but it’s still not a pretty picture. For all the hand-wringing about the Wildcats’ defense, ASU’s is worse in yards allowed. (For context, though, the Sun Devils had to play Texas Tech, Cal and Washington State — three of the top 10 teams in total offense. Playing three Air Raid teams also somewhat explains why ASU is last nationally in pass defense.)
The Wildcats missed Cal in conference play.
Anyway, for further game preview, check out my story on TucsonNewsNow.com after trying to digest the following stats heading into Friday night’s games.
| UA | ASU | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STAT | RANK | VALUE | RANK | VALUE |
| Total Offense | 76 | 397.2 | 91 | 381.5 |
| Rushing Offense | 36 | 209.9 | 113 | 132.5 |
| Passing Offense | 101 | 187.3 | T-48 | 249 |
| Team Passing Efficiency | 111 | 114.98 | 73 | 126.29 |
| Scoring Offense | 113 | 21.9 | 45 | 33.2 |
| Total Defense | 112 | 467.3 | 125 | 514.4 |
| Rushing Defense | 89 | 200.9 | 28 | 131.5 |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 109 | 266.4 | 128 | 382.9 |
| Team Passing Efficiency Defense | 123 | 155.97 | 125 | 156.9 |
| Scoring Defense | 120 | 38.6 | 119 | 38.4 |
| Turnover Margin | T-112 | -0.73 | T-88 | -0.27 |
| 3rd Down Conversion Pct | 93 | 0.369 | 97 | 0.362 |
| 4th Down Conversion Pct | 122 | 0.294 | 20 | 0.636 |
| 3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense | 127 | 0.523 | 35 | 0.364 |
| 4th Down Conversion Pct Defense | T-29 | 0.4 | T-95 | 0.6 |
| Red Zone Offense | 119 | 0.743 | T-18 | 0.909 |
| Red Zone Defense | 85 | 0.868 | T-110 | 0.907 |
| Net Punting | 70 | 37.16 | 4 | 42.36 |
| Punt Returns | 103 | 4.67 | 33 | 10.41 |
| Kickoff Returns | 123 | 17.19 | 47 | 21.8 |
| First Downs Offense | 76 | 227 | 97 | 213 |
| First Downs Defense | 118 | 271 | 109 | 259 |
| Fewest Penalties Per Game | T-65 | 6.18 | 31 | 5.27 |
| Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game | 98 | 60.64 | T-51 | 51.18 |
| Time of Possession | 121 | 26:00 | 67 | 29:39 |
Recommended for you
