Husky Football: Statistics of Defeat

A few statistical notes that paint a pretty clear picture of the loss.

155: The rushing yards amassed by Silas Redd on 26 carries, to go along with a touchdown. That is a gritty, physical stat line that matches up with what I witnessed from my seat at CenturyLink. Redd carried the ball like a grown man, with Curtis McNeal also chipping in 58 yards. I clearly underestimated the USC run game leading up to this game, probably because of how badly both backs were shut down against Stanford, and they certainly showed me the error of my ways. Or at least I assume their performance was the result of a personal vendetta against Husky Haul.

71.4: Keith Price’s completion percentage in the loss. I don’t highlight this statistic to try and say that Price had a good night, his four turnovers made that impossible even if his completed 95% of his passes, but it does serve to highlight the fact that at times, he was able to get into a real rhythm and deliver the ball to his receivers with a fair amount of accuracy. Sometimes those plays were safe, high percentage throws, but at times earlier in the season it would have seemed impossible to just abandon the run and throw again and again like Washington did in the 3rd quarter. If he can cut down on the turnovers and keep this accuracy, we may see some of that 2011 Keith Price before all is said and done.

Oct 13, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (25) is tackled by multiple USC Trojans defensive players during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

2: The number of catches managed by Marqise Lee through four entire quarters. There was a fair amount of hype surrounding Desmond Trufant’s battle with Lee, and that number makes it clear that Trufant was the decisive winner. Yes, those 2 catches were for 32 yards, but Lee did not score any touchdowns, he did not make any huge plays, and for most of the game he was simply not an option for Matt Barkley, who only managed 167 passing yards. If Trufant was being talked about as a 2nd or 3rd round prospect, perhaps shutting down a 1st round wide receiver who will be expected to immediately contribute in the NFL will help get him in more of a 2nd or 1st round discussion.

12: The number of times Price carried the football. Only two less than starting back Bishop Sankey. I don’t mean this as a criticism of Price, I mean to point out the serious failure of the offensive line to hold back the USC pass rush. A quarterback that is fairly physically frail and isn’t much of a runner should not feel a need to scramble out of the pocket that many times. This needs to be fixed if the Huskies are to play better next week against Arizona.

66,202: Attendance for Saturday’s game. Considering the capacity at CenturyLink is somewhere around 67,000, that is pretty damn close to a sellout. A lot of red was speckled through the purple, but this is still a decisive end to the attendance questions at the beginning of the season. I suppose the 55,000 that showed up to the Stanford game really was about the Thursday game day, rather than any other factors. Too bad 66,000 showed up to watch a loss.