Was RP's first season win total artificially high?

[fatty fat fat]

I don't think it's sound logic to just want defense to be good if you want to win it all.

You have to score. Scoring puts pressure on other teams to score. This is USC's real strength.   Florida and Oh.St could also  score points.  Most good teams have good offenses.

But yeah, D is very important but you can lose a low scoring game because of poor offense.

And who said they wanted "just wanted a defense to be good"?  Nobody.

I did state that have a very good defense is FAR more important than having a good offense.

Quick, name the national champs that had a GREAT offense but a poor defense.....you can't.

Now name the national champs who had a GREAT defense but a so so offense....you can start rattling off some names.  Florida this past year..Ohio State in '02.

But the one key thing all national champs have is good defenses...all of them.  Some of them have not so good offenses.

Like I said...we could make marginal improvements offensively over last year but if our special teams is about the same and our defense is very good then you can take it to the bank that we'll win 8-9 games.

Auburn had a below avg. offense last year...but their defense was amazing. 

QFT's. Look at USC in 2005. With that offense they had, they still couldn't get it done.

[catzacker]

But defense and special teams are what had KSU winning 11 games in 6 of 8 years or whatever it was that we did.

It's not "whatever." It was 6/7 years. Jesus &*$@!.

Anyway, from 01-03, despite winning 27 games, our special teams pretty much blew ass.

KSU NCAA rankings special teams '01-'03

Punt Returns
'01: 32
'02: 18
'03: 34
'04: 95
'05: 33

Net Punting
'01: 42
'02: 16
'03: 28
'04: 57
'05: 80

Kickoff Returns
'01: 11
'02: 24
'03: 36
'04: 29
'05: 84

Kickoff Return Yardage Defense
'01: 14
'02: 26
'03: 85
'04: 7
'05: 11

Punt Return Yardage Defense
'01: 48
'02: 3
'03: 11
'04: 76
'05: 65

The numbers disagree w/ you for the most part.  If you're consistently in the top 30% in each of the areas then you have pretty damn good special teams play.

I added '04 and '05 numbers for a comparison.

[michigancat]

http://www.ksufans.com/forums/index.php?topic=2603.0

[ksu4tc]

Man. We used to just murder teams. Even when we went 6-6.


I was there in 05.  

How ironic. I was thinking of that game just this morning.

That was one of the more painful games to witness as a K-State fan. Me and a buddy drove up from KC, tailgated b4 the game (which was pretty fun), then went into the stadium and was humiliated by ISU.

I vow not to go back to Ames for a game -- I was there for the 1993 game (the streaker) and the 2005 game (both loses). But I did see the win in 2003 up there. So I'm 1-2.

[FBWillie]

I've been to every ISU game home and away for the past 7 years.   It was a "pleasant" place to watch a game from 01-03...   that's about the only positive I can think of.

Did get a pretty cool picture of Darren Sprole's Longest run in the 03 game.  I remember watching that in 03 thinking...  Maybe Marvin Simmons will pan out.

[NorthChamps07]

I would tend to lean more towards the notion that the total was artificially low.  The way I look at it we lost games because we played poorly.  We didn't pass protect. We didn't protect the ball. We didn't run the ball. We gave games away to MU, Baylor and ku.  Everything tha went wrong is correctable! You can argue that we stole one from UT.  Net would be two more wins.  That's right, we would have been 9-3, 6-2 in the conference, if you adjust for deflation.  Next! 

[fb]

The way I look at it we lost games because we played poorly. 

Most of the time, that is how teams lose every game they lose.

[NorthChamps07]

Yes but there are forced error (Louisville) and there are self induced errors (ku).   Better teams force errors like Rutgers did. Inferior teams, ku-Baylor, don't have a chance unless you hand it to them.