No doubt TOP is a major help in our defensive improvement. We are holding onto the ball probably 5-7 minutes more than last year.
But its silly not to see that we are simply more sound. How you line up at the snap is a major indicator on whether or not an offense can get an advantage. You either have a sound alignment or you don't.
I have on good authority an account of one of our opponents scouting our game last year. Most great defenses will have a sound alinment 80% or more of the time, see ku under Bill Young. Average defenses 50% or greater. Might seem low, but its accurate. In prepping for the Cats last year, an opponent found us to be sound 20-25% of the time. Really a horrible statistic, especially when you aren't very talented.