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Advanced stats: Defense is still not great, but postseason goals are still on table

This game was nuts, leaving me with a few conflicting feelings:

  • On the one hand, that was a thrilling game — maybe the most exciting one of the season in terms of big plays, turnovers, and how close the finish was.
  • But the Buckeyes’ defense still can’t be trusted to have fixed its big-play problems, no matter how many personnel (Brendon White), tactical (cornerback alignment), and strategic/scheme-level adjustments (mixing in different coverages, linebacker depth) the defensive coaching staff makes.
  • And even though its true that Maryland ranks in the top ten in explosiveness measures, the Terps are still the 93rd-ranked S&P+ offense.