Okay, how about we DON'T ignore the five years before. Hell, let's extrapolate that bitch out for an entire decade.
Here's what ISU's defense allowed dating back to 1999.
1999: 272 points in 11 games (4-7 record) 24.7 per game
2000: 322 points in 12 games (9-3 record) 26.8 per
2001: 245 points in 12 games (7-5). 20.4 per
2002: 396 points in 14 games (7-7). 28.3 per
2003: 437 in 12 games (2-10). 36.4 per
2004: 259 in 12 games (7-5). 21.6 per
2005: 230 in 12 games (7-5). 19.2 per
2006: 369 in 12 games (4-8). 30.8 per
CHIZIK
2007: 381 in 12 games (3-9). 31.8 per
2008: 430 in 12 games (2-10). 35.8 per
Is that what defensive masterminds do?
Not only did Chizik have two of the worst three seasons in a decade, but he also guided two of the three worst defensive efforts over that span.
So who was running the defense (into the ground) there?
I meant Chizik's five previous years, Texas and Auburn. I don't care anything about a single stat of any kind that came from two years at Iowa State, I just don't. We just lost a road game, but he did
win a road game at Tennessee, something that, based on his road losses at Iowa State, you thought would never happen. That same Tennessee team just destroyed Georgia. Georgia may not be that good, but I guarantee you if that Georgia game had happened
before our game, you would have predicted a "death by Chizik" road loss, probably supporting it with the 0-for-career road record he had at ISU.
I also don't see the total disarray and panic and chaos you anticipated on our sidelines (based on what you saw on the ISU sideline).
Point is, I think the further things get along, the more we'll all realize that nothing of any worth can be gathered by what we saw at ISU.
And since you listed the numbers to review....how do you explain going from 36 points per game in 2003 to 21 points per in 2004? And how do you explain going from 19 per game in 2005 up to 31 per game in 2006? The fact that there are such
wild swings from one year to the next, changing more than 10 points twice in a four year period, tells me that you can't take anything from any of these numbers. There's no pattern, there's no consistency. There's nothing from which to set a baseline for comparison.
It's well known that he played tons of red-shirt and true freshman, probably the same thing that happened in 2003. By 2005 these guys may have been decent juniors and seniors. Looks like everyone graduated and/or was injured for 2006 though, as the average shot up 11 points. I mean, what are we to take from these numbers? It's not like ISU consistently stayed in the 22-25 points range and then Chizik came in and the numbers ballooned uncharacteristically.
There is a lot of football to go. Acting like "see, he is the same ISU loser we feared" because of one bad loss is overreacting just as much as those who thought he was Vince Lombardi for going 5-0.
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