defensive "Stop Rate"LINCOLN — According to an annual analysis from The Athletic, Nebraska’s Blackshirts consistently struggled to get opposing offenses off the field last season.
They ranked 92nd nationally and 12th in the Big Ten in stop rate, which measures the percentage of drives in which an opponent punts, commits a turnover or gives the ball up on downs.
NU’s stop rate over eight games in 2020 was 57.1%. That’s down from 2019 (66.5%, ranked 54th) and 2018 (62.2%). It's somewhat expected with the absence of nonconference games, which tend to inflate many statistics. Illinois, for example, experienced a similar drop from 2019 to 2020.
Iowa, on the other hand, did not. The Hawkeyes finished as the nation’s leader in stop rate at 81%. They’ve finished in the top 20 in each of the last three years. Wisconsin was No. 2 at 78.9%. Indiana (ninth) and Northwestern (12th) also finished in the top 15.
On the other end of the spectrum, Illinois finished 98th, and head coach Lovie Smith was fired before the end of the season. Michigan finished 105th, and the Wolverines fired defensive coordinator Don Brown, who landed at Arizona, which finished 112th.
Nebraska was closer to that end, allowing 2.35 points per drive. Some of the reason — perhaps a great deal of it — is related to the messes the Husker offense and special teams left the defense to clean up.
https://omaha.com/sports/huskers/football/mckewon-a-key-for-husker-football-in-2021-stop-serving-up-points-on-a-silver/article_231d14b4-7d28-11eb-9d28-a7dda4846b6e.amp.html
