2013 is over and 2014 is here. Some will say that last season doesn’t mean anything. We beg to differ. Of course, some of the players (and coaches) from last year have changed, but oftentimes we can use past performance to help predict the future. Here are the 20 statistics from 2013 that you need to know.
1. 15:3. We start with the preseason favorite Wesleyan Cardinals. 15:3 was quarterback Jesse Warren’s touchdown-to-interception ratio, and for what it’s worth, Warren ’15 had zero interceptions in the season’s first seven games. His poise and ball control are what keep the Cardinals’ churning on offense.
2. 137.8. Speaking of quarterbacks, 137.8 was how many more passing yards per game that Middlebury had than the second-best passing team, Amherst. Of course, Mac Foote ’14 was responsible for 99% of that production, but rest assured the Panthers will continue to air it out with whomever is behind center.
3. 6.4. Another Wesleyan tid bit. The yards per offensive play recorded by the Cardinals in 2013.
4. 43. That’s how many years it had been since Wesleyan won a Little Three title. Despite averaging only 4.8 yards per offensive play against Amherst and Williams, Wesleyan captured that crown last year.
5. 51. The number of games in a row that Wesleyan’s in-state rival, Trinity, has won at home at Jessee-Miller Field. The Bantams last home loss came on Sept. 29, 2001 against Williams, and Trinity has not lost since the old grass surface was replaced with turf in the early 2000’s.
6. 31. At the other end of the spectrum are the Tufts Jumbos, who haven’t won a football game since the 2010 season opener on Sept. 25 against Hamilton. That’s 31 straight losses. The good news for Jumbos’ fans is that the team opens 2014 against a Hamilton squad that has lost 12 straight games in its own right.
7. 4.2. You’ll see a lot of love for the Ephs in this space over the next couple weeks, despite their 2-6 record in 2013. Part of that is due to the fact that the Ephs lost a lot of close games last season, and the 4.2 yards per defensive play allowed by the Williams’ defense, ranking them third in that category and just 0.2 YPP behind the league-leading Amherst defense, speaks to a unit that was better than its sixth-place ranking in points per game allowed. If the offense improves and opponents stop getting the ball with short fields to go, Williams will improve mightily this year.
8. 163. The number of tackles over the last two seasons by rising junior Tim Patricia of Middlebury, most in the NESCAC. Middlebury’s no-huddle offense creates more plays on both sides of the ball, so the Panthers’ tackle numbers are inflated somewhat, but there’s no denying this California native’s nose for the ball, and his ability to be this productive in his first two collegiate seasons is impressive.
9. 26.8. Trinity led the entire country in kickoff return average (28.1), and a large part of that was the 26.8 yards per return averaged by freshman Darrien Myers. Junior Ian Dugger boosted that averaged with a 99-yard touchdown return, but watch out for Myers again in the return game in 2014.
10. 7-7. Bowdoin sophomore Andrew Murowchick was the only kicker in the NESCAC to be perfect on field goal attempts. Though he did muff two extra points…
11. 35%. The percentage of receiving yards that were accrued by Hamilton wideout Joe Jensen ’15. Unfortunately for first-year coach Dave Murray, Jensen is hanging up the football cleats, which we noted back in mid-August.
Confirmed by football HC Murray and Joe Jensen himself, @HamCollSports WR/OF/sprinter will not be playing football this fall
— Nothing But NESCAC (@CACSportsBlog) August 17, 2014
12. 72%. The percentage of total yards Colby quarterback Justin Ciero accounted for in Colby’s offense. Ciero is no longer on the team after transferring to the University of Rochester. Gabe Harrington ’16 and transfer Michael Ecke are battling for the starting position this year.
13. 51%. Bowdoin QB Mac Caputi ’14 had the lowest completion percentage of qualifying quarterbacks. Caputi, son of head coach Dave Caputi, should see this percentage go up as his two top receivers (Ethan Drigotas ’15 and Dan Barone ’16) return.
14. 101. Amount of rushing yards for Bates running back Ivan Reese ’17 in his only start against Middlebury. That was the only game Reese had more than 10 carries, but with Ryan Curit ’14 gone, Reese will see the majority share of the carries.
15. 9.5. Tackles for loss by Tufts defensive lineman James Brao, the most of any Tufts player. The Tufts defense has to make more big plays if they want to see improvement, and Brao will have to be a big part of that.
16. 3. Number of fumbles, all of which were lost, for Kenny Adinkra ’16. The Amherst running back will have to cut down on those mistakes in order to stay on the field ahead of Nick Kelly ’17.
17. 5. Although Justin Sanchez ’17 can be overlooked with stars Donnie Cimino ’15 and Jake Bussani ’14 (granted another year of eligiblity) in the secondary, but the ball-hawking Sanchez accounted for five turnovers himself, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
18. 7.2 and 6.7. The yards per rush for Trinity running backs Chudi Iregbulem ’15 and Jacob Rivers ’15 respectively. The two have been stuck behind Evan Bunker ’14 and Ben Crick ’14, but will step into the spotlight especially with the unsettled quarterback situation.
19. 15.4. Yards per catch for Williams tight end Alex Way ’16. Expect more targets for Way who only caught 15 balls last year. His production slowed as the year went along, but he could be a dynamic playmaker for the Ephs.
20. 16. Number of days until the NESCAC season starts. It can’t come soon enough.