Tag: Ryan Rizzo

10 Statistics That Might Surprise You

The Crowd storms the field after Tufts' first win of the season (courtesy of Tufts University)
The Crowd storms the field after Tufts’ first win of the season (courtesy of Tufts University)

Editors Note: This article was co-written by Joe MacDonald and Adam Lamont

Between our statistics page and the wealth of information over at the NESCAC site, a football aficionado can spend hours pouring over statistics if he/she were to feel so inclined. However, most of us don’t have that kind of time to do that type of thing. Fortunately for you, we make it our job to do just that. So here are 10 statistics that don’t jump out but nevertheless tell us a lot about how the conference has been shaking out, and frankly are just plain interesting.

1. Wesleyan Defensive 3rd Down Percentage: 23 percent

This is the lowest mark in the NESCAC by a good deal and is an insanely low percentage in general. The lowest NFL percentage is the Indianapolis Colts at 31.1 percent, and Wesleyan is sixth nationwide in Divison-III for defensive third down percentage. Even in Amherst’s victory over the Cardinals, the Jeffs only converted 3-14 third downs. Primarily responsible for this is the Cardinals all-star secondary which is the best in the NESCAC. Windows simply don’t exist downfield on clear passing downs. Another statistic for how good the Wesleyan secondary is: they are allowing 4.6 yards per passing attempt, the only team allowing fewer than five yards.

2. Williams Tackles For Loss Per Game: 4.33

Coming into the season the expectation was that the William defensive line was its strongest unit, capable of keeping the Ephs in games. After all it was a unit that had 19 sacks in 2013 and returned their three top sack performers this year. But the line has not repeated its production from last year. James Howe ’16 has enjoyed steady play but has not had a single sack after his breakout campaign last year. That has not necessarily been because of offenses focusing on him since nobody else has seen an uptick in production this year. A big reason for Williams’ disappointing season is their inability to make big plays on the defensive front.

3. Hamilton First Downs Allowed Per Game: 15.16

Given the Continentals record of 0-6, it would seem likely that the defense allows a lot of first downs per game, but their defense actually ranks second behind Trinity (13.83) in the category. Maybe they just let up a lot of big plays? That has something to do with it but not a lot as Hamilton is still only fifth in opponents’ yard per game. The reason for it is that the Hamilton defense doesn’t see many plays. Opponents only run 63 plays against them a game, the lowest mark in the NESCAC.

4. Number of Consecutive Years that Middlebury Has Had the NESCAC’s Leading Passer: 6

And Matt Milano ’16 appears ready to make it seven years in a row. Mac Foote ’14 led the league for three years in row after Donnie McKillop ’11 started the streak in 2008. Jesse Warren ’15 is only 64 yards behind Milano and Austin Lommen ’16 is also only 92 yards back. Still those two have to face very tough defenses in their remaining games while Milano has to face Hamilton and Tufts, two defenses that he should be able to exploit. The most likely possibility that keeps Milano from winning the passing crown is if the Panthers get up big early in both games and they run the ball the entire second half.

5. NESCAC Rank of Middlebury’s Top Receiver: Ninth

Last year Middlebury boasted three of the top four receivers in terms of yards, but this year has not seen any one player dominate. Grant Luna ’17 was the number one target the first couple of weeks, but injuries have kept him out the last two games. In his absence Matt Minno ’16, the team’s leading wideout last year, has risen to the occasion with Luna out and supplied five touchdowns in two weeks. Brendan Rankowitz ’15 has been a consistent threat having multiple catches in every game. Those three rank ninth through eleventh in receiving yards. Following them, running back Drew Jacobs ’18 is the safety valve tied for the lead in receptions for Middlebury, and Ryan Rizzo ’17 has come on strong in the past two weeks with 14 catches in place of Luna. Oh, by the way, with the exception of Rankowitz, all of these guys are back next year.

6. Solo Tackles for Mike Stearns ’17 (Tufts): 56

The next closest total in the NESCAC is 41 by Dan Pierce ’16 (Middlebury). What makes it so amazing it is that Stearns plays corner. The Tufts coaches trust his instincts and give Stearns free reign to come up quickly on run plays in order to seal off the edge. Stearns’ ability to avoid blockers and make a sure-handed tackle also helps the Jumbos to send extra pressure up the middle because they know they won’t be burned on the edges. Two things to keep in mind however: firstly, Tufts faces the most plays per team and secondly, Stearns’ solo tackles are likely inflated a little by scorekeepers because they are able to clearly distinguish his plays.

7. Carries for Bowdoin’s Tyler Grant ’17: 162

That’s 134 more carries than the next man on the depth chart, Garrett Thomas ’17, and Grant has accounted for 70 percent of the Polar Bears’ carries in 2014. Grant has 53 more carries than Chudi Iregbulem ’15, who is second in the NESCAC. His six touchdowns are tied for second in the league. And Grant has already surpassed last year’s carry total by 65. Time to give credit where credit is due to this Bowdoin workhorse.

8. Colby’s Field Goal Percentage: 25 percent

Granted, kicker Louw Scheepers ’15 has only attempted four field goals, but he’s still only knocked one through. Funny enough, his make, from 46 yards, was longer than any of his misses (42, 40, 31). Scheepers has been solid on his extra points though, making 11-12. Scheepers miss in OT from 42 last week was the only real significant miss he’s had, but still he could be called on over the final two weeks to make a big kick or two. What’s surprising is that Scheepers was 7-11 on field goals last season, so he’s better than he’s put forward so far.

9. All-Purpose Yards for Tufts’ Zack Trause ’15: 871

Trause leads the league in all-purpose yards, and it’s not particularly close. The utility man averages 145.2 yards per game, while Iregbulem clocks in at second with 122.4. Trause is the league’s leading punt returner and is second in kick return yards (but first in average with 36.4 yards per kick return) in addition to his efforts on the offensive side of the ball.

10. Tufts’ Total Attendance: 10,993

We can’t put too much stock into the recorded attendances for NESCAC football games, because there’s no gates and spectators often come and go. But just have faith in the numbers for a moment. That Tufts has put 3,000 more proverbial butts in the seats than any other team in the NESCAC goes to show how the football culture is shifting in Medford. It also helps if you win.

Middlebury Struggles to a 2-8 Record in Tucson; Swept by Williams

Although the Panthers played their first ten games in sunny Tucson, their results seem more appropriate for dreary, frigid Middlebury. The Panthers finished the trip at 2-8, closing with an abysmal sweep at the hands of William, highlighted by scores of 18-5 and 20-2 in favor of the Ephs.

So here we stand, at the first checkpoint of the season, and suffice to say it has not been an auspicious start for Middlebury. To rationalize this rough start, we must go back to the questions that loomed largest entering the season; how would the team react to the quitting of Hunter Merryman and Dylan Sinnickson, and the additional losses of the graduating seniors like Mike Morris, Tom Driscoll and Tom Rafferty.

Because almost all of the personnel losses that the Panthers suffered were established position players, it was clear that younger, unproven players would have to step up, and that the pitching and defense would have to somewhat carry a probably struggling offense. On the first count, there has been some level of success.  First-year Ryan Rizzo, Sinnickson’s replacement in CF, who has speed comparable to the basketball star, had been playing very well, stealing  bases five bases in one game. However, a knee injury suffered on Friday against Williams hindered his speed and confidence at the plate in the final two games of the weekend. If the injury works itself out, the Panthers could have a stud CF on their hands for the next four seasons, but if the pain lingers then a major offensive weapon will be damaged for Middlebury. Offensively, there have been several other positives. Sophomore Johnny Luke has stepped in to claim the third spot in the lineup, hitting .375 with 10 RBI already and one long ball. Luke’s classmate Max Araya and first-year Jason Lock have also stepped up offensively, hitting .395 and .317. And obviously, senior captain Alex Kelly has been playing a starring role, batting .422 from the top two slots in the lineup.

The problems that the Panther have had have been mostly related to atrocious defense. Although Rizzo and Kelly have been solid in the outfield, the other corner outfield spot has been a revolving door, with first-year Cullen Coleman and sophomore converted-infielder Garret Werner both going around and out after some poor defense. Werner continues to bounce between the infield and outfield. His speed and strong (though often inaccurate) arm make him a good candidate for right field. Meanwhile, first-years Lukas Marble and Mike Yang have played well in limited time, and may be next in line for a shot at regular playing time. Lock, too, is a candidate for some outfield time, though more likely is that he remains the every day DH, as he was on Saturday during the team’s doubleheader. Araya played a solid game in right field, but his defense is needed far more at catcher and second base.

The infield defense, however, is where the real problems lie.  Johnny Luke, despite his powerful bat, had immense problems throwing the ball from third to fist, as did junior Danny Andrada and first-year Mason Hinckley from short. The coaching staff decided to make a statement on Wednesday by tossing starting pitcher Matt Leach in to second base mid-game, and then starting the junior for all three games against Williams at either second or short. Leach played respectively, but it is unclear whether Bob Smith intends to keep the lanky high school shortstop in the lineup or end the experiment. Araya plays an above-average second base, but is much more valuable at catcher, where first-year Vermont native Charlie Boardman has not yet made the offensive leap, and anytime you can get a wonderful defensive catcher who can also rake you ought to take advantage of that situation. In order to get him out of the left side of the infield, Luke moved over to first base, with Lock manning DH and sophomore Joe MacDonald moving to third. This could be a consistent lineup, but if there’s one thing we know about this Panthers team, it’s that positional consistency is not one of their strong points.

The pitching has also been pretty bad, quite frankly. Granted, the inconsistent defense hasn’t helped with the pitchers’ confidence, but it’s not like there have been zero earned runs given up either. The only pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 is sophomore Cooper Byrne, who padded his stats in a blowout of Cal Tech, who has won exactly one game in the last ten years. The rest of the pitching, considered to be a strength in the preseason, has been disappointing, especially junior captain and ace starter Eric Truss, who carried a 19.44 ERA back to Vermont.

Middlebury was expected to struggle offensively. Replacing the production of Sinnickson, Merryman and the departing seniors was not going to be easy, and indeed at this point looks impossible this season. But the offense has been okay, with several key cogs stepping up. The pitching, a facet of the game that is independent of the departed players, and defense, an almost primarily mental aspect of the game, have been the problems. If there’s one positive to hold to at this stage it is the Panthers’ youth, but at some point that can not be used as an excuse any longer. The current players will need to improve quickly if they hope to win some games and solidify spots for next year. If the Panthers can live up to their pitching potential and play even adequate defense, their offensive momentum could breath life into this season. If they can’t, then this Arizona trip will not be viewed as a slump, but the norm for the rest of the season.