Was 2025 really an improvement over 2024?

[Blakejc]

In B10 play

	2024	2025
PPG	20.4 (13th)	22.7 (11th)
YPG	337 (11th)	315 (15th)
PPG allowed	24.2 (10th)	28.0 (12th)
YPG allowed	335 (8th)	349 (8th)

 

[gtlacey]

Riley’s three years stack up against Rhule’s three years.

Context is that which is scarce

 

[gtlacey]

In B10 play

	2024	2025
PPG	20.4 (13th)	22.7 (11th)
YPG	337 (11th)	315 (15th)
PPG allowed	24.2 (10th)	28.0 (12th)
YPG allowed	335 (8th)	349 (8th)

Thanks for putting this together! Watching the Cockeye and Penn St game, it was apparent how important Raiola was at giving our D a break by just avoiding 3 and outs and it shows in how much worse our D's stats were post Raiola injury.

2024	2025	2025 w/ Raiola	2025 w/out Raiola
20.4 (13th)	22.7 (11th)	25.00	18.00
337 (11th)	315 (15th)	293	326
24.2 (10th)	28.0 (12th)	25.67	32.67
335 (8th)	349 (8th)	334	380

 

[gtlacey]

Riley’s three years stack up against Rhule’s three years.

Riley inherited a team that had been top 30 the year before and managed within three years to field the worst team we've had in probably 50 years. Each year under Riley was worse than the year before.

Rhule inhereited a team that had been 70th the year before has improved each year (until Raiola got hurt).

To say Rhule and Riley are similar in their first three years is lazy surface-level analysis.

 

[GAHusker]

I think Rhule is the best used car salesman on the planet.

This guy sucks.

He also doesn’t do any of the shit he promises.

He always suggests his philosophy involves playing physically, running the ball, stopping the run, having stout lines etc., but then we go out and get bullied by most of the league, including PJ Fleck. And in the offseason we settled on Moore and George because we spent most of our war chest on WRs. lol

 

[herbsinator]

Yep and on the flip side, add Ek to last year’s team and they probably win 8 and then it’s clear the team as a whole did not get better.

Okay well Rhule did actually hire Ek. It’s not like Ek just forced his way on to the team. So I guess you could give some credit to Rhule for making the move?

 

[Irv]

Okay well Rhule did actually hire Ek. It’s not like Ek just forced his way on to the team. So I guess you could give some credit to Rhule for making the move?

Of course. The point is, that’s where any improvement actually happened, while the other phases stagnated/regressed.

Hopefully he takes to heart what can happen when you hire well.

 

[Milo-of-Croton]

There was a bit of progress, but not near enough. Minnesota and Cockeye for certain are unexplainable and unacceptable losses in my mind. It was a collapse.

 

[BorWhiskey]

@kenyanfeline your DM is worth sharing here regarding the comparison.

 

[kenyanfeline]

@kenyanfeline your DM is worth sharing here regarding the comparison.

There was some other contrast around this but my conclusion is basically that our talent was better but our performance was worse because of where the talent was/wasnt:

Go through each position group, assign them plusses and minuses relative to if the personal groups go better. Not necessarily production related, just “are the players better or worse, and how much better or worse? (Subjective, eye test)

Here is what we essentially came up with:

1. QB: +
2. RB: ++
3. WR: ++
4. TE: =
5. OT: - -
6. IOL: +

7. DL: - - -
8. Edge: +
9. LB: - -
10. CB: +
11. S: -

12. P/K: ++
13. PR/KR: ++


For me:
-8 position groups got better
-1 position group stayed the same
-4 position groups got worse

*again, not basing this off of production, basing it off of perceived talent*

So….if the majority of our position groups were more talented, how were we not better, especially against a cupcake schedule?

His point, and I totally do get this, is that if you look at what positions compliment each other, it’s pretty clear that some areas weren’t able to show their improvement because of regression in other areas, and some areas that took a step back ended up hamstringing other areas that took a step back.

Key takeaways:

• Running Game (Better):
  • RB and IOL both taking small steps forward in perceived talent helped our rushing attack.
• Passing Game (Better):
  • QB was a little better, WR’s were much better, TE was probably a wash. So why was out passing offense only marginally better?
    • Our OT’s were awful and got worse.
    • Dylan got hurt so never got to see it truly play out, and TJ wasn’t ready.
• Passing Defense (Better):
  • CB’s were a little better and JoBU, to his credit, can out scheme the fuck out people when he knows they are gonna pass.
  • Our edges were ok in obvious passing situations at getting pressure, especially early in the season.
• Rushing Defense (Worse):
  • Our DL got worse. Much worse
  • Our LB’s go a little worse.
  • Our safeties got a little worse, and the main guy we lost was actually great in run support and making sure that 8 yard runs don’t turn into 50 yard runs (Gifford).

Even though our roster was unequivocally more talented this year at most spots, we were unable to capitalize because the defensive line got much worse, the linebackers we have to clean up their messes were a little worse, and our safeties got better in pass support but got worse at why we ultimately needed them to be able to do, which is tackle a guy who makes it through our shitty 1st level and average second level.

What does any of that mean? Nothing. But I guess a guy who is pretty level-headed and knows football thinks it wasn’t as bad as our eyes think.

 

[king_kong_]

we played 7 bowl eligible teams

we went 2-5 in these games

our wins: 7-5 cincy and 6-6 northwestern

 

[gtlacey]

we played 7 bowl eligible teams

we went 2-5 in these games

our wins: 7-5 cincy and 6-6 northwestern

Hey, better than Mizzou or Tennesee and one of them is still ranked! I think between the two of them, Missouri beat one bowl-eligible team, and it was Louisiana.

 

[Pipe Line]

We were better in the games we hoped to upset in.
We were worse in the games that we always circle as Ws.
We were a little better in the neutral games like NW, MI State, Maryland


That is an overall identity issue and is up and down the system from coaches to players. That screams complacency and not showing up with the same mindset each day.

 

[GAHusker]

There was some other contrast around this but my conclusion is basically that our talent was better but our performance was worse because of where the talent was/wasnt:

Go through each position group, assign them plusses and minuses relative to if the personal groups go better. Not necessarily production related, just “are the players better or worse, and how much better or worse? (Subjective, eye test)

Here is what we essentially came up with:

1. QB: +
2. RB: ++
3. WR: ++
4. TE: =
5. OT: - -
6. IOL: +

7. DL: - - -
8. Edge: +
9. LB: - -
10. CB: +
11. S: -

12. P/K: ++
13. PR/KR: ++


For me:
-8 position groups got better
-1 position group stayed the same
-4 position groups got worse

*again, not basing this off of production, basing it off of perceived talent*

So….if the majority of our position groups were more talented, how were we not better, especially against a cupcake schedule?

His point, and I totally do get this, is that if you look at what positions compliment each other, it’s pretty clear that some areas weren’t able to show their improvement because of regression in other areas, and some areas that took a step back ended up hamstringing other areas that took a step back.

Key takeaways:

• Running Game (Better):
  • RB and IOL both taking small steps forward in perceived talent helped our rushing attack.
• Passing Game (Better):
  • QB was a little better, WR’s were much better, TE was probably a wash. So why was out passing offense only marginally better?
    • Our OT’s were awful and got worse.
    • Dylan got hurt so never got to see it truly play out, and TJ wasn’t ready.
• Passing Defense (Better):
  • CB’s were a little better and JoBU, to his credit, can out scheme the fuck out people when he knows they are gonna pass.
  • Our edges were ok in obvious passing situations at getting pressure, especially early in the season.
• Rushing Defense (Worse):
  • Our DL got worse. Much worse
  • Our LB’s go a little worse.
  • Our safeties got a little worse, and the main guy we lost was actually great in run support and making sure that 8 yard runs don’t turn into 50 yard runs (Gifford).

Even though our roster was unequivocally more talented this year at most spots, we were unable to capitalize because the defensive line got much worse, the linebackers we have to clean up their messes were a little worse, and our safeties got better in pass support but got worse at why we ultimately needed them to be able to do, which is tackle a guy who makes it through our shitty 1st level and average second level.

What does any of that mean? Nothing. But I guess a guy who is pretty level-headed and knows football thinks it wasn’t as bad as our eyes think.

I agree on everything other than edge. We got worse at edge this year

 

[Turn Down for What]

We were better in the games we hoped to upset in.
We were worse in the games that we always circle as Ws.
We were a little better in the neutral games like NW, MI State, Maryland


That is an overall identity issue and is up and down the system from coaches to players. That screams complacency and not showing up with the same mindset each day.

Boom. This.

 

[SoCal_Corn]

Never too early to look at 2026

5 wins
4 blowout losses
3 road games that we will probably go 1-2 in.

 

[Dr.DrakeRamoray]

Never too early to look at 2026

5 wins
4 blowout losses
3 road games that we will probably go 1-2 in.

View attachment 63096

Oregon and Ohio State will be blow outs. We will likely lose to UW (it’s at home) and IU (they lose an insane amount of production) but I wouldn’t mark them as blow outs, yet.

 

[gtlacey]

Oregon and Ohio State will be blow outs. We will likely lose to UW (it’s at home) and IU (they lose an insane amount of production) but I wouldn’t mark them as blow outs, yet.

UW is good, but they almost lost to Maryland this year. I wouldn't put them in the same category as Oregon, tOSU or Indiana.

 

[SlumpBuster]

Never too early to look at 2026

5 wins
4 blowout losses
3 road games that we will probably go 1-2 in.

View attachment 63096

I think Wash should be a ???

 

[Baron Winnebago]

Feels kind of early though