The highest-scoring bowl game
WVU, Syracuse should put up plenty of points in Pinstripe Bowl
By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider
The 2011 college bowl season had more than its share of interesting moments, but the most exciting contest by far was the Alamo Bowl battle between the Washington Huskies and Baylor Bears.
That 67-56 shootout reaffirmed Robert Griffin III as one of the most compelling talents in college football while at the same time serving as an introduction for many people to the prolific skills of Huskies quarterback Keith Price.
The game in the 2012 bowl season that is most likely to mimic that tilt for the honor of the postseason's most exciting -- and highest-scoring -- game is the New Era Pinstripe Bowl between the West Virginia Mountaineers and Syracuse Orange.
Let's take a look at three reasons why it will be a game to remember.
Record-setting quarterbacks
Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith was at one time a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy and has a skill set impressive enough to garner a spot on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board.
Tops among that skill list is an accurate arm that helped Smith rank first in the nation in passing touchdowns (40), second in completion percentage (71.4), third in completions per game (29.2), fourth in passing yards per game (333.7) and total passing yards (4,004), sixth in total offense (346.6) and seventh in passing efficiency (164.6).
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Smith's precision throws helped him to set a team record for consecutive completions (21) and tie for the FBS record for single-game completion percentage (95.8 percent). He also set the record for completion percentage in game with a minimum of 50 pass attempts by going 45-of-51 against Baylor (88.2 percent).
What makes Smith's performance even more impressive is that he operated an offense with a significant vertical presence (32.2 percent of his passes in games against BCS conference opponents were thrown 11 or more yards downfield) while maintaining a low 1.9 percent bad decision rate (BDR). BDR gauges how often a quarterback makes a mental error that leads to a turnover opportunity for the opposing team and being below 2 percent in that category is a number that a passer operating in a much safer dink-and-dunk offense would be proud of.
Ryan Nassib, Syracuse's QB, is not quite as prolific as Smith but he certainly has more than a few statistical highlights of note.
He set a school record for most passing yards in a season (3,619) on his way to becoming only the fourth quarterback in Big East history to pass for more than 9,000 yards in a career.
Nassib also ranks in the top four in Syracuse history in touchdown passes (68), completions (780), completion percentage (60.5), passing efficiency (132.8), passing yards per game (201.3), total offense (9,215) and total offense per game (196.1).
To really get an idea of just how dangerous Nassib and this passing offense can be, consider this: his 8.1 yards per attempt (YPA) mark ranks tied for 25th nationally and is higher than the YPA marks posted by Marcus Mariota (8.0), Tyler Bray (8.0), Brett Hundley (8.0) or Landry Jones (7.9).
Record-setting wide receivers
There are a number of college football teams that can boast of having as much passing and receiving talent as West Virginia, but no other program right now can say it has two 1,000-yard wide receivers and a 4,000-yard passer.
The first of those wideouts is Tavon Austin. Austin is the Mountaineers career leader in receptions (284) and receiving yards (7,136), and ranks second in career touchdown receptions (29).
Those prolific figures say a lot about Austin talents, yet to see his true skill level it is helpful to look at two statistical areas.
The first is Austin's route-depth metrics against BCS conference caliber competition:
<!-- begin inline 2 -->Tavon Austin's stats by route depth, 2012
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Most receivers who end up in the double-digit range for total YPA do so with a relatively large volume of vertical passes. For Austin to end up in that range despite seeing only 16 vertical targets all season long speaks volumes for his ability to turn a short throw into a large gain.
The second area is Austin's all-purpose figures. His 572 all-purpose yards against the Oklahoma Sooners shattered the previous school record of 356 yards, set a Big 12 single-game record and was the second-best mark in NCAA history. He and Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson were the only two players this season to score touchdowns in four different ways.
Stedman Bailey is no second fiddle to Austin, as he has set team records for most receiving touchdowns in a season (23) and career (39). Bailey also ranks third in the nation in receiving yards per game (125.1) and fourth in receptions per game (8.8). However, what really makes him stand out is an ability to torch any level of cornerback the opposing team sends to stop him.
This skill showed up in the game against Oklahoma, as Austin tallied 11 completions in 17 targets for 190 yards and three touchdowns when squaring off against Sooners cornerback Aaron Colvin, a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Syracuse wideout Alec Lemon can't quite keep up with Austin or Bailey, but just like Nassib he has a notable group of achievements.
This year he became only the third Syracuse receiver to ever post a 1,000-yard season and set a single-season team mark for receptions (70) on his way to a team record for career receptions (199). Lemon also ranks 16th in the nation in receiving yards per game (96.6).
A penchant for both making and allowing big plays on defense
Both offenses are good enough to score points in nearly any environment and that will be augmented by defenses that give up and make their share of big plays.
For example, Syracuse had their 90 tackles for loss, which ranks 12th nationally according to cfbstats.com. On the flip side, the Orange defense started the season by allowing 42 points in each of its first two games and ended the season allowing 144 points in its last five games.
The good news for West Virginia is that the Mountaineers have posted four defensive/special teams touchdowns this year, a total that is only two short of the school record of six defensive/special teams touchdowns that was tallied last year.
The bad news for the Mountaineers is they have allowed 457 points this season, which is the highest points allowed total in school history. The bulk of those points have come through the air, as West Virginia's defense is allowing 9.6 yards per pass attempt and has an incredibly bad 36-9 touchdown/interception ratio.
All of these elements should blend together for the most exciting shootout contest of the bowl season. West Virginia's offense will likely eventually push them over the top for a victory, but Syracuse is the type of team that will force the Mountaineers to have to post at least 40 points to win. Either way it turns out, it's the type of contest that could leave college football fans talking about this game for a long time.</offer>
WVU, Syracuse should put up plenty of points in Pinstripe Bowl
By KC Joyner | ESPN Insider
The 2011 college bowl season had more than its share of interesting moments, but the most exciting contest by far was the Alamo Bowl battle between the Washington Huskies and Baylor Bears.
That 67-56 shootout reaffirmed Robert Griffin III as one of the most compelling talents in college football while at the same time serving as an introduction for many people to the prolific skills of Huskies quarterback Keith Price.
The game in the 2012 bowl season that is most likely to mimic that tilt for the honor of the postseason's most exciting -- and highest-scoring -- game is the New Era Pinstripe Bowl between the West Virginia Mountaineers and Syracuse Orange.
Let's take a look at three reasons why it will be a game to remember.
Record-setting quarterbacks
Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith was at one time a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy and has a skill set impressive enough to garner a spot on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board.
Tops among that skill list is an accurate arm that helped Smith rank first in the nation in passing touchdowns (40), second in completion percentage (71.4), third in completions per game (29.2), fourth in passing yards per game (333.7) and total passing yards (4,004), sixth in total offense (346.6) and seventh in passing efficiency (164.6).
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Smith's precision throws helped him to set a team record for consecutive completions (21) and tie for the FBS record for single-game completion percentage (95.8 percent). He also set the record for completion percentage in game with a minimum of 50 pass attempts by going 45-of-51 against Baylor (88.2 percent).
What makes Smith's performance even more impressive is that he operated an offense with a significant vertical presence (32.2 percent of his passes in games against BCS conference opponents were thrown 11 or more yards downfield) while maintaining a low 1.9 percent bad decision rate (BDR). BDR gauges how often a quarterback makes a mental error that leads to a turnover opportunity for the opposing team and being below 2 percent in that category is a number that a passer operating in a much safer dink-and-dunk offense would be proud of.
Ryan Nassib, Syracuse's QB, is not quite as prolific as Smith but he certainly has more than a few statistical highlights of note.
He set a school record for most passing yards in a season (3,619) on his way to becoming only the fourth quarterback in Big East history to pass for more than 9,000 yards in a career.
Nassib also ranks in the top four in Syracuse history in touchdown passes (68), completions (780), completion percentage (60.5), passing efficiency (132.8), passing yards per game (201.3), total offense (9,215) and total offense per game (196.1).
To really get an idea of just how dangerous Nassib and this passing offense can be, consider this: his 8.1 yards per attempt (YPA) mark ranks tied for 25th nationally and is higher than the YPA marks posted by Marcus Mariota (8.0), Tyler Bray (8.0), Brett Hundley (8.0) or Landry Jones (7.9).
Record-setting wide receivers
There are a number of college football teams that can boast of having as much passing and receiving talent as West Virginia, but no other program right now can say it has two 1,000-yard wide receivers and a 4,000-yard passer.
The first of those wideouts is Tavon Austin. Austin is the Mountaineers career leader in receptions (284) and receiving yards (7,136), and ranks second in career touchdown receptions (29).
Those prolific figures say a lot about Austin talents, yet to see his true skill level it is helpful to look at two statistical areas.
The first is Austin's route-depth metrics against BCS conference caliber competition:
<!-- begin inline 2 -->Tavon Austin's stats by route depth, 2012
| Route Depth | Comp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Pen | Pen Yds | YPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short (1-10 yards) | 71 | 84 | 702 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 8.4 | |
| Medium (11-19 yards) | 11 | 14 | 208 | 2 | 14.9 | |||
| Deep (20-29 yards) | 3 | 7 | 103 | 1 | 14.7 | |||
| Bomb (30+ yards) | 2 | 4 | 84 | 1 | 21.0 | |||
| Total | 87 | 109 | 1097 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 10.1 | |
| Vertical (11+ yards) | 16 | 25 | 395 | 4 | 15.8 | |||
| Stretch Vertical (20+ yards) | 5 | 11 | 187 | 2 | 17.0 |
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Most receivers who end up in the double-digit range for total YPA do so with a relatively large volume of vertical passes. For Austin to end up in that range despite seeing only 16 vertical targets all season long speaks volumes for his ability to turn a short throw into a large gain.
The second area is Austin's all-purpose figures. His 572 all-purpose yards against the Oklahoma Sooners shattered the previous school record of 356 yards, set a Big 12 single-game record and was the second-best mark in NCAA history. He and Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson were the only two players this season to score touchdowns in four different ways.
Stedman Bailey is no second fiddle to Austin, as he has set team records for most receiving touchdowns in a season (23) and career (39). Bailey also ranks third in the nation in receiving yards per game (125.1) and fourth in receptions per game (8.8). However, what really makes him stand out is an ability to torch any level of cornerback the opposing team sends to stop him.
This skill showed up in the game against Oklahoma, as Austin tallied 11 completions in 17 targets for 190 yards and three touchdowns when squaring off against Sooners cornerback Aaron Colvin, a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
Syracuse wideout Alec Lemon can't quite keep up with Austin or Bailey, but just like Nassib he has a notable group of achievements.
This year he became only the third Syracuse receiver to ever post a 1,000-yard season and set a single-season team mark for receptions (70) on his way to a team record for career receptions (199). Lemon also ranks 16th in the nation in receiving yards per game (96.6).
A penchant for both making and allowing big plays on defense
Both offenses are good enough to score points in nearly any environment and that will be augmented by defenses that give up and make their share of big plays.
For example, Syracuse had their 90 tackles for loss, which ranks 12th nationally according to cfbstats.com. On the flip side, the Orange defense started the season by allowing 42 points in each of its first two games and ended the season allowing 144 points in its last five games.
The good news for West Virginia is that the Mountaineers have posted four defensive/special teams touchdowns this year, a total that is only two short of the school record of six defensive/special teams touchdowns that was tallied last year.
The bad news for the Mountaineers is they have allowed 457 points this season, which is the highest points allowed total in school history. The bulk of those points have come through the air, as West Virginia's defense is allowing 9.6 yards per pass attempt and has an incredibly bad 36-9 touchdown/interception ratio.
All of these elements should blend together for the most exciting shootout contest of the bowl season. West Virginia's offense will likely eventually push them over the top for a victory, but Syracuse is the type of team that will force the Mountaineers to have to post at least 40 points to win. Either way it turns out, it's the type of contest that could leave college football fans talking about this game for a long time.</offer>
