Here's a surprise. Northwestern's defense ranks 46th in the nation in stop rate (definition below), according to TheAthletic. That's better than a lot of pretty good teams, including UCLA, Utah, Oklahoma State and, most relevant right now, Maryland. It's also better than Duke and Miami, two teams that beat NU. Unfortunately, four of the teams NU faces in the coming weeks -- Illinois (3), Iowa (4), Ohio State (5) and Minnesota (9) -- rank in the Top 10.
Definition from the story: What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. This simple metric can offer a more accurate reflection of a defense’s effectiveness in today’s faster-tempo game than yards per game or points per game.
For comparison's sake, NU ranks 75th in scoring defense and 95th in total defense.
theathletic.com
Definition from the story: What is stop rate? It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. This simple metric can offer a more accurate reflection of a defense’s effectiveness in today’s faster-tempo game than yards per game or points per game.
For comparison's sake, NU ranks 75th in scoring defense and 95th in total defense.
Stop rate standings: Michigan surges to No. 1 at midseason
We have a new leader in our stop rate standings, which shouldn’t come as a surprise if you watched Michigan's performance last Saturday.
theathletic.com
