re: So we get South Carolina

Nyck Harbor was their TE last year. Caught a TD pass. Moved to WR this year. Ran I believe 10.1 100 meter in HS at 220lbs.

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Last year, I think SC had a much better team and still only beat Mizzou by one score.

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I think it'll be close, like 34-29 area.

What the hell is "rush defense efficiency?" And how are we so low?

I don't know, but we've got 8 more footballs than they do. I figure if we pop their only ball there's no way they can score.

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What the hell is "rush defense efficiency?" And how are we so low?

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I was not 100% sure myself so I went to ask the ChatGPT how they get that stat and data:

1. What It Measures

Rush defense efficiency evaluates how well a defense stops the run on a per-play basis, adjusted for situation, opponent, and outcomes. Instead of just saying “Team X allows 120 rushing yards per game,” efficiency tries to capture how successful those runs were for the offense.

2. Core Concepts Behind the Metric

Different outlets calculate it differently, but the common building blocks include:

Yards Per Carry Allowed (YPC): Base stat (total rush yards ÷ rush attempts).

Success Rate Allowed: A run is “successful” if it gains a set % of needed yards (e.g., 50% on 1st down, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th).

Expected Points Added (EPA): How much a rushing play increases the offense’s likelihood of scoring. A defense with good rush efficiency allows very low (or negative) EPA per rush.

Opponent Adjustment: Good defenses get credit for shutting down strong rushing teams more than weak ones.

Explosiveness/Big Play Rate: Percentage of runs allowed over 10+ or 20+ yards.

Situational Context: Goal line, short yardage, garbage time are factored differently.

3. Example: Football Outsiders’ “Rushing S&P+ / Defensive Rushing Efficiency”

Built from play-by-play data.

Considers success rate, explosiveness, field position, and opponent strength.

Produces a single number (e.g., “Team A is #5 in defensive rushing efficiency”).

4. Why It’s Different from Raw Stats

Raw stat: Team allows 140 rush yards/game.

Efficiency stat: Team allows 3.1 yards per carry, only 32% of opponent runs are “successful,” and the defense ranks #12 nationally in EPA/play vs the run.
? This gives a truer picture of whether opponents are consistently gaining what they need on the ground.

In short:
Rush defense efficiency = a per-play, opponent-adjusted measure of how successful opposing rushing plays are against a defense, usually incorporating yards per carry, success rate, explosive plays, and EPA.