Big Game Kirk? What do the Stats Say?

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
I ran onto an interesting website Thursday called coachesbythenumbers.com. It's a stat slicer and dicer, so I liked it straight away. Once I got in and looked at the data they had compiled, I spent an hour going over it. What follows are some of the angles I found interesting.

FERENTZ IN BIG GAMES: I think playing against a ranked opponent qualifies as a 'Big Game' Below is how Ferentz's Iowa teams have fared in different splits, plus a few familiar conference names and some from around the country. NOTE: The data sample used by this website goes back to the 2001 season through 2011. That was not my choice of sample, rather what they made available.

Kirk Ferentz
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (3-3) (50.0%)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (18-20) (47.3%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (18-18) (50.0%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (46-35) (56.7%)
Against Teams under .500 (End of Season): (46-12) (79.3%)
Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 50.0%

Bret Bielema
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (1-3)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (9-12) (42.8%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (7-15) (31.8%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (24-17) (58.5%)
Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 60.0%

Bo Pelini
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (0-3)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (6-10) (37.5%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (3-11) (21.4%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (15-14) (51.7%)
Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 60.5%

Mark Dantonio
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (0-2)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (8-20) (28.5%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (6-24) (20.0%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (30-30) (50.0%)
Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 52.3%

Pat Fitzgerald
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (0-2)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (5-14) (26.3%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (4-15) (21.0%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (10-27) (27.0%)
Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 75.0%

Bob Stoops
Against Top 5 (Time of Game): (6-8) (42.8%)
Against Top 25 (Time of Game): (36-18) (66.7%)
Against Top 25 (End of Season): (23-23) (50.0%)
Against Teams Over .500 (End of Season): (63-25) (71.6)

As it relates to Ferentz against the Big Ten coaches listed, his record against rated teams who were rated at the end of the season is by far the best of any of the Big Ten coaches listed, who are also the coaches in the league with the longest tenures. He also has the best record against rated teams at the time the game was played.
 
My guess is that all of those wins for Pat Fitzgerald all came against Iowa. (I know it wasn't, but it sure feels like it.)
 
Yea, but he also has the worst winning % against teams with sub .500 records(end of season). Basically he can get his team up to play top opponets, but struggles to motivate his team against inferior teams.
 
iowaboy85 said:
Yea, but he also has the worst winning % against teams with sub .500 records(end of season). Basically he can get his team up to play top opponets, but struggles to motivate his team against inferior teams.
Click to expand...

Truth. Position coaches and coordinators must take some of the blame though.
 
iowaboy85 said:
Yea, but he also has the worst winning % against teams with sub .500 records(end of season). Basically he can get his team up to play top opponets, but struggles to motivate his team against inferior teams.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is an interesting number.
 
As much as the losing of games to ISU,NW and Minny stings....the winning of huge games vs top opponents are sweeter.

We just need to schedule up in the non-conference instead of playing ISU!!
 
Jon- Why didnt you list any other coach besides Kirk's record against teams that finished the year under .500?
 
Billso said:
Where do you get that? The stat isn't even listed for anyone but Ferentz - and it's 79.3% for Ferentz.
Click to expand...

It's listed for all of them in Jon's post, except for Stoops it flips for some reason to above .500 at end of season.
 
Section136 said:
Jon- Why didnt you list any other coach besides Kirk's record against teams that finished the year under .500?
Click to expand...
I just looked up Bielema...he doesn't have that stat listed.

*Edit - Actually I just looked up Ferentz and missed where the stat was located on his page as well. Hmm...
 
Last edited:
Herk said:
Truth. Position coaches and coordinators must take some of the blame though.
Click to expand...


Yes i understand, but it all starts at the top and Kirk is the leader of the team. I just think the team under Kirk lacks the killer instinct. They do not prey on the weak enough. And that is attributal to they way Kirk coaches in these games (letting off the gas). They need to play more aggresive, and that does not always mean more blitzs and 5 wide sets.
 
hogeye said:
It's listed for all of them in Jon's post, except for Stoops it flips for some reason to above .500 at end of season.
Click to expand...

No, it's not. Read it again. "Against Teams under .500 (End of Season)" is listed only for Ferentz.

"Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season)" is a completely different stat, and tells us virtually nothing about his success rate against sub-500 teams.
 
Billso said:
No, it's not. Read it again. "Against Teams under .500 (End of Season)" is listed only for Ferentz.
Click to expand...

I see, I just saw this: Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season): 50.0%

Since that the only stat listed for all coaches, minus Stoops, I thought he was looking at that line.
 
I think the most important stat here is 3-3 vs. Top 5. meh.. this mediocrity is unacceptable. It should not be tolerated. He must go!!
 
Billso said:
No, it's not. Read it again. "Against Teams under .500 (End of Season)" is listed only for Ferentz.

"Percentage of career wins against Teams under .500 (End of Season)" is a completely different stat, and tells us virtually nothing about his success rate against sub-500 teams.
Click to expand...

This. The other stat is the percentage of wins that came against teams that finished below .500.

On the other hand, it's not unreasonable to infer that Ferentz getting fewer of his wins against sub-.500 teams is a result of our not taking care of business.
 
iowaboy85 said:
For all the BIG coaches listed it does. Its the last one for each of them.
Click to expand...

That stat favors Ferentz. I think you're reading it wrong. It's saying the percentage of total wins against teams under .500 for that coach. So Ferentz has played harder schedules, or at least has won more games against teams with winning records.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top