Sports publication The Athletic has been keeping track of “stop rates” for college football programs around the nation and dropped its first ratings list after four weeks of action.
What exactly are “stop rates” and how does a sports news website keep track? The Athletic staff writer Max Olson explains it very well.
“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 college football than yards per game or points per game.”
The Florida Gators have been playing well on defense since the beginning of the season, never allowing more than 25 points to opposing teams. Analysts at The Athletic studied Florida’s efficiency and ranked them at No. 27.
According to the list, 75.8% of drives by opposing teams failed to finish with a field goal or a touchdown.
Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has flipped the Gators from being a defensive laughing stock to one of the best in the nation. The defense created 19 tackles-for-loss and put fear into quarterbacks with seven sacks.
A hit on Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton III during the Week 3 battle caused the only interception for the Gators this season. The Gators ranked one spot ahead of the Volunteers, leading by a thin margin of 0.2%.
As for Florida’s future foes, the Georgia Bulldogs are the best SEC team on the list, stopping 83.8% of opponent drives. The LSU Tigers fell far below to No. 107 with a rate of 53.1%.
The Florida State Seminoles were tested heavily by Boston College and Clemson, dragging their stop percentage to 68.1%. The Seminoles escaped both games with a win but the defensive unit looks penetrable.
The Florida Gators will look to keep up its defensive effort as they travel to Lexington to challenge the Kentucky Wildcats. Kickoff is set for noon EDT and the game will broadcast on ESPN.
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