Points Per Drive And Notre Dame's 2017 Opponents
How important is each drive in a football game? Well, it depends on how many times you get the ball and what the team does with it.
Ball control, slow-it-down teams like Navy typically have more points per possession. The Midshipmen averaged 3.43 points per drive in 2016, which ranked fifth in the country behind Western Kentucky (3.55), Oklahoma (3.48), Louisiana Tech (3.45) and Western Michigan (3.44).
Navy ran just 66.4 plays per game on average, making its few possessions critical. Baylor, Texas Tech and Tulsa, meanwhile, each ran over 88 plays a game to lead the nation.
A combination of a slow-but-ineffective offense produces seasons like what Wake Forest and Boston College had in 2016. The teams averaged 1.40 and 1.28 points per possession, respectively, while ranking 118th in points per game.
Notre Dame finished 2016 ranked 40th nationally in points per drive, averaging 2.47 points per possession. That was down from the 2.93 the Irish averaged on their drives in 2015 en route to a 10-3 finish.
Below is a ranking of points per drive compared to points per game. Research courtesy BCF Toys.
| School | 2016 Pts./Drive (national rank) | 2016 Pts./Game (national rank) |
|---|---|---|
|
Navy |
3.43 (5th) |
37.9 (20th) |
|
USC |
2.85 (22nd) |
34.4 (36th) |
|
Temple |
2.65 (29th) |
32.4 (43rd) |
|
Notre Dame |
2.47 (40th) |
30.9 (53rd) |
|
North Carolina |
2.41 (44th) |
32.3 (44th) |
|
Miami |
2.35 (49th) |
34.3 (37th |
|
Stanford |
2.22 (62nd) |
26.3 (T-82nd) |
|
NC State |
2.08 (72nd) |
27.0 (T-75th) |
|
Miami (Ohio) |
2.02 (79th) |
22.8 (114th) |
|
Michigan State |
1.99 (80th) |
24.1 (T-104th) |
|
Georgia |
1.83 (93rd) |
24.5 (102nd) |
|
Wake Forest |
1.40 (119th) |
20.4 (T-118th) |
|
Boston College |
1.28 (123rd) |
20.4 (T-118th) |