In Mike Leach’s quiet moments this off season as his mind wanders back toward football in reflection of the 2017 season, I like to think that he’s most perturbed not by the Apple Cup or a Friday night in Berkeley, but by being unseated as the three-time Pac-12 champion of a made up stat I wrote about last season called #NeverKick %.
#NeverKick % is simply on what percentage of fourth downs does a team go for it vs kicking a field goal or punting? After three consecutive seasons ranked in the top five nationally, the guy who is known for his off-the-field quirks bleeding into his play calling via copious amounts of passing and 4th down attempts got downright Nick Saban-esque in how conservatively he approached 4th downs in 2017.