It's taken a while, but advanced analytics are now firmly a part of the mainstream football lexicon. Don't get me wrong - I can appreciate the beautiful simplicity of using something like total yards to compare two offenses, but that doesn't mean we have to ignore things like efficiency and explosiveness, right? Here are 5 such statistics that will tell the tale of our 2018 season.
Explosive Play Differential
One idea that's gained widespread acceptance in recent years is the importance of explosive plays. Exactly what constitutes an explosive play seems to vary from team-to-team, but I define them as runs of 10+ yards and passes of 20+ yards, and West Virginia has traditionally been very good at generating them offensively ever since the mid-2000s.