"Stats Are For Losers" | by Jay

So said Charlie in his postgame comments. When I got the paper yesterday morning I flipped immediately to the box score. It's pretty amazing that if you just look at the surface indicators, the offensive performances between both teams were remarkably similar (on paper):

                      ND     SC
First Downs           18     21
Rushing Yds          130    139
Passing Yds          274    265
Total Yds            404    404
Time of Poss.      30:53  29:07
Total Plays           76     60
Turnovers Lost         1      2

Looks like it should be a close game, right? Yet that added up to a 20-point loss. Scanning the box score further, I think the story of the game is right here:

                             ND        SC
Average Per PA              6.1       9.5
3rd-Down Conversions    7 of 18   5 of 11
4th-Down Conversions     2 of 6    2 of 2

I rewatched the first half when I got home last night, but already it's pretty clear. In an otherwise statistical dead heat, this game boiled down to efficiency: Southern Cal's ability to make the most of its possessions, and our failure to do likewise. More on the way.