NCAA Minimum Keeping Will Hart out of Standings
This topic has been discussed several times in podcasts, but the circumstance got worse for "Will Hart potential NCAA stat leader" over the weekend.
Hart currently has a 51.0 Yards per Punt average. That's 1021 yards on 20 punts through the Wisconsin game. This would make him tied for second nationally in punting. (Braden Mann of Texas A&M is first with 54.5 Yards per Punt.)
Unfortunately, to qualify for the stat, there are two requirements: participate in 75% of the team's games (check) and have at least 3.6 punts per game (nope: sitting at 2.9). Having only two punts on Saturday actually moved Hart further away from qualifying.
Over a 12 game season, 44 punts are required to qualify (assuming the punter participates in all the games). With 5 games left, Hart will now need 4.8 punts per remaining game to make it onto the list. I'm not sure I feel bad thinking, "I hope he doesn't make it."
The question I have for any stats experts out there is, why 3.6/game? How do they go about setting those thresholds?
October 15th, 2018 at 1:13 PM ^
Maybe in the 4th quarter against Rutgers we can start punting on first down like they did in the Snow Bowl way back when.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
We'd still get the ball back on a muffed punt.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
Hahahahaha the funniest part is Jim Harbaugh would absolutely do this. He hates Chris Ash with a passion and punting on 1st down up 52-3 is infinitely more demoralizing than actually scoring.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:15 PM ^
Here’s another that blew my mind.
Mid-way through the 3rd quarter against Mizzou, Bama’s STARTING punter was still eligible to redshirt due to how dominating they have been this year. Sadly after Tua went down he was forced to burn his redshirt.
October 16th, 2018 at 1:41 AM ^
Freud motions to Bill...
Bill: "Naah, just got a minor Oedipal complex..."
<Missy raises her eyebrow>
October 15th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
He might not Ray Guy, but he sure is our guy.
Perfect complement to our Defense.
October 15th, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^
He doesn't need the 3.6/g for the Ray Guy award.
He was selected to the midseason watch list.
With stats so readily available, NCAA "qualifying" requirements are kind of irrelevant. Anyone can look up and see that he's killing it.
He's a field position wizard for us.
October 15th, 2018 at 5:20 PM ^
What a guy!
October 15th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
Woot!!
Congratulations, everybody! We've now landed on the best possible problem to have.
It's good to have 1st-world problems again!
October 15th, 2018 at 1:18 PM ^
3.6 punts / game seems like a fairly arbitrary cutoff.
Will Hart is number 2 in the nation here:
October 15th, 2018 at 1:22 PM ^
Ryan Stonehouse...great name for a linebacker.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:18 PM ^
I hope he doesn't make it : )
October 15th, 2018 at 1:18 PM ^
3.6 per game seems like a lot. Make it 20 on the year minimum and call it good.
Then again punting stats that are total net are weird anyway since it's hard to account for situational punting.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:20 PM ^
Martellus is also #2 in the nation in interception yards:
October 15th, 2018 at 1:30 PM ^
+1 for the Brando troll!
October 15th, 2018 at 1:21 PM ^
I am really cool with Hart never making the threshold.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:26 PM ^
I remember in the early/ mid 2000s ESPN used to do a special about Florida’s bored punter. Let’s keep Will bored.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
Not only a good stat for Hart, but the coaching staff. Means we aren't pulling a Paul Chryst and punting from the 40 yrd line and netting only 20 yards.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:33 PM ^
All due respect to Will Hart because I love what he's done for us this season, but I hope he doesn't qualify for the stat lead in punting. I prefer our current 3:1 scoring to punting ratio that we've been maintaining so far this season.
October 15th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
Personal stats and rankings are not something I care much about compared to the team playing well and improving through the course of the season. *THOSE* two things have been sorely missing for a long, long time (Rudddddock being the big exception).
October 15th, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^
That’s a dumbass threshold to have
October 15th, 2018 at 2:03 PM ^
This has to be in the running for most wonderful problem to ever befall our football program. Top ten at worst. Here's hoping that the poor guy stays out of the standings, but gets an honorable mention for the All American team anyway.
October 15th, 2018 at 7:10 PM ^
Last night Pat's v. Chiefs game featured exactly 1 punt, it's the wave of high scoring football future.