Note: The names of these categories and the statistical data led to some teams being placed in LOLarious categories compared to their overall football reputations. "Nick $atan and Alabama ain't that clean, PAAWWWWLLLL!" is a perfectly acceptable response to these sorts of contradictions. Because stats are blind, descriptions of how these teams play are also a bit touch and go.

In a sports statistics world further and further geared towards the concept of efficiency, I've wondered for a while why no one really took the time to get into some hot 'yards per penalty' action. Like, one 15 yard penalty and three 5 yard penalties are are identical statistically (in terms of yardage), but are different functionally (some notable differences: three 5 yard penalties means more free plays or dead ball fouls, whereas a 15 yard penalty is usually much more violent and is usually a free 1st down no matter what the down and distance). And sort of like Yards Per Carry or Yards Per Attempt, the average yardage differences can be much less impressive sounding than the total yardage differences to the layperson's ear. Or, maybe no one gives a crap. But now you must suffer in a efficient-less penalty world no longer. Now in four easy categories, you too can find your team's place in this yellow flagged life. All teams are from the 2011-2012 season

The 'Innocents'

These teams hardly ever commit penalties, and when they do, they mostly stick to ticky tack, 5 or 10 yard stuff. Penalties give free yardage, and, in some cases, free plays (QBs can use a defensive off-sides to throw a deep ball without worrying about it getting picked off). These teams are much too polite to try too many of the game's unsporting tricks, and would much prefer to keep those yellow flags nice and clean in the ref's pocket.

Or, maybe they are just bribing referees.

Examples- North Carolina (4.6 penalties per game, 33.8 penalty yards per game, 7.3 yards per penalty), Alabama (3.8 penalties per game, 28.4 penalty yards per game, 7.5 yards per penalty), Kansas State (4.7 penalties per game, 35.8 penalty yards per game, 7.6 yards per penalty), Ball State (4.5 penalties per game, 35.5 penalty yards per game, 7.9 yards per penalty), Iowa (4.8 penalties per game, 35.6 penalty yards per game, 7.4 yards per penalty)

The other three categories, and the Big Ten team's placements, after the jump...

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I was pretty sure I'd written about this topic last year, but searches through the archives seemed to reveal I had not. Enjoy.

If there is any single piece of conventional wisdom about how to be successful in Big Ten football, that pops up more than any other, it probably is this: You must be able to stop the run, and you must be able to run the football. Just like Duffy, Schembechler and Woody; and Alvarez, Paterno, Carr, and Tressel did. But don't take my word for it. Here's a handful of coaches new and old, fired and not fired, offensive and defensive, spread and pro-style, all converging around the same talking point: You win the Big Ten by being got-dang tough in the trenches, running the ball, and stopping the other team from running the ball.

"...We have to run the football to be successful... If you look at our 13-3 mark... the three games that we were unable to run the football... were the three games we lost."
-Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio

"I think first and foremost, you've got to be able to run the football to be successful in college football."
-OSU offensive coordinator Tom Herman

"We want to run the football... When you [run the football well] you can determine the time of possession and determine a lot of things in a football game."
-Michigan head coach Brady Hoke

"Contain Monte Ball, key to victory. We've got to stop the run."
-Mark Dantonio

"To win [the big ten] conference, your defense had better be extremely tough and hard-nosed in its ability to stop the run."
-former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster

"The core of [the big ten] stays the same, it's still the run first, defensive mentality, the toughness..."
-Penn State cornerbacks coach Devin Butler

"we have to do a better job against the run. You can’t play good defense if you can’t stop the run."

-Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz

“We have to go into every game thinking we can run the football; that’s where the game is won,’’

-Former Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell

"I can just talk to our philosophy... We're obviously going to try to limit how much people can run the football against us. I don't care if we're facing a team that throws a football 70 times a game, they're not going to run the football on us..."

-Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema

Man, you can just feel the grittiness emanating off of your computer screen. No wussy ball in the Big Ten, that's what led to the firings of numerous coaches over the past decade: JLS, Rodriguez, Brewster, Lynch, and Zook, right?

Except, here's the thing: all that stuff above is wrong. Wait, that's too strong: rather, it's focused on sub-optimal strategy. Rushing offense and defense don't matter nearly as much as everyone thinks they do in the Big Ten. Nor particularly does, 'establishing the run' or 'running to set up the pass'. There is one stat, that, if you can get really high marks at it on both sides of the ball, you are nearly guaranteed success. One stat that really matters, and, interestingly enough, it's sort of a weird one. An ugly duckling of the stats world: Passer Rating. Or as a popular 'advanced football statistics' author put it to Sports Illustrated:

"Passing rating differential is the most important stat in football."
-Kevin Byrne, Cold Hard Football Facts

Backing up that substantial claim, after the jump...

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(Note 1: If you haven't seen, MSU picked up a JC tight end for the 2012 class)

(Note 2: It appears 24/7 has been having some account issues, so I was unable to get any of their stuff for this roundup. MGoBlog had the same issue)

The Spring Game came and went without much excitement on the field, unless you count Sparty's rush attempt and fumble. But there was some excitement off the field as MSU hosted a number of top recruits. With spring camps over and current players leaving campus, recruiting might slow down a bit. Here's a look at how things went last weekend.

Williams to decide soon (Rivals) - Since MSU received the commitment of Erie (Pa.) quarterback Damion Terry, people have been waiting for his high school teammate, safety/athlete Delton Williams. Well, Williams told Rivals on Monday that he could be committing any day now. MSU would appear to be in the lead for Williams, who wouldn't tip his hand.

"(Terry was) a real big factor. You will probably find out how big of a factor here soon. I'm not trying to say too much because I don't want to say it and not do it, but I want to give you a heads-up it's possible in the next couple days."

Nation's No. 1 DT enjoys Michigan State (Rivals) - MSU has recruited Georgia quite a bit over the past few years, with Darqueze Dennard starting last year and Keith Mumphrey expected to be major contributor this year. Montravius Adams, the top defensive tackle in the Class of 2013, made the trip up to East Lansing for the Spring Game at the request of his former high school teammate Mumphrey.

"I had a good time. I really liked that Michigan State is a family-based school."

Adams said he probably won't make a decision until after his senior season. With USC and basically the entire SEC vying for him, it will be extremely difficult for MSU to get a commitment from him, but getting such a highly-ranked southern prospect up to East Lansing is something thing MSU wouldn't have been able to do a few years ago.

Still, you can dream.

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You know that emoticon where the little yellow face spins around and flails its arms? That’s probably the best way to describe the reaction to James Young last weekend. Just weeks ago, Young was a consensus top 20 recruit with only a couple offers and quite a bit to prove. That mission can be considered done and done after last weekend. Young made the frontpage of the ESPN recruiting site (shown above) and received all kinds of accolades for his play. Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports had Young at No. 12 nationally and started to think that might be too low.

He followed up with:

James Young, 2013, The Family: Young had a ton of buzz after a big first weekend in Minneapolis, and he showed why in Virginia. He's a big-time scorer who knocked down 3-pointers with consistency, and was a menace in transition because of his athleticism.

More importantly, Young got the attention of coaches and many new offers. Heavy hitters Izzo, Self, and Calipari were names thrown out as coaches watching him closely at the Hampton Nike EYBL. After being stuck at only a couple, Young now says he has offers from Providence, Ohio State, Michigan State, and others. It’s unclear whether two of his favorites, Kansas and Kentucky, have offered yet. Some Kentucky watchers think Young might be behind other Wildcat recruits but that could change with more Top 5 performances.

This news, as well as Young’s very public fawning over UK, has led to some anxieties in the Spartan fanbase about Michigan State’s chances with the Troy wing. We’ll know more about the situation once that formal offer from Kentucky comes through. If Young doesn’t jump right away, it may open the door for the MSU staff to make a renewed push after the initial sparkle of a Kentucky offer fades. Young has already said that he has a great deal of support for Michigan State around him. Far from wrapping up, it looks like this recruitment is only getting started.

More notes on other recruits after the jump.

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TE Jamare Mills, Dublin Scioto HS (Ohio), Blinn Junior College (Texas), 6-foot-5, 270 pounds

Rankings (2011): Rivals (3 stars), Scout (3 stars), 24/7 (NR)

Other notable offers (in 2011): Minnesota, Toledo, Western Michigan

Sometimes, we forget that Signing Day is the FIRST day that recruits can sign, not the only day. Since bringing in 18 on Signing Day (I'm going to include Monty Madaris there), MSU has added three more players to the 2012 class. Tight end Jamare Miles joins offensive lineman Jack Conklin and long snapper Taybor Pepper as late scholarship additions to the class.

Miles spent last season at Blinn College in Texas. If that school sounds familiar to you, it's because that's where Cam Newton was in between Florida and his Heisman Trophy-season at Auburn. The school has a good history of sending kids to Division I schools. Mills was a Class of 2011 recruit who opted to head down to Blinn, where he has spent one season. He told Rivals that Wisconsin wanted him to attend a junior college in North Dakota out of high school (with an opportunity with the Badgers likely to follow). But Mills went south hoping for more opportunities.

Currently, MSU has Dion Sims and a bunch of question marks at tight end, a far cry from the three guys MSU has used in the rotation the last few seasons. The graduation of Charlie Gantt in 2010 and Brian Linthicum and Garrett Celek in 2011 has left a big hole. MSU was so desperate that it moved Denzel Drone — a pretty decent defensive end — to tight end in the spring. There is some young talent, with redshirt freshman Paul Lang and incoming freshmen Evan Jones and Josiah Price, but MSU needs some depth right now, and that's what Mills provides.

Here are the only highlights of Mills I could find. They're from his high school days.

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It's currently 43 degrees with a high potential for rain in East Lansing. YAY. Well, we can't say this isn't football weather, as the Green and White teams will take to the field for an exhibition which is one of the more fun spring games in college football, mainly because the coaches let the players do fun things. Suit up Draymond Green at tight end? Why not! Hand the ball to Antonio Jeremiah for a run? Sure! Hopefully there's some fun wrinkle in today's game worth watching, because this is not late April weather. FOR SHAME, NATURE.

If you're looking for things to watch for, Rexrode has his here and a roster hyuh, while Jim Comparoni of Spartan Mag has a list of 24 things to watch.

Lastly, Ducking Delvon has created a fantasy game of sorts for the Spring Game, get your entries in here before the action starts.

This is the open thread. Y'all know the rules: No slurs, no links to illegal game streams (streams from BTN.com or BTN2GO.com are kosher), and be cool to one another (don't know why you wouldn't, unless there are some hyper partisan Green team fans out there). Enjoy the game everyone.

GO GREEN, GO WHITE, BEAT MICHIGAN STATE?

Hello Packer fans! If you're reading this your team has drafted defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, and we'd like to commend your team's front office on such a splendid pick. I speak for many Michigan State fans when I say that Jerel was a pleasure to watch over the past few years, and we hope he will be for years to come, so long as it's not against the Lions. Here's a little more on Jerel.

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