Beavers’ dominant time of possession ‘biggest glaring stat’ this season so far

Sep. 20—BEMIDJI — Nine minutes can feel like a lifetime in a football game.

In 2023, Bemidji State averaged 26 minutes of possession per game. This season, the Beavers’ average time of possession is over 35 minutes — an improvement of more than nine minutes.

“I think that’s probably the biggest glaring stat of the year,” head coach Brent Bolte said. “It’s a big difference when you’re not out there for 90 plays as a defense or out there for 35 minutes on the defensive side of the ball. Playing complimentary football is something that we’re striving to do and I think we’ve been able to showcase that.”

Typically, a high time of possession is attributed to a team’s reliance on the run game.

For example, Army football consistently ranks near the top of Division I college football in time of possession, thanks to the program’s consistent use of the triple-option offense. Currently, the Black Knights are third in the country in D-I with 35 minutes of possession per game.

However, the Beavers are a bit of an outlier. They are averaging 218 yards per game on the ground and 205.67 yards through the air — nearly equal. It’s been quite a balanced approach for BSU through three games.

“The way that we’re set up as an offense and the way that our coaches are coaching us, we’ve got a really balanced attack through the air and through the ground,” senior running back Jarrett Gronski said.

Yet they rank

11th

in Division II football in time of possession.

“I love seeing that,” center Jake Gannon said. “It means we’re running the ball well, we’re draining the clock, we’re giving the d-line and the defense a break on the sideline. … We’re able to control the clock a little bit, give those guys (on defense) a lot of time to stay off the field re-up so that they can put together three and outs towards the end of the game.”

The biggest…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/beavers-dominant-time-possession-biggest-151700460.html

Author : The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.

Publish date : 2024-09-20 15:17:00

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