Who Caught More Passes Last Year/What Does It Mean For This Year?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

In reviewing our passing game from last year, I thought I would break out which positions caught more passes that were thrown. It's interesting that we seemed to be doing OK, not great, at RB/TE and WR receptions up until the A&M game and then we started spiraling downward in WR production until the Auburn game.

Some of that may have had to do with BA's injury and some of it may have had to do with other factors. I will say that when I see a catch percentage of 35% and less by the WR's from A&M through the Alabama game, I'm not sure how much blame BA can bear for that. I mean seriously, look at those catch percentages for the WR's in those games.

Apparently someone on the staff lit a fire under the WR's arse's after a 2 for 13 performance vs. Alabama because they began to rebound and catch more balls after that game. Still not great, but far better than they did in the middle of the season.

The good news is that in the LSU game, it seemed like BA, the TE's/RB's and the WR's started really putting it all together and I don't care who you are, anytime you can complete 65.5% of your passes against an LSU defense, you are doing pretty well.

I have high hopes that many of our problems have been fixed in the passing game and maybe, just maybe, we can pick up where we left off vs. LSU.

                                      TE's & RB's                                              Wide Receivers
Opponent      Passes To   Caught   Catch %    Yards    TD's    Passes To   Caught   Catch %    Yards    TD's
ULL                  15             10        66.7         122      1           8               5         62.5         108      2
Samford             4              2         50.0          37       1          13              7         53.8          88       1
USM                  4              2         50.0          22       0           7               4         57.1          47       0
Rutgers              7              7        100.0         61       1          21              9          42.9         121      1
A&M                 19             11        57.9         198      2          17              6          35.3          84       1
Florida              16              9         56.3          97       0          27              8         29.6          67       0
S. Carolina         5               3         60.0          10       0           8               1         12.5          20       0
Alabama            12              5         41.7          49       0          13              2         15.4          42       0
Auburn              10              3         30.0          19       0          17              9         52.9         105      1
Ole Miss            11              7         63.6          35       1          21              11        52.4         158      1
Miss St              8               5         62.5          64       0           9               5         56.6          50       0
LSU                  11              8         72.7          62       2          18              11        61.1         116      0
Totals              122            72         59.0         776      8         179              78       43.6         1006     7

[three hog night]

There are a few things that also play into the disparity.  BA's injured throwing shoulder limited him to short routes.  The TE's and RB's were the obvious choice to throw to for short routes with his shoulder injury.   He could not throw the med and long routes with accuracy.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

There are a few things that also play into the disparity.  BA's injured throwing shoulder limited him to short routes.  The TE's and RB's were the obvious choice to throw to for short routes with his shoulder injury.   He could not throw the med and long routes with accuracy.

Don't disagree, as I pointed out in the original post, but WR's catching less than 30% to 12.5% of the balls thrown? I mean, maybe BA's shoulder was incredibly worse than anyone knew, but if that were the case, then why even attempt to throw the 48 passes to them over the course of those three games where catch percentages were so low? That was during our low-point of the season and I have wonder how much effort truly went into trying to make the catch?

[three hog night]

Opposing defenses could see our WR's didn't have much speed nor physical tools to fight through press coverage so they knew they didn't need help from a safety. Opposing defenses were not threatened by an injured QB that could only throw short routes, so they walked the safeties into run support.  Our WR's were not good at getting off the line with physical corners, thus our timing routes were way off.    Hatcher is more physically capable of fighting through press coverage at the line and really started to shine late in the season.

This year the injured shoulder is not a problem and BA should be more comfortable.  The new WR's are bigger, more talented and faster.  D Wilson is able to play this year so that is very big.   The opposing defenses will have to pick their poison more this year, because BA can make all the throws and the WR's will be able to get open within timing.  Where this gets interesting is how it further opens up the run game for Jwill, Collins and Marshall.   It helps to have LB's having to worry about the TE or crossing routes, the safeties won't be able to walk into the box for run support, and the play selection will be much better and diverse.

[three hog night]

Don't disagree, as I pointed out in the original post, but WR's catching less than 30% to 12.5% of the balls thrown? I mean, maybe BA's shoulder was incredibly worse than anyone knew, but if that were the case, then why even attempt to throw the 48 passes to them over the course of those three games where catch percentages were so low? That was during our low-point of the season and I have wonder how much effort truly went into trying to make the catch?

I was told that BA tried too hard to get back on the field and downplayed his injury to gut it out....especially after it was obvious Derby couldn't play enough to let him heal.  The coaches probably thought he could make the throws early on, but also had to throw to the WR's to keep the defense at least a bit honest.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I was told that BA tried too hard to get back on the field and downplayed his injury to gut it out....especially after it was obvious Derby couldn't play enough to let him heal.  The coaches probably thought he could make the throws early on, but also had to throw to the WR's to keep the defense at least a bit honest.

And that might have been a bad decision. Think about those INT's. As I went through this exercise I saw so many times that if not for this play or that play, whether passing or running, despite having a defense that didn't step up when we needed it to, we were a lot closer to 6-8 wins last year than many want to admit. Last year was just a perfect storm, in the most negative of ways. Can't see that happening two years in a row.

[Mike_e]

The WR corps just mailed it in far too much last year.

Whether they didn't believe that BA could get them the ball or whatever else might have been going on doesn't matter.  If they are supposed to be a decoy then they need to be good doing that, if the ball is anywhere near them then they need to make sure that either they get the ball or no one does.

Anyone who has seen me post knows that I don't tend to go after coaches But, If the WRs aren't any better/show more desire this year then the next assistant coach to hit the door should be the one responsible for WRs.

[daBoar]

Those passing stats to the WRs Rutgers through Bama where game crushing awful offensive stats.  They prevented the team from moving the ball inside the redzone and killed spirits on defense.   If the passing results to the WRs improve significantly this season, performance everywhere should be improved.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

The WR corps just mailed it in far too much last year.

Whether they didn't believe that BA could get them the ball or whatever else might have been going on doesn't matter.  If they are supposed to be a decoy then they need to be good doing that, if the ball is anywhere near them then they need to make sure that either they get the ball or no one does.

Anyone who has seen me post knows that I don't tend to go after coaches But, If the WRs aren't any better/show more desire this year then the next assistant coach to hit the door should be the one responsible for WRs.

From Florida through Alabama, 48 attempts and 11 catches for a reception percentage of 22.9%, I tend to agree. Gotta get better, gotta WANT the ball and have to turn into a DB when it looks like an INT might be likely.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Those passing stats to the WRs Rutgers through Bama where game crushing awful offensive stats.  They prevented the team from moving the ball inside the redzone and killed spirits on defense.   If the passing results to the WRs improve significantly this season, performance everywhere should be improved.

This kinda says it all in terms of the receivers that we are looking for.

"It takes toughness to consistently catch the ball on short intermediate passes across the middle and take hits from linebackers and safeties. A guy such as Wes Welker of the New England Patriots is tough because he catches the ball in the middle in traffic, and he has the courage to run these routes time and time again when the linebackers would love to take him out.

Steve Largent was a hall of fame player for the Seattle Seahawks. In a famous play, Largent was hit and knocked out of the opening game of the season by Denver Broncos safety Mike Harden. Fourteen games later that season, the Seahawks were again playing the Denver Broncos, and Mike Harden intercepted the ball in the Seahawks' end zone and began to return it across the field. As Harden crossed the field, Largent flew out of nowhere and laid the safety out cold. It was one of the greatest retribution hits in NFL history and a great example of a hall of famer's pride and toughness! Steve Largent had a great comment about his ability. He wasn't all that big or fast, but he is in the hall of fame because of the way he competed. He said, "I would compete just as hard at the beginning as I would at the end," meaning the beginning of a play, series, or game.

Great players go after and compete for the ball from the beginning all the way to the end. Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of my favorite players, plays so hard and unselfishly without the ball that it inspires everyone around him. He is a joy to watch because he will do anything to help his team win. He will sacrifice his body, and some of his hits on opposing defenders would make a great highlight reel. Hines Ward is a great example of how to play the game hard and tough. He is the ultimate team player and champion."

http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/qualities-of-wide-receivers

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Opposing defenses could see our WR's didn't have much speed nor physical tools to fight through press coverage so they knew they didn't need help from a safety. Opposing defenses were not threatened by an injured QB that could only throw short routes, so they walked the safeties into run support.  Our WR's were not good at getting off the line with physical corners, thus our timing routes were way off.    Hatcher is more physically capable of fighting through press coverage at the line and really started to shine late in the season.

This year the injured shoulder is not a problem and BA should be more comfortable.  The new WR's are bigger, more talented and faster.  D Wilson is able to play this year so that is very big.   The opposing defenses will have to pick their poison more this year, because BA can make all the throws and the WR's will be able to get open within timing.  Where this gets interesting is how it further opens up the run game for Jwill, Collins and Marshall.   It helps to have LB's having to worry about the TE or crossing routes, the safeties won't be able to walk into the box for run support, and the play selection will be much better and diverse.

Hatcher was our most reliable WR last year, but even he didn't receive at a level that I think we would like. I'm sure some of that is attributable to a QB with an injured throwing shoulder. Hatcher was thrown 52 balls last year and caught 27 (51.9%) for 346 yards (12.8 yards per reception) and 2 TD's.

The next closest WR to Hatcher (in regard to catch percentage) was Herndon who was thrown 69 balls but only caught 31 (44.9%) for 437 yards (14.1 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

Every other WR was below these numbers.

The RB's and TE's were the most consistent receivers last year with Henry the leader in this group in terms of yardage, having been thrown 52 and catching 28 (53.8%) for 409 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

[three hog night]

Hatcher was our most reliable WR last year, but even he didn't receive at a level that I think we would like. I'm sure some of that is attributable to a QB with an injured throwing shoulder. Hatcher was thrown 52 balls last year and caught 27 (51.9%) for 346 yards (12.8 yards per reception) and 2 TD's.

The next closest WR to Hatcher (in regard to catch percentage) was Herndon who was thrown 69 balls but only caught 31 (44.9%) for 437 yards (14.1 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

Every other WR was below these numbers.

The RB's and TE's were the most consistent receivers last year with Henry the leader in this group in terms of yardage, having been thrown 52 and catching 28 (53.8%) for 409 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

Henry was double teamed a lot as the season progressed.  I think Sprinkle has the ability to be split out to stretch the LB and Safety.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Henry was double teamed a lot as the season progressed.  I think Sprinkle has the ability to be split out to stretch the LB and Safety.

Sprinkle was thrown 17 passes and caught 4 (23.5%) for 68 yards and 0 TD's last season. Doesn't mean that he can't be more effective this season but I think he is a more valuable blocking asset than a receiving threat.

[tophawg19]

to bad there is no way to tell how many were on the WR  and how many were poor throws .

[JIHawg]

Hatcher and Henry caught around 5 each in the LSU game. That will be a nice starting point next year.

[bennyl08]

to bad there is no way to tell how many were on the WR  and how many were poor throws .

Musk, did you go through the play-by-plays to accumulate these stats, or compile from actual game data. If it was just the play by play, you are going to get passes where BA was simply throwing the ball away near that receiver, or a ball that was uncatchable as Allen was hit while throwing, etc...

No doubt even if you factored those throws in, the numbers would still be bad, but probably more in the 20's rather than 10's.

[Oklahawg]

Hard for guys like Hatcher to sit and watch Herndon and Horton run bad or incorrect routes, jog, and fail to try and stop INTs that were bad throws. Why bust your butt if the so-called senior leaders are loafing?

The obvious answer is, "because you have pride and want to win." Hard to have that extra "oomph" when the QB doesn't throw well due to injury and the others (who, disturbingly, get more opportunities) don't seem to care about working to be a better WR. I suspect Hatcher has had his wake-up call. The question that remains - what can Hatcher do? What is his upside?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Hatcher and Henry caught around 5 each in the LSU game. That will be a nice starting point next year.

Henry had 5, Hatcher had 7. Combined for 125 yards and 2 TD's.

I might also add that we had a 65.5% completion percentage as a team for 178 yards.

[HF#1]

drops drops drops....  People say Allen could have had a better year.  That's absolutely true had more balls been caught.

[three hog night]

Sprinkle was thrown 17 passes and caught 4 (23.5%) for 68 yards and 0 TD's last season. Doesn't mean that he can't be more effective this season but I think he is a more valuable blocking asset than a receiving threat.

I won't judge him for last year's performance.  He has good speed, athleticism and height that makes him uniquely able to split out from the OT.

[kodiakisland]

If any of last years passing stats are comparable or applicable to this year, we are in trouble. 

[HogimusMaximus]

In reviewing our passing game from last year, I thought I would break out which positions caught more passes that were thrown. It's interesting that we seemed to be doing OK, not great, at RB/TE and WR receptions up until the A&M game and then we started spiraling downward in WR production until the Auburn game.

Some of that may have had to do with BA's injury and some of it may have had to do with other factors. I will say that when I see a catch percentage of 35% and less by the WR's from A&M through the Alabama game, I'm not sure how much blame BA can bear for that. I mean seriously, look at those catch percentages for the WR's in those games.

Apparently someone on the staff lit a fire under the WR's arse's after a 2 for 13 performance vs. Alabama because they began to rebound and catch more balls after that game. Still not great, but far better than they did in the middle of the season.

The good news is that in the LSU game, it seemed like BA, the TE's/RB's and the WR's started really putting it all together and I don't care who you are, anytime you can complete 65.5% of your passes against an LSU defense, you are doing pretty well.

I have high hopes that many of our problems have been fixed in the passing game and maybe, just maybe, we can pick up where we left off vs. LSU.

                                      TE's & RB's                                              Wide Receivers
Opponent      Passes To   Caught   Catch %    Yards    TD's    Passes To   Caught   Catch %    Yards    TD's
ULL                  15             10        66.7         122      1           8               5         62.5         108      2
Samford             4              2         50.0          37       1          13              7         53.8          88       1
USM                  4              2         50.0          22       0           7               4         57.1          47       0
Rutgers              7              7        100.0         61       1          21              9          42.9         121      1
A&M                 19             11        57.9         198      2          17              6          35.3          84       1
Florida              16              9         56.3          97       0          27              8         29.6          67       0
S. Carolina         5               3         60.0          10       0           8               1         12.5          20       0
Alabama            12              5         41.7          49       0          13              2         15.4          42       0
Auburn              10              3         30.0          19       0          17              9         52.9         105      1
Ole Miss            11              7         63.6          35       1          21              11        52.4         158      1
Miss St              8               5         62.5          64       0           9               5         56.6          50       0
LSU                  11              8         72.7          62       2          18              11        61.1         116      0
Totals              122            72         59.0         776      8         179              78       43.6         1006     7

MuskogeeHogFan, you seem to know more about Hog History than just about anyone else.  Where does our 30 yds passing against USC(e) and 1006 yds overall rank in the history of the program?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

MuskogeeHogFan, you seem to know more about Hog History than just about anyone else.  Where does our 30 yds passing against USC(e) and 1006 yds overall rank in the history of the program?

I'm not a Razorback historian as much as many on here. Lots of really knowledgable folks on Hogville. Stats wise, that 1006 yards is only for receptions by WR's in case you were thinking that was a total passing yards number. Unfortunately the NCAA doesn't break down receiving yards by position groups.

[sportster365]

Hatcher was our most reliable WR last year, but even he didn't receive at a level that I think we would like. I'm sure some of that is attributable to a QB with an injured throwing shoulder. Hatcher was thrown 52 balls last year and caught 27 (51.9%) for 346 yards (12.8 yards per reception) and 2 TD's.

The next closest WR to Hatcher (in regard to catch percentage) was Herndon who was thrown 69 balls but only caught 31 (44.9%) for 437 yards (14.1 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

Every other WR was below these numbers.

The RB's and TE's were the most consistent receivers last year with Henry the leader in this group in terms of yardage, having been thrown 52 and catching 28 (53.8%) for 409 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and 4 TD's.

So what you're suggesting is that since no Receiver/TE was able to catch any more than 53.8% of the passes thrown their way, then our entire Wide Receiving/TE corps stink and can't catch the ball.

You're implying here that we couldn't find one set of dependable hands in either of those groups? I simply find that difficult to believe, especially so seeing as how two of those receivers managed to make NFL rosters with woeful senior season stats.

If it were just one or two guys with less than impressive completion percentages, I'd completely agree it's the Receivers/TE. I'll even go as far to say if it were a handful of guys with numbers as such then this suggestion of yours would have some legs, but this is indicative of everyone we had to throw to and I find that a little hard to buy.

Look if I end up in some sort of disagreement with everyone I discuss things with then more times than none the problem isn't everyone else, it's me. I think these stats indicate that very same thing, in this case an unreliable QB who simply hasn't gained the confidence of his Receivers/TE.

I don't know if this is a reflection of a lack of emphasis placed on the passing game during practice or the QB simply not being ready to play.

[nwahogfan1]

Do we have any stats on what percentage of passes were dropped by receivers last year?   

And what is a good or acceptable percentage?


Seems I remember our offensive Coaches talking about charting our WRs in practice this spring and coming up with a percentage of passes dropped and saying it was much improved.  Does anyone remember that percentage?

[Iwastherein1969]

My fellow Razorback fans, this is simple. When the Hogs line-up in formations which are strong run formations, there won't be WR's running open all over the field because of the personnel packages we play. This is not Bobby Petrino's offense where WR's would be running drag patterns, deep outs, crossing patterns and wheel routes out of strong pass sets...simply put, we don't have enough elgible receivers to be running free against SEC defenses..point is, when we pass, its going to be like "days of Hootie past" when Marcus Monk and the Tight end are the only ones out in the pattern. get used to it for you cannot have it both ways.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

So what you're suggesting is that since no Receiver/TE was able to catch any more than 53.8% of the passes thrown their way, then our entire Wide Receiving/TE corps stink and can't catch the ball.

You're implying here that we couldn't find one set of dependable hands in either of those groups? I simply find that difficult to believe, especially so seeing as how two of those receivers managed to make NFL rosters with woeful senior season stats.

If it were just one or two guys with less than impressive completion percentages, I'd completely agree it's the Receivers/TE. I'll even go as far to say if it were a handful of guys with numbers as such then this suggestion of yours would have some legs, but this is indicative of everyone we had to throw to and I find that a little hard to buy.

Look if I end up in some sort of disagreement with everyone I discuss things with then more times than none the problem isn't everyone else, it's me. I think these stats indicate that very same thing, in this case an unreliable QB who simply hasn't gained the confidence of his Receivers/TE.

I don't know if this is a reflection of a lack of emphasis placed on the passing game during practice or the QB simply not being ready to play.

I think I know where you are going with this and though it has been discussed ad nauseum, I'll say it again. BA had an injured throwing shoulder all season long but appeared to improve towards the end of the season. He completed 56.6% of his passes vs. Ole Miss, Miss St-58.8% and LSU-65.5%.

The three games prior to that his compl percentages were 30.8%, 28% and 44.4%. It might, just might be possible that as his shoulder began to mend, he was putting more balls in places where the WR's could catch them. But, as has also been discussed, there were a lot of drops of catchable balls as well.

But let's go back to the LSU game which was the best of the games in which BA played last year. Hatcher caught 7 of 11, Herndon 2 of 3, Horton 1 of 3 and Cowan 1 of 1. The rest of the completions were to either Henry or Small.

And as far as your suggestion that I am implying that our TE's/WR's suck, I said nothing of the sort. All I have posted is what occurred. In fact, the RB's and TE's were the kids who caught the higher percentage of balls thrown and most of those were shorter throws, which makes sense if you have an injured QB.

I guess my question to you is, based on your post, are you suggesting that because our WR's didn't have faith and confidence in their QB, that they quit on running their patterns or making every effort to make the catch?

[three hog night]

So what you're suggesting is that since no Receiver/TE was able to catch any more than 53.8% of the passes thrown their way, then our entire Wide Receiving/TE corps stink and can't catch the ball.

You're implying here that we couldn't find one set of dependable hands in either of those groups? I simply find that difficult to believe, especially so seeing as how two of those receivers managed to make NFL rosters with woeful senior season stats.

If it were just one or two guys with less than impressive completion percentages, I'd completely agree it's the Receivers/TE. I'll even go as far to say if it were a handful of guys with numbers as such then this suggestion of yours would have some legs, but this is indicative of everyone we had to throw to and I find that a little hard to buy.

Look if I end up in some sort of disagreement with everyone I discuss things with then more times than none the problem isn't everyone else, it's me. I think these stats indicate that very same thing, in this case an unreliable QB who simply hasn't gained the confidence of his Receivers/TE.

I don't know if this is a reflection of a lack of emphasis placed on the passing game during practice or the QB simply not being ready to play.

Hey Tony Sloprano, we get it....you don't like BA. 

[chitwnhog]

My fellow Razorback fans, this is simple. When the Hogs line-up in formations which are strong run formations, there won't be WR's running open all over the field because of the personnel packages we play. This is not Bobby Petrino's offense where WR's would be running drag patterns, deep outs, crossing patterns and wheel routes out of strong pass sets...simply put, we don't have enough elgible receivers to be running free against SEC defenses..point is, when we pass, its going to be like "days of Hootie past" when Marcus Monk and the Tight end are the only ones out in the pattern. get used to it for you cannot have it both ways.

Yeah...that's why Bielema brought in Chaney so the offense would be like "days of Hootie past".