Conference Review of the First Three Weeks

 As we head into week 5, Ferrum finds themselves at a very respectable 2-1. The last two weeks, Ferrum came out and played strong football, and came away with two good wins. Week one was a lopsided affair, but those statistics count, so here are some of the statistical rankings so far through three games:

Overall Offensive Scoring Ranking: (Most to Least Points Scored)

1. Shenandoah

2. Bridgewater

3. Hampden-Sydney

4. Washington & Lee

5. Randolph-Macon

6. Averett

7. Guilford

8. Ferrum

Overall Defensive Scoring Rankings (Least to Most Points Given Up)

1. Guilford

2. Bridgewater

3. Randolph-Macon

4. Shenandoah

5. Averett

6. Ferrum

7. Washington & Lee

8. Hampden-Sydney

On the Ground, Ferrum has the 7th (Jahylen Lee) (128th in the nation), and  the 9th (Caleb Holland) ranked rushers in the conference. Through the air, Ferrum's quarterback Zach Wyatt ranks 5th, averaging 143.4 yards per game. (Tied for 161st nationally) In passing touchdowns, Wyatt only has two, and that is not strong, but I see great strides in the passing game since week one. Wyatt is completing 64.2 percent of his passes, has thrown for 445 yards and only one interception Look for his rankings to climb.

In overall individual scoring, Jahylen Lee is 2nd in the conference with five rushing touchdowns, and an average of 10 points per game. He is tied for 22nd nationally in this category with multiple other players

Receiving yards are dominated in the conference by Broden Dominico of Shenandoah with 20 receptions for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nathan Aguilar of Ferrum ranks second in the conference with 11 receptions for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nationally, Aguilar ranks tied for 132nd with multiple players.  Ferrum is ranked 6th in the nation in Red Zone Offense.

Defensively, Ferrum has looked better each week. To be the seventh ranked team in points given up speaks volumes as the Panthers gave up 55 in game one. They  could easily be last, and I look for them to climb in the rankings as the season moves along

Interestingly enough, Seth Deaton is one of the most consistent kickers in the conference, but he ranks 6th of 8 teams with extra points. Currently, Seth has made 7 of 8 extra points. That is not bad considering there were no Panther touchdowns scored in the first game. As for Field Goals, Seth is currently ranked fifth on the ODAC website stats page. He has made more field goals than any team in the conference, and is 5 for five. I am not really sure why he is not first. (If someone knows, please clue me in) Especially since NCAA D3 statistics have him ranked tied for no.1 in the Nation in Field Goal Percentage. Ferrum punter William Hutton has Ferrum ranked 2nd in the conference, and tied for 15th in the nation, and 14th in Net Punting. (Punting Yards minus Return Yards) Ferrum has punted more than any team in the conference....not hard to believe as they likely accrued most of them in game one.

Statistics will only tell you so much, but I thought you may find some of this interesting. It will be the effort and ability that will determine the winner, but Ferrum is better than a lot of these numbers show.

Go Panthers!