COLLEGE FOOTBALL

End Zone: BGSU Falcons

Falcons rank second in nation in time of possession

9/26/2013

Last year Bowling Green was known nationally as having one of the top defenses, at least statistically, in the FBS. This year, the Falcons rank second nationally in one statistical category: Time of possession.

Time of possession? That isn't a stat that makes a fan's heart beat faster, or pushes them to purchase bowl tickets, is it? Perhaps not, but it certainly is music to coach Dave Clawson's ears.

"The two things that [time of possession] tells you is that you're getting off the field [on defense] and you're staying on the field [on offense]," he said.

Is there any correlation between large time of possession numbers and winning teams? Seems so: Only five FBS teams who are ranked in the top 30 in that area are sub-.500 squads, and there are nine unbeatens.

Of course, the fact that BG isn't one of those undefeated teams points to a flaw in the statistic. The Falcons held the ball more than 10 minutes longer than Indiana, mainly because the Hoosiers raced to score quick TDs.

BG's huge time of possession advantage has resulted in three things: Long scoring drives, short defensive stands, and victories.

And you don't need any advanced math knowledge to understand those are good things.

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.