Forde-Yard Dash: Nine Secret Weapons Teams Are Relying on This Season

Defense and special teams can help win football games, but an old-man quarterback and ball control also have been difference makers.

Colorado defensive back Nikhai Hill-Green tackles Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks. / Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where the once-great state of Florida went 0–9 last week at the FBS and FCS levels. First Quarter: Eight-Way SEC Tie Scenario. Second Quarter: Lopsided Rivalries.

Third Quarter: Digging Into What’s Working for Winning Teams

The Colorado Buffaloes’ defense (23)

Foremost among the many improvements Deion Sanders has made in his second year with the Buffs is the hire of defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, an NFL guy who has gotten immediate results in Boulder. Points allowed per game are down 12.2 from last year; third-down conversions allowed are down 11%; yards per play are down nearly a full yard. In league games, Colorado is allowing 5.21 yards per play, second-best in the Big 12.

The Buffs are in the Big 12 title race because they are better at every level defensively—covering better on the back end, tackling better on the second level and attacking the quarterback better up front. They have already recorded more sacks (29) this season than all of last year. 

Another underappreciated dynamic of this Colorado team: It has won every second half, outscoring all nine opponents after halftime. Total tally: 148–66. Whether that is due to halftime adjustments, superior conditioning and toughness, super execution or a combination of all those things, it’s a telling stat.

The BYU Cougars’ special teams (24)

The undefeated Cougars have scored three touchdowns on kick returns, one of just two FBS teams to do so (UNLV is the other). That includes a 96-yard kickoff return against the Utah Utes on Saturday by Keelan Marion, his second of the season. That was a very big play in what ended up a one-point game.

Kicker Will Ferrin has been reliable as well, making 17 out of 20 field goals (including a 44-yard winner against the Utes) and all 34 extra points. He also converted a first down on a fake field goal against Central Florida Knights on a snazzy “double snap” by the Cougars. He’s made his last nine field-goal attempts.

Throw in a couple of defensive TDs, and BYU has found ways to supplement its occasionally misfiring offense. Complementary football, as the coaches like to say.

The Army Black Knights’ ball control (25)

Make no mistake, Army’s defense is very good. But it’s also aided by an offense that hogs the ball, draining the clock and limiting possessions for opponents. Army is second nationally in time of possession at nearly 35 minutes per game, topping out with more than 41 minutes of possession Saturday against the North Texas Mean Green. That game was marked by this masterpiece of incremental movement: a 21-play, 94-yard grind that took 13:54 off the clock. Army held the ball for nearly an entire quarter without relinquishing it until it had scored.

What’s the key to moving the chains without a surplus of explosive athletes? Avoiding negative plays. Army has allowed just 85 yards in sacks and tackles for loss on the season—by far the lowest amount in the nation. By rarely going backward, the Black Knights turn almost every second and third down into manageable yardage situations. When you’re never behind the chains, you never have to alter your preferred play-calling.

The Indiana Hoosiers’ defense (26)

While Indiana’s prolific offense grabbed the early attention in this landmark season, the team’s ability to sustain its unbeaten record has increasingly relied on its defense. The Hoosiers have recorded their lowest yardage totals of the season in their last three games yet won them all because their defense has taken over.

In holding off the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Indiana limited them to their fewest yards since 2016 (206) and fewest yards per play since ’13 (3.12). And the Hoosiers were even tougher on that side of the ball the week before in blowing out the Michigan State Spartans, surrendering 193 total yards and 3.02 per play. Indiana leads the nation in rushing defense at 72.2 yards per game, which is in part a byproduct of racking up a ton of negative-yardage plays every game.

Defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, who came with Curt Cignetti from James Madison, has cut Indiana’s points allowed per game in more than half, from 29.9 to 13.8.

Linebacker Suntarine Perkins, left, leads Ole Miss with 10 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Mississippi Rebels’ defensive disruption (27)

As good as Indiana has been at getting into the offensive backfield and making plays, it pales compared to Ole Miss. The Rebels lead the nation by wide margins in sacks (46) and tackles for loss (103). Lane Kiffin already had some studs up front, then he raided his SEC rivals for more—and they’re wreaking havoc. 

Edge rusher Princely Umanmielen (Florida transfer) sacked Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck twice Saturday and is second on the team in both sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (12). Blitzing linebacker Chris Paul (Arkansas transfer) has 10 TFLs on the season and had nine total tackles against the Bulldogs. Walter Nolen (Texas A&M transfer) is a 305-pound problem in the middle.

The up-front pressure is a big reason why Ole Miss has forced 11 turnovers in the last five games.

The South Carolina Gamecocks’ Rocket launch (28)

Their first three-game SEC winning streak in seven years has coincided with the breakout of running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, an Arkansas transfer who has injected some big-play ability into the South Carolina offense.

The Gamecocks didn’t need much from Sanders to beat self-destructive Oklahoma in Norman on Oct. 19, but he’s been one to remember thus far in November. In impressive wins over the Texas A&M Aggies and Vanderbilt Commodores, Sanders produced 414 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns as both a running and receiving threat. 

At 6'0" and 230 pounds, Sanders is a load. But he has the hands to be an effective receiver and the speed to run away from tacklers. No running back in the SEC has more than his 12 plays of 20 or more yards from scrimmage.

The SMU Mustangs’ smart quarterback change (29)

Preston Stone led the Mustangs to the 2023 American Athletic Conference championship, but broke his leg in the December title game. Stone pressed forward in his rehab to be ready for this season, but he wasn’t performing well through his first three starts of the season. After a loss in the third game to BYU (not a bad loss by any means, in retrospect), coach Rhett Lashlee announced he was turning to backup Kevin Jennings.

Since then, SMU is undefeated and averaging 43 points per game. Jennings is third in the ACC in pass efficiency while averaging 8.4 yards per play in total offense, second only to Miami’s Cam Ward.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ run-pass ratio (30)

When Brent Key’s team can establish a running game and avoid over-reliance on passing, they tend to win. Average number of pass attempts in Tech’s six victories: 24.7. Average number of pass attempts in Tech’s four losses: 39.7. Run-pass ratio in wins: 63% run, 37% pass. Run-pass ratio in losses: 44% run, 55% pass.

It certainly has helped Tech when its most effective running quarterback, Haynes King, is healthy. Without him, the Jackets chucked it 86 times in consecutive losses to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Virginia Tech Hokies. When King came back for the Miami game Saturday, he ran it 20 times and threw it six, with backup Aaron Philo subbing in to throw 10 passes.

The game is three weeks down the road, but Tech’s renewed prowess at the point of attack could be bad news for a vulnerable Georgia team.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns’ old man quarterback (31)

Ben Wooldridge entered his seventh season of college football with eight career starts. He’s made the most of this (presumably final) year. Wooldridge has led Louisiana to an 8–1 record and the periphery of the Group of 5 playoff race. The Ragin’ Cajuns could use some help with upsets in the Mountain West and AAC, but they’re at least part of the discussion.

Wooldridge, who was Louisiana’s starter in 2023, suffered a season-ending injury on the first series of the third game. He came back healthy in ’24 and leads the Sun Belt Conference in pass efficiency (162.17). Louisiana is fifth nationally in yards per play at 7.01, as the program regains the relevance it enjoyed from 2019–21 under Billy Napier.