Another way to look at how the defense has fared is to look at how they’ve performed against an opponent relative to the other teams that opponent has faced.  In this chart, you want to be as close to the bottom as possible.  Giving up 5.0 yards per play can mean a lot of different things.  Against a team like Clemson, 5.0 yards per play is some very good defense.  Against Wake Forest, not as much.  So, below I’ve charted all the defensive performances for each team our opponents have faced this year.

One quick observation after the Boston College game.  That game is considered by most fans that follow FSU closely as the turning point of the season defensively.  It was after that game that personnel changes were made and frequent substituting of players and a revolving door rotation were ceased.  In 2 of the first 3 games (I didn’t include FCS team Bethune Cookman), Florida State surrendered more yards per play than half of the other opponents.  In the six games since the switch, Florida State has surrendered either the lowest or second lowest yards per play.  I’ll update as more games are added…