Those stand alone stats only illustrate how the individual parts can misrepresent the whole. But taking a #1 unit and dropping to #16 is a failure in my book. Context matters and you seem willing to ignore it. We saw just last year that this unit could be a dominant force. This year, we're in a constant state of hanging on by our fingernails.
I don't recall if you answered before, but forget all the numbers and stats, do you feel confident that this defense will come up with a big stop when we need it? Will they shut down an offense that just has to drive into FG range to win the game? Last year, I was confident that our guys could either get the ball back somehow or make a stop. This year, I am not. Are you?