This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After reading our story on Utah's special teams excellence, ESPN Stats & Analysis Division Manager Mike Wilson has been kind enough to provide a little more context.
Utah's special teams, by ESPN's measurements, are the best in the nation this year, and have been among the best for a while.
ESPN's statisticians estimate that Andy Phillips, Tom Hackett, Kaelin Clay and Co. have contributed 7.8 added points per game — compared to an average team's group — this season.
That number takes into account strength of schedule. The top five heading into this week's games were as follows:
1. Utah • (4-1), 7.78
2. Temple • (3-1), 7.05
3. Texas A&M • (5-1), 5.14
4. BYU • (4-1), 5.12
5. Maryland • (4-2), 4.94
Since 2004, when ESPN began keeping track, the Utah has averaged 2.17 expected points added per game by specialists, Wilson said. That ranks seventh, behind (in order) Florida State (2.91), Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Kansas State and Miami.
— Matthew Piper
Twitter: @matthew_piper