Below you’ll find a sample box score for one of the games from a previous season. Following the box score, you’ll find a detailed description of what all those numbers mean and how the hell we arrived at our final score.

Breaking Down the Box Score

The box score above is, admittedly, quite a lot of numbers. But when you know what the categories mean, it’s very simple.

Here’s a breakdown of the box score, using one of the teams featured:

The Surfers went with the following starting lineup (with totals in parentheses):

Rushing Offense - Northwestern (3 points)
Passing Offense - Kansas State (9 points)
Rushing Defense - Iowa (5 points)
Passing Defense - Purdue (4 points)
Special Teams - Florida (8 points)
Victory Bonus - W3, L2 (1 point)
Weighted point subtraction (- 14 points)

Total: 16 points

In their actual game, Northwestern as a team rushed for 256 yards and one TD, along with 2 fumbles. The 256 yards earned the Surfers 3 points, the one TD earned the Surfers 4 points, and the 2 fumbles cost the Surfers 4 points. In sum, Northwestern earned the Surfers 3 points for Rushing Offense.

In their actual game, Kansas State passed for 149 yards and 2 TDs, with 0 interceptions. The 149 yards earned the Surfers 1 point, the 2 TDs earned them 8 points and the 0 interceptions cost them 0 points. In sum, Kansas State earned the Surfers 9 points for Passing Offense.

In their actual game, Iowa allowed 154 rushing yards, recovered 0 fumbles, recorded 0 safeties, and allowed 14 points to their opponent. The 154 yards earned the Surfers 2 points, the 0 fumble recoveries and safeties earned them 0 points each, and the 14 points allowed earned the Surfers 3 points. In sum, Iowa earned the Surfers 5 points for Rushing Defense.

The Surfers also used Iowa as its Weighted Defense, which means Iowa’s overall total was also subtracted from his opponent’s total. That means that 5 points were subtracted from the Run-n-Gun.

In their actual game, Purdue allowed 203 passing yards, with 1 interception, and allowed 27 points. The 203 yards earned the Surfers 1 point, the 1 interception earned them 2 points, and the 27 points allowed earned the Surfers 1 point. In sum, Purdue earned the Surfers 4 points for Passing Defense.

In their actual game, Florida kicked 0 FGs, 5 PATs, missed 0 PATs, converted no 2-pt conversions, missed no 2-pt conversions, had no special teams TDs, and punted for an average of 44.6 yards. No FGs, 2-pt conversions or special teams TDs earned the Surfers 0 points, while the 5 PATs earned them 5 points and the 44.6 punting average earned them 3 points. In sum, Florida earned the Surfers 8 points for Special Teams.

The Surfers’ opponent, the Run-n-Gun, earned 14 points from its Weighted Defense, which means that -14 was added to the Surfers total.

Finally, of the Surfers’ starting five schools, 3 teams won and 2 teams lost. That 3-2 margin earned the Surfers 1 point. �