At mid-season USM's defense is ranked top 25 nationally in nearly every category.
http://stats.ncaa.org/teams/113621
In our last two games vs them we've given the football away 10 times for 40+ opponent's points (excluding blocked kicks and bad snaps). We can't afford our offense taking us out of the game early again by giving them points instead of scoring for us.
USM's Defensive National Rankings:
Total Defense #20
Scoring Defense #23
Rushing Defense #17
Passing Yards Allowed #46
Team Pass Efficiency #28
1st Down Defense #12
3rd Down Conversion Def. #25
Red Zone Defense #11