Monitoring Explosive Plays: High-scoring Iron Bowl loaded with big plays
By Ethan Levine
Published:
For the purposes of this story, SDS defines an explosive play as a run of at least 20 yards or a pass of at least 30 yards.
EXPLOSIVE PLAY MARGIN
No. 1 Alabama closed the regular season with the SEC’s best explosive play margin of plus-23, thanks to the SEC’s third-most explosive plays on offense and the conference’s fewest explosive plays allowed on defense.
The Tide is one of two SEC teams with a margin of plus-20 or better (Georgia is the other), and 11 of the conference’s 14 teams finished the year with a positive margin. However, Alabama’s margin actually dropped by two following a 55-44 victory over Auburn in the highest-scoring Iron Bowl in history.
Alabama executed five explosive plays on offense in the win, but allowed Auburn to execute seven in a losing effort. The Tide had only allowed 14 explosive plays in its first 11 games, making the Tigers achievement all the more impressive.
Auburn’s explosive play margin rose by two following the game to counter-balance the drop in Alabama’s margin (I apologize for bringing math into this). The Tigers closed the season with a margin of plus-13, and their seven explosive plays against Alabama elevated their total to an SEC-best 48 on the season.
Here’s a rundown of every SEC team’s explosive play margin through the end of the regular season:
| Team | Margin | Explosive Plays | Explosive Plays Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | +23 | 44 | 21 |
| 2. Georgia | +20 | 43 | 23 |
| T3. LSU | +16 | 43 | 27 |
| T3. Ole Miss | +16 | 42 | 26 |
| T5. Mississippi State | +13 | 47 | 34 |
| T5. Auburn | +13 | 48 | 35 |
| 7. Florida | +4 | 30 | 26 |
| 8. Missouri | +3 | 24 | 21 |
| T9. Kentucky | +2 | 37 | 35 |
| T9. Texas A&M | +2 | 40 | 38 |
| T9. Arkansas | +2 | 31 | 29 |
| 12. South Carolina | -5 | 33 | 38 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | -7 | 21 | 28 |
| 14. Tennessee | -15 | 20 | 35 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: OFFENSE
Auburn jumped Mississippi State for the most explosive plays in the conference following Week 14 after Mississippi State managed just four in a loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl last weekend. The Bulldogs closed the season with the second-most explosive plays and the second-most explosive rushes of any team in the SEC.
Georgia had the most rushes of 20-or-more yards this season, thanks to the dangerous tandem of Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb that carried the Dawgs run game for much of the year.
Ole Miss jumped Texas A&M on the final day of the season and ended the year with the most explosive completions. The Rebels executed eight explosive plays against Mississippi State to jump from eighth to sixth in the conference for the year, and they completed five passes of 30-or-more yards to leapfrog the Aggies.
Texas A&M, which led the SEC in explosive completions for most of the year, managed just one in a loss to LSU last Thursday night.
Tennessee finished the season with the fewest explosive plays of any team in the conference, mustering just 20 in 12 games this season. However, Vanderbilt finished the year with the fewest explosive rushes and Arkansas closed the year with the fewest explosive completions, while Tennessee had the second-fewest rushes and third-fewest completions.
Here’s a complete breakdown of every SEC offense’s explosive plays this season:
| Team | Explosive Plays | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn | 48 | 25 | 23 |
| 2. Mississippi State | 47 | 27 | 20 |
| 3. Alabama | 44 | 22 | 22 |
| T4. Georgia | 43 | 30 | 13 |
| T4. LSU | 43 | 25 | 18 |
| 6. Ole Miss | 42 | 17 | 25 |
| 7. Texas A&M | 40 | 16 | 24 |
| 8. Kentucky | 37 | 17 | 20 |
| 9. South Carolina | 33 | 17 | 16 |
| 10. Arkansas | 31 | 22 | 9 |
| 11. Florida | 30 | 15 | 15 |
| 12. Missouri | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| 14. Tennessee | 20 | 8 | 12 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: DEFENSE
Missouri finished the year tied with Alabama for the fewest explosive plays allowed on defense, giving up just 21 in 2014. The Tigers allowed the second-fewest explosive runs and the second-fewest explosive completions in the SEC for the season.
Eight of the SEC’s 14 teams allowed fewer than 30 explosive plays this season, while five of the other six allowed 35 or more in 2014. Texas A&M and South Carolina each allowed 38 apiece to finish at the bottom of the SEC in explosive plays allowed. The Gamecocks allowed the most rushes of 20-or-more yards this season with 23, one more than the Aggies allowed in 2014. Kentucky allowed 20 long rushes as the only other team in the SEC to allow 20 or more on the season.
Mississippi State closed the year with the most explosive completions allowed, and the five it gave up to Ole Miss (playing without Laquon Treadwell and Vince Sanders) went a long way toward sinking the Bulldogs in Saturday’s showdown.
Mississippi State was the only team in the conference to allow more than 18 long completions this season. Georgia allowed the fewest explosive pass plays with just eight in 12 games.
Here’s a rundown of every SEC team’s explosive play defense this season:
| Team | Explosive Plays Allowed | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1. Alabama | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| T1. Missouri | 21 | 11 | 10 |
| 3. Georgia | 23 | 15 | 8 |
| T4. Florida | 26 | 13 | 13 |
| T4. Ole Miss | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| 6. LSU | 27 | 17 | 10 |
| 7. Vanderbilt | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| 8. Arkansas | 29 | 11 | 18 |
| 9. Mississippi State | 34 | 11 | 23 |
| T10. Auburn | 35 | 18 | 17 |
| T10. Kentucky | 35 | 20 | 15 |
| T10. Tennessee | 35 | 17 | 18 |
| T13. South Carolina | 38 | 23 | 15 |
| T13. Texas A&M | 38 | 22 | 16 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
