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2014 was supposed to be the year of the running back in the SEC.
But, as the numbers show, SEC teams on average are handing off roughly the same percentage of offensive snaps as they did in 2013 despite the mass exodus of record-setting quarterbacks.
AJ McCarron, Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger, Johnny Manziel and James Franklin all left. T.J. Yeldon, Mike Davis, Leonard Fournette, Alex Collins and Cameron Artis-Payne were supposed to rule the roost.
Instead, SEC offenses are running the ball 56.4 percent of the time, slightly above the national average of 54.3 percent, and a fraction below last year’s split.
Auburn, which threw the ball just 29 percent of the time as of mid-November last season, is up to 34 percent this season. LSU, replacing Mettenberger with Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris, is throwing the ball on just 30 percent of its snaps, down from 40 percent in 2013.
Texas A&M, with first-time starter Kenny Hill at quarterback, is the most pass-heavy offense, throwing the ball nearly 60 percent of the time after close to a 50/50 split last season despite Manziel and Mike Evans.
There is no magic number when it comes to run vs. pass, and most of the country’s best teams skew toward the run, handing the ball off frequently in the second half while nursing big leads and running out the clock.
The SEC’s most prominent spread offenses — Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas A&M — run the ball about 53.7 percent of the time. That number increases to 58.6 percent by taking out A&M.
Four SEC teams run more than 60 percent of the time: Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia and Mississippi State.
| Team | Pass % | Run % |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 41% | 59% |
| Arkansas | 38% | 62% |
| Auburn | 34% | 66% |
| Florida | 45% | 55% |
| Georgia | 35% | 65% |
| Kentucky | 49% | 51% |
| LSU | 30% | 70% |
| Mississippi State | 38% | 62% |
| Missouri | 43% | 57% |
| Ole Miss | 46% | 54% |
| South Carolina | 50% | 50% |
| Tennessee | 51% | 49% |
| Texas A&M | 59% | 41% |
| Vanderbilt | 47% | 53% |
| SEC Avg 2014 | 43.6% | 56.4% |
| SEC Avg 2013 | 43% | 57% |
| National Avg 2014 | 45.7% | 54.3% |
| National Avg 2013 | 45% | 55% |
Most pass attempts: Texas A&M (359)
Fewest pass attempts: Georgia (163)
Most rushes: LSU (439)
Fewest rushes: Vanderbilt (240)
Most offensive snaps: Texas A&M (608)
Fewest offensive snaps: Florida (446)
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
