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Monitoring explosive plays: Cooper, Alabama overwhelm Vols defense
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
Alabama continues to be the SEC’s premier program when it comes to explosive plays as it maintains the conference’s best explosive plays margin at plus-25 through nine weeks. No other SEC team has a margin greater than plus-15, which makes sense considering the Tide has the second-most explosive plays in the conference on offense and has allowed the fewest explosive plays on defense.
Alabama’s margin increased more than any other team following Week 9 action, as the Tide ran up six explosive plays on offense and allowed its opponent, Tennessee, to execute just two in a 34-20 Alabama win. Amari Cooper led Alabama with 224 yards and two touchdowns against UT, and recorded three explosive plays to help the Tide’s cause.
Ten SEC teams have a positive explosive plays margin this season, while Florida sits at an even zero. Four SEC teams have a margin of plus-10 or greater, and all six teams ranked in this week’s national polls are slotted in the top 7 in the SEC in explosive plays margin.
Auburn and South Carolina both had four explosive plays apiece in their showdown in Jordan-Hare Stadium, meaning neither team was able to improve its margin following the Tigers’ 42-35 victory on the Plains.
The Gamecocks, Vanderbilt and Tennessee are the only SEC teams with negative margins, and Tennessee has the conference’s worst margin at minus-10, due in large part to an SEC-low 11 explosive plays on offense.
Team | Margin | Explosive Plays | Explosive Plays Allowed |
---|---|---|---|
1. Alabama | +25 | 35 | 10 |
2. Georgia | +15 | 26 | 11 |
3. LSU | +13 | 37 | 24 |
4. Mississippi State | +12 | 30 | 22 |
T5. Auburn | +7 | 25 | 18 |
T5. Kentucky | +7 | 29 | 2 |
T5. Ole Miss | +7 | 22 | 15 |
8. Texas A&M | +6 | 27 | 21 |
9. Arkansas | +4 | 26 | 22 |
10. Missouri | +3 | 15 | 12 |
11. Florida | 0 | 13 | 13 |
T12. South Carolina | -7 | 19 | 26 |
T12. Vanderbilt | -7 | 12 | 19 |
14. Tennessee | -10 | 11 | 21 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: OFFENSE
The LSU Tigers remains the most explosive offense in the SEC, statistically speaking at least, after they posted four more explosive plays to increase its total to 37 in eight games this season. The Tigers were only 8 of 16 through the air in a win over Ole Miss, meaning 25 percent of their completions went for at least 30 yards against the Rebels’ “Landshark” defense.
LSU is now tied with Mississippi State for the most explosive rushes in the SEC with 20, although State has played in one fewer game than LSU after receiving two early byes this season. The Bulldogs were second in the SEC in Week 9 with five explosive plays on offense, including four on the ground in a 45-31 win over Kentucky.
Alabama has the most explosive completions in the SEC this season with 18, including three in the victory over Tennessee. LSU and Texas A&M are tied for the second most explosive completions, which is remarkable considering A&M has attempted 167 more passes than LSU so far this season.
Tennessee has the fewest explosive plays on offense with 11 in eight games, and both the Vols and Vanderbilt Commodores have fewer explosive plays than a Florida team that’s only played six games in nine weeks (UT and Vandy have each played eight). Florida has 13 explosive plays, and Vandy has 12.
Team | Explosive Plays | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
---|---|---|---|
1. LSU | 37 | 20 | 17 |
2. Alabama | 35 | 17 | 18 |
3. Mississippi State | 32 | 20 | 12 |
4. Kentucky | 29 | 14 | 15 |
5. Texas A&M | 27 | 10 | 17 |
T6. Arkansas | 26 | 19 | 7 |
T6. Georgia | 26 | 18 | 8 |
8. Auburn | 25 | 16 | 9 |
9. Ole Miss | 22 | 7 | 15 |
10. South Carolina | 19 | 11 | 8 |
11. Missouri | 15 | 8 | 7 |
12. Florida | 13 | 6 | 7 |
13. Vanderbilt | 12 | 4 | 8 |
14. Tennessee | 11 | 5 | 6 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: DEFENSE
As previously stated, Alabama has allowed the fewest explosive plays on defense among SEC teams this season, but Georgia is right behind the Tide having allowed just one more explosive play on the year. With that said, Georgia was off last week on its second bye of the year, and it has played one fewer game than Alabama in allowing 11 explosive plays to Alabama’s 10.
Five SEC teams have allowed 15 explosive plays or fewer on the season, and seven have allowed fewer than 20 in 2014. Missouri is third in the SEC having allowed just 12 explosive plays all year, including zero in a win over the Commodores last week in Columbia. Vandy allowed just two explosive plays to Mizzou in a losing effort.
Mississippi State and LSU are the lone ranked teams in the SEC to have allowed 20 or more explosive plays this season, and Mississippi State’s total is even more eye-opening considering the Bulldogs have already used both their byes. MSU has allowed 20 big plays in six games, and No. 16 LSU has allowed a whopping 24 in seven games, the second-highest total in the SEC to South Carolina.
It’s no surprise to see the Gamecocks have allowed the most explosive plays in the SEC this year, as South Carolina ranks near the bottom of the SEC in most statistical categories on defense. The Gamecocks have allowed 26 explosive plays all season, including an SEC-worst 17 on the ground.
The Bulldogs have allowed the most explosive completions in the conference with 14, an average of more than two per game. Four other teams have also allowed at least 10 explosive plays through the air, including one ranked team (Auburn).
Team | Explosive Plays Allowed | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
---|---|---|---|
1. Alabama | 10 | 5 | 5 |
2. Georgia | 11 | 3 | 8 |
3. Missouri | 12 | 6 | 6 |
4. Florida | 13 | 5 | 8 |
5. Ole Miss | 15 | 8 | 7 |
6. Auburn | 18 | 8 | 10 |
7. Vanderbilt | 19 | 10 | 9 |
8. Mississippi State | 20 | 6 | 14 |
T9. Tennessee | 21 | 11 | 10 |
T9. Texas A&M | 17 | 9 | 12 |
T11. Arkansas | 22 | 10 | 12 |
T11. Kentucky | 22 | 15 | 7 |
13. LSU | 24 | 15 | 9 |
14. South Carolina | 26 | 17 | 9 |
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.