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Monitoring Explosive Plays: Alabama defense flexes its muscles
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
Have you heard the news? As it turns out, Alabama once again has one of the most imposing defenses in the SEC, especially when it comes to limiting explosive plays.
The Crimson Tide has held opponents to just 12 explosive plays this year, the fewest of any team in the SEC. It faced the SEC’s leader in explosive plays on offense in Mississippi State last weekend, and held the Bulldogs to just two explosive plays all game. The Bulldogs had been averaging more than four per game entering Week 12.
Alabama is also tied for third in the conference in explosive plays on offense, giving it the conference’s best explosive play margin at plus-25, six better than the next closest competitor (Georgia).
UGA has matched Alabama’s explosive plays on offense this season with 37, and it ranks second in the SEC in explosive plays allowed on defense. However, the Bulldogs have still allowed six more explosive plays on defense than Alabama, a testament to just how dominant this Alabama defense has been when it comes to limiting big plays during a game.
Here’s a rundown of every SEC team’s explosive play margin so far this season:
| Team | Margin | Explosive Plays | Explosive Plays Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | +25 | 37 | 12 |
| 2. Georgia | +19 | 37 | 18 |
| 3. Mississippi State | +16 | 42 | 26 |
| 4. LSU | +13 | 37 | 24 |
| 5. Ole Miss | +11 | 32 | 21 |
| 6. Auburn | +99 | 38 | 29 |
| 7. Texas A&M | +5 | 37 | 32 |
| T8. Arkansas | +3 | 28 | 25 |
| T8. Florida | +3 | 24 | 21 |
| T8. Kentucky | +3 | 34 | 31 |
| 11. Missouri | +1 | 19 | 18 |
| 12. South Carolina | -4 | 28 | 32 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | -5 | 19 | 24 |
| 14. Tennessee | -14 | 16 | 30 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: OFFENSE
Mississippi State remains the SEC’s leader in explosive plays on offense with 42, four more than any other team in the SEC. Even if Mississippi State had been held without an explosive play in Week 12, it would still be leading the conference heading into Week 13 this weekend.
Auburn is alone at second in the SEC in explosive plays executed with 38, but like Mississippi State it was limited by a physical Georgia defense in Saturday’s loss between the hedges. Georgia held Auburn to just one explosive play for the game, well below the Tigers average on the season.
Texas A&M, Florida and Missouri made the greatest improvements to their explosive play totals in Week 12. &M registered four explosive plays on Saturday to lead the conference, while Florida and Mizzou recorded three apiece.
Florida’s explosive plays couldn’t keep South Carolina from blocking a punt on its way to a come-from-behind win in overtime, while Missouri needed all three of its explosive plays to top A&M by seven in College Station.
Mizzou tailback Russell Hansbrough led all individual players in explosive plays last weekend with two by himself, a pair of touchdown runs from 49 and 45 yards away to open the second half. Nine of the 12 SEC teams in action last week were held to two explosive plays or fewer, matching (or even falling short of) what Hansbrough did by himself against a porous Aggies defense.
Here’s a complete breakdown of every SEC offense’s explosive plays this season:
| Team | Explosive Plays | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi State | 42 | 24 | 18 |
| 2. Auburn | 38 | 23 | 15 |
| T3. Alabama | 37 | 17 | 20 |
| T3. Georgia | 37 | 26 | 11 |
| T3. LSU | 37 | 20 | 17 |
| T3. Texas A&M | 37 | 14 | 23 |
| 7. Kentucky | 34 | 16 | 18 |
| 8. Ole Miss | 32 | 14 | 18 |
| T9. Arkansas | 28 | 20 | 8 |
| T9. South Carolina | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| 11. Florida | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| 12. Vanderbilt | 19 | 6 | 13 |
| 13. Missouri | 19 | 12 | 7 |
| 14. Tennessee | 16 | 6 | 10 |
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS: DEFENSE
When it comes to explosive plays, there’s less variation throughout the SEC on the defensive side of the ball than on offense.
Three SEC teams — Alabama, Georgia and Missouri — have allowed fewer than 20 explosive plays this season, while four more teams — Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M — have each allowed between 30-32 explosive plays on the year.
Two of the four teams at the wrong end of the spectrum (South Carolina and A&M) each allowed three explosive plays in Week 12, although the Gamecocks managed to beat Florida on the road and the Aggies only lost by a touchdown to SEC East leader Mizzou.
LSU and Arkansas engaged in a defensive stalemate in Fayetteville, as neither team recorded a single explosive play in the Hogs’ 17-0 win over the Tigers. Every other defense in the SEC allowed at least on explosive play on Saturday, yet the Tigers (ranked sixth in the SEC in explosive plays allowed) and the Razorbacks (eighth in explosive plays allowed) managed to buck that trend in one of the ugliest offensive games of the season.
Here’s a rundown of every SEC team’s explosive play defense this season:
| Team | Explosive Plays Allowed | Rushes For 20+ | Passes For 30+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| T2. Georgia | 18 | 10 | 8 |
| T2. Missouri | 18 | 9 | 9 |
| T4. Florida | 21 | 9 | 12 |
| T4. Ole Miss | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| T6. LSU | 24 | 15 | 9 |
| T6. Vanderbilt | 24 | 11 | 13 |
| 8. Arkansas | 25 | 10 | 15 |
| 9. Mississippi State | 26 | 8 | 18 |
| 10. Auburn | 29 | 15 | 14 |
| 11. Tennessee | 30 | 15 | 15 |
| 12. Kentucky | 31 | 20 | 11 |
| T13. South Carolina | 32 | 20 | 12 |
| T13. Texas A&M | 32 | 17 | 15 |
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.
