Explosive plays go hand-in-hand with winning football games. If you rip off more chunk plays than your opponent, you have a pretty good shot.
In 2023, LSU’s offense was one of the most explosive in college football history. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], along with [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr[/autotag], were big plays waiting to happen.
We haven’t seen the same level of big-play threat from LSU in 2024 and it’s a key reason for LSU’s three-game losing streak.
Today, we’ll rank the most explosive offenses in the SEC to see where LSU fits in and evaluate which offenses are the best at generating the big play. We’ll look at overall offense first then peak at some passing and rushing splits.
Let’s jump right in.
SEC Offensive 20+ Yard Play Rates
| Team | 20+ Yard Play Rate | 20+ Yard Play Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | 10.72% | 1 |
| Texas | 10.58% | 2 |
| Alabama | 10.02% | 3 |
| Arkansas | 9.74% | 4 |
| Georgia | 9.22% | 5 |
| Auburn | 9.21% | 6 |
| Florida | 8.85% | 7 |
| South Carolina | 8.62% | 8 |
| LSU | 8.13% | 9 |
| Kentucky | 7.24% | 10 |
| Tennessee | 7.21% | 11 |
| Texas A&M | 6.74% | 12 |
| Mississippi State | 5.97% | 13 |
| Vanderbilt | 5.03% | 14 |
| Missouri | 4.97% | 15 |
| Oklahoma | 4.29% | 16 |
Takeaway
LSU is closer to the bottom than the top of the conference with an explosive play rate of 8.13%. That’s nearly five points below LSU’s mark from 2023.
We’ve seen this impact the entire operation. A lack of explosive plays puts pressure on LSU to execute perfectly down after down in the red zone, something this offense isn’t capable of doing.
It’s also forced LSU to be near perfect on third down. That’s an area where LSU’s excelled, but relying on third and long conversions isn’t a sustainable way to win games.
With no consistent deep threat, defenses can stack the box and take away LSU’s run game and short passing attack.
It comes as no surprise that Lane Kiffin’s offense is setting the standard this year. Ole Miss, Texas, and Alabama are the only three offenses above 10%.
Sitting at the bottom of the SEC are Missouri and Oklahoma. That wasn’t the case last year, but both offenses took a major step back in 2024.
A name that stands out in the top five is Arkansas. The Razorbacks aren’t consistent, but when they’re on, few units are as explosive as Bobby Petrino’s.