Why are we so low on plays per game?

ThreatMatrix

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Played around with the statistics just for kicks. Some thoughts:

We've run 367 plays, and our opponents have run 411. The biggest disadvantaged games were Colorado State and Tennessee. CSU ran 39 more plays than us, and UT ran 26 more than us. What do these have in common? We have short fields, so fewer plays to get to the end zone. The other games we are fairly even - we ran 8 more than MSU, and 4 fewer than LSU. We ran 10 more than Kentucky, and only 7 more than Charleston Southern.

We've had 70 non-kneeling possessions, and our opponents have had 75. Why? We've scored on special teams a few times and kneeled out the game a few times. So I'm not concerned about the comparison here. Interestingly, though, we score an average of 2.9 points per possession, while only allowing an average of 1.2 points per possession. Again, this sounds like a good stat.

Similarly, points per play - we score an average of 0.55 points per play, while the opponents score an average of 0.22 points per play.

Anything else? Yards per play? We have 6.22 yards per play, our opponents have 4.09 yards per play.

Long story short - I think our offense is doing just fine. Could they be doing better? Sure. But the slower tempo is leading to more efficient plays, possessions, and point totals.

Good work but where's the pie chart.

So obviously we aren't the only team in CFB that's running the meerkat offense and they're ahead of us in plays per game.

Getting the ball back one more possession a game would do wonders for our offensive stats since we have been productive with the ball.
 

B52G8rAC

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Good thread and hard to believe we are winning with so few plays. Imagine if our D did not create TOs?

I wonder what CDM and Co think of our low play count and if they are concerned about it or if somehow it is that they are coaching around some other deficiencies or weaknesses. Maybe we just don't have enough offense ready to run 70 plays?

Defense and STs baby.
I would maintain that our low play count is, in large part, caused by the turnovers. We have short fields or no offensive plays at all that score. Long runs and passes also reduce the play count. If we want a ball control type of team (Muschamp anyone?), 4.5 yds per play is the way to go. 15 plays and a punt or FG attempt every drive. Bend, don't break defense. If you have the depth and patience, that's the formula for winning football. In the Big 10; in November, in the snow and frozen tundra.
 

RiverRat

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Were not looking at a finished product but a work in progress. I think the key word is "Progress" The Mull has this offense trending up with what he has to work with, what more can we expect.
I fully expect to see much better days ahead when he gets the personal he needs to run his system.
 

InstiGATOR1

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Let me add a few here some that are repetitive and some that might shed some new light on this:

1. Maybe UF lacks quality depth and in the blowout wins, UF has done little in the second half because the players playing then are such a drop off from the core group.

2. Oddly and maybe contradictory a couple of UF's backup players Pierce for example are so good that UF's scoring drives with backups in the game have often required very few plays.

3. Turnover gained and short fields as some have already suggested.

4. Special teams including even having a solid FG kicker so you take the 3 rather than go far it on 4th down in some situations.

5. Penalties make it harder for an offense to sustain drives and this is not the type of offense built to overcome even a 5 yard penalty.

6. Lastly but maybe most importantly the offense is not very good or put the way some else did, the offense is a work in hopefully progress. The offense struggles to sustain drives.
 

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