I think you’ll know whom to blame for this.

Paul Myerberg’s got a post up that’s probably not of much interest to you, since it’s about Troy, but I thought he made a good point there about how the rest of the Sun Belt has caught up to Troy in one particular way, which in turn has led to the end of Troy’s dominance in the conference.

Troy led the Sun Belt in total plays run from scrimmage in each year from 2007-10. The Trojans averaged 980.3 plays per season, running at least 972 plays each year with a high of 997 plays in 2010.

–The Trojans’ offense was on the field for 867 plays last fall, which tied Florida International for fifth-most in the Sun Belt. Arkansas State led the way with 1,016 plays, followed by Louisiana-Monroe with 939 plays, Middle Tennessee with 938 plays and Louisiana-Lafayette with 893 plays.

Okay, you can quit yawning now.  Here’s the thing:  that Arkansas State figure was good for ninth-best in the country last year… tied with Georgia.  For the Dawgs, that’s up from 92nd in 2010 and 100th in 2009.

We’re looking at a big change in philosophy that probably hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves.  No doubt it contributed to a few bumps in the road last season, notably in the Boise State game, but assuming that Richt and Bobo remain committed to it, it will be interesting to see if a second year at it generates smoother results.  And to see if there’s enough depth on the offensive line to keep up with it.