2025 CFB Scripted Drive Data

We have published the 'on script' compiled first drive data thus far in 2025. Some of the results may surprise you. Others certainly won't. Let's dive in!

We are always looking for new data points to provide to you. Our squad at CFBDepth has been recording the ‘scripted drives’ for each of the 136 FBS squads this season so far. We feel we have enough data to compile and start sharing those results.

A few notes about this data:

• We are taking the first drive of the game (no further). Some teams script the first 15-20 plays, but we don’t have a reliable source of that information for every team.

• Not every team or play-caller scripts their drives, though it is believed to be a widespread practice.

• We employ some common sense on which drive to chart. For example, if a team gets a turnover deep in their opponents’ territory, we’ll utilize their second (full) drive for this data point.

We are tracking the following data points:

1. Games Played (number of drives)

2. Number of plays

3. Plays per drive

4. Yards

5. Yards per drive

6. Results: Touchdown (TD), Field Goal (FG), Missed Field Goal (MFG), Turnover (TO), Punt.

7. Points

8. Points per Game

9. Defensive Strength of Schedule

Want to jump straight to the full data? Go ahead and click the button below:

Insights

Taking a look at this data, we are pulling out some interesting tidbits for you:

• Four teams have accumulated 33 points on their seven scripted drives: Texas Tech, Tennessee, Michigan State, and Memphis.

  • The Spartans on this list are a bit surprising considering their general lack of offensive prowess this season.

  • Memphis has done this against the weakest SOS+ ranked 115th.

• Northwestern (of all teams) has the longest sustained drives thus far, running 71 plays (10.1) per drive. They have turned that into just 12 points. They have turned the ball over three times in their seven scripted drives. The rest of the top five:

  • Alabama (70 plays; 10.0 p/d)

  • Utah (68 plays; 9.7 p/d)

  • Stanford (66 plays; 9.4 p/d)

  • South Alabama (65 plays; 9.3 p/d) « does not include last night’s results

• UL-Monroe (of all teams) has the highest yards per play ranking on scripted drives at 11.9. They have ran 28 plays for 332 yards, resulting in four touchdowns and three punts. This, against the 116th ranked SOS. Next up:

  • Arkansas — 11.6 (40 plays, 465 yards)

  • Old Dominion — 10.5 (31 plays, 325 yards)

  • Texas Tech - 9.68 (41 plays, 397 yards)

  • Notre Dame - 9.45 (42 plays, 397 yards) « they have accomplished this despite the 5th most difficult defensive opponents thus far.

• Only one team has punted on all of their scripted drives (7) this season: Miami (OH).

  • They are not the only team that has not scored a point on any of their scripted drives, however. That list includes UTEP (4 punts, 3 turnovers); New Mexico State (4 punts, 1 turnover and 1 missed field goal); Nevada (4 punts, 3 turnovers) and Western Kentucky (3 punts, 3 turnovers, 1 missed field goal).

• Alabama has had a lot of success on their scripted drives this season. They have managed 30 points with five touchdowns. They have turned the ball over twice. They have done this despite the second-most difficult SOS+ against opposing defenses.

  • We mentioned Notre Dame’s success against a tough slate, but the other team to note here is Michigan. The Wolverines have managed 24 points (four touchdowns; three punts) on their seven opening drives and did this against the 6th most difficult SOS.

• What’s up with the LSU Tigers on scripted drives this season? They have managed just three points on seven scripted drives thus far. Sure, they have faced some stiff competition, but, still. They have the one field goal, one turnover and five punts thus far. Their one field goal came last week against Vanderbilt. Even against Southeast Louisiana (SELA), they went three-and-out, gaining just five yards on their first drive.

Application

We plan to apply this information in a couple of ways. First, we’re going to continue to track this data all season, and the scripted drive data will factor into our full-on coach ratings/rankings in the off-season. It won’t be the only metric, but it will be a part of it. If you’d like to apply these numbers to a certain coach/play-caller, we have those for you as well. Just click the button below:

Week Nine

If you are so inclined, we have done a quick comparison of the best (and worst) scripted drive teams thus far this season to find the opportunities to take a closer look at the first quarter totals:

Best Combined SDD:

1. Mizzou (8th) at Vanderbilt (9th) - 1Q Total: 10.5

2. Florida Atlantic (12th) at Navy (7th) - 1Q Total: 13.5

3. Michigan (29th) at Michigan State (32nd) - 1Q Total: 10.5

4. Ole Miss (13th) at Oklahoma (39th) - 1Q Total: 10.5

5. Alabama (5th) at South Carolina (48th) - 1Q Total: 9.5

Worst Combined SDD:

1. Western Michigan (107th) at Miami-OH (130th) - 1Q Total: 7.5

2. Georgia Southern (109th) at Arkansas State (126th) - 1Q Total: 13.5

3. Louisiana (124th) at Troy (99th) - 1Q Total: 10.5

4. Texas A&M (91st) at LSU (131st) - 1Q Total: 10.5

5. Minnesota (104th) at Iowa (116th) - 1Q Total: 7.5

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