LSU Football Using Science To Help Eliminate Dropped Passes
Researchers at LSU have been delving into a field of study that any LSU Tiger fan could latch on to. That's the study of football. More accurately the study of how to create the best opportunity for an LSU pass thrower to connect successfully with an LSU pass catcher.
Here's what researchers were studying.
Based on data from last year the research team determined that LSU pass-catchers dropped almost 16% of passes that were determined to be catchable. That equated to 26 total drops for the season. Researchers wanted to know what factors contributed to the drops and what changes could be made to increase the potential of a completed pass.
LSU Director of Athletic Training Jack Marucci used this information to determine what passing routes yielded the most catches. He also instructed his team to outfit LSU receivers with specialized goggles to track the pass receiver's vision as they made the catch.
The results determined what routes were most successful for what receiver during the course of the game. For example, the research team found that 85%-90% of all dropped passes happened when the receiver had to follow the ball with his non-dominant eye.
This has lead to some changes in the depth, angle, and side of the formation that offensive pass plays will be run based on the statistical information obtained for each receiver. So far this season the results seem to have confirmed this extra-scientific step has paid off handsomely in higher completion percentages for the LSU passing game.
It's one more thing Tiger fans can be watching for Saturday night when LSU entertains Northwestern State at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.