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Breaking down the SEC’s all-time 1,000-yard rushers and 1,000-yard receivers
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Last season, running back Kelvin Taylor was determined to give Florida just its fourth 1,000-yard rusher since the turn of the century before he finally breached the mark in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan.
Many other rushers and receivers alike aspire to hit 1,000 yards at their respective positions no matter how arbitrary it might seem. For instance, Georgia only has one 1,000-yard receiver in school history but has had a trio of others reach 900 yards since 2008, a season that actually produced two of those three.
Still, it serves as a barometer for many of the greatest single-season performances in their schools’ annals. Then, tallying them all up is certainly telling about the rich history that each institution has enjoyed at those skill positions.
So what you have below is a full breakdown of 1,000-yard rushers and receivers for each of the 14 SEC schools. Just because I was curious, I followed that up with a look at the longest active droughts in these regards.
ALL-TIME 1,000-YARD RUSHERS
| SCHOOL | INSTANCES | SCHOOL RECORD (SEASON) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn | 25 | Tre Mason, 1,816 (2013) |
| 2. Alabama | 19 | Derrick Henry, 2,219 (2015) |
| 3. Tennessee | 18 | Travis Stephens (1,464) |
| 4. Arkansas | 17 | Darren McFadden (1,830) |
| 5. LSU | 16 | Leonard Fournette (1,953) |
| T6. Georgia | 15 | Herschel Walker (1,891) |
| T6. Missouri | 15 | Devin West (1,578) |
| T6. Texas A&M | 15 | Darren Lewis (1,692) |
| 9. Mississippi State | 13 | Anthony Dixon (1,391) |
| 10. Florida | 11 | Emmitt Smith (1,599) |
| 11. South Carolina | 10 | George Rogers (1,894) |
| 12. Kentucky | 8 | Moe Williams (1,600) |
| T13. Ole Miss | 6 | Kayo Dottley (1,312) |
| T13. Vanderbilt | 6 | Zac Stacy (1,193) |
The Iron Bowl rivals lead the way, but Auburn’s impressive total — which began all the way back in 1942 with Monk Gafford — is a comfortable six more than Alabama.
Of course, the Crimson Tide did just produce the only 2,000-yard rusher in school history after Derrick Henry’s SEC-record 2,219 yards last season.
Tre Mason actually shows up at No. 1 and No. 25 on Auburn’s list as he holds the school’s top spot with 1,816 yards in 2013, and he’s also down at No. 25 after barely surpassing the mark with 1,002 in 2012.
More than half the league has at least 15 players to reach the plateau.
ALL-TIME 1,000-YARD RECEIVERS
| SCHOOL | INSTANCES | SCHOOL RECORD (SEASON) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Florida | 10 | Travis McGriff (1,357) |
| 2. Tennessee | 8 | Robert Meachem (1,298) |
| T3. Alabama | 7 | Amari Cooper, 1,727 (2014) |
| T3. LSU | 7 | Josh Reed (1,740) |
| T3. Missouri | 7 | Danario Alexander (1,781) |
| 6. Vanderbilt | 6 | Jordan Matthews (1,477) |
| T7. Kentucky | 5 | Craig Yeast (1,311) |
| T7. South Carolina | 5 | Alshon Jeffery (1,517) |
| T7. Texas A&M | 5 | Mike Evans (1,394) |
| 10. Arkansas | 3 | Cobi Hamilton (1,335) |
| T11. Auburn | 2 | Ronney Daniels, 1,068 (1999) |
| T11. Mississippi State | 2 | Mardye McDole (1,035) |
| T11. Ole Miss | 2 | Laquon Treadwell (1,153) |
| 14. Georgia | 1 | Terrence Edwards (1,004) |
Of Florida’s SEC-leading 10 receivers with 1,000 yards, all but two of them came under Steve Spurrier’s watch in Gainesville, and that was Carlos Alvarez in 1969 and the year after he left in 2002.
In fact, the Gators made the tough achievement look easy by producing a 1,000-yard receiver in a remarkable eight straight seasons from 1995-2002, and a pair of them did it in 2001 (Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell).
Consider that Tennessee is the only other SEC school that even has eight total in its school’s history.
The Magnolia State’s teams make up two of the four teams that have only had two or fewer 1,000-yard receivers come along, joined by Auburn and Georgia.
Now, here’s a look at the longest active droughts in these areas.
LONGEST DROUGHTS WITHOUT 1,000-YARD RUSHER
| SCHOOL | SEASONS | LAST 1,000-YARD RUSHER (YARDS) | WHEN IT HAPPENED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 8 | Rafael Little (1,013) | 2007 |
| Ole Miss | 6 | Dexter McCluster (1,169) | 2009 |
| South Carolina | 2 | Mike Davis (1,183) | 2013 |
| Mississippi State | 1 | Josh Robinson (1,203) | 2014 |
| Missouri | 1 | Russell Hansbrough (1,084) | 2014 |
Only two schools have gone a notable stretch without a 1,000-yard rusher, and those are Kentucky and Ole Miss. In 2015, the Wildcats’ Stanley “Boom” Williams flirted with it after posting 855 yards.
Nine schools in the SEC had a 1,000-yard rusher last season. Meanwhile, one of the teams on this list, Missouri, had a four-year streak end last season.
Auburn doesn’t know how to not produce one. The Tigers extended their SEC record of seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher with seven last year, and they could make it eight behind Jovon Robinson in 2016.
LONGEST DROUGHTS WITHOUT 1,000-YARD RECEIVER
| SCHOOL | SEASONS | LAST 1,000-YARD RECEIVER (YARDS) | WHEN IT HAPPENED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 16 | Ronney Daniels (1,068) | 1999 |
| Florida | 13 | Taylor Jacobs (1,088) | 2002 |
| Georgia | 13 | Terrence Edwards (1,004) | 2002 |
| Kentucky | 5 | Randall Cobb (1,017) | 2010 |
| Arkansas | 3 | Cobi Hamilton (1,335) | 2012 |
| Tennessee | 3 | Justin Hunter (1,083) | 2012 |
| LSU | 2 | J. Landry (1,193) & O. Beckham (1,152) | 2013 |
| Missouri | 1 | Bud Sasser (1,003) | 2014 |
| South Carolina | 1 | Pharoh Cooper (1,136) | 2014 |
There are three notable streaks without a 1,000-yard receiver.
Since Auburn has thrived on the ground in recent years, it’s understandable that they wouldn’t produce a 1,000-yard receiver at the same time. However, Ronney Daniels’ instance in 1999 was one of only two in UA history, while Terrence Edwards’ effort in 2002 remains the only one in UGA history.
Florida’s streak of eight straight 1,000-yard receivers was stopped cold in 2002 as the Gators haven’t had one since the Rex Grossman-Taylor Jacobs connection.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
