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With most of the SEC teams a third of the way through the season, here’s a look at the 10 most impressive stats by teams or players in the conference so far.
10) Texas A&M – 11 takeaways
The Aggies are off to a 3-1 start, which is a surprise to some considering how they have played at times. But whatever fans think of their performance thus far, one of the biggest reasons they are in fact 3-1 is their ability to force turnovers.
Texas A&M leads the SEC with 11 takeaways, which is tied for third nationally. In just four games, the Aggies are nearly halfway to their 2016 total of 24 takeaways, which came in 13 games.
Texas A&M fans have seen this before, though. Just last year the Aggies had 19 takeaways in their first seven games, which was tied for the most in the FBS. But over the final six games of the season, they forced just 5 more.
9) Dre Greenlaw – 11 tackles per game
Arkansas junior linebacker Dre Greenlaw leads the SEC in tackles per game, averaging 11.0. While that stat alone is impressive, it gets even better when you consider Greenlaw managed just two tackles in the Razorbacks’ season-opening win over Florida A&M.
That means over his last two games, Greenlaw has 31 tackles, or 15.5 per game. It is easily the best two-game stretch for tackles in Greenlaw’s career at Arkansas.
8) Mississippi State – 1 sack allowed
True, the Bulldogs are not a team that throws it all around the field. In fact, they are middle of the pack in the SEC in pass attempts.
However, to go through a third of the season and only allow one sack is impressive, especially in the SEC. Consider that by contrast, Auburn has allowed the most sacks among SEC teams with 16 (ranks 128th in the FBS). The Tigers have four FEWER pass attempts than the Bulldogs this season.
By the way, in the FBS, only two schools have yet to allow a sack — Central Florida, which has played just two games so far, and Army, which has attempted just 23 passes, fewest in the nation.
7) Shea Patterson – 427 pass yards per game
Ole Miss fans had a feeling, based on how Patterson played as a freshman last season, that the sophomore quarterback was capable of putting up impressive numbers.
But it’s doubtful even those fans expected Patterson to be second in the nation in passing yards per game. Only UCLA’s Josh Rosen (440.8) has a higher average than Patterson.
Perhaps just as impressive for Patterson so far is his 70.5% completion rate. There are 12 FBS quarterbacks who are averaging 40 pass attempts per game this season, and only two have a higher completion percentage than Patterson – Washington State’s Luke Falk and Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek.
6) Deebo Samuel – 6 touchdowns in 3 games
Before his leg injury against Kentucky put him on the sidelines – perhaps for the rest of the season – Samuel was perhaps the most outstanding player in the SEC.
The junior wide receiver scored six touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ first three games, scoring in a variety of ways.
Samuel has three TD receptions, a rushing TD and two kickoff-return scores. Further demonstrating his big-play ability, five of the six touchdowns have covered 25 or more yards.
5) John Kelly – 158.0 all-purpose yards per game
There was some uncertainty entering this season about how effective Kelly was going to be as the Volunteers full-time running back.
It certainly didn’t take long for any doubters to be convinced Kelly can handle the workload.
Along with leading the SEC in rush yards, Kelly has emerged as one of top pass-catching running backs in the nation. His 158.0 all-purpose yards per game is tied with Deebo Samuel for highest in the SEC.
Kelly is one of two FBS players with at least 450 rushing yards and 150 receiving yards this season. The other is Heisman Trophy contender Saquon Barkley out of Penn State.
4) Auburn – 236.3 total yards per game allowed
It should come as no surprise to see an Alabama school leading the SEC in total defense. The surprise is which Alabama team is at the top.
Auburn is leading the conference in defense, allowing just 236.3 total yards per game. The Tigers are also the only SEC school holding opponents under four yards per play (3.6). Both statistics rank fourth in the FBS.
It has been a complete turnaround for the program defensively, especially when you consider that as recently as 2015, the Tigers had one of the worst defenses in the conference, ranking 13th in the SEC in total defense (405.2 YPG).
3) Charles Wright – 6 sacks
Wright entered the 2017 season with one sack in 23 career games. He quickly made an impact with three sacks in a season-opening win over Middle Tennessee and through four games is second in the FBS with six sacks.
With eight games left in the regular season, Wright is already halfway to the Vanderbilt single-season record for sacks, set by Alan Young in 1993 (12).
2) Georgia – 4 straight opponents under 300 yards
Expectations were high for the Bulldogs’ defense entering this season, especially with 10 starters back on that side of the ball.
But so far, even the most cynical of fans must be impressed with how Georgia has established itself as one of the best defenses in the SEC this season.
In their first four games, the Bulldogs have held each opponent under 300 total yards and 20 points a game. Only one other team in the FBS has held each of its first four opponents under 300 total yards – Michigan.
If Georgia can shut down Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, it could become the first SEC team to hold each of its first five opponents under 300 total yards since Florida in 2013.
1) Alabama – 0 turnovers
I don’t want to hear about Alabama-bias, or any of that stuff. When you can go the first third of the regular season without turning the ball over, you’re doing something outstanding.
The Crimson Tide is the only team in the nation that has yet to commit a turnover. In fact, this streak is actually seven games when you go back to last season. Alabama’s last turnover occurred in the second quarter of the Iron Bowl against Auburn. That’s 30 straight quarters without a turnover.
That means Alabama went through the toughest part of its 2016 season – the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff games – without committing a turnover.
The 30-quarter streak is the longest for Alabama since 1940. And any streak that predates Bear Bryant’s arrival in Tuscaloosa is remarkable in my book.
Michael covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
