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Here’s a look at some eye-popping stats and historical context entering Week 4 for select games.
TENNESSEE at FLORIDA
While it’s well-documented that the key to Florida’s 10-game win streak over Tennessee has been a significant edge running the ball, there’s also another key factor: turnovers.
Here’s a look at the Gators’ win streak over the Vols, looking specifically at these two pivotal areas. As you’ll see, Florida has never lost the turnover battle during this stretch and has won it in 8 of the 10 games. Meanwhile, the Gators have crushed the Vols on the ground, holding them to 37 yards or fewer in half the contests.
Note: Florida is listed first in each reference for rushing yards and score.
| YEAR | RUSH YDS | TURNOVER MARGIN | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 68/66 | +1 | 16-7 |
| 2006 | 121/-11 | +1 | 21-20 |
| 2007 | 255/37 | +2 | 59-20 |
| 2008 | 147/96 | +3 | 30-6 |
| 2009 | 208/117 | 0 | 23-13 |
| 2010 | 150/29 | +1 | 31-17 |
| 2011 | 134/-9 | +1 | 33-23 |
| 2012 | 336-83 | +2 | 37-27 |
| 2013 | 215/66 | +3 | 31-17 |
| 2014 | 156/28 | 0 | 10-9 |
It won’t be any easier for the Vols to run it against this season’s Gators, who rank seventh in the FBS — and comfortably first in the SEC — in rush defense, allowing just 55.3 yards per game.
Another interesting thing that comes to mind with these two teams is how young they are. The Vols started more freshman (23) than any team in the FBS last season. Meanwhile, the Gators are younger than they’ve been in a long time. Their six scholarship seniors at the start of fall camp is the fewest at Florida since 1951.
2015 — 6
1981 — 7
1956, 1972 — 8
1978, 2011 — 9
This year’s Gators team is comprised of 54 freshmen, 25 sophomores, 22 juniors and 14 seniors.
MISSISSIPPI STATE at AUBURN
You can’t have bigger polar opposites at the most important position on the field. Auburn made a change from QB Jeremy Johnson and will start redshirt freshman Sean White. Of course, MSU is led by Dak Prescott, a First-Team All-SEC senior. As of right now, Prescott is on pace to go down as the winningest QB in Bulldogs history in terms of win percentage (minimum 10 starts). He’s also fourth in terms of wins.
| PLAYER | RECORD | WIN PCT | SEASONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wayne Madkin | 25-15 | .625 | 1998-2001 |
| 2. John Bond | 24-21 | .533 | 1980-83 |
| 3. Rockey Felker | 17-15-2 | .515 | 1972-74 |
| 4. Dak Prescott | 16-7 | .696 | 2012-15 |
| 5. Chris Relf | 15-7 | .682 | 2008-11 |
Prescott has been extremely consistent throughout his career in Starkville. There are plenty of numbers that highlight his consistency:
-He’s thrown a TD pass in 17 consecutive games, tied for the 2nd-longest streak in the FBS (only TCU’s Trevone Boykin has more with 18)
-With Prescott, MSU has recorded at least 420 yards of total offense in 21 of his 23 career starts.
-He’s hasn’t thrown an interception in 150 pass attempts, the longest streak in school history and the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS.
One thing to watch for in this game is who strikes first. Under Gus Malzahn, Auburn is 16-1 when it gets on the scoreboard first, and 6-7 when it doesn’t.
ARKANSAS vs. TEXAS A&M
Speaking of drawing first blood, Kevin Sumlin has woven that into the Aggies’ identity since he came to College Station.
Texas A&M has scored first in 36 of 42 games under Sumlin, including all three games this season. On the other hand, Arkansas has allowed the first score in each of its last two losses. Overall, the Aggies have outscored their opponents 466-129 in first quarters under Sumlin.
Another crucial aspect of this game will be whether Texas A&M can get pressure on Arkansas QB Brandon Allen. The Aggies lead the FBS in sacks (15.0) and tackles for loss (36), while Arkansas is one of only five schools to not allow a sack this season. The Razorbacks will have to deal with maybe the best pass-rushing tandem to this point, Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall.
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | SACKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | 5.5 |
| 2. Carl Nassib | Penn State | 5.0 |
| 3. Dale Pierson | Iowa State | 5.0 |
| 4. Yannick Ngakoue | Maryland | 4.5 |
| T5. Daeshon Hall (6 others) | Texas A&M | 4.0 |
Texas A&M faces Arkansas in Arlington, Texas on Saturday. Although this will be one of nine games in the state of Texas for the Aggies, 2015 will mark the first time in program history that the school will not face a single opponent from the Lone Star State.
VANDERBILT at OLE MISS
Chad Kelly leads the SEC in several categories. Here’s a look at a few of them:
Passer efficiency — 205.7
Passing touchdowns — 9
Points responsible for — 72
Yards per attempt — 12.3
Yards per completion — 19.1
The Rebels’ three defensive touchdowns are tied for the most in the FBS. Their seven defensive TDs over the last two seasons are second only to Ohio State’s eight.
And offensively, a whopping 14 different Rebels have recorded a touchdown through just three games (12 on offense, 2 on defense). That total doesn’t include Preseason All-America TE Evan Engram.
LSU at SYRACUSE
LSU already holds the FBS record for longest non-conference regular season winning streak. The Tigers will look for No. 50 against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. LSU hasn’t lost a non-conference regular season game since all the way back in 2002, when it lost 26-8 at Virginia Tech to open the season. Here are the longest such win streaks in FBS history.
| TEAM | STREAK | YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. LSU | 49 | 2002-present |
| 2. Kansas State | 39 | 1993-2003 |
| 3. Miami | 36 | 1985-1988 |
| 4. Wisconsin | 35 | 2003-2013 |
LSU had its 29th 200-plus yard rushing game under Les Miles against Auburn. LSU has won 19 straight games when rushing for 200 or more yards as a team and the Tigers are 26-3 under Miles when reaching the mark. LSU’s last loss when rushing for 200 or more yards came against No. 1 Alabama in 2008 (L, 27-21 OT).
How’s this for consistency? LSU has played 129 of its 134 games under Les Miles ranked in the Top 25 and the Tigers are 101-28 in those games.
And you know we have to include something on Leonard Fournette. Something that went overlooked in last week’s monster performance against Auburn was Fournette setting the school record for yards per rush in a game (minimum 15 rushes).
| PLAYER | YARDS PER RUSH | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leonard Fournette | 12.0 | 2015 |
| 2. Kevin Faulk | 11.7 | 1996 |
| 3. Justin Vincent | 11.2 | 2003 |
MISSOURI at KENTUCKY
Missouri’s visit to Lexington to face Kentucky is a chance for the Tigers to build on an 11-game road win streak, the third-longest active road win streak in the FBS. The only other team on the list below that’s playing in a road game this week is No. 9 UCLA, which visits No. 16 Arizona.
Ohio State — 14
Florida State — 13
Missouri — 11
UCLA — 8
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.
