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Red Zone Watch: Eight SEC teams off to perfect start inside the 20
By Randy Capps
Published:
The ability to put up points in the red zone is often the difference between winning and losing. Every few weeks, we’ll take a look around the SEC to see how your favorite team is faring — on offense and defense — inside the 20.
Kentucky and Auburn were both involved in Week 1 games that looked like comfortable wins in the third quarter, but turned out to be much tighter in the closing moments.
Both were victorious, in part to a 100 percent effort in the red zone.
Auburn scored touchdowns on both of its trips inside the 20, while the Wildcats had two touchdowns and a field goal on its three red zone tries.
OFFENSIVE RED ZONE STATISTICS
Eight SEC teams were spotless in Week 1 inside the red zone, and Ole Miss, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama achieved that with only touchdowns.
In a statistical oddity, Missouri failed to score a red zone touchdown in a 34-3 win over SE Missouri State.
On the flip side, Vanderbilt scored on only two of its five trips inside the 20 in its 14-12 loss against Western Kentucky.
| Rank | Name | G | Attempts | Scores | Score % | TD | TD % | FG | FG % |
| 1 | Florida | 1 | 8 | 8 | 100 | 6 | 75 | 2 | 25 |
| 1 | Mississippi | 1 | 5 | 5 | 100 | 5 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Arkansas | 1 | 5 | 5 | 100 | 3 | 60 | 2 | 40 |
| 1 | Georgia | 1 | 4 | 4 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Kentucky | 1 | 3 | 3 | 100 | 2 | 66.7 | 1 | 33.3 |
| 1 | Auburn | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Alabama | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Missouri | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 100 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 1 | 9 | 8 | 88.9 | 7 | 77.8 | 1 | 11.1 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 1 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 3 | 60 | 1 | 20 |
| 10 | Mississippi State | 1 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 3 | 60 | 1 | 20 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 1 | 3 | 2 | 66.7 | 1 | 33.3 | 1 | 33.3 |
| 13 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 5 | 2 | 40 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 20 |
DEFENSIVE RED ZONE STATISTICS
It’s not hard to pinpoint a reason for South Carolina’s 17-13 win over North Carolina.
The Tar Heels ventured inside the South Carolina 20 on three different occasions in the game, and managed only a field goal.
The Gamecocks joined Ole Miss and Missouri as the only teams that didn’t allow a red zone touchdown in the season opener.
| Name | G | Attempts | Scores | Score % | TD | TD % | FG | FG % | |
| 1 | South Carolina | 1 | 3 | 1 | 33.3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 1 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| 3 | Auburn | 1 | 5 | 3 | 60 | 3 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 1 | 3 | 2 | 66.7 | 2 | 66.7 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 1 | 6 | 4 | 66.7 | 2 | 33.3 | 2 | 33.3 |
| 6 | Alabama | 1 | 4 | 3 | 75 | 2 | 50 | 1 | 25 |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 1 | 5 | 4 | 80 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 60 |
| 8 | Missouri | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
| 8 | Florida | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Georgia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100 | 1 | 50 | 1 | 50 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 1 | 3 | 3 | 100 | 1 | 33.3 | 2 | 66.7 |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 1 | 3 | 3 | 100 | 2 | 66.7 | 1 | 33.3 |
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
