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The chart below ranks SEC defenses by number of sacks. LSU and Arkansas pace the conference with seven sacks through two games.
South Carolina’s defense hasn’t been disruptive this season. The team’s one sack and five tackles for loss are by far the fewest in the SEC to this point. What happened to the notion that Jadeveon Clowney didn’t play all that well last season, so the Gamecocks may not miss him at all?
Missouri is surprisingly low on the list considering Markus Golden and Shane Ray have combined for five sacks.
The list also illustrates Mississippi State’s tough front seven, as the Bulldogs have 13 tackles for loss beyond their five sacks. Also interesting, Texas A&M has just 26 sack yards on six sacks, while Alabama has 56 sack yards on six sacks.
| Team | Sacks | Sack Yards | Tackles For Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1. LSU | 7 | 51 | 15 |
| T1. Arkansas | 7 | 49 | 16 |
| T3. Alabama | 6 | 56 | 12 |
| T3. Texas A&M | 6 | 26 | 11 |
| T5. Auburn | 5 | 43 | 15 |
| T5. Missouri | 5 | 43 | 14 |
| T5. Georgia | 5 | 38 | 9 |
| T5. Mississippi State | 5 | 35 | 18 |
| T5. Kentucky | 5 | 28 | 14 |
| T10. Ole Miss | 4 | 49 | 14 |
| T10. Tennessee | 4 | 20 | 15 |
| T10. Vanderbilt | 4 | 18 | 15 |
| 13. Florida | 3 | 18 | 9 |
| 14. South Carolina | 1 | 9 | 5 |
Ole Miss has allowed an alarming 19 tackles for loss and five sacks through two games. Is Bo Wallace living on borrowed time? The Rebels also have committed more penalties than any other SEC program.
This is getting repetitive, but Florida can thank Eastern Michigan for allowing the Gators to dominate nearly every category in the SEC right now. Meanwhile, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M have given up just one sack in two games.
Kentucky (five sacks, 15 tackles for loss) and Vanderbilt (five sacks, eight tackles for loss) also can’t speak well of the offensive line.
| Team | Sacks Allowed | Sack Yards Allowed | Tackles For Loss Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Florida | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| T2. Auburn | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| T2. Alabama | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| T2. Arkansas | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| T2. Texas A&M | 1 | 9 | 6 |
| T2. Georgia | 1 | 13 | 5 |
| 7. Missouri | 2 | 10 | 9 |
| 8. South Carolina | 3 | 15 | 6 |
| T9. LSU | 4 | 21 | 12 |
| T9. Tennessee | 4 | 27 | 9 |
| T9. Mississippi State | 4 | 43 | 7 |
| T12. Ole Miss | 5 | 26 | 19 |
| T12. Kentucky | 5 | 34 | 15 |
| T12. Vanderbilt | 5 | 39 | 8 |
It’s a little early for sack leaders, but Texas A&M freshman Myles Garrett stands out on this list.
| Name | Team | Position | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Taiwan Johnson | Arkansas | DL | 3.5 |
| 2. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 3.0 |
| 3. Markus Golden | Missouri | DL | 2.5 |
| T4. Nine players | 2.0 |
Markus Golden and Shane Ray terrorized the Toledo offensive line last week by timing the snap count. On several plays, one or both of Missouri’s defensive ends sprinted two or three steps before the Rockets offensive tackle got out of his stance.
Golden, predominantly a pass rusher last season, has been particularly strong as an all-around player.
| Name | Team | Position | Tackles For Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Markus Golden | Missouri | DL | 5.0 |
| T2. Taiwan Johnson | Arkansas | DL | 4.0 |
| T2. Montravius Adams | Auburn | DL | 4.0 |
| T4. Amario Herrera | Georgia | LB | 3.5 |
| T4. Shane Ray | Missouri | DL | 3.5 |
| T4. Benardrick McKinney | Mississippi State | DL | 3.5 |
| T7. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 3.0 |
| T7. Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DL | 3.0 |
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
