Ad Disclosure
One of the most exciting plays in football, the quarterback sack can often make or break the outcome of a drive.
As it is such an important piece of the puzzle for SEC programs, we are tracking how each team is performing throughout the season.
We will take a look at both how good each team’s defense is at creating sacks, as well as how well each offensive line is at preventing them.
We’ll also take a look at some of the league’s top sack and tackles for loss producers.
Here is how things stack up after Week 4:
SACKS: RANKING EACH SEC DEFENSE’S ABILITY TO GET TO THE OPPOSING QB
The quarterback sack is the stat of the year so far for Texas A&M. The Aggies have 17 sacks through three games thanks to the efforts what could be considered the nation’s top pass rusher in sophomore Myles Garrett.
Florida’s spot at No. 2 on this list is not surprising, as the Gators have a talented and physical defensive front led by Jonathan Bullard.
Missouri ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks, but the Tigers are tops in the league in tackles for loss. Ole Miss is another team that is much higher in the tackles for loss category than it is the sacks rankings.
After getting just one sack through the first three games of the year, Arkansas caught up to the pack a little bit with two against Texas A&M.
| TEAM | SACKS | SACK YARDS | TACKLES FOR LOSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Texas A&M | 17 | 93 | 38 |
| 2. Florida | 14 | 108 | 35 |
| 3. Mississippi State | 12 | 94 | 30 |
| 4. Alabama | 11 | 62 | 25 |
| T5. LSU | 9 | 60 | 16 |
| T5. Vanderbilt | 9 | 55 | 26 |
| T7. Georgia | 8 | 55 | 25 |
| T7. Missouri | 8 | 49 | 41 |
| T7. Kentucky | 8 | 49 | 16 |
| T7. Tennessee | 8 | 46 | 26 |
| 11. South Carolina | 7 | 41 | 15 |
| 12. Auburn | 6 | 42 | 19 |
| T13. Ole Miss | 3 | 26 | 29 |
| T13. Arkansas | 3 | 19 | 22 |
SACKED: ANALYZING HOW WELL EACH SEC TEAM HAS AVOIDED THE QB SACK
In spite of allowing its first two sacks of the season on Saturday, the Arkansas offensive line still tops the rankings for sack avoidance.
They are closely followed by LSU and Georgia, which are the two teams that feature arguably the best running backs in the country in Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb, making it tough for opposing defenses to work up a good pass rush.
It also is no surprise that Georgia leads the rankings in fewest tackles for loss allowed, given that Chubb, Sony Michel and Keith Marshall are rarely brought down behind the line of scrimmage.
| TEAM | SACKS ALLOWED | SACK YARDS ALLOWED | TACKLES FOR LOSS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arkansas | 2 | 13 | 15 |
| T2. Georgia | 3 | 19 | 12 |
| T2. LSU | 3 | 26 | 14 |
| 4. Vanderbilt | 4 | 26 | 22 |
| T5. Alabama | 5 | 44 | 27 |
| T5. South Carolina | 5 | 30 | 16 |
| T5. Mississippi State | 5 | 38 | 15 |
| 8. Ole Miss | 6 | 41 | 19 |
| 9. Missouri | 7 | 40 | 30 |
| 10. Florida | 8 | 38 | 18 |
| T11. Auburn | 9 | 61 | 23 |
| T11. Tennessee | 9 | 74 | 27 |
| T13. Texas A&M | 12 | 79 | 24 |
| T13. Kentucky | 12 | 83 | 27 |
TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS
It is all Texas A&M atop the list of sacks leaders, with defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall holding the top two spots. Though, it is worth noting that all four of Hall’s sacks came against Arizona State in Week 1.
Gators DL Jonathan Bullard has pulled into a tie for second place with Hall after a strong effort in Week 4.
| NAME | TEAM | POSITION | SACKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 6.5 |
| T2. Daeshon Hall | Texas A&M | DL | 4.0 |
| T2. Jonathan Bullard | Florida | DL | 4.0 |
| 4. A.J. Jefferson | Mississippi State | DL | 3.5 |
| T5. Nine players | various | DL/LB | 3.0 |
On the tackles for loss side of things, it is Missouri’s Charles Harris that is in the lead, keeping alive what has become a long tradition of defensive end excellence in the SEC for Mizzou.
Tennessee LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a new name on this list after a solid performance against Florida in Week 4.
| NAME | TEAM | POSITION | TACKLES FOR LOSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Charles Harris | Missouri | DL | 9.5 |
| 2. Jonathan Bullard | Florida | DL | 8.0 |
| T3. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 7.5 |
| T3. A.J. Jefferson | Mississippi State | DL | 7.5 |
| 5. Jalen Reeves-Maybin | Tennessee | LB | 7.0 |
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
