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Here’s how the SEC defenses fared in total yards allowed in 10 bowl appearances.
1. Auburn (205): It can be argued that the Auburn defense faced the biggest challenge coming to the bowl season, having to contend with Memphis QB Paxton Lynch, the likely first passer to be taken in the NFL Draft this spring. But the Tigers completely shut him down (16-for-37 passing for only 109 yards) in Auburn’s 31-10 win. The 205 total was the fewest amount of yards Memphis gained all season, as was their 10-point total.
2. Alabama (239): It’s surprising to think that Michigan State gained any yards at all in its shutout at the hands of Alabama. The Spartans only had 29 yards rushing in the 38-0 loss to the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl.
3. Arkansas (242): The Razorbacks also are among the SEC teams that dominated their bowl game opponent in nearly every way, shutting down the Kansas State attack in the Liberty Bowl. Kansas State rushed for only 79 yards and had only 13 first downs all day.
4. Tennessee (261): No. 13-ranked Northwestern was dominated in every area by No. 23 Tennessee in the Vols’ 45-6 thrashing in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. Northwestern turned the ball over four times and Tennessee scored 35 unanswered points in the rout.
5. Ole Miss (366): While Oklahoma State and Ole Miss had similar passing yard numbers, OSU only had 63 yards rushing in Ole Miss’s big 48-20 Sugar Bowl win. It was a bit of a surprising performance by the Landshark defense, which was missing its two top players, Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche.
6. LSU (399): The Tigers overwhelmed the Red Raiders in the Texas Bowl at Houston, especially on the ground. While Texas Tech was able to gain 370 yards passing, they were held to 29 yards rushing.
7. Georgia (401): Penn State actually outgained Georgia in yardage by 74 yards, but the Bulldogs won on the ground, holding off Penn State 24-17 in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville. A lot of Penn State’s yards came late, after Georgia had built a commanding 24-3 lead.
8. Mississippi State (424): N.C. State scored in three out of four quarters of the game and moved the ball pretty well against Mississippi State. But Dak Prescott and his guys on offense picked up their mates, scoring at will themselves in the Bulldogs big win in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.
9. Florida (503): There was probably no more disappointing performance in all of bowl season that the one turned in by the Florida defense in the Citrus Bowl. This unit, praised as one of the best in the SEC, didn’t even show up in the 41-7 loss.
10. Texas A&M (534): Louisville torched the Texas A&M defense for an SEC-worst 534 yards in their Music City Bowl win over the Aggies. The Cardinals were led by freshman QB Lamar Jackson, who ran for more than 200 yards and passed for more than 200 against the porous Aggies defense.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
