Good pitching may always beat good hitting, but dominant defenses don’t always shut down elite running backs.

Looking back over the last decade, there were several standout SEC ballcarriers who rarely had ‘off’ games, even against nationally-ranked teams with defenses considered among the nation’s best.

Skimming the surface, here are the league’s top ‘big-game’ backs over the last decade:

Darren McFadden, Arkansas: Coach Houston Nutt knew exactly what he had in the backfield from 2005-07, one of the most dangerous triple-threat weapons in college football history. Over three seasons, McFadden’s 22 100-yard games was an SEC-best during that time and the opponent rarely mattered. He matched up with 17 ranked teams and hit triple digits 10 times. His career average of 151.6 yards per game in three contests against LSU is among the best ever. As the nation’s Doak Walker winner during his sophomore and juniors seasons, McFadden twice set career-highs against South Carolina highlighted by a league-record 321-yard outburst against the 24th-ranked Gamecocks in 2007.

T.J. Yeldon, Alabama: His fumbling issues are well-documented, but Yeldon was one of college football’s best at doing everything well as a three-year starter for the Crimson Tide. A three-down back who caught passes and improved later in his career in pass pro, Yeldon often carried the load against ranked teams and had some of his most impressive games in the spotlight. As a freshman in 2012, Yeldon posted a season-high 153 yards and a score during an SEC Championship Game win over Georgia (Todd Gurley, another player in this list, shredded Alabama’s top-ranked defense for 122 yards and two scores in the same game). The following season, Yeldon posted three of his six 100-yard outing in consecutive games down the stretch — LSU, at Mississippi State and at Auburn. Before bolting for the NFL draft after three seasons, one of Yeldon’s most underrated performances came at Ole Miss last fall when he rushed for 123 yards against one of the country’s best front sevens.

Todd Gurley, Georgia: This former five-star was a 100-yard game waiting to happen throughout his career, due largely in part to Georgia’s reliance on a featured back when record-setting SEC quarterback Aaron Murray wasn’t tossing it around in Mike Bobo’s balanced attack. Out of Gurley’s 18 career 100-yard outings, eight came against ranked teams including a 155.6-yard per game average against three Top 25 squads during a suspension and injury-shortened campaign last fall. Gurley was a home run threat known for gashing defenses with big gains thanks to elite speed and a knack for his tackle-breaking abilities.