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If you’re a quarterback or an offensive linemen, you don’t want to play Mizzou.
Missouri has produced an absurd 132 sack yards in five games, which is fifth in the country. The Tigers have just one more sack than Texas A&M, but have nearly doubled the Aggies in sack yards.
The scariest thing? That’s without Markus Golden (hamstring) in one game and with an apparently-diminished Golden last week. Golden and Shane Ray (7.0 sacks) have an off week to rest and scheme against Georgia and QB Hutson Mason.
Ray easily could break Aldon Smith’s single-season school record (11.5 sacks), while Golden should have a monster second half of the season if he’s healthy.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is fourth in the SEC in sacks with 12, even more remarkable considering opposing offenses usually are running out the clock with handoffs in the second half.
Excluding sacks, Tennessee has a conference-best 22 tackles for loss. The Vols, though, have just 33 sack yards.
Florida and South Carolina have the fewest sacks in the SEC with six.
Team | Sacks | Sack Yards | Tackles For Loss |
---|---|---|---|
1. Missouri | 17 | 132 | 35 |
2. Texas A&M | 16 | 71 | 35 |
3. Mississippi State | 14 | 89 | 35 |
4. Vanderbilt | 12 | 86 | 32 |
T5. Georgia | 11 | 89 | 32 |
T5. Kentucky | 11 | 60 | 24 |
7. LSU | 10 | 68 | 29 |
8. Auburn | 9 | 63 | 27 |
T9. Ole Miss | 8 | 87 | 28 |
T9. Arkansas | 8 | 60 | 29 |
T9. Tennessee | 8 | 33 | 30 |
12. Alabama | 7 | 64 | 20 |
T13. South Carolina | 6 | 55 | 19 |
T13. Florida | 6 | 46 | 23 |
Arkansas still has allowed just one sack this season.
Before you dismiss that due to the team’s proclivity for running the ball, consider that Brandon and Austin Allen have combined for 107 throws.
Auburn (2 sacks, 98 passes), Florida (2 sacks, 119 passes) and even Texas A&M (3 sacks, 213 passes) can’t match that sack rate.
Missouri’s offensive line has struggled, allowing seven sacks even with a slippery Maty Mauk at quarterback. The Tigers also have given up a conference-worst 31 tackles for loss, including eight last week against South Carolina.
But Tennessee invites defensive linemen into the backfield, allowing a league-worst 12 sacks and 29 tackles for loss, tied with Ole Miss for worst.
Team | Sacks Allowed | Sack Yards Allowed | Tackles For Loss Allowed |
---|---|---|---|
1. Arkansas | 1 | 7 | 18 |
T2. Florida | 2 | 5 | 12 |
T2. Auburn | 2 | 19 | 21 |
T4. Alabama | 3 | 24 | 18 |
T4. Texas A&M | 3 | 28 | 13 |
6. Georgia | 6 | 37 | 20 |
T7. Ole Miss | 7 | 32 | 29 |
T7. Missouri | 7 | 62 | 31 |
T7. Mississippi State | 7 | 64 | 15 |
10. South Carolina | 9 | 74 | 23 |
11. LSU | 10 | 65 | 23 |
T12. Vanderbilt | 11 | 76 | 20 |
T12. Kentucky | 11 | 89 | 28 |
14. Tennessee | 12 | 90 | 29 |
Ray added two sacks to his nation-leading total, while Myles Garrett has been stuck on 5.5 the last two games.
Markus Golden and Caleb Azubike also haven’t added to their total in a few weeks.
Name | Team | Position | Sacks |
---|---|---|---|
1. Shane Ray | Missouri | DL | 7.0 |
2. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 5.5 |
T3. Markus Golden | Missouri | DL | 4.0 |
T3. Caleb Azubike | Vanderbilt | OLB | 4.0 |
5. Taiwan Johnson | Arkansas | DL | 3.5 |
Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin moved into the Top 5 this week with six tackles for loss this season, while Ray has 4.5 tackles for loss against the run to give him a huge lead over Garrett (1.5 tackles for loss against the run).
Name | Team | Position | Tackles For Loss |
---|---|---|---|
1. Shane Ray | Missouri | DL | 11.5 |
2. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 7.0 |
3. Markus Golden | Missouri | DL | 6.5 |
4. Jalen Reeves-Maybin | Tennessee | LB | 6.0 |
5. Caleb Azubike | Vanderbilt | LB | 5.5 |
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.