The quarterback sack is one of the most exciting plays in football, and it can often make or break the outcome of a drive.
Because 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 producers of sacks and tackles for loss.
Here is how things stack up after Week 9:
SACKS: RANKING EACH SEC DEFENSE
Alabama withstood a Week 9 bye to maintain its top spot in the sack rankings, though Texas A&M did close the gap with a four-sack performance against South Carolina.
Missouri was not so lucky, losing its lead in tackles for loss to the Aggies due to a Week 9 bye week. Ole Miss continues to thrive in that category in spite of a lack of sacks.
Arkansas either has no interest in sacking the quarterback, or the Razorbacks aren’t very good at it. Maybe it is a little bit of both.
| TEAM | SACKS | SACK YARDS | TACKLES FOR LOSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | 27 | 161 | 53 |
| 2. Texas A&M | 25 | 143 | 75 |
| T3. Florida | 22 | 177 | 58 |
| T3. Missouri | 22 | 134 | 72 |
| 5. Mississippi State | 20 | 147 | 63 |
| T6. LSU | 18 | 122 | 43 |
| T6. Vanderbilt | 18 | 122 | 52 |
| T8. Ole Miss | 16 | 108 | 71 |
| T8. Tennessee | 16 | 86 | 44 |
| 10. Georgia | 15 | 85 | 51 |
| 11. South Carolina | 14 | 98 | 39 |
| 12. Kentucky | 13 | 87 | 35 |
| 13. Auburn | 12 | 80 | 36 |
| 14. Arkansas | 7 | 54 | 46 |
SACKED: ANALYZING HOW WELL EACH TEAM AVOIDS THE SACK
Arkansas continues its reign at the top of the sacks allowed list. The big, physical Razorbacks offensive line is paying dividends, but also is aided by an experienced quarterback in Brandon Allen, who knows when to get rid of the football and avoid a negative play.
Georgia has moved into the lead with only 28 tackles for loss. Unfortunately, avoidance of negative plays hasn’t helped in the win column as of late.
One of the most alarming numbers on this chart is Alabama’s 64 tackles for loss allowed, which is by far the worst in the league even after a bye week to allow everyone to catch up a bit.
| TEAM | SACKS ALLOWED | SACK YARDS ALLOWED | TACKLES FOR LOSS ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arkansas | 7 | 45 | 29 |
| 2. LSU | 8 | 67 | 36 |
| 3. Georgia | 9 | 51 | 28 |
| 4. Mississippi State | 10 | 69 | 34 |
| 5. Alabama | 13 | 95 | 64 |
| 6. Auburn | 14 | 98 | 44 |
| T7. Vanderbilt | 15 | 99 | 45 |
| T7. Ole Miss | 15 | 120 | 53 |
| 9. South Carolina | 16 | 102 | 41 |
| 10. Tennessee | 17 | 134 | 57 |
| 11. Missouri | 20 | 125 | 57 |
| T12. Florida | 22 | 111 | 51 |
| T12. Texas A&M | 22 | 145 | 48 |
| T12. Kentucky | 22 | 146 | 55 |
TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS
Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett continues his reign at the top of the SEC sack leaderboard. He is being challenged by Ole Miss sophomore Marquis Haynes, who enjoyed a big game against Auburn last week.
| NAME | TEAM | POSITION | SACKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 9.5 |
| 2. Marquis Haynes | Ole Miss | DL | 7.5 |
| 3. Lewis Neal | LSU | DL | 7.0 |
| T4. Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DL | 6.0 |
| T4. Charles Harris | Missouri | DL | 6.0 |
On the tackles for loss side of things, Garrett caught Missouri’s Charles Harris for a tie the league lead after securing two against South Carolina while Harris was on a bye in Week 9.
| NAME | TEAM | POSITION | TACKLES FOR LOSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1. Charles Harris | Missouri | DL | 15.5 |
| T1. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 15.5 |
| 3. A.J. Jefferson | Mississippi State | DL | 11.5 |
| 4. Marquis Haynes | Ole Miss | DL | 11.0 |
| T5. Zach Cunningham | Vanderbilt | LB | 10.5 |
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.
