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Red Zone Watch: Which SEC teams are best in red zone through 12 weeks?
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Unfortunately, ESPN hasn’t rolled out an SEC version of NFL RedZone for the conference’s new network. It would fit well on the alternate channel and would’ve rocked this season. Instead, we’ll keep track of red zone stats for you each week.
OFFENSIVE RED ZONE STATISTICS
Missouri was a perfect 3 for 3 in the red zone in last weekend’s win over Texas A&M, coming away with two touchdowns and a field goal on those three possessions. As a result, the Tigers returned to the top of the SEC in red zone proficiency, scoring on 29 of 31 trips for the season.
They overtook the Florida Gators, who were just 4 of 5 in the red zone in a Week 12 loss to South Carolina (two touchdowns and two field goals). Florida did not fail in the red zone through its first seven games, but it has failed in back to back weeks against the Gamecocks and the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Auburn and LSU were two of the worst teams in the red zone in Week 12, failing to score on three combined red zone trips in a pair of losses to Georgia and Arkansas (Auburn failed once, LSU twice). Mississippi State tied the Bayou Bengals for the most red zone failures in Week 12 with two, scoring on four of six trips in a loss to Alabama.
Here’s a full rundown of all 14 SEC teams’ numbers in the red zone this season:
| Team | RZ Scoring % | RZ Trips | RZ TDs | RZ TD % | RZ FGs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Missouri | 93.6% | 31 | 20 | 64.5% | 9 |
| 2. Florida | 91.7% | 36 | 20 | 55.6% | 13 |
| 3. Tennessee | 90.9% | 44 | 26 | 59.1% | 14 |
| 4. Georgia | 88.7% | 53 | 38 | 71.7% | 9 |
| 5. Auburn | 88.1% | 42 | 30 | 71.4% | 7 |
| 6. South Carolina | 87.8% | 41 | 27 | 65.9% | 9 |
| 7. Texas A&M | 86.1% | 43 | 30 | 69.8% | 7 |
| 8. Kentucky | 85.3% | 34 | 18 | 52.9% | 11 |
| 9. Alabama | 83.3% | 42 | 27 | 64.3% | 8 |
| 10. Mississippi State | 82.2% | 45 | 29 | 64.4% | 8 |
| 11. LSU | 82.1% | 39 | 24 | 61.5% | 8 |
| 12. Arkansas | 80.0% | 45 | 32 | 71.1% | 4 |
| 13. Ole Miss | 76.5% | 34 | 21 | 61.8% | 5 |
| 14. Vanderbilt | 73.9% | 23 | 13 | 56.5% | 4 |
DEFENSIVE RED ZONE STATISTICS
Mississippi State lost for the first time all season against the Crimson Tide, but it continues to boast the SEC’s best red zone defense by a wide margin. The Bulldogs have held opponents scoreless on 38.9 percent of their red zone possessions, while no other team in the SEC has held opponents scoreless on more than 26.6 percent of their red zone trips.
The Bulldogs still had one of their worst red zone performances of the year against Alabama, allowing the Tide to score on 4 of 5 trips into the red zone, including three touchdowns.
Kentucky had the worst defensive showing of the weekend throughout the SEC, allowing 50 points in three quarters to Tennessee. The Vols made five trips into the red zone and scored on all five, including three touchdowns.
Ironically, Tennessee still has the conference’s worst red zone defense for the season, allowing scores on 95.8 of their red zone possessions. Kentucky was 3 of 3 in the red zone against the Vols, but scored just one touchdown.
Here’s a full rundown of the SEC’s red zone numbers on defense this season:
| Team | RZ Scoring % | RZ Trips | RZ TDs | RZ TD % | RZ FGs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi State | 61.1% | 36 | 13 | 36.1% | 9 |
| 2. Auburn | 73.4% | 42 | 22 | 52.4% | 8 |
| 3. Arkansas | 74.1% | 27 | 17 | 63.0% | 3 |
| 4. Ole Miss | 75.0% | 24 | 10 | 41.7% | 8 |
| 5. LSU | 76.9% | 26 | 13 | 50.0% | 7 |
| 6. Alabama | 80.8% | 26 | 10 | 38.5% | 11 |
| 7. Georgia | 82.8% | 29 | 20 | 69.0% | 4 |
| 8. Florida | 84.6% | 26 | 14 | 53.9% | 8 |
| 9. Missouri | 85.7% | 28 | 17 | 60.7% | 7 |
| 10. South Carolina | 87.5% | 48 | 31 | 64.6% | 11 |
| 11. Vanderbilt | 90.5% | 42 | 26 | 61.9% | 12 |
| 12. Texas A&M | 90.9% | 33 | 21 | 63.6% | 9 |
| 13. Kentucky | 94.9% | 39 | 27 | 69.2% | 10 |
| 14. Tennessee | 95.8% | 24 | 16 | 66.7% | 7 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
