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 12:
SACKS: RANKING EACH SEC DEFENSE
Alabama holds its lead in the sack category in spite of going without a sack in Week 12 against the option offense of Charleston Southern. Florida narrowed the gap to two with five against Florida Atlantic.
Texas A&M and Missouri are living up to their billing of having talented defensive fronts with 97 tackles for loss each, which is 12 more than the nearest competitor for the No. 1 spot.
| TEAM | SACKS | YARDS | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Alabama | 38 | 225 | 81 |
| 2. Florida | 36 | 253 | 85 |
| 3. Texas A&M | 32 | 187 | 97 |
| T4. Missouri | 26 | 162 | 97 |
| T4. Vanderbilt | 26 | 156 | 75 |
| 6. Mississippi State | 25 | 182 | 85 |
| 7. LSU | 24 | 167 | 60 |
| 8. Tennessee | 22 | 122 | 63 |
| 9. South Carolina | 20 | 137 | 63 |
| T10. Ole Miss | 19 | 130 | 84 |
| T10. Georgia | 19 | 112 | 64 |
| T12. Auburn | 17 | 122 | 48 |
| T12. Kentucky | 17 | 110 | 50 |
| 14. Arkansas | 15 | 102 | 57 |
SACKED: ANALYZING HOW WELL EACH TEAM AVOIDS THE SACK
After allowing Georgia to take the top spot for a week, Arkansas has returned atop this list after going without a sack allowed in Week 12’s game against Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs did retain their lead in tackles for loss allowed, as they have only allowed 39 all season. Tennessee allowed 10 tackles for loss in a win against Missouri, which pushed the Vols all the way to the bottom of the list with 81 tackles for loss allowed.
Florida, which also has a 10-1 record, ranks worst in the league with 33 sacks allowed.
Here are the rankings for sacks and tackles for loss allowed:
| TEAM | ALLOWED | YARDS | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arkansas | 11 | 74 | 48 |
| 2. Georgia | 12 | 82 | 39 |
| T3. Auburn | 16 | 109 | 56 |
| T3. LSU | 16 | 116 | 58 |
| T5. Alabama | 17 | 128 | 76 |
| T5. Ole Miss | 17 | 131 | 59 |
| 7. Tennessee | 21 | 156 | 81 |
| 8. South Carolina | 22 | 134 | 61 |
| T9. Mississippi State | 24 | 150 | 59 |
| T9. Vanderbilt | 24 | 152 | 66 |
| T11. Missouri | 27 | 167 | 80 |
| T11. Kentucky | 27 | 170 | 74 |
| 13. Texas A&M | 28 | 185 | 63 |
| 14. Florida | 33 | 176 | 76 |
TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS
There was no action at the top of the sacks leaderboard in Week 12, with each of the top three holding their place. Missouri’s Charles Harris and Walter Brady remained in what is now a five-way tie for fourth with LSU’s Lewis Neal, Tennessee’s Derek Barnett and Texas A&M’s Daeshon Hall.
| NAME | TEAM | POS. | SACKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 10.5 |
| 2. Jonathan Allen | Alabama | DL | 9.0 |
| 3. Marquis Haynes | Ole Miss | DL | 8.5 |
| T4. Walter Brady | Missouri | DL | 7.0 |
| T4. Charles Harris | Missouri | DL | 7.0 |
Charles Harris recorded 1.5 tackles for loss against Tennessee in Week 12, which pushed him back into first place by himself after Myles Garrett failed to record a tackle for loss against Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt LB Zach Cunningham continues to be the climber in this category with three tackles for loss against Texas A&M.
| NAME | TEAM | POSITION | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Charles Harris | Missouri | DL | 18.5 |
| 2. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 17.0 |
| 3. Zach Cunningham | Vanderbilt | LB | 16.5 |
| T4. Jonathan Bullard | Florida | DL | 13.5 |
| T4. A.J. Jefferson | Mississippi State | DL | 13.5 |
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.
