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Sacks and Sacked: Dobbs helps compensate for shaky Tennessee O-line
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Not only does Mississippi State have the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, it also has the SEC’s No. 1 pass rush following a 45-31 win over the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend. Much has been made about MSU’s star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Dak Prescott, but the Bulldogs’ defense hasn’t been too shabby either, running up 28 sacks in seven games this season. The Bulldogs sacked Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles seven times in the victory, the most sacks they’ve recorded in a game this season.
Kentucky sacked Prescott three times in a losing effort, vaulting into the top 5 in the SEC in sack total on the season with 21 in eight games. Among teams having played eight games, as opposed to seven, Missouri leads the pack with 26 sacks on the season. As for teams with just seven games under their belts, the next closest sack total to MSU’ 28 is Georgia with 18 on the season.
South Carolina, which has played eight games this season, continues to trail the rest of the SEC in sack total, posting just eight in eight games. The Gamecocks did not record a single sack in a 42-35 loss to Auburn last week. The Tigers, which have the second lowest sack total in the conference with just 12 in seven games, also couldn’t record a sack in a high-scoring victory.
Tennessee, which is sixth in the SEC in sacks with 19, leads the SEC with 63 tackles for loss on the year. No other team in the SEC has more than 60 tackles for loss in 2014, while just three teams have fewer than 45 on the year. Texas A&M and Vanderbilt both sit at 44, and South Carolina is once again in dead last with a measly 27 tackles for loss all season.
| Team | Sacks | Sack Yards | Tackles For Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi State | 28 | 174 | 57 |
| 2. Missouri | 26 | 201 | 59 |
| 3. Texas A&M | 22 | 113 | 44 |
| T4. Alabama | 21 | 132 | 54 |
| T4. Kentucky | 21 | 120 | 47 |
| 6. Tennessee | 19 | 98 | 63 |
| T7. Georgia | 18 | 166 | 45 |
| T7. Ole Miss | 18 | 158 | 55 |
| 9. Florida | 17 | 135 | 46 |
| 10. LSU | 15 | 86 | 53 |
| 11. Vanderbilt | 14 | 85 | 44 |
| 12. Arkansas | 13 | 101 | 50 |
| 13. Auburn | 12 | 74 | 46 |
| 14. South Carolina | 8 | 74 | 27 |
Auburn may have a low sack total, but no team protects its quarterbacks better than the Tigers, which have allowed just six sacks in seven games this season. To be fair, Auburn has the fasted quarterback in the SEC in Nick Marshall and also operates a run-heavy offense, but the Tigers have limited negative plays all season in starting the year 6-1.
Alabama and Arkansas have also limited their opponents to fewer than 10 sacks this season, and just four teams have allowed more than 15 in 2014 — LSU, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Wildcats allowed double-digit tackles for loss in their loss to Mississippi State, dropping them to third-worst in the conference ahead of Ole Miss and Tennessee.
The Vols continue to boast the SEC’s worst offensive line, having allowed 10 more sacks and eight more tackles for loss than any other team in the SEC this season. However, Tennessee allowed just two sacks in a loss to Alabama last week, one of its lowest totals allowed in a game this season. This can be credited in large part to the running abilities of new quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who has already proven himself far more mobile than Justin Worley this season.
| Team | Sacks Allowed | Sack Yards Allowed | Tackles For Loss Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Auburn | 6 | 31 | 33 |
| 2. Alabama | 8 | 56 | 39 |
| 3. Arkansas | 9 | 73 | 35 |
| T4. Georgia | 10 | 61 | 39 |
| T4. Florida | 10 | 66 | 36 |
| 6. Missouri | 13 | 103 | 48 |
| T6. South Carolina | 13 | 120 | 35 |
| T8. Mississippi State | 15 | 103 | 31 |
| T8. Vanderbilt | 15 | 108 | 36 |
| T8. Texas A&M | 15 | 114 | 39 |
| 11. LSU | 16 | 116 | 41 |
| 12. Ole Miss | 19 | 89 | 59 |
| 13. Kentucky | 22 | 161 | 56 |
| 14. Tennessee | 32 | 232 | 67 |
Shane Ray still leads the conference in sacks and tackles for loss, even after being shut out in both categories against Vanderbilt last weekend. Myles Garrett stayed put at No. 2 in the SEC in sacks after last week’s bye, and he remains one sack shy of setting a new SEC freshman record.
Xzavier Dickson managed one sack against Tennessee last Saturday to move into a tie for third in the SEC with Ole Miss’ Marquis Haynes, who was shut out in the Rebels’ loss to LSU. New to the top 5 is Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith, who recorded a whopping 1.5 sacks in the win over Kentucky.
| Name | Team | Position | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shane Ray | Missouri | DL | 8.5 |
| 2. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 7.5 |
| T3. Marquis Haynes | Ole Miss | DL | 6.5 |
| T3. Xzavier Dickson | Alabama | LB | 6.5 |
| 5. Preston Smith | Mississippi State | DL | 6.0 |
Two players joined Ray with double digit tackles for loss following last week’s action. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett recorded 1.5 tackles for loss against Alabama, and LSU’s Danielle Hunter added two tackles for loss in the Tigers’ epic win over Ole Miss.
Three players are tied for fourth in the SEC with nine tackles for loss apiece, and Tennessee senior A.J. Johnson sits just outside the top 5 with 8.5 tackles for loss on the season.
| Name | Team | Position | Tackles For Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shane Ray | Missouri | DL | 14.0 |
| 2. Derek Barnett | Tennessee | DL | 11.0 |
| 3. Danielle Hunter | LSU | DL | 10.0 |
| T4. Myles Garrett | Texas A&M | DL | 9.0 |
| T4. Markus Golden | Missouri | DL | 9.0 |
| T4. Xzavier Dickson | Alabama | LB | 9.0 |
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.
