In the SEC, every touchdown matters. Football is a game of inches and teams must score in any way possible. The big passes and long runs are great, but just as important are the less common non-offensive touchdowns.
Take the national championship for example. Kenyan Drake’s 95-yard kickoff return in the 4th quarter put Alabama ahead by double digits late. The Tide added one more touchdown to secure a 45-40 win.
That’s how important defensive and special teams scores are to the course of a game. SEC teams have combined for 158 non-offensive touchdowns since conference expansion in 2012.
Here’s a breakdown in that span.
| School | Kick return TDs | Punt return TDs | INT TDs | Fumble return TDs | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 17 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| Georgia | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| Missouri | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| Florida | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 13 |
| Auburn | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 12 |
| Texas A&M | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
| LSU | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| Vanderbilt | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Ole Miss | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Jason covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
