SEC turnover scoreboard: Mauk’s struggles pad Georgia turnover margin

Georgia intercepted Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk four times and forced five total turnovers in a 34-0 rout of the Tigers in Columbia last weekend, so it should come as no surprise to see Georgia make the greatest leap in turnover margin this week, while Missouri’s margin took the greatest hit.

The ‘Dawgs didn’t turn the ball over once in their lopsided victory, and their turnover margin shot from plus-four through five games to plus-nine after last week’s win. Georgia now owns the greatest turnover margin in the SEC at the midway point of the season, and with just four turnovers in six games UGA has the fewest turnovers of any SEC team by far (no other team has fewer than eight).

Missouri’s margin dropped from plus-five to an even zero, dropping the Tigers from third in the SEC in turnover margin to 10th in that category.

No one in the SEC has committed more turnovers this season than Vanderbilt with 16 giveaways, although the Commodores have played one more game than the rest of the conference upon receiving the SEC’s latest bye in 2014. Nevertheless, the Commodores also have the SEC’s worst turnover margin at minus-six, and that margin is not influenced by the number of games they’ve played.

They are tied for the worst margin in the conference with Texas A&M, which turned the ball over three times in a loss to Ole Miss without recording a single turnover of their own on defense or special teams. The Aggies allowed Ole Miss to return two of those three turnovers from touchdowns, heavily influencing a 35-20 final score.

Here’s a look at the SEC’s turnover scoreboard at the halfway point of the season:

Georgia’s four-interception performance against Missouri helped the Bulldogs earn the SEC’s best turnover margin, but so has Georgia’s success in recovering fumbles this season, be it their own or their opponents’. The Bulldogs have recovered 12 of 15 fumbles this season, resulting in the highest recovery percentage in the conference by 12 percentage points. LSU is second with a 68 percent recovery rate, falling on 17 of 25 loose balls so far this year.

Missouri has fumbled the fewest times of any team in the conference, coughing up the ball just three times in six games in 2014. The Tigers have forced 11 fumbles, but have fallen on just 43 percent of loose balls this year.

Auburn has been the most unlucky team in the SEC when it comes to recovering fumbles. The Tigers have forced 16 opponent fumbles, the most of any team in the conference, but they’ve recovered just five of 24 loose balls in 2014, resulting in a putrid recovery rate of just 20.8 percent.

Interestingly, Mississippi State has fumbled the ball the most times of any team in the conference with 14 in six games. The Bulldogs are also one of four SEC teams to force fewer than 10 opponent fumbles, but it clearly hasn’t held MSU back from reaching the No. 1 spot in the national polls this week.

Ethan Levine

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.