One of the most exciting plays in football, the quarterback sack can often make or break the outcome of a drive.

As 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 sack and tackles for loss producers.

Here is how things stack up after Week 3:

SACKS: Ranking each SEC defense’s ability to get to the opposing QB

The quarterback sack is the stat of the year so far for Texas A&M. The Aggies have 15 sacks through three games thanks to the efforts what could be considered the nation’s top pass rusher in sophomore Myles Garrett. But even the presence of Garrett has been enough to free up some of his pals on the defensive front to get to the quarterback, as the talented sophomore has drawn double teams with regularity.

Florida’s spot at No. 2 on this list is not surprising, as the Gators returned a talented and physical defensive front despite losing one of the nation’s top pass rushers in Dante Fowler Jr. to the NFL draft during the offseason.

For as good as the Ole Miss defense has been in the early going this season, it is mildly surprising to see that the Rebels have only gotten to the quarterback a total of three times in three games. They have done plenty of work in the opponent’s backfield though, logging 22 tackles for loss.

Arkansas needs to get better at getting to the quarterback after accumulating just one sack through the first three games of the season.

TEAM SACKS SACK YARDS TACKLES FOR LOSS
1. Texas A&M 15 80  36
2. Florida 11 86  25
T3. Mississippi State 8 57  22
T3. LSU 8 52  12
T5. Missouri 7 35  34
T5. Georgia 7 49  18
T7. Vanderbilt 6 34  17
T7. Kentucky 6 30  12
T7. Auburn 6 42  16
T10. Tennessee 5 30  20
T10. Alabama 5 36  13
T10. South Carolina 5 22  10
13. Ole Miss 3 26  22
14. Arkansas 1 6  17

SACKED: Analyzing how well each SEC team has avoided the QB sack

A combination of a touted offensive line and a veteran senior quarterback has the Razorbacks atop this list in spite of the disappointing 1-2 start to the season.

They are closely followed by LSU and Georgia, which are the two teams that feature arguably the best running backs in the country in Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb, making it tough for opposing defenses to work up a good pass rush.

Look at the disparity between sacks allowed and tackles for loss for both Alabama and Missouri. These are two teams that are getting rid of the football alright in the passing game, but the offensive line has had a tough time preventing tackles for loss otherwise.

TEAM SACKS ALLOWED SACK YARDS ALLOWED TACKLES FOR LOSS ALLOWED
1. Arkansas 0 0  13
2. LSU 1 5 7
3. Georgia 2 11  9
T4. Alabama 3 32  23
T4. Ole Miss 3 20  10
T6. South Carolina 4 21  11
T6. Vanderbilt 4 26  15
T8. Auburn 5 24  15
T8. Florida 5 22  12
T8. Mississippi State 5 38  12
T8. Missouri 5 21  26
12. Tennessee 6 52  17
T13. Texas A&M 10 66  19
T13. Kentucky 10 72  20

Top Individual Performers

It is all Texas A&M atop the list of sacks leaders, with defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall holding the top two spots. Though, it is worth noting that all four of Hall’s sacks came against Arizona State in Week 1.

NAME TEAM POSITION SACKS
1. Myles Garrett Texas A&M DL 5.5
2. Daeshon Hall Texas A&M DL 4.0
T3. Jonathan Bullard Florida DL 3.0
T3. Charles Harris Missouri DL 3.0
T3. Four others various DL/LB 3.0

On the tackles for loss side of things, it is Missouri’s Charles Harris that is in the lead, keeping alive what has become a long tradition of defensive end excellence in the SEC for Mizzou.

NAME TEAM POSITION TACKLES FOR LOSS
1. Charles Harris Missouri DL 8.0
T2. Myles Garrett Texas A&M DL 6.5
T2. Jordan Jenkins Georgia LB 6.5
4. A.J. Jefferson Mississippi State DL 5.5
5. Jonathan Bullard Florida DL 5.0