SEC’s top position groups through the first half of the season
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Here’s a look at the SEC’s top position groups by team from Weeks 1-7:
QUARTERBACKS — Mississippi State: You can only play one quarterback at any time, and Mississippi State has the best quarterback in the SEC, maybe in the nation, in Dak Prescott. The redshirt junior is on pace to throw for nearly 3,000 yards and to rush for more than 1,100 yards, and he’s the current Heisman frontrunner at the midway point of the season with 23 total touchdowns in six games. Backup Damian Williams is among the most capable backups in the country, and he was able to gain valuable game experience at times late last season and early this season. The Bulldogs have the superstar and the depth at the quarterback position, giving them an edge at the position over the rest of the SEC.
RUNNING BACKS — Georgia: Todd Gurley missed last weekend’s game against Missouri, and he may not return this season as he awaits a ruling on his indefinite suspension, but that won’t hurt the UGA rushing attack as much as most think. Nick Chubb had the best game of his young career in a win over the Tigers, and fellow tailback Sony Michel has made the most of his touches this year in averaging 9.7 yards per carry. Georgia still has the No. 2 rushing offense in the SEC, and even if Gurley doesn’t return the ‘Dawgs will still have a chance to run over the rest of the SEC East.
WIDE RECEIVERS — Texas A&M: The Aggies have now lost back to back games, but their wideouts remain the best in the conference through seven weeks. Texas A&M managed to throw for two touchdowns on an Ole Miss defense that had allowed just one touchdown through the air all season before last weekend, and A&M’s 400 yards were the most by any Ole Miss opponent this season. Texas A&M boasts five of the top 13 receivers in the conference in receiving yards, so naming the Aggies wideouts the best in the conference is hardly a stretch.
OFFENSIVE LINE — Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ line has been a dominant force all year, as most might have expected when Bret Bielema was hired as the head coach prior to last season. Arkansas has allowed the fewest sacks of any team in the SEC and the third-fewest tackles for loss. Furthermore, the Razorbacks have boasted the conference’s best rushing attack in 2014 at more than 278 yards per game. The proof is in the pudding; it’s Arkansas with the SEC’s best line.
DEFENSIVE LINE — Missouri: The Tigers have the SEC’s best defensive end tandem in Shane Ray and Markus Golden, and those two stars have kept an otherwise mediocre Mizzou team in the SEC East race despite a recent string of ugly performances. Ray is second in the SEC with 7 sacks and he leads the SEC with 12.5 tackles for loss. Golden is fifth in the conference with 4 sacks and third in the SEC with 8 tackles for loss. As a team, Missouri ranks in the top three in the SEC in both categories. As long as the Tigers have Ray and Golden, they’ll have the best defensive line in the conference.
LINEBACKERS — Tennessee: The Vols’ linebackers have been the heart and soul of their defense in 2014. A.J. Johnson continues to lead the SEC with 68 tackles through six games, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin is sixth in the conference with 49 tackles. Reeves-Maybin and fellow linebacker Curt Maggitt both rank in the top 10 in the conference in tackles for loss, and Johnson is not far behind at No. 14. Those numbers may be inflated due to the Tennessee defense’s inability to get off the field, but the numbers are also evidence that the team’s linebackers are often the ones cleaning up the messes made by the rest of the defense. These guys could start for most SEC teams this season, no matter what the Vols’ record is at season’s end.
DEFENSIVE BACKS — Ole Miss: The Rebels secondary has suffocated opposing offenses all season long, led by safety Cody Prewitt and cornerback Senquez Golson. Prewitt was an All-American last year, and he’s on pace to earn that distinction again with 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions through six games. Golson continues to lead the SEC with five interceptions and eight tackles for loss as the premier corner in the conference. Even after facing pass-happy Texas A&M last weekend, Ole Miss has still allowed just three touchdowns through the air all year compared to 12 interceptions as a team. There has been no better secondary in the conference this season, and its helped Ole Miss lead the conference in scoring defense during its 6-0 start to 2014.
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.
