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Here’s a look at some eye-popping stats and historical context entering Week 8 for select games. This week, we focus on the three ranked matchups in the SEC.
TENNESSEE at No. 8 ALABAMA
Alabama RB Derrick Henry ran wild on Texas A&M last week. How good was Henry’s 236-yard rushing performance at Kyle Field? It was the 2nd-best rushing performance by a running back since Nick Saban became the Crimson Tide coach in 2007. The only performance that was better came exactly six years prior when Mark Ingram went for 10 more yards vs. South Carolina. However, Henry’s 236 is the most by an Alabama back on the road. Here are the only 200-yard rushing performance by a Tide tailback under Saban.
| SEASON | PLAYER | RUSHING YARDS | OPPONENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mark Ingram | 246 | South Carolina |
| 2015 | Derrick Henry | 236 | at Texas A&M |
| 2008 | Glen Coffee | 218 | Kentucky |
| 2011 | Trent Richardson | 203 | at Auburn |
Bryant-Denny Stadium will be the venue for today’s matchup. Alabama is 53-7 there under Saban. That .883 winning percentage is 4th-best in the FBS. Here are the FBS schools with the best home winning percentages since 2007, Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa.
| SCHOOL | WIN PCT | W-L |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boise State | .962 | 51-2 |
| 2. Ohio State | .903 | 56-6 |
| 3. Oklahoma | .885 | 46-6 |
| 4. Alabama | .883 | 53-7 |
Tennessee is one of the youngest teams in the FBS. The Vols have played 17 true freshmen this season, which is tied for 3rd-most in the FBS. One of UT’s rivals, Georgia, leads the country with 22.
Georgia — 22
Army — 21
Tennessee — 17
Texas — 17
A win today by the Vols would be monumental in one sense: Alabama has won 57 straight games against unranked opponents. The last loss to an unranked team came against Auburn to close out the 2007 season.
No. 15 TEXAS A&M at No. 24 OLE MISS
Texas A&M freshman phenom Christian Kirk is closing in on one of the best freshman campaigns in Aggies history. He has 1,170 all-purpose yards, only 88 yards fewer than Leonard Fournette’s league-leading 1,258 this season. Kirk only needs 248 yards to pass Speedy Noil’s mark of 1,418 last season for 4th-most by a freshman in school history, and he’s only 422 yards shy of Cyrus Gray’s all-time record of 1,592 in 2008.
| SEASON | PLAYER | ALL-PURPOSE YARDS |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Cyrus Gray | 1,592 |
| 1996 | Dante Hall | 1,551 |
| 1993 | Leeland McElroy | 46-6 |
| 2014 | Speedy Noil | 1,418 |
| 2012 | Johnny Manziel | 1,410 |
For the time being, Kirk leads all SEC freshman in the following categories:
Points per game — 6.0
Touchdowns — 6
Receptions per game — 6.5
Receiving yards per game — 101.5 (overall leader)
Punt return yards per game — 25.1 (overall leader)
All-purpose yards per game — 195.0
Apparently, Ole Miss likes to use the two-minute drill on every possession. The quick-strike Rebels have scored 62.2 percent of their drives in two minutes or less, the 6th-highest mark in the FBS.
| SCHOOL | PCT OF DRIVES | TOUCHDOWNS-TOTAL DRIVES |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Troy | 69.2% | 9-13 |
| 2. North Carolina | 66.7% | 20-30 |
| 3. Baylor | 65.4% | 34-52 |
| 4. Tulsa | 65.2% | 15-23 |
| 5. UMass | 64.7% | 11-17 |
| 6. Ole Miss | 62.2% | 23-37 |
WESTERN KENTUCKY at No. 8 LSU
If you want to know whether LSU won a game, you can always check the box score. If LSU has 100 rushing yards or more, and its opponent has less than 100 rushing yards, it’s an automatic LSU win. The Tigers are 61-0 under Les Miles when posting those marks. Incredibly, LSU has accomplished that in each of the last three games, including last week’s win over Florida in which the Tigers ran for 221 and held the Gators to 55. Here are the four contests in which LSU has accomplished the feat this season:
| WEEK | LSU RUSH YARDS | OPP RUSH YARDS | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | 266 | 43 | Def. 25 Mississippi State, 21-19 |
| Week 5 | 391 | 94 | Def. Eastern Michigan, 44-22 |
| Week 6 | 396 | 74 | Def. South Carolina, 45-24 |
| Week 7 | 221 | 55 | Def. No. 8 Florida, 35-28 |
LSU’s success against non-conference opponents is unparalleled. That’s reflected in the Tigers’ current winning streak against non-conference opponents in regular season games, which is 51 wins, already the most in FBS history. Here’s a look at the best four streaks in history.
| SCHOOL | WINNING STREAK | SEASONS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. LSU | 51 | 2002-present |
| 2. Kansas State | 39 | 1993-2003 |
| 3. Miami | 36 | 1985-1988 |
| 4. Wisconsin | 35 | 2003-2013 |
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
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