Turnover Scoreboard: Which SEC teams are winning the turnover battle?
The Ole Miss Rebels forced a turnover for a 34th consecutive game last weekend, but they still fell to third in the SEC in turnover margin behind Missouri following a six-turnover performance in a loss to Arkansas. As a result, the Razorbacks also had the greatest rise in turnover margin last weekend, elevating themselves to fifth in the SEC.
Mississippi State also made a tremendous rise in turnover margin, forcing three Vandy turnovers without committing one of its own in a 51-0 win.
Georgia remains No. 1 in the SEC in turnover margin, but surprisingly it didn’t gain any ground on the field following a 55-9 win over Charleston Southern. The Dawgs forced two turnovers but committed two of their own to remain at plus-16 on the season.
Aside from Ole Miss, Alabama had the biggest drop in turnover margin of any team in the SEC, committing two giveaways without a takeaway in a win over Western Carolina. The Tide dropped from ninth to 11th in the conference in turnover margin, and it now joins South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt as the only teams in the conference with a negative margin.
Here’s a look at the SEC’s turnover scoreboard through 13 weeks:
Team | Turnover Margin | Fumbles Gained | Interceptions | Turnovers |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Georgia | +16 | 11 | 13 | 8 |
2. Missouri | +9 | 8 | 12 | 11 |
3. Ole Miss | +8 | 9 | 19 | 20 |
4. Kentucky | +6 | 6 | 13 | 13 |
5. Arkansas | +5 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
6. Florida | +4 | 13 | 10 | 19 |
T7. LSU | +3 | 9 | 9 | 15 |
T7. Auburn | +3 | 5 | 16 | 18 |
T9. Mississippi State | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
T9. Tennessee | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
11. Alabama | -1 | 6 | 9 | 16 |
12. South Carolina | -4 | 7 | 9 | 20 |
13. Texas A&M | -6 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
14. Vanderbilt | -13 | 7 | 4 | 26 |
Georgia continues to match its SEC-best turnover margin with the SEC’s best fumble recovery rate in 2014. The Bulldogs have fallen on 25 of 39 loose fumbles this year, but it fell on just two of five fumbles in a win over Charleston Southern, including just one of three Buccaneer fumbles.
The Dawgs lead the SEC with 25 fumble recoveries, and they’re tied for fourth in the conference in forced fumbles with 21. Florida leads the SEC with 25 forced fumbles, but the Gators have only recovered 21 of 41 total loose balls this season. Nonetheless, they’re one of six teams in the conference with a fumble recovery rate of better than 50 percent.
Arkansas has fumbled the ball more often than any other team in the SEC, coughing the ball up 21 times in 11 games so far this season. However, the Hogs still rank fourth in fumble recovery rate after recovering four of six loose fumbles in their win over Ole Miss. The Razorbacks forced four Rebels fumbles and recovered three, although it also lost a fumble on its only giveaway of the day.
Here’s a look at the fumble scoreboard through 13 weeks, indicating a team’s fumbles, its opponents’ fumbles and the total number of loose ball recoveries in 2014:
Team | Fumble Recovery % | Fumbles | Opponent Fumbles | Recovered |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Georgia | 64.1% | 18 | 21 | 25 |
2. LSU | 61.1% | 16 | 16 | 22 |
3. Texas A&M | 59.3% | 13 | 14 | 16 |
4. Arkansas | 56.4% | 21 | 18 | 22 |
T5. Florida | 51.2% | 16 | 25 | 21 |
T5. Kentucky | 51.2% | 19 | 22 | 21 |
7. Mississippi State | 48.6% | 20 | 15 | 17 |
8. Tennessee | 48.5% | 17 | 16 | 16 |
9. South Carolina | 46.7% | 16 | 14 | 14 |
10. Ole Miss | 43.8% | 16 | 16 | 14 |
11. Missouri | 40.7% | 6 | 21 | 11 |
12. Vanderbilt | 39.4% | 16 | 17 | 13 |
13. Alabama | 31.0% | 15 | 14 | 9 |
14. Auburn | 23.7% | 16 | 22 | 9 |