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 producers of sacks and tackles for loss.

Here is how things stack up after Week 5:

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 19 sacks through five games thanks to the efforts what could be considered the nation’s top pass rusher in sophomore Myles Garrett.

Florida’s spot at No. 2 on this list is not surprising, as the Gators have a talented and physical defensive front led by Jonathan Bullard. The Gators could be the new No. 1 team next week with the Aggies scheduled for a bye.

Missouri ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks, but the Tigers are tops in the league in tackles for loss. Ole Miss is another team that is much higher in the tackles for loss category than it is the sacks rankings.

TEAM SACKS SACK YARDS TACKLES FOR LOSS
1. Texas A&M 19 105  42
2. Florida 18 147  46
T3. Mississippi State 13 96  34
T3. Alabama 13 73  29
5. Missouri 12 77  48
6. LSU 11 71  24
7. Kentucky 10 65  21
T8. South Carolina 9 57  23
T8. Vanderbilt 9 55  31
T10. Georgia 8 55  29
T10. Tennessee 8 46  28
12. Auburn 7 45  23
13. Ole Miss 5 36  37
14. Arkansas 4 27  29

SACKED: ANALYZING HOW WELL EACH SEC TEAM HAS AVOIDED THE QB SACK

In spite of allowing its first two sacks of the season in Week 4, the Arkansas offensive line still tops the rankings for sack avoidance after posting another zero in Week 5.

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

It also is no surprise that Georgia leads the rankings in fewest tackles for loss allowed, given that Chubb, Sony Michel and Keith Marshall are rarely brought down behind the line of scrimmage.

TEAM SACKS ALLOWED SACK YARDS ALLOWED TACKLES FOR LOSS ALLOWED
1. Arkansas 2 13  17
T2. Georgia 5 30 16
T2. LSU 5 35  19
T2. Alabama 5 44  31
5. Vanderbilt 6 35  24
6. Mississippi State 7 50  19
T7. Missouri 9 56  38
T7. South Carolina 9 58  23
T7. Auburn 9 61  27
T10. Florida 10 48  27
T10. Ole Miss 10 80  30
T10. Tennessee 10 82  34
13. Texas A&M 13 81  28
14. Kentucky 16 116  34

TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS

It is all Texas A&M atop the list of sack 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.

A big Week 5 from Missouri’s Walter Brady has pushed him all the way into a tie for second on the list.

Gators DLs Jonathan Bullard and Alex McCalister round out the top five, showing why the Gators defensive front is so feared.

NAME TEAM POSITION SACKS
1. Myles Garrett Texas A&M DL 7.5
T2. Daeshon Hall Texas A&M DL 5.0
T2. Walter Brady Missouri DL 5.0
4. Jonathan Bullard Florida DL 4.5
5. Alex McCalister Florida DL 4.0

On the tackles for loss side of things, Missouri’s Charles Harris went without a tackle for loss against South Carolina in Week 5 and it allowed both Florida’s Jonathan Bullard and Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett to catch him for what is now a three-way tie for first place.

NAME TEAM POSITION TACKLES FOR LOSS
T1. Charles Harris Missouri DL 9.5
T1. Jonathan Bullard Florida DL 9.5
T1. Myles Garrett Texas A&M DL 9.5
4. A.J. Jefferson Mississippi State DL 8.5
5. Jalen Reeves-Maybin Tennessee LB 8.0