As college football enters its eighth week, the SEC continues to dominate the standings. Eight SEC teams sit in the AP Top 25, with Texas at No. 1 and Georgia at No. 5. Those two teams will face off this weekend in a highly anticipated matchup, but for now, here’s a look at the SEC’s current stat leaders.
Ole Miss leads the conference in several categories: on offense, topping the stat sheet with the most offensive passing yards and on defense, the least amount of rushing yards allowed against them. The Rebels have senior quarterback Jaxson Dart to thank for the 2,384 yards he’s thrown in the past seven games. Senior cornerback Trey Amos has broken up nine passes and grabbed three interceptions.
Tennessee has the most rushing yards, coming in at 1,477, with an average of 246 yards per game. Meanwhile, Texas has only allowed 756 passing yards against it, holding opponents’ offenses to only 126 yards per game, on average. The Longhorns also have allowed the least total amount of yards against them in the SEC, coming at just under 230 yards per game on average.
Although LSU sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks technically has more tackles, he has achieved these 59 in six games, Mississippi State sophomore safety Isaac Smith has logged 56 in just five games, with 24 solo and 32 assists, putting him on top. Fifth-year defensive edge Kyle Kennard of South Carolina has the most tackles for loss, coming in at 10 solos and three assists for a total loss of 78 yards.
Even though Tennessee barely missed the top 10 in the AP Top 25, the No. 11 team’s junior running back Dylan Sampson finds himself atop the list of scoring in SEC football. Sampson has 15 rushing touchdowns, including three that he added on Saturday in an overtime win against Florida. He has yet to log any fumbles this season.
In terms of special teams, three different teams took the number one spot in three different categories.
Auburn’s sophomore running back Jeremiah Cobb leads punt returns with 272 total yards and the longest individual return coming in at 66 yards. Caden Davis, senior kicker from Ole Miss, has made 13 out of 16 field goals. His longest kick was a 57-yarder last weekend in a 29-26 overtime loss against LSU. Notably, Kentucky has a kicker with a perfect record. Although he isn’t at the top of the list, senior Alex Raynor has made 11 out of 11 field goals for the Wildcats, with his longest measuring 55 yards. To round out the special teams stats is Arkansas redshirt junior punter Devin Bale. He averages just over 48 yards per punt.
As SEC play continues, it will be interesting to see how the stats sheets change and who ultimately tops the conference.
