- Last season, 17 of 49 SEC vs. SEC
games were decided by five-points-or-less, most of any conference in the
nation ...
- Kentucky goes for its first 3-0 start since 1998 when it hosts
Indiana ...
- Thus far in 2002, SEC teams are 12-1 on its home fields and 1-6
on its opponents fields ...
- A win on the road at Texas Tech would put Ole
Miss at 3-0 for the first time since 1989 ...
- Mississippi State is the last
SEC school to play at home when it hosts Jacksonville State in Starkville.
SEPTEMBER 14 SCHEDULE
NORTH TEXAS (1-1) at ALABAMA (1-1)
6 p.m. (C) Tuscaloosa, Ala. * Bryant-Denny Stadium (83,818)
Series: UA leads, 1-0
Last: UA, 38-19 (10/28/95 at Tuscaloosa)
VANDERBILT (1-1) at AUBURN (1-1)
11:30 a.m. (C) Auburn, Ala. * JP Sports * Jordan-Hare Stadium (86,063)
Series: VU leads, 19-17-1
Last: AU, 24-21 (9/29/01 at Nashville)
OLE MISS (2-0) at TEXAS TECH (1-1)
2:30 p.m. (C) Lubbock, Texas * ABC Sports * Jones SBC Stadium (51,000)
Series: UM leads, 2-0
Last: UM, 35-18 (12/31/98 at Shreveport, La.*)
GEORGIA (1-0) at SOUTH CAROLINA (1-1)
3:30 p.m. (E) Columbia, S.C. * CBS Sports * Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250)
Series: UGA leads, 39-13-2
Last: USC, 14-9 (9/8/2001 at Athens)
OHIO (0-2) at FLORIDA (1-1)
6 p.m. (E) Gainesville, Fla. * Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (83,000)
Series: First Meeting
SOUTH FLORIDA (2-0) at ARKANSAS (1-0)
6 p.m. (C) Little Rock, Ark. * War Memorial Stadium (53,727)
Series: First Meeting
JACKSONVILLE STATE (1-0) at MISSISSIPPI STATE (0-1)
6 p.m. (C) Starkville, Miss. * Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (52,884)
Series: First Meeting
INDIANA (1-1) at KENTUCKY (2-0)
7 p.m. (E) Lexington, Ky. * Commonwealth Stadium (67,530)
Series: IU leads, 17-14-1
Last: IU, 26-15 (12/1/2001 at Lexington)
MIAMI, OHIO (1-1) at LSU (1-1)
7 p.m. (C) Baton Rouge, La. * Tiger Stadium (91,600)
Series: Tied, 1-1
Last: LSU, 35-7 (9/15/90 at Baton Rouge)
OPEN: Tennessee (2-0)
LAST WEEK'S SCORES
Oklahoma 37, Alabama 27
Tide outgains Sooners; UA holds Oklahoma to -23 yards rushing
Ole Miss 38, Memphis 16
Manning throws 3 TDs; Rebs score 24 unanswered points in win
Kentucky 77, UTEP 17
Wildcats score second-most points in school history
Auburn 56, Western Carolina 0
Tigers' 621 total offensive yards, most in Tuberville era
Miami (Fla.) 41, Florida 16
Gators go without passing TD for first time in 31 games
Arkansas 41, Boise State 14
Razorbacks go 5-for-5 in season openers under Nutt
Vanderbilt 49, Furman 18
Vandy accumulates 344 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs
LSU 35, The Citadel 10
Tiger defense holds Bulldogs to 3 plays or less on 7 drives
Tennessee 26, Middle Tennessee 3
Vol defense holds Middle Tennessee to 209 total yards
Virginia 34, South Carolina 21
Gamecocks commit seven turnovers in road loss
SEC ON TV THIS WEEK
Thursday, September 12
5:30 p.m. SEC-TV SEC-TV Weekly (Live)
Friday, September 13
2:00 p.m. FSNS LSU vs. Alabama Football (Replay from 1993)
Saturday, September 14
3:00 a.m. FSNS Tennessee vs. Kentucky Football (Replay from 1995)
11:00 a.m. JP Sports SEC Football Today (Live)
11:30 a.m. JP Sports Vanderbilt at Auburn Football (Live)
2:30 p.m. CBS Sports Georgia at South Carolina Football (Live)
2:30 p.m. ABC Sports Ole Miss at Texas Tech Football (Live)
Thursday, September 19
5:30 p.m. SEC-TV SEC-TV Weekly (Live)
6:45 p.m. ESPN Auburn at Mississippi State Football (Live)
Friday, September 20
2:00 p.m. FSNS Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State Football (Replay from 1997)
Saturday, September 21
3:00 a.m. FSNS Florida vs. Vanderbilt Football (Replay from 1996)
11:00 a.m. JP Sports SEC Football Today (Live)
11:30 a.m. JP Sports Vanderbilt at Ole Miss Football (Live)
2:30 p.m. CBS Sports Florida at Tennessee Football (Live)
6:00 p.m. ESPN2 Southern Miss at Alabama Football (Live)
SEC Special teams faring well
Alabama's Lane Bearden leads the SEC and is tied for third in the
nation with a 46.8 yard average. As a holder on field goals and PATs,
Bearden has also thrown for a successful two-point conversion and rushed for
a TD on a fake-field goal so far this season.
The three leaders in the SEC special teams statistics are faring
well nationally thus far in 2002.
In net punting, Ole Miss leads the SEC and is third in the nation
with an average of 44.3 yards per attempt.
In kickoff returns, Tennessee leads the SEC and the nation with an
average of 42.0 yards per return.
In punt returns, Georgia leads the SEC and is 10th in the nation
with an average of 20.5 yards per return.
Georgia Fred Gibson and Tennessee's Corey Larkins are 2-3 in the
nation in kickoff returns. Gibson has a 47.0 average, including a 91-yarder
for a TD, and Larkins has a 44.3 yard average.
As a league, SEC kickers have made 22-of-34 field goals this season,
a 64.7 success rate. The national average is 65.0 percent (236-of-363).
Offense not only way to score
While there have been 79 touchdowns scored this year by the rush or
pass in the SEC, eight teams have already found another way to get the
pigskin in the endzone.
Four teams -- Alabama, Florida, LSU and Tennessee -- have scored
defensive touchdowns this season while Alabama and four others -- Arkansas,
Georgia, Ole Miss and South Carolina -- have scored touchdowns on either a
punt or kickoff return.
Last year in the SEC, there were 13 defensive touchdowns and eight
return touchdowns in 134 games (0.16 non-offensive TDs per game. Thus far
in 2002, there have been nine non-offensive scores in 21 games (0.43
non-offensive TDs per game).
Last year in the SEC, there were 21 non-offensive TDs among the 473
total touchdowns scored (4.4 percent) while this year, there have been nine
non-offensive TDs among the 88 total touchdowns scored (10.2 percent).
Kentucky getting it done on the ground
After two games last season, Kentucky averaged 102.0 yards per game
on the ground and ranked next to last in the league in rushing offense and
88th in the nation. After two games this season, the Wildcats have averaged
221.0 rushing yards per game, ranking third in the SEC and 23rd in the
nation.
Last season, in the first two games, Kentucky attempted 56 rushes
for 204 yards, an average of 3.6 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. This
season, the Wildcats have attempted 86 rushing plays for 442 yards, an
average of 5.1 yards per carry, and seven scores.
More Kentucky turnaround ...
In 132 offensive plays thus far in 2002, Kentucky has no turnovers.
The Wildcats only lost turnover was on a punt return in the first quarter
last week against UTEP. Meanwhile, the Wildcat defense has forced five
turnovers.
Last season, going into the third weekend of play, Kentucky was last
in the SEC in turnover margin, suffering five lost turnovers and securing
just one from the opposition.
Translation: Kentucky has opened 2-0 in 2002.
Scoring up on the ground
During the first two weeks of play, SEC teams seem to be using the
ground to get into the end zone. In 21 games, SEC teams have scored 51
rushing touchdowns (2.43 avg. per game) compared to 22 passing touchdowns
(1.05 avg. per game).
In the first three weeks of NCAA Division I-A play, in 226 games,
there have been 404 rushing touchdowns (1.79 avg. per game) compared to 328
passing touchdowns (1.45 avg. per game).
In the SEC, Auburn leads the league in rushing touchdowns with
eight, while Kentucky leads in passing touchdowns with six.
Getting it done in the red zone
So far this season, SEC teams seem to be taking care of business in
the redzone. After two weeks, SEC teams are having an 81.6 percent success
rate inside the opponents' 20-yard line. SEC teams have been in the redzone
87 times this season and have scored on 71 occassions. A breakdown reveals
teams have scored 57 touchdowns (65.5 percent) and 14 field goals (16.1
percent).
For all of last season, SEC teams had an 80.5 percent success rate
in the redzone, capitalizing 405 times in 503 attempts. However, the main
difference is in touchdowns scored, where SEC teams scored 47.9 percent (241
of 503) compared to field goals made, where teams scored 32.6 of the time
(164 of 503) in the redzone.
So far this season, four teams -- Arkansas, LSU, Georgia and
Mississippi State -- have scored touchdowns on all of its possessions
reaching the redzone.
Penalty distribution
In 21 games this season, SEC teams have been signaled for 155
penalties for 1,260 yards. That's an average of 7.4 penalties for 60 yards
per game. SEC opponents have been called for 148 penalties for 1,226 yards
per game, an average of 7.0 penalties for 58.4 yards per game.
SEC teams passing less than national average
After 21 games in the SEC thus far, teams have attempted an average
of 39.1 rushing plays compared to 28.2 passing plays. While the rushing
plays compares to the national average (39.2 plays in 226 Division I-A
games), SEC teams have been attempting far fewer pass plays than the
national average (30.5 plays in 226 Division I-A games).
Yardage-wise, SEC teams have been averaging 184.0 yards per game on
the ground, compared to 158.9 for the national average, and 194.3 yards per
game through the air, compared to 205.0 for the national average.
Arkansas defense stingy against the run
So far this year, Arkansas leads the SEC in rushing defense, giving
up 27 yards on 26 attempts against Boise State. Ole Miss and Georgia are
tied for second, giving up only 68 yards per game on the ground.