If there’s one thing coaches can’t stand it’s lost yardage. Penalty yards. Sack yards. Moving backwards is a key no-no at every level of football.
We wanted to see which SEC squads are the best — and worst — when it comes to surrendering yardage. Below you’ll see the data from SEC games only. You’ll find which teams have lost the most yardage to penalties, to sacks and to the two combined. We then take the total number of lost yards and compare it to SEC games played. This will show you which teams have the most to overcome as a result of their own errors.
Lost Yardage Rankings
| SEC Rank |
School |
Sack Yds |
Penalty Yds |
Total Lost Yds |
Games Played |
Lost Yds/Game |
| 1 |
Miss. State |
20 |
190 |
210 |
5 |
42.00 |
| 2 |
LSU |
58 |
189 |
247 |
5 |
49.40 |
| 3 |
Kentucky |
88 |
227 |
315 |
6 |
52.50 |
| 4 |
Ole Miss |
19 |
252 |
271 |
5 |
54.20 |
| 5 |
Georgia |
107 |
283 |
390 |
7 |
55.71 |
| 6 |
S. Carolina |
83 |
273 |
356 |
6 |
59.33 |
| 7 |
Auburn |
51 |
312 |
363 |
6 |
60.50 |
| 8t |
Alabama |
88 |
229 |
317 |
5 |
63.40 |
| 8t |
Vanderbilt |
99 |
218 |
317 |
5 |
63.40 |
| 10 |
Florida |
79 |
322 |
401 |
6 |
66.83 |
| 11 |
Tennessee |
157 |
207 |
364 |
5 |
72.80 |
| 12 |
Arkansas |
40 |
375 |
415 |
5 |
83.00 |
* Mississippi State’s 7-2 record has more to do with its defense than its offense. Manny Diaz’ crew has been formidable while the offense has been pedestrian. But that offense has avoided moving in reverse… and that’s been key. If you don’t have a superstar tailback or a strong-armed quarterback, you can’t afford to surrender yardage. MSU hasn’t.
* South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas all give away yards like suburbanites tossing candy on Halloween. Together they are a combined 17-5 in SEC play. Imagine what their records might look like had they not had so many penalties stepped off against them.
* Florida and Tennessee have proven to be the anti-MSUs. The Gators have talent on offense, but not enough so to make up for nearly 67 lost yards per game. They are 3-3 in conference play. The Volunteers, on the other hand, don’t have much talent or depth. It has been impossible for them to cede nearly 73 yards per game to their foes. Not surprisingly, the Vols stand at 0-5 in league play.
