Where Auburn Ranks Among SEC Stat Leaders

Auburn heads into Week 2 with plenty of momentum and multiple leaders in the SEC.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold leads the SEC in rushing. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers set a standard last week, when they took down the Baylor Bears, 38-24. A large reason for this win was the Tigers’ dominant rushing performance, which has been enough to earn the Tigers top spots in SEC metrics, but just how good are the Tigers’ stats when compared to other SEC teams?

First off, we have to address the elephant in the room: Jackson Arnold currently leads the SEC in rushing yards. That’s right, a quarterback’s 137 rushing yards officially stand atop the rushing tier list, followed closely by Kentucky’s Dante Dowdell, who had 129 in the Wildcats’ narrow win against Toledo.

Running back Damari Alston is also a standout on this list, as, despite splitting carries throughout the game, his 84 rushing yards were enough to land him at the No. 8 spot on the list. They’re both in good company, with five different SEC players boasting 100 yards or more.

Additionally, new Auburn transfer Rayshawn Pleasant’s 98-yard kickoff return to send the Tigers into the fourth quarter with momentum is the longest of the week, and since it was his only return, he technically leads the league with a staggering 98-yard kickoff return average.

The next closest is Texas A&M’s Terry Bussey, who broke off two returns for a total of 67 yards, good for an average of 33.5 yards per return.

Despite such dominance on the ground, the Auburn passing attack, specifically the Tigers’ receivers, is a notable exclusion from any of the major stat rankings. Head coach Hugh Freeze told the media that the run game was working, so they stuck with it.

“It totally depends what’s needed to win," Freeze said Monday. "That’s always been my philosophy of offensive football. What is it for this game that’s going to help us win the football game? If that’s needed and that’s what the game calls for, I think he’s very capable and willing to do that. So it’s all about the flow of the game and how that’s going. Some of those were called runs, some were pulling it down and using his legs. We’ll go into every game being willing to do that, for sure.”

Don’t expect it to stay that way for long, though. Auburn is facing Ball State this week, and film shows that their safeties love to bite on play-action, especially in cover 2, which they run on a large number of plays.

Purdue was able to take advantage of this last week, leading to some massive receptions, which Auburn could replicate with Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons and Eric Singleton Jr.

Heavily favored Auburn will have the chance to improve its stats and continue its campaign of excellence this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CST against Ball State, which will be broadcast on ESPNU.