2021 Mid-Season SEC Superlatives

Since we are halfway through the 2021 campaign, let's take a moment to acknowledge the some notable (and worrisome) SECers with some unique superlative awards. Deep dives are fun, but sometimes candy-laced lists are just easier to consume. Below are eight honors for passers and six each for rushers and pass catchers!

PASSERS

Most Accurate: Will Rogers, Mississippi State

Last year, the end product was lousy and borderline broken at times, but Will Rogers' improved precision has Mississippi State looking somewhat competent on that side of the ball through the first six weeks of 2021. Along with the Bulldogs entering Saturday as one of the four SEC offenses with a +50% overall Success Rate, the sophomore slinger presently is the SEC’s most precise passer. On pure dropbacks (ie no screens or RPOs), Rogers raw 69.1% Accuracy% is tops by about 5 percentage points. Plus, his weight-adjusted clip of 59.8% and 3.9% Interceptable Pass Rate are both top3-worthy in this context. In case you were curious, essentially a twelfth of his pass attempts could’ve been picked off last year. Fixing that flaw cannot be overstated. 

No doubt, a league-low 6.83 dropback average depth of target has lowered his degree of difficulty. But even when analyzing Rogers’ throws 10+ yards downfield, his figures remain rather firm. On these passes, his Completion%, Accuracy%, Depth Adjusted Accuracy%, and Uncatchable Rate all sit inside the SEC’s top3. Mike Leach’s Air Raid is still far from a finished product. Along with the dinks and dunks, splash gains don’t happen at great frequency, which has relegated the offense to overly function as a ball control scheme. Still, this upswing in efficiency wouldn’t be possible without the Jolly Rogers’ progression as a passer.  

Bombardier: Matt Corral, Ole Miss

Thanks to Kentucky fading its homerun balls and Ole Miss’s spectacular Week6 performance, Matt Corral has vaulted to the top of the conference deep passer rankings. No SECer has accumulated more yards, completions, or TDs on attempts 20+ yards downfield than the Rebel. Additionally, his 58.8% such Adjusted Completion% owns the conference’s gold medal with his 47.2% Accuracy% holding the silver. All the while, Corral’s 14.4% Deep Pass Rate is the SEC’s 5th-highest amongst starters. That said, it remains to be seen if Ole Miss maintains this verticality. Of his 443 deep yards and 10 completions, 200 and 4 were gained last week vs Arkansas, respectively. Plus, his frequency throwing at such depths has dipped year-over-year by a few points. But either way you slice it, Corral has been much closer to Golden than O.K. in this context. 

Entering the season, Matt Corral was widely considered the SEC’s QB1. And at the halfway point, little has changed on that front. Ahead of Week7, he’s the only SEC who sits inside the conference’s top3 in Adjusted Completion%, Accuracy%, Depth Adjusted Accuracy%, Success Rate, and 1D+TD Rate. Behind his arm and a dangerous ground assault, Ole Miss’s offense has delivered sizzling stats. There’s a good amount of Corral’s game to like. But, swarms of die-hards and casual fans alike love his deep ball. That likely will be needed for some explosive gains in Saturday’s presumed shootout with Tennessee. 

Mr. Money Down: Bryce Young, Alabama

Alabama presently has the SEC’s 2nd-best 3rd Down Success Rate, and its starting QB is a big reason why this offense ranks so highly among their peers in those spots. While the team’s dueling clips are both around 50%, the Tide’s money down Rushing Success Rate is tied for the conference’s 5th-lowest figure. On the other hand, the Young Gun’s 58% figure is the top passing clip amongst individuals with at least 20 such attempts. All the while, the Tider rocks the best Accuracy% on the league’s highest average depth of target. So knowing all of that, it’s pretty understandable to see he leads the SEC in 3rd down yards with 488 as well as total conversions+scores with 29. Also for what it’s worth, Young’s 82.2% Adjusted Completion% currently dons the bronze medal. Talking about TCOB (taking care of business).

While JT Daniels has had fine numbers in his select showings, Young’s volume and consistent efficiency makes him the clear choice. Not to mention, UGA has only surrendered one pressure and sack on 3rd downs so far this year (also an intentional grounding but.. whatever). Alabama’s hummingbird, on the other hand, hasn’t been so fortunate avoiding adversity on later downs. Along with being sacked four times, his 40% Pressure rate is the SEC’s 4th-highest figure. Evading and eluding would-be sackers and delivering dimes has been one of Young’s top calling cards through the first half of the season. However, these situations -- no matter how important and bully opportunities for one to exhibit value -- are volatile due to the vast level of qualifiers and variables. Young could maintain his excellence moving the chains or he could go into a bit of a slump. Still by the looks of things, he’s certainly a trust-worthy passer on the do-or-die-down. 

Offensive Executive (because Game Manager has certain connotations): Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

Again, do not let this superlative’s title fool you. This award is not meant to be a besmirchment by any means to Hendon Hooker. But there’s no denying the magic the Virginia Tech-transfer has unfurled over the last month with help of Josh Heupel’s X’s and O’s. No SEC passer dedicates a higher percentage of their attempts towards screens or Run-Pass Options than Hooker’s 39% clip. Behind the volume, only Bryce Young has totaled more such yards than his 396. But none of his peers can trump the Vols’ 53.5% Success Rate or 9.21 Y/A on these plays. Again, screens and RPOs are more on simply executing the offense with a large portion of these play’s results predominantly being out of his hands. They are quite different than dropping back and throwing downfield in structure. Consider this: the Vol’s First Down+TD targeting behind the line of scrimmage is ten points higher than the next closest conference passer and doubles the conference average . In fact, his such 38.5% clip trump’s league’s overall cumulative figure of 35.8% on all throws. Talk about an invisible hand doing work. 

All in all, Hooker’s overall Success Rate, Explosive Pass Rate, and First Down+TD Rate sit inside the SEC’s top5. Just under 58% of his passing production has come after the catch; he is about a half a percentage point from outright leading the conference in this respect. But while it would be easy to attribute his league-low 0.9% Interceptable Pass Rate to that sytle, he’s attempted 90 straight attempts since his last turnover-worthy throw. The potency of this passing game is apparent, but the risk-aversion cannot be denied behind the SEC’s 3rd-lowest makeup of attempts that travel beyond ten yards downfield. Moreover, Hooker has been average AF on such throws relative to his conference contemporaries. Still, don’t act like his presence in the lineup hasn’t helped the Vols find their footing under Heupel’s guidance. 

The Extender: Bo Nix, Auburn

Bo Nix might not be the SEC’s most prolific scrambler at the halfway point, he’s certainly a passer with a fine set of wheels that have extended many a play and won outside of structure. While it can get murky judging passes outside the pocket -- Was it a designed rollout? Was there play action? Was there pressure -- only Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson has a higher clip of attempts occur in outside the pocket than Nix’s 22.7%. Other than LSU’s Max Johnson, the Tiger has logged the conference’s most yards in this context. As it were, the two are the only ones with figures north of 200. Plus, Nix’s 4.1 average time to throw too holds the silver medal; hammering home his ability to keep plays alive. His ball placement hasn’t been premier. Actually, it’s far from it. But, his ability to dodge oncoming obstacles would make even Patches O’Houlihan blush. Nor is he afraid to accept defeat and live to fight another down. Overall, his 7% Throwaway Rate is an SEC-high. 

Taking it one step further, Nix’s extra dimension is accentuated when plays truly breakdown. “Broken plays” are a collection of snaps that include instant defensive wins at the line, excellent coverage, someone slipping or running the wrong assignment, or the QB missing a timed read. In case you didn’t catch this year’s Tiger Bowl, Bo Nix pulled quite a few plays out of his ass. Backyard ball heroics litter the junior legacy’s highlight reel and remain his most tantalizing trait. On “broken plays” this year, Nix has a conference-high 127 yards, 7 first downs+TDs and 7.1 Yards/Attempt. Beyond the volume of chances bestowed upon him, he’s been relatively top-notch in terms of efficiency. While leading the SEC in 1D+TD Rate and Explosive Pass Rate, the junior legacy sits inside the top3 in Depth Adjusted Accuracy, Success Rate, and Uncatchable Pass Rate. Oh and probably the most important stat to share considering the high-degree of stress involved, Nix has yet to throw a single turnover-worthy pass across his 18 such attempts. 

Cool as a Cucumber: Bryce Young, Alabama

One of the SEC’s most pressured passers is also one of its most accurate when under the gun. On pure dropbacks, Bryce Young’s 48.9% raw Accuracy%, 59.6% Completion%, 42.5% 1D+TD Rate, and 46.8% Success Rate all lead the league. While I already hinted at the level of adversity Young has faced so far this season, Alabama has surrendered the conference’s 4th-most Havoc plays. On average, one out of three plays will suffer from a form of defensive disruption. But, the Tider keeps producing. Young’s aforementioned 1D+TD Rate and Success Rate under duress are better than the SEC’s overall respective averages. Or in other words, a pressured Young has been just as successful down-to-down as Bo Nix on any given snap. And, Young’s personal 1D+TD actually increases in this contest by a couple of points. If that figure holds across the back half of the schedule, it will be the SEC’s 5th-best clip in this context since 2018. 

But in case the advanced stats are too much to take in, Young has compiled the conference’s most yards, first downs+TDs, and completions under duress. And while he has three interceptable passes on his resume, his 5.2% Turnover-Worthy Play Rate is among the SEC’s top5 among QBs with at least 20 pressures. Though his ball placement undeniably sours in these spots, Young is absolutely an asset for Alabama’s offense thanks to his ability to negate mistakes, extend plays, and maintain poise no matter what pickle he might find himself in. 

The Blake Bortles Award: Connor Bazelak 

This lustrous honor is presented to the SEC passer that has acquired the most counting stats when faced with a deficit while not actually helping deliver any worthwhile efficiency metrics. Or to put it more frankly, the QB who is full of the most fluff. On the surface, Vanderbilt’s Ken Seals jumps off the page due to his team’s proclivity to play from behind and not deliver much substance. But Missouri’s Connor Bazalak has actually amassed the most completions yards, first downs+TDs. And to cement his resume, his Success Rate, 1D+TD Rate, and Y/A in this context are nothing if not average. His 5.5% rate of generating 20+ yard completions is the 4th-lowest in the SEC. 

Of course, the Blake Bortles Award would be a true representation of its namesake if its recipient didn’t have self-destructive plays on the reg. Naturally, a passer’s desire to press and make riskier throws can heighten when trailing. And like Bortles in his prime, Bazelak has served up the SEC’s 3rd-highest Interceptable Pass Rate on the 2nd-most by volume. Like you’d expect, only Seals has tallied more true INTs in these instances than the Tiger’s 5. Including all turnover-worthy plays, 9.3% of his snaps suffer from that ailment. Despite entering 2021 as an all-conference dark horse, Bazelak is well behind the leaders as we near the backstretch since he’s failed to progress his game or elevate his offense. 

Mr. Quick Trigger: JT Daniels, Georgia

Due to varying injuries, JT Daniels has been treated rather gingerly by Georgia’s staff this fall. When he has seen the field, he mostly has performed extended handoffs with screens, RPOs, and checkdowns. Sure, he has hit on a few downfield dimes; but there’s no debate Georgia failed to look like the vertical, field-stretching unit it became towards the close of 2020. You know, the attack that saw JTD finish with the conference top Deep Pass Rate, average depth of target, and returning Yards/Attempt? That pass-happy approach has showed up in spurts with Stetson Bennet, but the methodology behind the short stuff has resulted in Daniels sporting the SEC’s quickest time to thow. Both his overall clip of 1.91 seconds as well as his dropback figure of 2.23 seconds hold the gold medal.

As a west coast quarterback both in background and by birth, Daniels has been bred to play regimented hot potato for some time now. He’s well-accustomed to making quick decisions and hitting a receiver in the near-vicinity. Again despite battling ailments, his Completion%, Accuracy%, and 1D+TD Rate on attempts with a time to throw of 2 second or less all sit inside the SEC’s top3. These plays make up a whopping 60.6% of Daniels attempts, which is the most in the conference by ten points. Once he sees the field again, the verticality might return; but Todd Monken might be inclined to stick with what the Californian does best. 

PASS CATCHERS

The Creator: Treylon Burks, Arkansas

On the traditional statsheet, nothing separates a wide open catch from a contested toe-tap along the sideline. A reception is a reception in its eyes. Of course in ours, some pass catchers are naturally more-gifted than others at winning battles or turning almost-interceptions or incompletions into gains. I call these plays “creations” and can be simply thought of as catches the average receiver should not be expected to make. With that in mind, no SECer has a higher number of “created catches” so far this year than Arkansas’ Treylon Burks. Thanks to last weekend’s contest with Arkansas that saw him snag back-to-back such chances, none of his conference contemporaries are within 30 yards of his 95 yards in this context. By a rate basis, only South Carolina’s Jordan Brooks can top Burks’ 6.5% figure. Speaking of the Gamecock, he’s the only SECer to see a higher Inaccurate Target Rate than our man’s 50% clip after six weeks. 

Playing into that notion, only Vanderbilt’s two main targets Chris Pierce and Will Sheppard have fielded more inaccurate targets than his 23. Yet, the Hog has come through logging the SEC’s most catches and 2nd-most yards without dropping a single opportunity. The wayward attempts sent his way have muted his overall profile. But considering his ability to go above and beyond the average Joe to manufacture completions, Burks is still in the discussion for SEC WR1. 

The Brucie (I just had popcorn): Jalen Wydermeyer, Texas A&M

Jalen Wydermeyer stepped into this season as many folks’ idea as the conference’s premier pass catching tight end. He was one of the SEC’s most efficient returning receivers on 3rd down and in the red zone signalling his clout as a dependable set of hands. However, the Aggie has dropped 17 passes over Texas A&M’s last 16 games. While a 13% Drop Rate in 2020 was stinky as is, Wydermeyer’s current clip of 17.9% is downright putrid. Considering his 23.1% Uncatchable Pass Rate, which is the 4th-highest in the conference, those dismal figures certainly explain why he currently rocks the SEC’s 2nd-worst Catching Success Rate. 

Of course, not all drops are created equal. Off-target passes or attempts where a defender is draped over your back naturally will up the ante and increase the odds of butterfingers. And since the Aggies are used to sending routes into the teeth of the defense where it's generally more congested and contentious, it’s understandable why their big body is struggling to hold onto targets. But even when looking at Wydermeyer’s sample on open and accurate passes, he has the most dropped passes with 4 as well as the conference’s worst such rate at 23.5%. There’s time to fix this flaw. But considering these miscues have been a bit of an issue the last couple of years, one has to wonder if this trait cannot be corrected. In case you were curious, Wydermeyer has left at least 79 yards on the field this fall thanks to drops, which is already ten more than his total last year. 

The Deep Specialist: Braylon Sanders, Ole Miss

Though StatCat has a mixed tracked record prognosticating the emergence of hidden gems, I seem to have nailed Braylon Sanders knack for taking the top off of defenses. Coming into this fall, no returning pass catcher dedicated saw a higher makeup of targets occur 20 or more yards downfield than the Rebels’ 42.1% clip. Catching all the chances that hit him in the hands, 40% of his bombs resulted in points while nabbing the 2nd-best Yards/Target. His tendency to attempt to take the top off of opponents has remained firm this fall. Only one other SECer presently has a higher Deep Target Makeup or Deep Yard Makeup than his 37.5% and 61.9% figures, respectively. In terms of total volume, only four of his peers have logged more targets. Plus, Colonel Reb Sanders is one of two dudes in this conference with a Yards/Catch north of 50 yards. 

But to be fair, his metrics are lacking. A handful of others certainly have amassed more impressive figures than his returns to date. Before last weekend’s tilt with Arkansas, Sanders only logged one deep catch. Now, those dingers he caught versus Arkansas were literally game-changing. But Sanders has only managed to haul in three of his nine deep targets, which is simply an underwhelming clip. For what it’s worth, two were uncatchable and another was a drop. Maintaining perfect Depth Adjusted Catch Rate for the second-straight year would have been quite the feat. But, regressing towards the mean should have been foreseen. That said, Sanders clearly has a role stretching the field for the Lane Train. He might not always come down with the ball, but that won’t stop this offense from allowing him to vex secondaries vertically. 

The Outlet: John Metchie, Alabama

Since Bryce Young has been iffy throwing deep so far this fall, Bill O’Brien has had to alter things in order to get one of the conference’s most explosive returning receivers the ball. Not that this offense still doesn’t possess threatening dropback designs, but the Tide are leaning more on screens and RPOs than a year ago. Young has logged a conference-high 56 such attempts and accumulated the most such yards with 456. Naturally, someone has to be on the receiving end of those chances. And for the most part, he has been the Tide’s most trusted pass catcher in John Metchie. Among SECers with at least ten screen+RPO targets, only two Missouri Tigers have seen a higher percentage of their tries occur in such a fashion than the Canadian’s 42.6% when excluding running backs. Only Treylon Burks and Dontario Drummond have compiled more yards than his 139. 

Like a true outlet, Metchie has displayed apparent value when targeted behind the line of scrimmage. Obviously, the degree of difficulty on these catches is awfully low, but yardage is harder to come by when a receiver has to gain all of his production after the catch. While catching all 20 of his tries behind the line, half have resulted in situational success with no non-running back owning more than his 194 YAC yards or 135 total yards. In case you were curious, Metchie has only caught 1/7 deep attempts. His lone catch was a touchdown in the endzone. But until Young shores up his precision beyond 20 yards downfield, it’s clear his work is cut out for him operating as one of the SEC’s most effective outlets. 

Safety Valve: John Samuel Shenker, Auburn

Tight ends are often considered assets for passing games since they provide QBs big targets with wide catch radi often in their line of sight. Plus, the size advantage can result in unguardable opportunities on occasion. Sure, not all Y-men are created equal nor all schemes value them the same way. But this position group is largely trusted to deliver value as safety values. Under the new offensive direction on the Plains, once glorified fullback John Samuel Shenker has emerged as one of the conference’s most efficient receivers when his passer is pressured. Though tight ends will always be utilized with quick dump offs and button hooks, Shenker 15.1 average depth of target is among the SEC’s top-dozen in this context. 

Bo Nix has not fixated on any one guy under duress. Five Auburnites have seen between seven and eight pressured targets. But, Shenker is the only one who has caught at least half of his opportunities. Outside of Florida’s Jacob Copeland, no other SECer can top his 136 pressured yards. Only Alabama’s Jameson Williams and Jace McClennon and Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller have more catches. That said, they’ve also had more chances. Outside of volume, Skenker’s efficiency is tops. He’s hauled in 6/7 opportunities for a league-high 85.7% Success and Catch Rate. His clip of the former has a double-digit gap over the next closest conference pass catcher. Only one of his snags failed to result in either a first down or a score. Things can change thanks to the topsy-turvy nature of attempts under pressure. But for now, the Tiger is the SEC’s most efficient player to target in these spots. 

The Matt Foley / Get Us Back on Track Award: Austin Williams, Mississippi State

Since Mike Leach entered the chat, the Air Raid hasn’t been overly exciting or keen at overcoming undesirable down and distance situations. Often relegated to nickel and diming and feasting on the available space provided by opposing defenses, there are times the Bulldogs play with a defeatist mentality and settle for screens or rinky dink completions when behind the chains. Then, there are others where MSU’s most dependable receiver over the last couple of seasons is thrown the ball. Leach and his coaches usually shine plenty of praise on slot receiver Austin Williams. Coming into the year, his raw and adjusted pass catching figures were among the top in the conference even if his bottomline was far from eye-popping or potent. But so far when targeted behind the chains, Williams certainly has raised my eyebrows. 

The sure-handed slot has caught 10/11 chances for 142 yards and two explosive catches. Only one of his receptions failed to result in a fresh set of downs. But naturally with his high propensity of coming through in these instances, no other SECer can best Williams’ 90.9% Success or Catch Rate. Not to mention, only three of his peers can boast preferable Yards/Target than his 12.9 figure. Only about 41% of the Bulldog’s chances take place behind the chains and roughly a dozen more SECers have seen a higher percentage of their yards occur in such spots. But there’s no challenging Williams’ current status as the best dude to get his offense back on track based on his fatless bottomline. 

RUSHERS

Hardest to Tackle: Brian Robinson, Alabama

Result-based metrics like Success Rate, 1D+TD Rate, and Explosive Run Rate are important. Obviously, rushers have to produce if they want to see extended stints taking handoffs and stuffing stat sheets. But, scheme and situation can distort a runner’s true baseline to where one can undeniably benefit from his surroundings without adding my value to the equation. While most backs can gobble up yards running towards green grass, not every ball carrier is cut out to consistently make dudes miss with burst, brawn, or bully effort. Stable metrics, on the other hand, are more-suited to forecast an expected return for a back. A back might not be able to control his blocking or the gifted space before defensive engagement, but tackle breaking and obtaining chunks of yards after contact is certainly can be determined based on a ball carrier’s skill. Simply, being a tough guy to tackle is one of the best methods for a back to rise above the pack and display their play above expectation. Plus, what offense doesn’t want a back that’s a hassle that requires extra effort to corral every carry?

Though some rushers with less carries might have better stable metrics than his entering Week7, Alabama’s Brian Robinson has been the SEC’s hardest rusher to tackle. Despite missing a game, his 47 broken tackles are seven more than the next SECer in line. Plus, B-Rob has racked up the conference’s 3rd-most yards after contact. Among the volume backs -- or dudes with at least 50 attempts through six weeks -- his 48.5% Broken Tackle Rate is nearly six points more than the next man up, and his 3.78 YAC average holds the silver medal. Are these figures a surprise? Not at all. Robinson finished runner-up last fall behind UK’s Chris Rodriguez in that respect with his Broken Tackle Rate cracking the top10. His stable metrics have hinted at this level of performance despite being consistently hindered by early engagement. Speaking of, Robinson’s rush yards before contact average has fallen well-below the SEC mean the last few years. Only South Carolina’s Kevin Harris and Vanderbilt’s Rocko Griffin presently have worse clips than the Tider’s 1.63 figure among the volume backs. But behind his zeal, Robinson has a top8 Success Rate as only 25% of his carries have gained less than three yards. 

Short Yardage Specialist: Zamir White, Georgia

Tyrion-Davis Price might technically have the best Success Rate, Snoop Conner might technically see the largest portion of his production take place on these snaps, and a handful of other backs might rock a better Yards/Carry, but Georgia’s Zamir White has been a short yardage stalwart so far this season. Despite being slowed by a bottom6 rush yards before contact average on tries with three yards or less to gain, no SECer presently dons a preferable clip than his 3.77 YAC average or 53.9% Broken Tackle Rate. It’s understandable knowing White’s nickname is Zeus because those are thunderous figures. Though he’s tied with a few fellows, none can claim to have more than his three explosive carries or gumption runs -- or instances of being hit in the backfield and still coming through with a positive gain. In comparison, only two of White’s tries have gained less than three yards, which is a pretty impressive stat considering the circumstances. Of his 13 short yardage attempts, ten have accomplished the goal at hand. 

Plus, White has been one of the SEC’s most efficient ball carriers in goal-to-go situations through six weeks. Granted, the relative cushion he has received in the low red zone is among the best marks in the conference. But across his seven such carries, all but one ended in situational success with four resulting in points, which is tied for most in the league. Considering the rest of UGA’s running back room has only combined for three goal-to-go tries, it’s clear White is Todd Monken’s main man to punch it past the plain. Based on his 2021 showings, that appears to be the correct course of action. After all, White rocked the SEC’s best short yardage Success Rate and Yards/Carry last fall while finishing inside the top8 in YAC, Broken Tackle Rate, and Gumption Rate. 

The Closer: Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky

For the last two seasons, Chris Rodgriuez has delivered stat lines that screamed he was deserving of respect and a larger role. Considering he currently is the SEC’s most voluminous rusher while serving up a top5 Success Rate, I think it’s safe to say Liam Coen fully trusts Big Blue’s ramrod to be his offense’s focal point. Rodriguez is absolutely a sturdy early down back and a dependable tackle breaker, but his value is heightened thanks to his ability to close football games. While a good amount of conference offense’s have allowed starters to sit the final stanza, four of UK’s six games have been against conference opponents with three of them being decided by a one-score margin. Now considering Rodriguez leads the league in a lot of counting metrics, most would assume that carries over to the final stanza. And, those folks would be correct. Rodriguez has logged an SEC-high 31 attempts, 253 yards, 10 broken tackles, 12 first down+TDs, nine explosive carries, and zero negative tries in the 4th quarter.

As a back commonly described as a dude that constantly falls forward, that trait unquestionably manifests when the Cats lean on its ground game to close things out. C-Rod owns 59 more rush yards after contact and nearly 100 total yards more than the next closest SECer. But against Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and LSU specifically, the Wildcat has turned in a remarkable 73.1% Success Rate, 38.5% 1D+TD Rate, 26.9% Explosive Run Rate, and 4.35 YAC average on his 4th quarter carries. Compared to the SEC mean, Rodriguez’s figures are 22, 6, 10, and 1.5 points above the SEC mean, respectively. 

Mr. Catch Me Outside, Howbowdat: Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

Jarquez Hunter has been a reinvigorating force for Auburn’s offense through the first half of 2021. Since Tank Bigsby has undergone a bit of a sophomore slump and currently sits inside the SEC’s bottom10 in Success and 1D+TD Rate, the fantastic freshman has started to steal snaps and remain on the field for extended stints. While his overall metrics remain strong -- largely thanks to padding stats against Auburn’s Poop State opponents -- there’s no challenging Hunter’s effectiveness as a rusher when he reaches the perimeter. Tosses and burst have facilitated the Tiger’s otherworldly 5.07 rush yards before contact average. No doubt running towards unoccupied space has helped his robust bottom line. Plus, only one try has experienced contact behind the line. That said, Hunter’s 8.79 YAC average and 64.3% Broken Tackle Rate on outside runs rank 1st and 2nd, respectively. He might be benefiting from open avenues, but it’s not like Hunter isn’t running with a purpose. 

Gifted space and tantalizing traits have ensured half of his perimeter-oriented tries have gained at least ten yards, which is the conference’s best clip by 13 percentage points. Plus, his 64.9% 1D+TD Rate holds a similar lead over the next closest running back. But while those figures are unequivocally awesome, only one of Hunters 13 such tries has failed situationally. To deliver a strapping 92.9% Success Rate across the SEC’s 3rd-most outside yards by volume is truly special. Overall, Hunter has been a very nice compliment and component for Bryan Harsin’s run game. But if the fiery first-year keeps this stuff up, keeping him on the bench simply cannot be an option. 

Set up to Fail: Kevin Harris, South Carolina

Since he finished last season with the SEC’s 2nd-most rush yards by volume and the most amongst returners, old heads blindly assumed South Carolina’s Kevin Harris was a good running back. Sure, the Gamecocks suffered from volatility, havoc, and inconsistent line play in 2020. But despite being gifted the conference’s 2nd-highest rush yards before contact average, which boosted the league’s 3rd-best Yards/Carry figure, Harris finished outside the top8 in 1D+TD Rate, Explosive Run Rate, YAC average, and Broken Tackle Rate. His 44.3% down-to-down Success Rate finished 21st. Only Ole Miss’s Snoop Conner experienced a higher production makeup from tries where the first defensive engagement occurred beyond eight yards downfield than Harris’ 39.3% mark. Long story short, despite the wonky environment, Harris’ stable metrics emphasized that he wasn’t a difference-making ball carrier and that he was overly advantageous snatching splash gains versus open space. 

In case you haven’t heard, South Carolina’s offensive front has arguably been the SEC’s worst through the first half of the season. While surrendering a league-high 81 run Havoc plays and 24 TFLs, the Gamecocks have only averaged 1.6 rush yards before contact. Unfortunately, Harris has been one of the most muted rushers thanks to an even higher degree of adversity. His personal YBC clip is a mere 0.7; none of his conference contemporaries can point to a worse number. By a rate basis, only Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh has seen a higher percentage of attempts experience contact behind the line than his 39.3% figure. By volume, only TAMU’s Isaiah Spiller has logged more than his 24 total instances. Like his underwhelming stable metrics from last year implied, Harris has struggled to make guys miss consistent with the ante upped. Both the Gamecock’s YAC average and Broken Tackle Rate sit inside the SEC’s bottom8. With that, his Success Rate, 1D+TD Rate, and Explosive Run Rate so far this year also fall into that range. With 41.3% of his carries gaining less than three yards, I wouldn’t hold my breath for any bit of substantive value to emerge down the stretch. 

The Power Man: Tiyon Evans, Tennessee

JUCO-transfer Tiyon Evans has quickly established himself as one of the SEC’s most bang-for-buck rushers. But while his overall metrics are rather reputable, the Vols’ might executing power and gap schemes deserves heaps of praise. Only seven of his peers have dedicated a higher percentage of their carries towards those designs. Outside of Florida’s Naquan Wright, no other SECer has seen a larger portion of their overall production come off power plays. Basically two-thirds of his rushing output have come in this manner. By volume, this translates to a league-high 323 yards, 10.4 Y/A, and 16 broken tackles. I mean, his total of the former almost equals the combined figure from the dudes with 2nd and 3rd-most yards in this context. 

By a rate basis, Evans 70.9% Success Rate, 32.3% Explosive Run Rate, and 48.4% 1D+TD Rate and 51.6% Broken Tackle Rate place no worse than 5th entering Saturday. Those figures are 12, 11, 7, and 8 percentage points over his cumulative clips for the season. No doubt, Evans’ bottomline is being boosted by his brilliant gap scheme showings. And, the recent momentum suggests he’ll keep being used in such a fashion. Over the last three weeks, Evans has logged 69% his power yards and 58% of his power carries with 14/18 runs finding success.