SECond helping of SEC football: Week of Oct. 29

From SECdigitalnetwork.com

• Several SEC football players and coaches have advanced in selections for individual national awards.
       1) Alabama safety Mark Barron, South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower and LSU safety Brandon Taylor have been named quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Player Award, given to the nation's top defensive impact player.
       2) Alabama linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw have been named semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.
       3) Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson has been named a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback.
       4) Coaches Nick Saban (Alabama), Bobby Petrino (Arkansas), Les Miles (LSU) and Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) have been named to the 2011 Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list.
       5) Georgia punter Drew Butler has been named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to college football's top scholar-athlete.
• Tennessee senior running back Tauren Poole is this week's SEC Community Service Team Player of the Week. The Toccoa, Ga. native is active in the Knoxville community volunteering in Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Children's Miracle Network Telethon, East Tennessee Children's Hospital and Boys and Girls Club among other groups.
• 18 of Georgia's 30 losses since 2003 have been decided by seven points or less. That is the highest percentage of close losses in the SEC (60.0 percent). Alabama's 20 close losses out of 35 (57.1 percent) is second in the SEC. Vanderbilt has the most close losses with 25.
• SEC teams have scored 20 defensive touchdowns this season in the first eight weeks. Last season, SEC teams scored 27 defensive touchdowns (including bowl games).
• Since the SEC began keeping points off turnovers statistic in 2002, the fewest points allowed by an SEC team on its own turnovers is 14 by Alabama in 2005. This year, LSU and Alabama are challenging that mark. LSU opponents have scored only 3 points on its 3 turnovers while Alabama opponents have scored only 7 points on its 8 turnovers.
• The SEC has three of 27 teams in FBS that has had 3-or-more games decided by one score. South Carolina has had the most (4) and is 3-1 in those games. Auburn and Mississippi State have had three (Auburn is 3-0, State 1-2). Louisville has had the most of any FBS school (6), while Louisiana Tech, Kansas State and Syracuse have had five.
• The SEC averages 27.8 passing plays per game, which is 10th out of 11 FBS conferences. Only the Big Ten at 27.5 is fewer than the SEC. The SEC's 199.6 passing yards per game is the lowest of the 11 FBS conferences.
• According to the NCAA, four SEC teams rank among the toughest schedules that have been played to date. Using cumulative past opposition's records, Tennessee has the SEC's toughest schedule. The Vols' past opponents this year is a cumulative 25-10 mark. Auburn is second in the SEC with a 30-16 mark followed by Ole Miss at 22-12 and LSU at 25-14. Nationally, Kansas has the toughest schedule with a 28-7 mark. Tennessee is 3rd nationally, Auburn 8th, Ole Miss 9th and LSU 10th.
• Alabama opponents have rushed for 395 yards in eight games this year. So far this season, there have been 15 occasions where FBS teams have rushed for 395 in a single game.
• Arkansas' Joe Adams is fourth in the nation in punt returns, averaging 18.1 yards per return.
• Auburn leads the nation in percentage of touchbacks on kickoffs. On 40 kickoffs this season, Auburn has kicked into the end zone without a return 22 times, a 55.0 percentage.
• Florida's Jeff Demps leads the SEC and is 7th in the nation in average yards per carry at 8.31.
• Georgia is fourth in the nation in holding opponents on third-downs. The Bulldogs have held opponents on third downs 26 of 96 times, a 27.08 success rate.
• Kentucky is the third least penalized team in the FBS, averaging 3.4 penalties per game with an average of 29.5 yards penalized per game.
• LSU's Brad Wing leads all freshmen punters in FBS with a 44.4 yard per punt average.
• Ole Miss leads the nation in punt returns, averaging 27.75 yards per return.
• Mississippi State's Johnthan Banks is second in the nation in passes defensed (interceptions + pass deflections) with 13.
• South Carolina is second in the nation in least passing yards allowed per attempt (4.7). South Carolina opponents have averaged 133.7 yards per game passing, which is first in the nation.
• Tennessee's Da'Rick Rogers leads the SEC in first downs gained on 3rd down receptions with nine.
• Vanderbilt is tied for the national lead with 15 interceptions on defense along with Oklahoma State, Rutgers and N.C. State.