By the numbers

It’s another beautiful Monday morning in Athens, though a bit nippy. It’s also a beautiful day in the Don Draper household, where for some reason (deleted for those of you who haven't watched the Mad Men season finale yet. Hey, I didn't think it was that major a spoiler, but apologies to those who thought it was.)

(By the way, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.)

Wherever you are this fine morning, here are some stats, numbers and rankings for you as you begin your week:

- Georgia is moving up the defensive rankings, thanks to its shutout on Saturday. It ranks third in the SEC in yards allowed (290.1) and fourth in points allowed (18.7 per game.) Nationally, the Bulldogs rank 14th in total defense.

Georgia entered the weekend ranked last in the SEC in third-down defense. After allowing Vanderbilt just one conversion, Georgia moved up to 11th in that category, with South Carolina falling into last place.

- The offensive numbers: Georgia ranks seventh in the SEC in scoring offense (29.7 points per game) and fifth in total offense (395.3.) No surprise here, the pass (244.9 per game, fourth in the SEC) is better than the run (150.4 per game, eighth in the league.)

The Bulldogs also lead the league in time of possession, holding the ball for 31:30 per game.

- Nobody is covering kicks and punts better in the SEC than Georgia: It ranks first in the league in kickoff coverage, and second in punt coverage. Nationally the Bulldogs rank 13th in kickoff coverage, with Georgia Tech five spots ahead of them.

- Blair Walsh is tied for the league lead in field goals, with 13. Nationally, Walsh is tied with three others for third.

- Justin Houston is still your SEC sacks leader, with 6.5. Next up, with five, are three different players. Nationally, Houston is in a tie for 13th. (Clemson’s Da’Quan Bowers is second with nine.)

- Akeem Dent is fourth in the league with 62 tackles.

- Kris Durham ranks seventh in the league in receiving yards, and that’s while missing one game, and a portion of another, with a neck stinger.

- Georgia’s pass rush will have a tough task this weekend: Kentucky has yielded the least amount of sacks this season, six. Mississippi, which has played one less game than the Wildcats, has also yielded six sacks.

- Remember how turnover margin was an issue for the Bulldogs? They’ve improved that, and currently sit at plus-four. They still aren’t forcing many turnovers (11) but Aaron Murray has only been picked off three times, and there have been four fumbles. (You can probably remember them off the top of your head.)

- Penalties have also quietly slipped away as a major issue: Georgia is averaging 44 yards of penalty yardage, which is middle of the road in the SEC. Its opponents are holding their emotions in check too, committing just 32 yards worth of penalties per game, the second-least in the league.

- Aaron Murray is still third in the league in passing yards, but he’s the only freshmen in the top 10. In fact there aren’t even any sophomores on that list. Murray trails only Ryan Mallett and Mike Hartline, the Kentucky quarterback.

Hartline, like Murray, has only accounted for three interceptions this season.

- Cameron Newton, a quarterback, is far and away the SEC’s leading rusher with 80 yards. That’s just incredible. He also ranks first in pass efficiency. Newton has to be the Heisman leader right now.