I thought this was supposed to be a defensive league. Week Five in the SEC saw lots of yards and points as well as a few lackluster performances from the top teams that let inferior opponents hang around too long. Let's start the rundown.
1. Georgia defense is whole again, and not so good.
Suspended defensive stars Bacarri Rambo (FS) and Alec Ogletree (LB) finally returned from suspension for the fifth-ranked Bulldogs' 51-44 win over Tennessee. I keep hearing people (like CBS's Gary Danielson) claim that Georgia's defense is as good as Alabama's and LSU's. Those people are wrong. Just because Georgia has a bunch of great-looking athletes who are big and fast doesn't mean that their defense is schematically sound. Tennessee was able to run up the middle on the Bulldogs and consistently had receivers open in the Georgia secondary. If Tyler Bray had been more accurate in a couple of spots (or had his receivers not dropped several passes, including a sure touchdown) we'd be talking about whether or not this was a signature win for Derek Dooley. Could Georgia have been looking ahead to South Carolina? Maybe so, but any defense that gives up 44 points and nearly 500 yards is not good. End of story.
2. Hugh Freeze is having a positive effect on Ole Miss.
Don't get ahead of me here - Ole Miss is not a good team yet. However, the Rebels have shown dramatic improvement since last season's 2-10 debacle. While top-ranked Alabama had the decidedly superior team in last night's 33-14 victory, Ole Miss were able to drive the ball on Alabama, take a brief lead, and compete for the entire game, something no other team has done this season. Contrast the Rebels to the hapless Arkansas Razorbacks. Who would've thought that by Week Five, Ole Miss would not only have a better record than Arkansas, but has played better. I'll be interested to see how they fare against the same Texas A&M team that just hammered the Hogs.
3. What is going on with LSU?
The Bayou Bengals performed poorly against Auburn last week, and were frankly lucky to come away with a win. Any Tigers' fans expecting that game to be a wakeup call had to be disappointed with what they saw last night with LSU's 38-22 win over Towson, an FCS school. Towson actually had a second-quarter 9-7 lead before the Tigers pulled away. LSU has dropped in the polls from number two to number four in the last two weeks and going into the showdown in Gainesville this week there are a number of question marks for this team. Can the Zach Mettenberger perform in a hostile environment against a good team defense? Can LSU play with intensity? How good are the Tigers, really? We'll know more in a week.
4. Another week, another Arkansas low.
In the wake of Texas A&M's blowout of Arkansas, I am looking over the Razorbacks schedule, and there are no gimme wins left. Even Kentucky has put up more fight than Arkansas has in their last few games. If Arkansas doesn't right the ship against Auburn next week, and I highly doubt that they can, I think it's unlikely they can finish above .500.
5. The Good.
(1) Alabama 33, Ole Miss 14
The Tide closed out the first half of its season with a number of things to work on - inconsistent run blocking, failure to finish drives with touchdowns rather than field goals, and a tendency to let off the gas once the opponent is down. However, Alabama goes into the bye week ranked number one, outscoring opponents 40-7 on average, and with a schedule that looks a lot more manageable than just a couple of weeks ago.
(6) South Carolina 38, Kentucky 17
The Gamecocks forgot for a half of football that they actually had to beat Kentucky to make next week's game against Georgia really meaningful. Credit the Wildcats for actually coming to play in what has been an abysmal season so far - they led South Carolina 17-7 at the half, before the Gamecocks scored 31 unanswered points to put them away.
Texas A&M 58, Arkansas 10
The Aggies won their first SEC game and got a little bit of redemption against the Razorbacks for last year's 42-38 come-from-behind victory. Ole Miss may actually provide a better gauge for how good this A&M team can be, as Arkansas is just horrible.
(5) Georgia 51, Tennessee 44
I struggled over whether this was a good performance or an ugly one, but the Bulldogs are 5-0 and atop the SEC East (along with Florida and South Carolina), so I'll give them the nod due to the strong offensive showing.
6. The Bad.
All the bad losses this week were to other SEC teams and Auburn didn't play.
7. The Ugly.
(3) LSU 38, Towson 22
Really? An FCS school two touchdowns behind the third-best team in the country?
Missouri 21, UCF 16
The Knights actually outgained Mizzou on offense and had 27 first downs to the Tigers' 16, but a punt return for a touchdown provided the difference in the game. Still, a win is a win, and the Tigers needed this road win to build some confidence after getting smashed last week.
8. Games to Watch in Week Six
(4) LSU at (10) Florida
I've got a sneaking suspicion that Florida might have LSU's number this year. The Gators have the best defense that LSU has seen so far this season, and at home in the Swamp, I predict that Florida will pull off the upset.
(5) Georgia at (6) South Carolina
Georgia and South Carolina have looked fantastic in some spots and mediocre in others this season, but they both come in undefeated. Carolina has the better defense, but Georgia's offense is stronger. This is a tossup in my mind, but I'm going with the Gamecocks due to the night atmosphere at Williams-Bryce, and the fact that I chose them to win the East in preseason.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
SEC Football Week Four: The Rundown
Whew! We're already through one-third of the college football season, and the top half of the SEC is starting to separate itself from the bottom. Week Four saw a team in free fall, a closer contest than expected, and a team that is gaining confidence and leading the division. Let's start the rundown.
1. Florida is establishing itself as a serious contender in the East.
Florida went on the road and won tough games against Texas A&M and Tennessee in weeks two and three, and it would've been easy to coast into Saturday's game at home against lowly Kentucky with a lackluster performance. Instead the Gators hammered the hapless Wildcats 38-0. The fact that Florida beat Kentucky isn't very surprising - in fact, it was the Gators' 26th consecutive win in the series - but what made Gator fans happy was the balanced attack (203 yards passing, 200 rushing) and the complete domination of the Wildcats on both sides of the ball. Along with South Carolina and Georgia, who both took care of business, the Gators have staked their claim as the class of the East, and it will be interesting to see who rises to the top.
2. Zach Mettenberger looks like a first-year quarterback.
Many college football prognosticators proclaimed that LSU's offensive issues from last year were all resolved now that Mettenberger has taken over the role of signal caller for the Tigers. At least one ESPN pundit put him on his Heisman Watch list before the season even started, although he had only played a few downs in garbage time last season. To be sure, Mettenberger looked good coasting through the early teams on the Tigers' schedule, but Saturday's game against Auburn was a rude awakening. Despite the fact that LSU won 12-10, Mettenberger had two first half fumbles that helped Auburn stay in the game, missed a number of open receivers, and generally looked average against his first SEC defense on the road. Mettenberger finished 15/27 for just 169 yards, and failed repeatedly to drive LSU in the second half when the game was in jeopardy. Auburn's offense was anemic at best, garnering less than 200 yards total, but it almost didn't matter, and an early safety by the defense ended up being the difference. Without some major improvement, LSU will be lucky to make it to November 3rd undefeated.
3. Arkansas has collapsed.
Clearly, the problems with the Razorbacks weren't solved with Tyler Wilson back on the field. While Wilson threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns, he also tossed two interceptions. Arkansas's defense gave up over 500 yards to Rutgers while the 'Backs rushing game garnered only 73. It was clear that the team didn't give up this week: Wilson hit an 80-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and looked to tie it up with a two-point conversion that ultimately failed, but unfortunately, John L. Smith appears to be phoning it in at this point. For a team that entered the season thinking about an SEC title, it looks less and less like Arkansas will even manage to make it to a bowl game.
4. The Good
(7) South Carolina 31, Missouri 10
South Carolina and Connor Shaw finally looked like the team that closed out 2011 against Nebraska, overpowering Missouri at home. The Tigers have obviously run out of gas in their first two conference games, confirming for many that Mizzou will have difficulty competing with the best in the SEC due to size and talent.
(1) Alabama 40, Florida Atlantic 7
Some day, a team will challenge Alabama for more than a half of football, but it was not this day.
(5) Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 3
Complete domination in all phases of the game by the Bulldogs, who seem to have hit their stride. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, has taken a step backward.
(14) Florida 38, Kentucky 0
Florida is improving every week into a real SEC title game contender. Joker Phillips' run at Kentucky is all but over now, as the Wildcats have only one likely win remaining on the schedule.
Texas A&M 70, South Carolina State 14
The Aggies, behind five touchdowns by quarterback Johnny Manziel (three passing, two rushing) got on track offensively, and appear to be peaking for next week's showdown with Arkansas.
Ole Miss 39, Tulane 0
The Rebels exploded for 26 first quarter points to hammer the Tulane Green Wave, recovering quickly from last week's loss to Texas.
Mississippi State 30, South Alabama 10
The Bulldogs have sleepwalked their way to 4-0, their best start since 1999.
5. The Bad
Rutgers 35, Arkansas 26
It just keeps getting worse for the Razorbacks, who are going to struggle to win six games. At this point you hope that the players make it safely through this debacle.
6. The Ugly
Tennessee 47, Akron 26
This game was tied 23-23 midway through the third quarter before the Volunteers finally pulled away. That might be blamed on a hangover from the Florida loss or on looking ahead to next week's showdown with Georgia, but either way, the Vols are lucky that they were playing the Zips this week.
7. Games to Watch in Week Five
Tennessee at (5) Georgia
Tennessee begins a slate of four difficult games on the road in Athens. The Vols need to win one of these for Dooley's hot seat to cool down some, but I don't think it will be this one. Look for a convincing win from the 'Dawgs.
Arkansas at Texas A&M
Nothing I have seen from Arkansas this year convinces me that they will win this game. Texas A&M should be the first of the SEC newcomers to win a conference game.
Ole Miss at (1) Alabama
The Rebels have improved since last year's embarrassing 52-7 loss to the Tide . Saturday, we'll see how much.
1. Florida is establishing itself as a serious contender in the East.
Florida went on the road and won tough games against Texas A&M and Tennessee in weeks two and three, and it would've been easy to coast into Saturday's game at home against lowly Kentucky with a lackluster performance. Instead the Gators hammered the hapless Wildcats 38-0. The fact that Florida beat Kentucky isn't very surprising - in fact, it was the Gators' 26th consecutive win in the series - but what made Gator fans happy was the balanced attack (203 yards passing, 200 rushing) and the complete domination of the Wildcats on both sides of the ball. Along with South Carolina and Georgia, who both took care of business, the Gators have staked their claim as the class of the East, and it will be interesting to see who rises to the top.
2. Zach Mettenberger looks like a first-year quarterback.
Many college football prognosticators proclaimed that LSU's offensive issues from last year were all resolved now that Mettenberger has taken over the role of signal caller for the Tigers. At least one ESPN pundit put him on his Heisman Watch list before the season even started, although he had only played a few downs in garbage time last season. To be sure, Mettenberger looked good coasting through the early teams on the Tigers' schedule, but Saturday's game against Auburn was a rude awakening. Despite the fact that LSU won 12-10, Mettenberger had two first half fumbles that helped Auburn stay in the game, missed a number of open receivers, and generally looked average against his first SEC defense on the road. Mettenberger finished 15/27 for just 169 yards, and failed repeatedly to drive LSU in the second half when the game was in jeopardy. Auburn's offense was anemic at best, garnering less than 200 yards total, but it almost didn't matter, and an early safety by the defense ended up being the difference. Without some major improvement, LSU will be lucky to make it to November 3rd undefeated.
3. Arkansas has collapsed.
Clearly, the problems with the Razorbacks weren't solved with Tyler Wilson back on the field. While Wilson threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns, he also tossed two interceptions. Arkansas's defense gave up over 500 yards to Rutgers while the 'Backs rushing game garnered only 73. It was clear that the team didn't give up this week: Wilson hit an 80-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and looked to tie it up with a two-point conversion that ultimately failed, but unfortunately, John L. Smith appears to be phoning it in at this point. For a team that entered the season thinking about an SEC title, it looks less and less like Arkansas will even manage to make it to a bowl game.
4. The Good
(7) South Carolina 31, Missouri 10
South Carolina and Connor Shaw finally looked like the team that closed out 2011 against Nebraska, overpowering Missouri at home. The Tigers have obviously run out of gas in their first two conference games, confirming for many that Mizzou will have difficulty competing with the best in the SEC due to size and talent.
(1) Alabama 40, Florida Atlantic 7
Some day, a team will challenge Alabama for more than a half of football, but it was not this day.
(5) Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 3
Complete domination in all phases of the game by the Bulldogs, who seem to have hit their stride. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, has taken a step backward.
(14) Florida 38, Kentucky 0
Florida is improving every week into a real SEC title game contender. Joker Phillips' run at Kentucky is all but over now, as the Wildcats have only one likely win remaining on the schedule.
Texas A&M 70, South Carolina State 14
The Aggies, behind five touchdowns by quarterback Johnny Manziel (three passing, two rushing) got on track offensively, and appear to be peaking for next week's showdown with Arkansas.
Ole Miss 39, Tulane 0
The Rebels exploded for 26 first quarter points to hammer the Tulane Green Wave, recovering quickly from last week's loss to Texas.
Mississippi State 30, South Alabama 10
The Bulldogs have sleepwalked their way to 4-0, their best start since 1999.
5. The Bad
Rutgers 35, Arkansas 26
It just keeps getting worse for the Razorbacks, who are going to struggle to win six games. At this point you hope that the players make it safely through this debacle.
6. The Ugly
Tennessee 47, Akron 26
This game was tied 23-23 midway through the third quarter before the Volunteers finally pulled away. That might be blamed on a hangover from the Florida loss or on looking ahead to next week's showdown with Georgia, but either way, the Vols are lucky that they were playing the Zips this week.
7. Games to Watch in Week Five
Tennessee at (5) Georgia
Tennessee begins a slate of four difficult games on the road in Athens. The Vols need to win one of these for Dooley's hot seat to cool down some, but I don't think it will be this one. Look for a convincing win from the 'Dawgs.
Arkansas at Texas A&M
Nothing I have seen from Arkansas this year convinces me that they will win this game. Texas A&M should be the first of the SEC newcomers to win a conference game.
Ole Miss at (1) Alabama
The Rebels have improved since last year's embarrassing 52-7 loss to the Tide . Saturday, we'll see how much.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
SEC Football Week Three: The Rundown
Week three in the SEC saw the beginning of the end for two head coaches in the league, in my opinion, as well as turning up the heat on two other coaches who need to find a way to win quickly. In other SEC towns, quarterback controversies heat up in both Columbia, SC and Columbia, MO, and the top tier of the conference is starting to show a little bit of separation. Let's start the rundown.
1. Renewed Excitement, Same Old Result
Back in July, CBS made what seemed to be a good decision at the time, opting for the Alabama-Arkansas game to kick off the SEC on CBS 2012 season over Florida-Tennessee. By the time Louisiana-Monroe had pulled off the Arkansas upset in overtime last week and ESPN chose Knoxville for their Gameday location, I'm sure the CBS team was kicking themselves. The Gators and the Volunteers both came into the game undefeated, and given Florida's recent offensive woes, it looked like the best opportunity for Tennessee to break their seven-year losing skid at home with a healthy Tyler Bray, Justin Hunter and newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson.
At the end of the day, however, it was Florida standing tall in a 37-20 victory that saw the Gators outscore the Vols 27-6 in the second half. Florida has now won two weeks in a row on the road with come-from-behind heroics and look to be a serious contender for the SEC East title. The Gators have five of their remaining six conference games coming at the Swamp (only Vanderbilt is a road game). Meanwhile, after Akron next week, Tennessee will face four straight ranked opponents, with only one home game (versus #1 Alabama) in that stretch. Derek Dooley's future at Tennessee may be on the line this season, and he still doesn't have a signature win. If he doesn't pull at least one of these off, I'd suggest it's time to start looking for a real estate agent.
2. Fear the Sun Belt!
Before the 2012 season, there had been 94 matchups featuring an SEC team and a Sun Belt Conference opponent. The Sun Belt team had actually won four of those games - a nearly 96% failure rate. Through week three, however, Louisiana-Monroe took both Arkansas and Auburn to overtime, winning against the former and losing to the latter and Western Kentucky edged Kentucky (32-31) in overtime as well. In addition, Mississippi State actually traveled to Troy(!) and struggled to pull out a 30-24 victory. Is the most hated and feared football conference in America in danger of being overtaken by the lowly Sun Belt?
Well, no, but it does speak to the embarrassment of riches that is football talent in the South that the best teams in the Sun Belt can compete with (and sometimes beat) the weaker teams in the SEC. Unfortunately, SEC fanbases don't see it that way, and Western Kentucky's narrow defeat has probably sealed the fate of Kentucky coach Joker Phillips, who is 12-15 since taking over the helm at Lexington. Auburn coach Gene Chizik, on the other hand, staved off any serious discussions about his job for at least one more week. We'll see how they look after LSU next Saturday.
3. Southern Barbecue
Poor, poor Arkansas. The preseason expectations that Hog fans had for their team were probably unrealistic even before Bobby Petrino took his ride into infamy, but my, how the mighty have fallen. While last week's debacle began to reveal the cracks in the facade, Alabama came into Fayetteville and absolutely crushed the Razorbacks. By the end of the game the third, fourth and fifth string players for the Tide were not only scoring almost at will, but were preserving the 52-0 shutout, the worst for Arkansas since the 1960s, and Alabama's biggest SEC shutout since 1948. With John L. Smith's lame duck coaching staff, a quarterback who is calling out his own team in a game in which he didn't take a snap, and a sorely disappointed and disgusted fanbase, things at Arkansas are looking grim. If the Razorbacks don't right the ship next week at home against 3-0 Rutgers, it's going to be a long season.
4. Quarterback Controversies?
It's a old saw that players shouldn't lose a starting position due to injury, and granted, James Franklin (Missouri) and Connor Shaw (South Carolina) won the starting quarterback jobs at their respective schools back in 2011. However, once a starter, especially a QB, gets hurt, he is a target. Shaw was hurt before playing Vanderbilt in week one, and has actually played fewer minutes so far than his backup Dylan Thompson. Franklin's shoulder is hurt, and with South Carolina up next, it isn't clear how badly. Meanwhile, Austyn Carta-Samuels (Vanderbilt) got his first start against Presbyterian in Saturday's blowout and Jordan Rodgers never even took the field. Is Rodgers hurt? Was he benched? Vandy coach James Franklin (no relation to the Mizzou QB) wouldn't say who might start against Georgia next week. With the pressure that today's coaches have to win early and often to keep their jobs, it's no wonder that the security of a starting quarterback position is tenuous.
5. The Good
(1) Alabama (won 52-0 at Arkansas)
The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 134-14 in the first three weeks of the season, and none of the games have been competitive by halftime. It may be mid-October before this team is really tested.
(3) LSU (won 63-14 over Idaho at home)
With USC's loss, the Tigers rose to #2 in both polls, but the Tigers haven't really been tested either. Don't expect Auburn to provide one on Saturday.
(6) Georgia (won 56-20 over Florida Atlantic at home)
The Bulldogs amassed a school-record 713 yards of offense in a game that wasn't as close as the score might indicate.
(8) South Carolina (won 49-6 over UAB at home)
More significant than the win is that Connor Shaw left the game injured after a savage hit and did not return. Can Thompson lead the Gamecocks to a win over Mizzou Saturday?
Missouri (won 24-20 over Arizona State at home)
Despite the fact that Missouri gave the Sun Devils ample opportunity to take the game away, the fact is that they won a non-conference game against a team they lost to in 2011, they recovered from last week's loss to Georgia, and they did it with a backup quarterback. Not too shabby.
Texas A&M (won 48-3 over SMU at home)
The Aggies rolled up over 600 yards of offense in a romp.
6. The Bad
Kentucky (lost 32-31 to Western Kentucky at home in overtime)
They supposed to be SEC?
Ole Miss (lost 66-31 to (17) Texas at home)
While the Rebels were clearly over-matched by the Longhorns, this wasn't actually as bad as I expected it to be. At least Ole Miss didn't give up, like some SEC West teams I know...
7. The Ugly
Auburn (won 31-28 over Louisiana-Monroe at home in overtime)
Mississippi State (won 30-24 at Troy)
Sure, both Auburn and Mississippi State got wins against their Sun Belt opponents, but is that really something to be proud of? At least Dan Mullen didn't call it a great win.
8. Games to Watch in Week Four
Missouri at (7) South Carolina
Mizzou hits the road in the SEC for the first time. I think South Carolina is a better team, but if Connor Shaw can't play, it may be close. I still favor the Gamecocks.
(2) LSU at Auburn
Remember when this was a marquee game? Now I just want to see if LSU can break 100.
Rutgers at Arkansas
The Razorbacks need to win and win convincingly. Not sure if that is going to happen.
Vanderbilt at (5) Georgia
Yeah, the Week Four slate is pretty bad.
1. Renewed Excitement, Same Old Result
Back in July, CBS made what seemed to be a good decision at the time, opting for the Alabama-Arkansas game to kick off the SEC on CBS 2012 season over Florida-Tennessee. By the time Louisiana-Monroe had pulled off the Arkansas upset in overtime last week and ESPN chose Knoxville for their Gameday location, I'm sure the CBS team was kicking themselves. The Gators and the Volunteers both came into the game undefeated, and given Florida's recent offensive woes, it looked like the best opportunity for Tennessee to break their seven-year losing skid at home with a healthy Tyler Bray, Justin Hunter and newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson.
At the end of the day, however, it was Florida standing tall in a 37-20 victory that saw the Gators outscore the Vols 27-6 in the second half. Florida has now won two weeks in a row on the road with come-from-behind heroics and look to be a serious contender for the SEC East title. The Gators have five of their remaining six conference games coming at the Swamp (only Vanderbilt is a road game). Meanwhile, after Akron next week, Tennessee will face four straight ranked opponents, with only one home game (versus #1 Alabama) in that stretch. Derek Dooley's future at Tennessee may be on the line this season, and he still doesn't have a signature win. If he doesn't pull at least one of these off, I'd suggest it's time to start looking for a real estate agent.
2. Fear the Sun Belt!
Before the 2012 season, there had been 94 matchups featuring an SEC team and a Sun Belt Conference opponent. The Sun Belt team had actually won four of those games - a nearly 96% failure rate. Through week three, however, Louisiana-Monroe took both Arkansas and Auburn to overtime, winning against the former and losing to the latter and Western Kentucky edged Kentucky (32-31) in overtime as well. In addition, Mississippi State actually traveled to Troy(!) and struggled to pull out a 30-24 victory. Is the most hated and feared football conference in America in danger of being overtaken by the lowly Sun Belt?
Well, no, but it does speak to the embarrassment of riches that is football talent in the South that the best teams in the Sun Belt can compete with (and sometimes beat) the weaker teams in the SEC. Unfortunately, SEC fanbases don't see it that way, and Western Kentucky's narrow defeat has probably sealed the fate of Kentucky coach Joker Phillips, who is 12-15 since taking over the helm at Lexington. Auburn coach Gene Chizik, on the other hand, staved off any serious discussions about his job for at least one more week. We'll see how they look after LSU next Saturday.
3. Southern Barbecue
Poor, poor Arkansas. The preseason expectations that Hog fans had for their team were probably unrealistic even before Bobby Petrino took his ride into infamy, but my, how the mighty have fallen. While last week's debacle began to reveal the cracks in the facade, Alabama came into Fayetteville and absolutely crushed the Razorbacks. By the end of the game the third, fourth and fifth string players for the Tide were not only scoring almost at will, but were preserving the 52-0 shutout, the worst for Arkansas since the 1960s, and Alabama's biggest SEC shutout since 1948. With John L. Smith's lame duck coaching staff, a quarterback who is calling out his own team in a game in which he didn't take a snap, and a sorely disappointed and disgusted fanbase, things at Arkansas are looking grim. If the Razorbacks don't right the ship next week at home against 3-0 Rutgers, it's going to be a long season.
4. Quarterback Controversies?
It's a old saw that players shouldn't lose a starting position due to injury, and granted, James Franklin (Missouri) and Connor Shaw (South Carolina) won the starting quarterback jobs at their respective schools back in 2011. However, once a starter, especially a QB, gets hurt, he is a target. Shaw was hurt before playing Vanderbilt in week one, and has actually played fewer minutes so far than his backup Dylan Thompson. Franklin's shoulder is hurt, and with South Carolina up next, it isn't clear how badly. Meanwhile, Austyn Carta-Samuels (Vanderbilt) got his first start against Presbyterian in Saturday's blowout and Jordan Rodgers never even took the field. Is Rodgers hurt? Was he benched? Vandy coach James Franklin (no relation to the Mizzou QB) wouldn't say who might start against Georgia next week. With the pressure that today's coaches have to win early and often to keep their jobs, it's no wonder that the security of a starting quarterback position is tenuous.
5. The Good
(1) Alabama (won 52-0 at Arkansas)
The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 134-14 in the first three weeks of the season, and none of the games have been competitive by halftime. It may be mid-October before this team is really tested.
(3) LSU (won 63-14 over Idaho at home)
With USC's loss, the Tigers rose to #2 in both polls, but the Tigers haven't really been tested either. Don't expect Auburn to provide one on Saturday.
(6) Georgia (won 56-20 over Florida Atlantic at home)
The Bulldogs amassed a school-record 713 yards of offense in a game that wasn't as close as the score might indicate.
(8) South Carolina (won 49-6 over UAB at home)
More significant than the win is that Connor Shaw left the game injured after a savage hit and did not return. Can Thompson lead the Gamecocks to a win over Mizzou Saturday?
Missouri (won 24-20 over Arizona State at home)
Despite the fact that Missouri gave the Sun Devils ample opportunity to take the game away, the fact is that they won a non-conference game against a team they lost to in 2011, they recovered from last week's loss to Georgia, and they did it with a backup quarterback. Not too shabby.
Texas A&M (won 48-3 over SMU at home)
The Aggies rolled up over 600 yards of offense in a romp.
6. The Bad
Kentucky (lost 32-31 to Western Kentucky at home in overtime)
They supposed to be SEC?
Ole Miss (lost 66-31 to (17) Texas at home)
While the Rebels were clearly over-matched by the Longhorns, this wasn't actually as bad as I expected it to be. At least Ole Miss didn't give up, like some SEC West teams I know...
7. The Ugly
Auburn (won 31-28 over Louisiana-Monroe at home in overtime)
Mississippi State (won 30-24 at Troy)
Sure, both Auburn and Mississippi State got wins against their Sun Belt opponents, but is that really something to be proud of? At least Dan Mullen didn't call it a great win.
8. Games to Watch in Week Four
Missouri at (7) South Carolina
Mizzou hits the road in the SEC for the first time. I think South Carolina is a better team, but if Connor Shaw can't play, it may be close. I still favor the Gamecocks.
(2) LSU at Auburn
Remember when this was a marquee game? Now I just want to see if LSU can break 100.
Rutgers at Arkansas
The Razorbacks need to win and win convincingly. Not sure if that is going to happen.
Vanderbilt at (5) Georgia
Yeah, the Week Four slate is pretty bad.
Sunday, September 09, 2012
SEC Football Week Two: The Rundown
Week two of college football 2012 marked a new day for the Southeastern Conference - the first day of competition for new members Texas A&M and Missouri. It also saw the first major upset of the season, the top dogs taking care of business and a couple of programs on the brink of [football] disaster. Let's dig in.
1. Blame Bobby Petrino.
Eighth-ranked Arkansas's overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe 34-31 shocked the football world on Saturday, but the origins of this devastating failure occurred on Arkansas Highway 16 back in April, where former coach Bobby Petrino wrecked his motorcycle, his career, and this Razorback squad. Granted, quarterback Tyler Wilson left the game in the first half with an "above the shoulder" injury (a concussion; a rumored broken collarbone; ???) and did not return, but does anyone doubt that the Razorbacks would have won this game had Petrino been roaming the sidelines? Future former head coach John L. Smith signed a reported 10-month contract to lead Arkansas for the 2012 season. Unless the 'Backs reach the SEC Championship and/or the BCS Championship game (an unlikely prospect at this point) the chances of that contract being renewed fall somewhere between slim and none.
2. Welcome to the SEC.
Texas A&M and Missouri were officially welcomed into the SEC with smiles and handshakes back in July, but the hard reality of life in the nation's toughest football conference began to make itself felt today. The home office in Birmingham made certain that both teams received high-profile matchups for their first league games with two of the conference's big six - (24) Florida in the case of the Aggies and (7) Georgia for the Tigers. Both teams had exuberant, sellout crowds that expected their teams to compete and win, and several pundits predicted one or the other to pull the upset. Some even said that if A&M and Missouri both won, it would repudiate the SEC to a certain extent, proving that good football was played in other parts of the country than the Deep South. Whether or not the newcomers to the conference will be competitive in 2012 remains to be seen, but at the end of the day, despite both teams having a lead fairly late into their respective games, the record was 0-2.
3. Auburn's ship is sinking fast/Mullen gets signature win.
Mississippi State had never won a game against another SEC West team, other than Ole Miss, during Dan Mullen's tenure at Starkville, going a combined 0-12 against Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and LSU before Saturday's 28-10 wipeout of the Tigers. The Bulldogs completely dominated Auburn in every facet of the game, forcing five turnovers and holding the Tigers to just 216 total yards of offense. For at least one week, Bully stands atop the SEC West at 1-0, while Auburn falls to 0-2 overall. With Louisiana-Monroe coming to town next week after their stunning upset of Arkansas, even games that seemed easy wins previously will likely be a challenge given Auburn's anemic offense. The Gene Chizik hotseat watch begins now.
4. Quarterback controversy in Carolina?
A week after South Carolina struggled to a 17-13 win over Vanderbilt and QB Connor Shaw dealt with multiple injuries while throwing for a paltry 67 yards against the Commodores, here comes Dylan Thompson to start for the Gamecocks against East Carolina. Thompson threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-10 romp. Clearly if Shaw is unhealthy, Thompson will be able to sub for him, but the real question now is whether or not Thompson should be the starter.
5. In Other News: The Good
(1) Alabama (35-0 over Western Kentucky at home)
Nick Saban complained this week about how the media didn't treat the Hilltoppers with respect by assuming that the top-ranked Tide would blow them out. Way to make your point, Coach.
(3) LSU (41-3 over Washington at home)
The Tigers have scored 41 points in two straight games and are flying under the radar as much as possible for a third-ranked team with two blowouts on their resume.
Tennessee (51-13 over Georgia State at home)
Tennessee coasted to an easy victory, led by Tyler Bray's 333 yards passing and two touchdowns in their last tuneup before the Gators come to Knoxville.
Kentucky (47-14 over Kent State at home)
Savor this one Wildcats fans. Savor it well.
Ole Miss (28-10 over UTEP at home)
The Rebels have quietly started 2-0 for only the second time in the last ten years. It's all downhill from here.
6. In Other News: The Bad
Vanderbilt (lost 23-13 at Northwestern)
The media and the fanbase love James Franklin and the way he has inspired Vandy to be more competitive, but in the end, the 'Dores still start off 0-2.
Games to watch in Week Three:
Alabama travels to Arkansas for what promised to be a marquee matchup of top ten teams until the Razorbacks wet the bed against LA-Monroe. Now the storyline will be focused on whether Wilson will be back and whether Arkansas can rebound. I expect 'Bama to cruise to an easy victory.
The most intriguing contest of the weekend is the game at Knoxville between Florida and Tennessee. What used to be the regular first SEC on CBS game has been relegated to second-tier status, but both teams enter the game undefeated and the game poses the first real test for both teams. I'm picking the Vols to win in a slight upset.
Texas comes to Oxford to face the Ole Miss Rebels, which I suppose is an important game. Way to step out of the Big 12 to compete against one of the worst teams in the SEC, Texas! Look for the Longhorns to drop the Rebels by double digits.
1. Blame Bobby Petrino.
Eighth-ranked Arkansas's overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe 34-31 shocked the football world on Saturday, but the origins of this devastating failure occurred on Arkansas Highway 16 back in April, where former coach Bobby Petrino wrecked his motorcycle, his career, and this Razorback squad. Granted, quarterback Tyler Wilson left the game in the first half with an "above the shoulder" injury (
2. Welcome to the SEC.
Texas A&M and Missouri were officially welcomed into the SEC with smiles and handshakes back in July, but the hard reality of life in the nation's toughest football conference began to make itself felt today. The home office in Birmingham made certain that both teams received high-profile matchups for their first league games with two of the conference's big six - (24) Florida in the case of the Aggies and (7) Georgia for the Tigers. Both teams had exuberant, sellout crowds that expected their teams to compete and win, and several pundits predicted one or the other to pull the upset. Some even said that if A&M and Missouri both won, it would repudiate the SEC to a certain extent, proving that good football was played in other parts of the country than the Deep South. Whether or not the newcomers to the conference will be competitive in 2012 remains to be seen, but at the end of the day, despite both teams having a lead fairly late into their respective games, the record was 0-2.
3. Auburn's ship is sinking fast/Mullen gets signature win.
Mississippi State had never won a game against another SEC West team, other than Ole Miss, during Dan Mullen's tenure at Starkville, going a combined 0-12 against Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and LSU before Saturday's 28-10 wipeout of the Tigers. The Bulldogs completely dominated Auburn in every facet of the game, forcing five turnovers and holding the Tigers to just 216 total yards of offense. For at least one week, Bully stands atop the SEC West at 1-0, while Auburn falls to 0-2 overall. With Louisiana-Monroe coming to town next week after their stunning upset of Arkansas, even games that seemed easy wins previously will likely be a challenge given Auburn's anemic offense. The Gene Chizik hotseat watch begins now.
4. Quarterback controversy in Carolina?
A week after South Carolina struggled to a 17-13 win over Vanderbilt and QB Connor Shaw dealt with multiple injuries while throwing for a paltry 67 yards against the Commodores, here comes Dylan Thompson to start for the Gamecocks against East Carolina. Thompson threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-10 romp. Clearly if Shaw is unhealthy, Thompson will be able to sub for him, but the real question now is whether or not Thompson should be the starter.
5. In Other News: The Good
(1) Alabama (35-0 over Western Kentucky at home)
Nick Saban complained this week about how the media didn't treat the Hilltoppers with respect by assuming that the top-ranked Tide would blow them out. Way to make your point, Coach.
(3) LSU (41-3 over Washington at home)
The Tigers have scored 41 points in two straight games and are flying under the radar as much as possible for a third-ranked team with two blowouts on their resume.
Tennessee (51-13 over Georgia State at home)
Tennessee coasted to an easy victory, led by Tyler Bray's 333 yards passing and two touchdowns in their last tuneup before the Gators come to Knoxville.
Kentucky (47-14 over Kent State at home)
Savor this one Wildcats fans. Savor it well.
Ole Miss (28-10 over UTEP at home)
The Rebels have quietly started 2-0 for only the second time in the last ten years. It's all downhill from here.
6. In Other News: The Bad
Vanderbilt (lost 23-13 at Northwestern)
The media and the fanbase love James Franklin and the way he has inspired Vandy to be more competitive, but in the end, the 'Dores still start off 0-2.
Games to watch in Week Three:
Alabama travels to Arkansas for what promised to be a marquee matchup of top ten teams until the Razorbacks wet the bed against LA-Monroe. Now the storyline will be focused on whether Wilson will be back and whether Arkansas can rebound. I expect 'Bama to cruise to an easy victory.
The most intriguing contest of the weekend is the game at Knoxville between Florida and Tennessee. What used to be the regular first SEC on CBS game has been relegated to second-tier status, but both teams enter the game undefeated and the game poses the first real test for both teams. I'm picking the Vols to win in a slight upset.
Texas comes to Oxford to face the Ole Miss Rebels, which I suppose is an important game. Way to step out of the Big 12 to compete against one of the worst teams in the SEC, Texas! Look for the Longhorns to drop the Rebels by double digits.
Sunday, September 02, 2012
SEC Football Week One - What We Have Learned
If there's one thing that every college football fan can agree on, it's that there are a generally three or four throwaway non-conference games on the schedule. These generally feature some directional school or Sisters of the Poor university that your team uses as a glorified scrimmage partner to prepare for the real games. The SEC takes a lot of heat for scheduling these types of games, but if, in your excitement about COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! this weekend you actually assessed the types of games that kicked off the season, you will notice that few games occurred between teams of any consequence, and several of these featured SEC teams. (As an aside, the other thing that no one remembers about these kinds of games is that all the UABs, Lousiana Monroes, Wyomings, and North Texases of the NCAA would not exist without the large payouts afforded by these mismatches, which finance a large part of their athletics budgets every year, that they are good for the college towns where they are played, providing additional windfalls every year because they allow additional home games, and that they allow an opportunity for some players to hit the field that otherwise would not). To the extent that these first games of the year tell us anything, they do so only in the rare contests between two good teams, or the even rarer upsets. However, there are a few things that we learned in week one in the SEC:
1. Alabama is for real/Michigan is not.
The only ranked teams in playing each other in Week One were (2) Alabama and (8) Michigan. After the first quarter of Alabama's 41-14 win over the Wolverines in Cowboys Stadium, it was clear that one team was not deserving of a top ten ranking. Whether or not Alabama is truly a national championship contender will not be decided in September, or at least it won't be clear before the November showdown with LSU, but Michigan proved that whatever happens, they won't be in Miami for the BCS title game. Alabama dominated Michigan in every phase of the game, and while the secondary had enough lapses that the Arkansas offense (in two weeks) is a real concern, the Alabama offense moved the ball more or less at will against what will likely turn out to be a decent Big Ten defense. Michigan may eventually find its way to ten or eleven wins, but as with the 11-1 Big Ten champion Michigan State team that Alabama dismantled 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl after the 2010 season, ten wins in the Big Ten aren't the same is ten wins in the SEC.
2. South Carolina is suspect/Vanderbilt is better than expected.
After the Gamecocks fought out a tough 17-13 victory over the 'Dores last Thursday, a friend of mine told me that there was no way that South Carolina was the 9th-ranked team in America. I replied, half jokingly, that maybe Vanderbilt should be #10. As with the Alabama/Michigan match-up, South Carolina probably wasn't as bad as they looked and Vanderbilt is probably a good deal better than a typical Vandy team. All the advantages were on Vanderbilt's side - uncharacteristically favorable home crowd, national audience, enthusiastic coaching, and an early injury to South Carolina's Connor Shaw that appeared to hinder him throughout the game. Yet, at the end of the game, as usual, Vandy came away a loser. South Carolina will face an East Carolina team next week that won't be an easy out, then UAB - which will, before facing the meat of their SEC schedule. They need to get the kinks worked out on both offense and defense of they want to make a run at the SEC East crown.
3. Auburn still has question marks.
Only the most deluded fan would expect that completely changing offensive and defensive coordinators as well as schemes in the off-season would go off without a hitch. Auburn's defense gave up over 500 yards and ten points in the last ten minutes to a Clemson team that was missing its most dynamic offensive player. In addition, Kiehl Frazier completed around 40% of his passes and only managed one touchdown against a defense that gave up 70 points in its last game. Auburn has four more games against teams that are currently ranked in the top ten and are all likely much better than Clemson. If you assume that the Tigers lose each of those games, you're talking a seven-win season, and between Texas A&M, Mississippi State and possibly even Vanderbilt, you could potentially toss another loss in there somewhere. Auburn needs to improve quickly before the season goes off the rails.
4. Tennessee is much better when injury-free.
Tennessee lost several players to injury last year, including wide receiver Justin Hunter, and quarterback Tyler Bray (who returned but played hurt and clearly diminished). The Vols took care of NC State 35-21 Friday night, and while the Wolfpack is a mediocre opponent, Tennessee needed a big win to build confidence going into the 2012 season. Bray and Hunter might have been overshadowed by freshman phenom
Cordarrelle Patterson, but if all three stay healthy, 2012 will be better than 2011 for Tennessee.
5. Teams that looked good putting away inferior competition:
(3) LSU (41-14 over North Texas at home)
The Tigers outgained North Texas by nearly 300 yards, and really, LSU could have named their score.
Missouri (62-10 over Southeastern Louisiana at home)
Missouri scored two touchdowns on punt returns and two touchdowns on turnovers to completely rout the hapless Lions of Southeastern Louisiana.
(10) Arkansas (49-24 over Jacksonville State at home)
Frankly Arkansas let Jacksonville State score too many points and hang around too long before putting them away in the second half, but at least Jacksonville State won their conference last year.
Mississippi State (56-9 over Jackson State at home)
The Bulldogs had two pick-sixes and had nine different rushers en route to 194 yards on the ground.
6. Teams that didn't look good putting away inferior competition:
(23) Florida (27-14 over Bowling Green at home)
Florida had to score ten points in the fourth quarter to put the game away and gave up 22 first downs to the Falcons while achieving 14 over their own. It appears that Jeff Driskel won the quarterback job over Jacoby Brissett, but neither looked very sharp.
(6) Georgia (45-23 over Buffalo at home)
While the game wasn't close very long after halftime, Georgia's defense gave up nearly five yards per play to a team that has won five games in the last two years.
Ole Miss (49-27 over Central Arkansas)
Central Arkansas actually led 20-14 at halftime before Ole Miss finally switched into gear, although the Rebels did outgain the Bears by over 200 yards.
7. Teams that did not play.
Texas A&M's game at Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac, and Kentucky forgot to show up for their game against (25) Louisville (a 32-14 loss).
Games to watch in Week Two:
Florida travels to College Station, Texas for Texas A&M's first SEC game (and first game, for that matter). ESPN Gameday will be there and the crowd will likely be electric. While Florida will probably be favored, in my opinion the Aggies have a good shot to win.
Georgia travels to Columbia, Missouri for the Tigers' first SEC game as well. Georgia will also be favored, but Missouri will move the ball on the Bulldogs and it could be a shootout.
Washington travels to LSU for a night game at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers should easily handle the Huskies, but if nothing else you can determine which version of purple and gold you like best.
Mississippi State and Auburn face off on the plains. On paper, this looks to be a close game. The Tigers will be on upset alert, but the Bulldogs rarely pull off an upset over Auburn even when they have a better team (see 2011).
Vanderbilt plays at Northwestern, who just won a scorefest against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Commodores are probably better than the Orangemen, but this one won't be easy by any means. We should learn from this whether Vandy is a bowl-competitor in 2012.
I don't know if UTEP at Ole Miss is a game to watch, necessarily, but given that the Miners played Oklahoma pretty well in a 24-7 loss, this might be a rare win for a Conference-USA team over one from the SEC. It may be a close one anyway.
1. Alabama is for real/Michigan is not.
The only ranked teams in playing each other in Week One were (2) Alabama and (8) Michigan. After the first quarter of Alabama's 41-14 win over the Wolverines in Cowboys Stadium, it was clear that one team was not deserving of a top ten ranking. Whether or not Alabama is truly a national championship contender will not be decided in September, or at least it won't be clear before the November showdown with LSU, but Michigan proved that whatever happens, they won't be in Miami for the BCS title game. Alabama dominated Michigan in every phase of the game, and while the secondary had enough lapses that the Arkansas offense (in two weeks) is a real concern, the Alabama offense moved the ball more or less at will against what will likely turn out to be a decent Big Ten defense. Michigan may eventually find its way to ten or eleven wins, but as with the 11-1 Big Ten champion Michigan State team that Alabama dismantled 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl after the 2010 season, ten wins in the Big Ten aren't the same is ten wins in the SEC.
2. South Carolina is suspect/Vanderbilt is better than expected.
After the Gamecocks fought out a tough 17-13 victory over the 'Dores last Thursday, a friend of mine told me that there was no way that South Carolina was the 9th-ranked team in America. I replied, half jokingly, that maybe Vanderbilt should be #10. As with the Alabama/Michigan match-up, South Carolina probably wasn't as bad as they looked and Vanderbilt is probably a good deal better than a typical Vandy team. All the advantages were on Vanderbilt's side - uncharacteristically favorable home crowd, national audience, enthusiastic coaching, and an early injury to South Carolina's Connor Shaw that appeared to hinder him throughout the game. Yet, at the end of the game, as usual, Vandy came away a loser. South Carolina will face an East Carolina team next week that won't be an easy out, then UAB - which will, before facing the meat of their SEC schedule. They need to get the kinks worked out on both offense and defense of they want to make a run at the SEC East crown.
3. Auburn still has question marks.
Only the most deluded fan would expect that completely changing offensive and defensive coordinators as well as schemes in the off-season would go off without a hitch. Auburn's defense gave up over 500 yards and ten points in the last ten minutes to a Clemson team that was missing its most dynamic offensive player. In addition, Kiehl Frazier completed around 40% of his passes and only managed one touchdown against a defense that gave up 70 points in its last game. Auburn has four more games against teams that are currently ranked in the top ten and are all likely much better than Clemson. If you assume that the Tigers lose each of those games, you're talking a seven-win season, and between Texas A&M, Mississippi State and possibly even Vanderbilt, you could potentially toss another loss in there somewhere. Auburn needs to improve quickly before the season goes off the rails.
4. Tennessee is much better when injury-free.
Tennessee lost several players to injury last year, including wide receiver Justin Hunter, and quarterback Tyler Bray (who returned but played hurt and clearly diminished). The Vols took care of NC State 35-21 Friday night, and while the Wolfpack is a mediocre opponent, Tennessee needed a big win to build confidence going into the 2012 season. Bray and Hunter might have been overshadowed by freshman phenom
Cordarrelle Patterson, but if all three stay healthy, 2012 will be better than 2011 for Tennessee.
5. Teams that looked good putting away inferior competition:
(3) LSU (41-14 over North Texas at home)
The Tigers outgained North Texas by nearly 300 yards, and really, LSU could have named their score.
Missouri (62-10 over Southeastern Louisiana at home)
Missouri scored two touchdowns on punt returns and two touchdowns on turnovers to completely rout the hapless Lions of Southeastern Louisiana.
(10) Arkansas (49-24 over Jacksonville State at home)
Frankly Arkansas let Jacksonville State score too many points and hang around too long before putting them away in the second half, but at least Jacksonville State won their conference last year.
Mississippi State (56-9 over Jackson State at home)
The Bulldogs had two pick-sixes and had nine different rushers en route to 194 yards on the ground.
6. Teams that didn't look good putting away inferior competition:
(23) Florida (27-14 over Bowling Green at home)
Florida had to score ten points in the fourth quarter to put the game away and gave up 22 first downs to the Falcons while achieving 14 over their own. It appears that Jeff Driskel won the quarterback job over Jacoby Brissett, but neither looked very sharp.
(6) Georgia (45-23 over Buffalo at home)
While the game wasn't close very long after halftime, Georgia's defense gave up nearly five yards per play to a team that has won five games in the last two years.
Ole Miss (49-27 over Central Arkansas)
Central Arkansas actually led 20-14 at halftime before Ole Miss finally switched into gear, although the Rebels did outgain the Bears by over 200 yards.
7. Teams that did not play.
Texas A&M's game at Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac, and Kentucky forgot to show up for their game against (25) Louisville (a 32-14 loss).
Games to watch in Week Two:
Florida travels to College Station, Texas for Texas A&M's first SEC game (and first game, for that matter). ESPN Gameday will be there and the crowd will likely be electric. While Florida will probably be favored, in my opinion the Aggies have a good shot to win.
Georgia travels to Columbia, Missouri for the Tigers' first SEC game as well. Georgia will also be favored, but Missouri will move the ball on the Bulldogs and it could be a shootout.
Washington travels to LSU for a night game at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers should easily handle the Huskies, but if nothing else you can determine which version of purple and gold you like best.
Mississippi State and Auburn face off on the plains. On paper, this looks to be a close game. The Tigers will be on upset alert, but the Bulldogs rarely pull off an upset over Auburn even when they have a better team (see 2011).
Vanderbilt plays at Northwestern, who just won a scorefest against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Commodores are probably better than the Orangemen, but this one won't be easy by any means. We should learn from this whether Vandy is a bowl-competitor in 2012.
I don't know if UTEP at Ole Miss is a game to watch, necessarily, but given that the Miners played Oklahoma pretty well in a 24-7 loss, this might be a rare win for a Conference-USA team over one from the SEC. It may be a close one anyway.
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