After eight weeks of football, we know a few things. We know Florida is back, and has a clear path to winning the SEC East. We know Alabama's defense is very good. We know that despite quarterback problems, LSU can run the ball and is good enough on defense to beat just about anyone. And we know that, with all other things being equal, turning the ball over multiple times is virtually guaranteed to lose football games for you. Let's start the Rundown!
1. Turnovers are Bad, Part I.
Texas A&M had the perfect setup to win Saturday against LSU: an early game, at home, with LSU looking ahead to a bye week and Alabama and coming off a tough victory over South Carolina. The Aggies looked unstoppable on the first drive and led 12-0 midway through the second quarter. Then they decided to be generous and give LSU an interception and a fumble to close out the half, both of which led to touchdowns for the Tigers. By the end of the game, A&M had turned the ball over five times, and despite out-gaining LSU by nearly 100 yards, having advantages in first downs, penalties and time of possession, and outplaying the Tigers for most of the game, LSU generated enough offense to escape College Station with a 24-19 win. Turnovers can make good teams look bad.
2. Turnovers are Bad, Part II.
If you only saw the 44-11 score of the Florida-South Carolina game, you might be tempted to think that the Gators had completely devastated the Gamecock defense, which had looked so good in previous weeks. In reality, the Gators had a 21-6 lead at halftime despite only gaining 29 yards of total offense. Carolina's Connor Shaw fumbled at the two yard line on the first play of the game from scrimmage, setting Florida up for their first TD. Later, Ace Sanders fumbled on a punt return deep in Carolina territory, giving the Gators another opportunity for a quick score. Finally, on the ensuing kickoff, Damiere Byrd coughed up the return, which was pick up and taken by Florida's Chris Johnson nearly to the goal line. Neither team gained over 200 yards for the entire game, but the Gamecocks' four turnovers put the game out of reach against the stingy Gator defense. Championship teams protect the football, which is one of the reasons Florida is likely going to Atlanta and South Carolina is not.
3. Coaching Hot Seat, Part I.
The last time Auburn started 1-6 was 1952. Dwight Eisenhower was elected to his first term as president, the U.S. was mired in a war in Korea, Elizabeth II began her 60-year reign as monarch in the United Kingdom, and the first hydrogen bomb was detonated. Auburn head coach Gene Chizik would not even be born for another nine years. I have to give Chizik credit. He has been a once-in-a-lifetime coach at Auburn, bringing them both their first national championship in over 50 years and their worst start in 60. It remains to be seen whether whoever is in charge at Auburn will allow the goodwill built from the former to outweigh the potentially devastating fallout from the latter, but it's obvious that Auburn's team, coaching staff and program are in complete disarray. In that 1952 season, Auburn finished winless in the SEC. After having lost to both Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in consecutive weeks, and with only Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama remaining, the Tigers look very unlikely to win a conference game, go to a bowl game, or avoid a losing season. You know what other bad thing for Auburn happened 60 years ago? Nick Saban was born.
4. Coaching Hot Seat, Part II.
It wasn't bad enough for Derek Dooley that he was on crutches on the sideline following hip surgery and that Alabama was en route to a 44-13 demolishing of his team. Peyton Manning, Phil Fulmer and the rest of Tennessee's 1997 SEC Championship team were on hand to be honored at Saturday's game and to serve as a not-so-subtle reminder of how far the Volunteers have fallen. Tennessee's recent woes aren't quite as historical as Auburn's. After all, the Vols' 0-4 start in SEC play falls right in line with the last two seasons (0-6 to begin 2011, finished 1-7; 0-5 in 2010, finished 3-5). The problem is that every one of those seasons came under Dooley, who still hasn't beaten a ranked team in his tenure at Tennessee. You have to go back to 1910 to find a Tennessee coach with a worse winning percentage than Dooley, who is 14-18 in his three years at UT and 31-38 overall, and he has the worst record by far of anyone who lasted more than two years. The only reason that Dooley's status is still uncertain is that Tennessee's athletic department is in a hole financially - partially because they are still paying Phil Fulmer not to coach and partially because fans are staying away in droves. What is clear at this point is that Tennessee is closer to Missouri, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the East than they are to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
5. The Good.
(2) Florida 44, (7) South Carolina 11
South Carolina's championship hopes came to a ignominious end as the Gators relied on their defense and special teams to propel them to their seventh win. Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel only had 93 yards passing, but threw for four touchdowns on the day.
(6) LSU 24, (18) Texas A&M 19
Stop me if you've heard this before: High-flying offense and Heisman-candidate quarterback with massive numbers finally plays a team with a decent defense and all-of-sudden the big numbers go away, the superhero is exposed as only human, and the team with the defense walks away with a win. What happened to Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is the same old story that seems to surprise people year after year. Offensive numbers might win Heisman trophies, and I wouldn't be shocked if "Johnny Football" snags one in the coming years, but defense has, and always will, win championships, especially in the SEC.
(1) Alabama 44, Tennessee 13
AJ McCarron showed the Tennessee defense why stacking the line to stop the run is a losing proposition against Alabama this season as he threw for a career-high 306 yards and 4 touchdowns. McCarron, who has not thrown an interception all season, had an otherworldy 254.1 quarterback rating in the game and the Tide scored 30+ points in its seventh game in a row to start the season, which is a school record. Add that to the fact that Alabama leads the nation in total defense, scoring defense, run defense and pass efficiency defense, and you have a pretty lethal combination.
(12) Mississippi State 45, Middle Tennessee State 3
I know at least one person who thought this might be a close game (I'm looking at you, Matt), but State cruised to an easy victory on the arm of quarterback Tyler Russell, who threw for three touchdowns.
6. The Bad.
(11) Georgia 29, Kentucky 24
If South Carolina's blowout of Georgia and subsequent losses didn't tell you enough about the quality of this Bulldogs squad, the fact that they had to come from behind three times against a pitifully bad Kentucky team should.
7. The Ugly
Vanderbilt 17, Auburn 13
Before the season a lot of people gave Vandy coach James Franklin a chance to be competitive in the SEC East this year. While the Commodores (3-4) do still have a shot at a bowl game, Franklin did his best to give the game away to a historically terrible Auburn team. While Auburn had failed to drive the ball in the first quarter, two poor decisions by Franklin to go for it on fourth down in the second quarter led to ten points for the Tigers and kept them in the contest for far longer than their offensive production warranted. Then, when the game was on the line, Franklin seemed hesitant to give the ball to Zac Stacy, who became the 'Dores all-time leading rusher, until it was almost too late. Stacy, who had 169 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown on the day, appeared to be agitated as the Commodores kept throwing incomplete passes and not using very much time, then punting the ball back to Auburn, all while nursing a four-point lead. Franklin finally gave Stacy a chance, and while trying to put the team on his shoulders he ended up fumbling the ball and giving the Tigers one last chance to win. Against an average team, this would have been a loss.
8. Games to Watch in Week Nine
(2) Florida vs. (10) Georgia in Jacksonville
CBS and ESPN will do their best to play up this game as a contest for the SEC East title and that the outcome of this game determines who goes to Atlanta. Don't buy it. The winner of the East was determined Saturday when Florida (7-0) blew out South Carolina. Georgia (6-1) is soft, and the soft schedule has only served to make them look like a contender on paper. I expect a double-digit win for the Gators and a game that is over by halftime.
(11) Mississippi State at (1) Alabama
I give the Bulldogs (7-0) credit for their undefeated record, but the best team that they have played is probably Tennessee. The next three opponents for MSU are Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU, so we'll
get to see what this team is really made of, and frankly, I expect three
losses. The biggest question for 'Bama (7-0) is whether or not they can focus on State with LSU coming in two weeks. So far, this team has been the most focused Alabama squad in my memory and has not played down to an opponent yet.
Tennessee at (13) South Carolina
I expect Carolina (6-2) to be down somewhat after having missed out on their goals for the season, and Tennessee (3-4) to be desperate to win. Really, that's the only way the Vols have a chance. Looks for the Gamecocks to make it three in a row over Tennessee.
Ole Miss at Arkansas
The Razorbacks (3-4) started the season as badly as any team could, but appeared to recover somewhat with wins over Auburn and Kentucky. Ole Miss (4-3) has already doubled their win total from last year and gave Alabama arguably their toughest game this season. While this game isn't for much more than pride, a shot at fourth place in the SEC West, and another step toward bowl eligibility, I think it will be intriguing to see whether Arkansas has truly recovered or whether the Rebels have overtaken them.
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