By
Brian Harbach
By
Russ Mitchell
3 SEC QUESTIONS THAT NAG MORE THAN YOUR EX
(i) What was the best performance in Week Two?
Russ Mitchell:
We’d like to give it to Superman, and his 168 yards on 18 carries, with three TDs. However, we’d still like to see KnoMo run against a varsity defense (and it won’t happen this week either – shockingly, South Carolina is ranked 53rd in the nation against the rush). But is there really any doubt? An inexperienced Ole Miss team surprised a lot of “experts” by playing inspired football, on the road, against a Top 20 Wake Forest program... And as the saying goes, didn’t lose the game - just ran out of time. Snead & Co. were better than good, and a very banged up D-line held the Demon Deacons to just 81 yards on 31 attempts. If not for three TOs, the Rebs might have left Winston-Salem with a W.
Brian Harbach:
Before the start of this season the quarterback position in the SEC was down, we all know who the top 2 quarterbacks in the league are, but who was third? For a while I seriously considered ranking Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett as the third best QB in the league because there was no one else to take that spot. That spot was up for grabs until this past weekend when Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead decided to reach out and grab it with his great performance against Wake Forest on the road. Snead passed for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns. He lead the Rebels on a drive with under 2 to take the lead and while they were unable to hold on for the win, it showed a lot of guts. Snead is going to be a great player in this league, and as soon as Tebow and Stafford are gone he will be the best QB in the SEC.
(ii) Is Steve Spurrier finished in the SEC?
Mitchell:
It's amazing that people are still shocked by this question. First, even the most ardent OBC supporters must admit that Spurrier really stopped giving a damn about recruiting as far back as the tail-end of his days at Florida. And for those of you outside of the South who happened to stumble onto this article, know that the H.S. talent base in South Carolina is just a wee bit less than the state of Florida. Moreover, Mr. Grateful Dead aside, Spurrier’s had a tougher time than expected convincing the best of the Sunshine State to pull up roots and head north to Columbia. He may have changed the game in 1990, but 18 years later he looks a bit, well, old. That or disinterested. Regardless, he's simply not the same OBC we know and love/hate. We thought he would hang around for at least the 2009 season, in order to give Jr. time to marinate into HC material (think Holtz, Lou/Skip). But take another gander at the USC schedule: If the Gamecocks aren’t at least 3-3 heading into Lexington on October 11th, Spurrier’s second half will likely be horrific – so much so that it wouldn’t surprise us if the ‘Ol Ball Coach just hangs ‘em up. He’s got more dough then he could ever spend on golf - why tarnish his legacy for this? Besides, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network will hire him in about the same time it takes an opposing DT to bust through his porous O-line.
Harbach:
Earlier this season I said that this would be Steve Spurrier’s last season at South Carolina and I still believe that to be the case. His time in Columbia might hurt his reputation a little, but his legacy will be in tact when he steps down after the Clemson game in November. Spurrier has done a terrible job at South Carolina and his lackadaisical approach to recruiting and inability to groom a quarterback has been the biggest reasons for his failure. This is the end of Steve Spurrier in the SEC; this is not the end of Steve Spurrier in college football.
The SEC has become too competitive a league and Spurrier knows that, he still wants to compete, but South Carolina is not a place he can turn around quickly. I expect Spurrier to take a year off and then come back to coaching in the ACC, maybe at a school like Virginia, Maryland or Clemson in 2010. The ACC gives him the opportunity to be an elite coach in a league without elite coaches. He still wants to coach and he still wants to win, he is done in Columiba but we will see him on the sidelines again.
(iii) What every SEC fan should be talking about after Week Two, but isn’t?
Mitchell:
Well, that leaves out Spurrier and Vandy. (i) Is Florida’s Emmanuel Moody even on campus? So much for Meyer’s offseason rants about someone other than Tebow carrying the load. In Saturday’s win against Miami, Tebow and Harvin accounted for 82 of the Gator’s 89 rushing yards. Rainey got just three carries... And Moody? Zero, (ii) While we’re ripping on Meyer, way to leave Mr. Everything in a blowout game until the final minutes, Urban. Though I suppose that final FG did cover the spread, (iii) South Carolina’s pass defense is ranked #1 in the nation – until Saturday, anyway, (iv) The ‘Dawgs were penalized nine times for 70 yards on Saturday, bringing their two game total to 20 for 140 yards. However, we note that Florida led the conference in penalties in 2006, and LSU in 2007 - and both won conference and national titles. Just saying, (v) Last Saturday, ‘bama LT Andre Smith missed his first game since setting foot on campus, and (vi) Can’t believe I’m writing this, but the SEC is waaaaay top heavy, Garth. Look at the Power Rankings below... Given the play we’ve seen so far, Alabama, Tennessee, Vandy, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and even MSU can be dropped into the “any given Saturday” bucket. Will one of these teams separate itself from the pack?
Harbach:
Two games into the season and the vaunted Florida offense does not look like it is clicking on all cylinders and the defense seems to be what is leading the Gators. Before the season the defense was the question mark for Urban Meyer and the offense was supposed to average 50 points a game. Sure against Hawaii they put up a lot of points, but the way they played against Miami was very surprising. It is hard to argue with a 23 point win over a big rival, but Florida did not look in sync at all.
The Gators had one drive of over 10 plays against Miami and they only had two really great scoring drives in the game. The running backs are still providing little to nothing and even with Urban Meyer running up the score it was not an impressive win over the Canes. That team that played Saturday night would have lost to UGA and probably a couple other SEC teams. Sure Miami was fired up and their defense was decent, but that was not a Gator team that will win an SEC Championship. Better to play poor in September than November, but Florida has a lot of work to do.
IN FOCUS: Which Coach / Player is in the Spotlight this week?
Mitchell:
South Carolina’s pass defense & Mississippi State’s rush defense. For either of these teams to win their conference games on Saturday, these units must play lights out. The Gamecocks are ranked #1 in the nation against the pass. Yes, they are. Some of that is likely due to the inept play of NCSU’s QBs. Nevertheless, if DC Ellis Johnson can make UGA one dimensional on offense, USC’s at least got a chance. Even after a decent game last week, Auburn’s passing offense is ranked a woeful 90th in the nation. If MSU’s talented defense can stop the Auburn rushing attack and make Todd blink in his first conference start, the Bulldogs could capture their second consecutive win against AU.
Harbach:
Chris Todd, QB (So.), Auburn. The Auburn offense has looked terrible the first two games, in week one they struggled throwing the ball, in week two running backs couldn’t hold onto the ball and coming into week three they better put it all together. Chris Todd leads the Auburn offense to Starkville this Saturday night in his first game as the official starter. He did start last week, but that was due to a coaching decision to start Kodi Burns game one and Todd game two. Todd looked good in the game, but he was very hesitant to throw the ball down the field. Todd knows he will not be pulled and has a long leash in this game; the spotlight is on him to see if he can be more comfortable and confident as the man running Tony Franklin’s spread.
SEC POWER RANKINGS
Mitchell
1 Florida – Someone besides T&H needs to run the ball. Don’t say we didn’t warn you
2 Georgia – Finally an opponent with a pulse - even if they are on a respirator
3 LSU – North Texas has surrendered 1,026 yards in its two losses
4 Auburn – Trying for fewer than 5 TOs this year
5 Alabama – About as sharp as a beach ball last Saturday
6 Vandy – (up from 10) Yes, Vandy. Who else? Watch out for Rice
7 Ole Miss – Great game against Wake. Snead looks like the real deal
8 Kentucky – (up from 9) At first glance, Cobb appears to be everything advertized
9 Tennessee – (down from 8) That UCLA loss was so bad, UT is dropping again. Likely to climb
10 MSU – (up from 11) Pegues is back! Will need 100% from D to beat AU
11 USC – (down from 6) That O-line better figure it out, and quick
12 Arkansas – UL-Monroe?! Just keep it respectable in Austin
Harbach
1 Georgia – (up from 2) Right now they look like the best team in the league
2 Florida – (down from 1) This offense needs a break out game in Knoxville
3 Auburn – Defense seems to be in a groove and the offense is coming along
4 LSU – Weather's not helping them get any consistency, this could be a problem
5 Alabama – Terrible offensive performance against Tulane, disgusting
6 Ole Miss – They're well ahead of schedule, Jevan Snead looks like the real deal
7 Vanderbilt (up from 9) Leading the SEC East and thinking bowl game
8 Tennessee – UAB might get two weeks of Vol frustration this weekend
9 South Carolina – (down from 7) Bad, Bad loss to Vandy with UGA coming up next
10 Kentucky – We won’t know a thing about the Wildcats until October
11 MSU – Auburn is coming to town thinking of the Bulldog upset from last season
12 Arkansas – Casey Dick is the SEC’s leading passer, they are lucky not to be 0-2
THREE GAMES TO DVR
Mitchell:
1) Auburn (2-0) v. Mississippi State (1-1); September 13, 7 PM. Last year, MSU benefited from five Tiger TOs and a clutch defensive stop inside its own 10 yard line in the game’s final seconds to upset AU, 19-14. Even with star LB Jamar Chaney out for the season with an ankle injury, the MSU defense is ranked 8th in the nation against the pass, and 16th against the rush. If they can force Auburn’s offense to rely on QB Chris Todd instead of the rushing attack, MSU might just have a brawler’s chance. However, look for AU’s defense to be the difference…
Auburn 21, MSU 13
Final: Auburn 3, MSU 2
2) Georgia (2-0) v. South Carolina (1-1); September 13, 3:30 PM. Keep an eye on the ‘Dawgs defense.. It was good against the Chippewas, but it’s dinged up, ranked #72 in the nation in pass defense, and was average against Georgia Southern. However, with USC’s All-SEC WR Kenny McKinley likely out with a hamstring injury, UGA’s defense shouldn’t be that pressed. To have a chance at winning, South Carolina’s O-line must play much better, and its defense will have to take away either the rush or the pass. Given the Gamecocks’ defense is ranked #1 in the nation against the pass, UGA will likely rely on its rushing attack to win. Too bad they only have Moreno…
Georgia 35, South Carolina 16
Final: Georgia 14, USC 7
3) Rice (2-0) v. Vanderbilt (2-0); September 13, 7 PM. (We would have gone Arkansas v. Texas, but forget the history - this game’s going to be all Texas.) If Vandy’s for real, they’ll take care of Rice with little sweat – similar to their work against a good Miami (OH) team to start the season. But be wary - Rice has put up 98 points in its two wins, including a breathtaking come-from-behind win against Memphis last Saturday. Still, if Nickson & Co. are going to end Vandy’s bowl drought this season, they can’t have “Big Win” hangovers - they need to knock back games like these. And if they’re going to truly compete in the SEC, they need to win these going away…
Vandy 27, Rice 17
Final: Vandy 38, Rice 21
Season Record: 4-2
Harbach:
1) Georgia (2-0) v. South Carolina(1-1), September 13. For some reason South Carolina always plays inspired football against Georgia. Each year looking at these teams it is easy to assume that UGA is going to win easily and USC shouldn’t show up. Maybe it is the match up, maybe it is luck, maybe it is coaching, but Carolina always hangs around in this game and sometimes, like last year, pulls an upset. I always feel this is going to be a close game, but not this year. UGA is playing too well right now and it is hard to see Carolina hanging around with the Bulldogs. Carolina quit after they lost to Vanderbilt last season and after the first interception is thrown by a Gamecock QB this week they will quit on this game. This is the year we actually see the score people expect.
Georgia 42, South Carolina 17
Final: Georgia 14, USC 7
2) Auburn (2-0) v. Mississippi State(1-1), September 13. Last year Mississippi State played an inspired football game against Auburn to upset the Tigers 19-14. This was probably the game that cost Al Borges his job last season and the Tigers are focused on revenge. While I am not sold on the Auburn offense yet, I am less sold on Mississippi State’s offense. Auburn will not turn the ball over 5 times this weekend and they will win their SEC opener easily.
Auburn 31, Mississippi State 10
Final: Auburn 3, MSU 2
3) Arkansas(2-0) v. Texas(2-0), September 13. A classic SWC rivalry brought back this year and the pressure is on Bobby Petrino to show up in this game in a way they have not been able to the last two weeks. At 2-0, Arkansas has had two miracle comeback victories over some very questionable opponents. New Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp knows the Arkansas players, but he does not know the new offense yet. Texas is favored by over 3 touchdowns, but the Longhorns have given up a ton of passing yards in their first two games. Now that Arkansas is a passing offense I think they keep it closer than 3 scores and play their best game of the season.
Texas 35, Arkansas 27
Season Record: 3-3
Yell at Brian: Brian Harbach
Yell at Russ: Russ Mitchell
Y’all Play Nice Week Two, September 4, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week One, August 27, 2008
Y’all Play Nice, August 21, 2008
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