By
Brian Harbach
By
Russ Mitchell
3 SEC QUESTIONS THAT NAG MORE THAN YOUR EX
(i) What was the best performance from this past weekend?
Russ Mitchell:
It’s too easy to pick Charles Scott, RB, LSU. After rushing for 102 yards on seven carries and 2 TDs Saturday, he leads the SEC in rushing and sits at 6th in the nation (at 131 ypg). However, Appalachian State and North Texas, in Baton Rouge, are hardly competition for the talented Tiger. We would give it to USC’s defense for stifling Stafford, Moreno & Co. But as we’ve written for months, the greatness that is the Georgia offense has been somewhat exaggerated (even Smelley & Co.'s struggling O outgained UGA last week - 289 to 252). We’d like to give it to Vandy’s talented RB, Jared Hawkins, who averaged 5.4 yards on 20 carries and a TD against Rice. However, the Owls’ defense is hardly impressive (74th against the rush; 87th overall). Slim pickings... To whom can one give this recognition and keep a straight face? UAB is 0-3 and terrible, and UT scored fewer points (35) than either of the Blazers’ other two losses. Auburn’s defense was strong, but against a suspect MSU offense. Alabama played a WKU team whose only victory came at the expense of an FCS team. And Kentucky was within an inch of losing to MTSU. There was no best performance.
Brian Harbach:
How about a curve ball to start things off, the best performance of the weekend was Kentucky defensive back, Robbie McAtee. If you were not already aware, Middle Tennessee’s Quarterback almost went Marcus Randall on the University of Kentucky by nearly hitting a game winning Hail Mary to beat the home team Wildcats. The play was eerily similar to the catch Devery Henderson made back in 2002 on a tipped ball that seemed to fall into his hands as he broke to the endzone.
The same thing happened this past Saturday as another tipped Hail Mary fell into the hands of MTSU receiver Eldred King, but this time McAtee made a game saving tackle. This one play may have saved Kentucky’s chance at returning to a bowl game and at the very least saved them from the embarrassment of another loss in the worst possible way. Great job by McAtee for not giving up on the play, Kentucky fans need to start a new chant in these situations. Maybe yelling “knock it down” will remind the players of what to do because the last two coaching staffs have not gotten that point across to Wildcat players.
(ii) Is the SEC full of amazing defenses or bad offenses?
Mitchell:
Heading into August with eight rookie QBs, it was reasonable to speculate that SEC offensive numbers would likely take a step backwards – and the collective inexperience has more than disappointed. A quick status check: if the Gators don’t run someone other than Tebow or Harvin, they’ll end up with a record like 2007. UGA’s offensive line is nothing spectacular, the schedule is harsh, and against a defense with a pulse Stafford had only 15 completions and Moreno 75 yards. I don’t believe LSU completed a pass longer than 15 yards in the air on Saturday. Auburn’s “Spread” offense doesn’t look like it’s spread or an offense. And that’s the best we have? Many might suggest Alabama’s offense, but it’s only ranked fourth in the conference in rushing, and ninth passing. The defenses are clearly better by comparison, but it’s hard to give them too much credit; the SEC doesn’t have a single team in the top 20 in either scoring or total offense. Not one. This might be the weakest performance we’ve seen in years by a collective SEC offense.
Harbach:
More than any other conference the SEC is blessed with speed at every position on nearly every team. There is no conference that can match the defensive skill the SEC offers from top to bottom, making it extremely challenging to run an offense well. With that in mind, the SEC is full of terrible offenses this season and it comes down to one reason, Quarterbacks. This year the SEC lacks quarterback depth and that is what is causing games to end with final scores of 3-2.
The SEC has two elite QB’s in Matthew Stafford and Tim Tebow, but the rest of the group are young and inexperienced. The two preseason favorites in the SEC West (Auburn and LSU) have played a total of 5 different quarterbacks in 5 games. South Carolina has played three quarterbacks in three games and the list goes on with teams rotating QB’s with the game on the line, not just in garbage time. The position overall has no consistency and that is causing the poor offensive showing we have seen this year. If you look at the Big 12 they have been great on offense, but they also have experienced quarterbacks that have been playing in the same systems for years. The QB position has a bright future in the SEC, but right now we are going through a pretty bumpy patch and SEC offenses are reflecting that.
(iii) What should everyone be talking about after Week 3, but isn’t?
Mitchell:
Well, that leaves out poor offenses and Florida vs. UT / LSU vs. Auburn. (i) Alabama is ranked #1 in the nation in rush defense, and six other SEC defenses are ranked in the top 20 (LSU, 5; Kentucky, 7; Auburn, 9; UGA, 12; Florida, 13; and UT, 20), (ii) Don’t look now, but three games into the season and both Vandy and Kentucky have better records than Florida and Tennessee, (iii) Neither Florida nor LSU have surrendered a fumble (and LSU only lost one in all of 2007), (iv) South Carolina entered its game with Georgia with the nation’s best passing defense… And emerged with the nation’s best passing defense; What should I do with my “Stafford for Heisman” poster?, (v) Without Britton Colquitt, Tennessee is ranked second to last in the nation in punting – keep an eye on that Saturday as Colquitt is still suspended, (vi) Ole Miss’ All SEC DE Greg Hardy returns to action this weekend, giving the Rebs its full D-line contingent for the first time this season (although Jerry and Laurent remain a bit gimpy) and (vii) it’s unlikely MSU RB Anthony Dixon will play this Satuday against Georgia Tech.
Harbach:
Most people know that last week was one of Florida’s two byes just before they travel to Knoxville for an afternoon game against Tennessee. What everyone may not know is the fact that this is only one of the many teams Tennessee will play this season that has a bye week before playing the Vols. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky all have bye weeks before they play Tennessee and that is a serious disadvantage to a team that seems to be struggling early in the 2008 season.
An extra week to game plan and rest players is always an advantage and this will add an additional degree of difficulty to an already dangerous Tennessee schedule. The next four weeks for the Vols are crucial to their season. Tennessee will play Florida this weekend, travel to Auburn next week, play Northern Illinois at home 2 weeks from now and finish up the 4 game stretch with a road game in Athens. A 2-4 start to the season will not be a good thing for Phil Fulmer and with two late season games against South Carolina and Kentucky who have bye weeks before. This could put Tennessee in danger of not making it to a bowl game cranking up the heat on Fulmer’s hot seat.
IN FOCUS: Which Coach / Player is in the Spotlight this week?
Mitchell:
Brady Dalfrey, P (Sr.), LSU. Clearly this weekend’s contest between the SEC’s two Tigers will be measured more by defense. Assuming the job after Patrick Fisher’s eligibility expired, Dalfrey has done little to help LSU fans forget its former All-SEC first-team punter. The Lafayette native has waited an entire career for this season, and so far his performance has been partly cloudy at best. Saturday’s game could easily come down to field position, as it did the last time these teams met in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn won that contest 7-3, largely on the foot of Kody Bliss (6 punts for 48.2 ypp). In its 3-2 win against MSU last Saturday, Auburn’s Clinton Durst punted 7 times for 305 yards (44 avg.) – on the season, Durst is averaging 43 yards. If the Bayou Bengals are to break the string of home team victories, Dalfrey must keep LSU from losing the battle for field position.
Harbach:
John Chavis, Tennessee Defensive Coordinator. Last year the SEC East champions gave up 59 points to the University of Florida in a game that was over almost as soon as it started. The Gators racked up over 550 total yards compared to Tennessee’s 298 and Percy Harvin had almost 200 yards rushing and receiving. Chavis’ defense did not handle Tim Tebow very well and it is up to him this year to come up with a game plan to keep the Vols in the game when a very rested bunch of Gators visit Knoxville. With a game at Auburn looming on the horizon, Tennessee needs some positive momentum coming out of this game even if the result is a loss. Another game like last year could send this team into a tailspin they will be unable to recover from.
SEC POWER RANKINGS
Mitchell
1 Florida – Will Rainey and Moody get some carries?
2 Georgia – Under Erickson, ASU has lost every game against a decent opponent
3 LSU – Look for LSU to run twice for every pass
4 Alabama – (up from 5) ‘bama should easily handle the young Razorbacks
5 Auburn – (down from 4) Seven TOs in two games
6 Vandy – Ole Miss is likely the best offense Vandy has faced
7 Ole Miss – This defense is healthier than it’s been all season
8 Kentucky – A win is a win… but the three injuries could prove costly
9 USC – (up from 11) If not for a fumble through the end zone…
10 Tennessee – (down from 9) BYU 59, UCLA 0
11 MSU – (down from 10) Without Dixon, a weak MSU offense is unlikely to be better
12 Arkansas – Just keep it close
Harbach
1 Georgia – Heading out to the west coast for the first time in 50 years
2 Florida – The Gators will make a statement this weekend one way or another
3 LSU – (up from 4) Hoping to break the home team streak in Jordan Hare
4 Alabama – (up from 5) SEC opener at Arkansas pits two short lived NFL coaches
5 Auburn (down from 3) – Al Borges was fired because of what?
6 Ole Miss – Huge match-up with Vandy this weekend, did I just write that?
7 Vanderbilt – Vandy is halfway to a bowl game with the rival Rebels next on the list
8 Tennessee – Moving past the UCLA debacle, Florida this week, Auburn next
9 South Carolina – Smelley looks ready to be the QB, not sure why Garcia was brought in
10 Kentucky – Offensive issues, but that seems to be the norm in the SEC this season
11 MSU – Only points against Auburn were a safety, defense played very physical
12 Arkansas – Two weeks to prepare for Bama, this starts a nasty stretch of games for the Hogs
THREE GAMES TO DVR
Mitchell:
1) No. 6 LSU (2-0) v. No. 10 Auburn (3-0), September 20. The home team has won this game in each match up this decade. LSU can’t throw a pass, but its offensive line is superb, and the running game stout. Auburn’s inexperienced offense and proclivity for turning the ball over will be the difference in this game.
LSU 13, Auburn 10
Final: LSU 26, Auburn 21
2) No. 4 Florida (2-0) v. Tennessee (1-1), September 20. Tennessee simply hasn’t proven it can be consistent enough so far this young season. That and it’s young quarterback is suffering from a sore ankle, and a bruised ego. Unless he has the game of his young career, Florida will win this going away. And given the operative word for Tennessee seems to be ‘young’, we’re not holding out much hope.
Florida 27, Tennessee 17
Final: Florida 30, Tennessee 6
3) No. 3 Georgia (3-0) v. ASU (2-1), September 20. Georgia is overrated. But so is (or at least was) ASU. The Sun Devils played only three teams with a pulse last season (Oregon, USC and Texas), and went 0-3 by a combined score of 131 to 81. UGA fans have been buying ASU season tickets since they became available in order to ensure a seat for this one game – so look for a big ‘Dawgs cheering section. ASU should be motivated to play better than their dismal performance against UNLV last weekend, so the Sun Devils will likely put some points up on the scoreboard. However, motivation and $3 will buy you a latte at Starbucks.
UGA 31, ASU 24
Final: Georgia 27, ASU 10
Season Record: 7-2
Harbach:
1) LSU (2-0) v. Auburn (3-0), September 20. For some reason this always ends up being a low scoring, defensive game when played in Jordan Hare. Both Auburn and LSU have struggled on offense, LSU has QB issues and Auburn has…well, no offense at all. Even with the young quarterbacks LSU will be playing; it is hard not to like LSU to win this game. Auburn has no confidence or continuity on offense and it is hard to see them scoring against the visiting Tigers. The Bengal Tigers break the home team win streak in this series and head back to Baton Rouge with a road victory. This week’s score comes from LSU fan Aaron Pourciau, who dominated me in Week 1 of our Fantasy Football league.
LSU 10, Auburn 6
Final: LSU 26, Auburn 21
2) Florida (2-0) v.Tennessee (1-1), September 20. What was once a great rivalry has turned into a second tier SEC game that may not be one of the top 5 SEC games of the year. Georgia has replaced Tennessee as the Gators SEC enemy #1 and it is surprising how much this game has fallen nationally. Tennessee has been accused of quitting last year by some Gator players and that won’t be a problem this year. The Vols will play them tough, but Tennessee doesn’t have the horses to win this race. Florida wins a game that looks closer than it really is.
Florida 28, Tennessee 17
Final: Florida 30, Tennessee 6
3) Vanderbilt (3-0) v. Ole Miss (2-1), September 20. I have to admit that I am really excited about this game and both of these fan bases should be excited about it as well. This is a statement game for both teams as Ole Miss looks to win their first SEC game in over a year and Vanderbilt looks to take another step closer to the bowl season. This will be Vandy’s toughest challenge of the young season and this is the best offense they have faced so far. Jevan Snead should have a big game as the Rebels win their SEC opener in a great game that will go all 4 quarters.
Ole Miss 28, Vanderbilt 23
Final: Vandy 23, Ole Miss 17
Season Record: 5-3
Yell at Brian: Brian Harbach
Yell at Russ: Russ Mitchell
Y’all Play Nice Week 3, September 11, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Two, September 4, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week One, August 27, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Preseason, August 21, 2008
|