By
Brian Harbach
By
Russ Mitchell
3 SEC QUESTIONS THAT NAG MORE THAN YOUR EX
(i) What was the best performance from last weekend?
Russ Mitchell:
Watching the Florida game, I found myself repeatedly saying, “Wow, Greg Hardy!” What a game changer – it’s great to have the Ole Miss DE back. But it’s not him. In case you’re wondering, Florida’s Percy Harvin is just fine – with 186 yards receiving and 82 yards rushing (plus one TD each receiving/running) on Saturday. Yes, the West dominated the East. And watching LSU’s RB Charles Scott rumble for 100+ for the fourth straight week was impressive. But is there really any doubt – the most impressive performance of last week goes to the Alabama coaching staff. Since July we have pointed out the exaggeration that is UGA (heading into the ‘bama game, the ‘Dawgs were ranked in only ONE major statistical top 20 in the nation (#3 Rushing Defense, #85 Passing Defense, #24 Total Defense; #35 Rushing Offense, #30 Passing Offense and #22 Total Offense))… But please – 31 points on the road, IN A HALF… Amazing game plan. Sure the execution was there, particularly in the lines. But Saturday was all about coaching.
Brian Harbach:
Two words, Nick Saban. Coaching a young team in a very difficult environment is a challenge for any coach and Saban did an amazing job last weekend. It wasn’t shocking that Alabama won the game, but the way they dominated Georgia was a shock. Saban coached circles around Mark Richt, who should rethink using themes for football games and just focus on getting his players ready to play. Saban knew he had to run the ball in order to win the game and that JPW might be a liability if they got behind so he used his physical offensive line to whip the Georgia defensive front and UGA never recovered.
Every SEC fan knew that Saban was going to do a great job at Alabama and while there is still plenty of football left to play, we can safely say that he is ahead of schedule. This looks like a 10 win team right now and if they continue to improve it could be better than that. If you weren’t already excited about Nick Saban’s return to Baton Rouge, he just gave fans a couple more reasons to get fired up for that homecoming.
(ii) Is Alabama the 2nd best team in the country?
Mitchell:
No, but it’s the second best team in the SEC, which is just as close. Alabama deserves to sit in the Top 10, but just to peel back the curtain a little… The Tide soundly beat a top 15 team on the road in Georgia – and that is commendable. (Not to diminish a great conference road win, but as we have repeatedly pointed out here – apparently in a vacuum – UGA has been overrated this season.)
But five games into the season, Alabama is ranked 57th in Total Offense and 101st in Passing Offense. The second best team in America should be a little less one dimensional. The Tide is benefiting from (i) a serious dose of Saban heartthrob, (ii) two sexy wins (one over a clearly overrated Clemson team), (iii) a good but not overwhelming schedule (ranked #40th on Cumulative Opposition), (iv) a great defense, and (v) a dearth of injuries. At this point in the season it’s a popularity contest anyway, and the high rating cuts two ways: it’s nice to be recognized, but teams and crowds get up to play higher ranked opponents. Plus Saban has had a history of his teams playing too conservatively in second halves. Still, if the Tide is really the #2 team in the nation, none of this will matter. One thing is clear – ‘bama’s played beyond the expectations of all but the most enthusiastic Tide faithful, and Saban & Co. are in an outstanding spot to continue proving they deserve to be here.
Harbach:
Is Alabama the second best team in the country… no. My answer on the conference rank is listed a little further down in the column, but right now there are more teams that deserve that #2 spot ahead of Alabama. Alabama has played well and it is hard to argue against them being ranked any spot in the top 5, but if you are going to start a poll in August it needs to have some consistency. After 5 games can you definitively say that Alabama is better than Texas or Missouri or LSU or Penn State? Those teams have played the schedule they signed up to play and won all their games. My question is what have they done to be jumped by Alabama?
It bothers me to no end when a top 5 team gets jumped unless there is a loss. None of the top 5 teams have looked vulnerable in any game played this season and there is no reason to drop them a spot or have a team move ahead of them unless they have not performed well in a big game. I understand that Alabama has done well against good competition, but we are not comparing apples to apples right now. When other top 5 teams win big games does that make Alabama vulnerable to being jumped or are those teams screwed because of when they play their big games? Alabama is no doubt a top 5 team right now, but to rank them second is more than I am willing to agree with when we are only in the first week of October.
(iii) What every SEC fan should be talking about after Week 5, but isn’t?
Mitchell:
That leaves out anything to do with ‘bama (again), Tennessee QBs or Florida’s three fumbles and running game (after Harvin, Moody had 16 yards on three carries)… (i) With four games played, LSU’s Jarrett Lee is second best in the SEC in passing efficiency (at 146.5, he’s only 0.2 behind Tim Tebow), (ii) Charles Scott doesn’t lead the conference in All Purpose Yards – he’s second. The honor goes to Florida’s Brandon James with 144.3 ypg (though all but 62 of Jacobs’ 577 yards are on special teams), (iii) Speaking of Mr. Scott, he’s the only SEC RB averaging 100+ ypg (Alabama’s Glen Coffee is second with 98 and KnoMo is third with 97.8), (iv) Florida’s Brandon Spikes leads the conference in tackles with 11.3 /game; he’s ranked 7th nationally, (v) Looks like USC’s All-American WR candidate Kenny McKinley will play against Ole Miss – his first game back since injuring his hamstring against Vandy, (vi) Ask Fulmer; Auburn’s Sen'Derrick Marks and Antonio Coleman are ranked #1 and #2 in the SEC in Tackles for Loss per game, and Coleman is also first in Sacks. Hellooooo Mr. Nickson, (vii) Speaking of Auburn, coach Tommy Tuberville announced this week that OC Tony Franklin’s spread offense has been shelved until the team has recruited players that “suit it”. Hm… did Franklin buy or rent? (viii) As a starting QB, Tebow has never led the Gators back from a second half deficit. Interesting... (ix) The SEC has five teams ranked nationally in the top 10 in Punt Returns (Vandy, 3; UGA, 5; Auburn, 6; Florida, 8; and LSU, 10), which is a good thing because, (x) Once again, the SEC has just one team in the nation ranked in the Top 20 in Scoring Offense (Alabama, #19), and none in Total Offense (LSU, #27).
Harbach:
Everyone should be talking about the terrible job Mark Richt did this past weekend preparing his team to play Alabama. Richt has had a history of losing games when his team has overlooked an opponent. The South Carolina loss last year likely cost them a chance at an SEC and National Championship, 2 years ago they lost at home on homecoming to a 4-8 Vanderbilt team and this year his team lays an egg against their best competition to date. Richt has always been a player’s coach; that is probably the biggest reason there are such huge discipline problems at Georgia and discipline was a huge factor in this Alabama game.
The players do not fear Richt because he isn’t a disciplinarian; he is just one of the guys. That attitude works sometimes, but instead of coming up with cute ideas tinkering with team uniforms and dressing in black (for a funeral) at press conferences, he should be spending more time coaching up his players and enforcing some discipline on his team. The first quarter against Alabama was a classic example of the lack of discipline the Bulldogs have. UGA had 51 yards in penalties on Alabama’s first two drives. The undisciplined culture that Richt has off of the field is showing up on the field.
IN FOCUS: Which Coach / Player is in the Spotlight this week?
Mitchell:
Chris Nickson, QB (Sr.), Vanderbilt. This is a huge game for Vandy, and the injured senior QB is the absolute key to Vandy’s chances. Nickson is fighting through the same type of injury he suffered last year (his right (throwing) shoulder), though not as serious. The bye week helped greatly towards getting him healed… But with all the attention that comes with a Vandy Top 20 ranking, the pressure that comes with a team that’s dead last in the conference in Total Offense and Defense, and more press credentials than have ever seen the inside of Vanderbilt Stadium, it’s going to take every measure of Nickson’s steady leadership to settle the butterflies and guide the Commodores to a W.
Harbach:
Chris Nickson, QB (Sr.), Vanderbilt. Nickson, a senior quarterback from Alabama, will get his shot in prime time on ESPN to prove the Commodores are for real and ready to take the next step as a program. He has had two weeks to heal his hurt shoulder and should be ready to go against an aggressive Auburn defense. Nickson has not thrown an interception this season and is averaging almost 5 yards a carry while leading Vandy to a 4-0 record. The Commodores have owned the turnover battle this season and if Nickson can continue keeping the ball safe, his team has a great shot at an upset. Last year at Auburn Nickson was 5-16 passing for 38 yards, he will need to play much better in Nashville for the Commodores to stay in the top 25.
SEC POWER RANKINGS
Mitchell
1 LSU – (up from 3) A week off to game plan/heal, then another tough road game
2 Alabama – (up from 4) Great road win
3 Florida – (down from 1) “Hopefully not looking past Ole Miss to Arkansas” (Oops)
4 Georgia – (down from 2) “Establish the pass, establish the pass, establish the pass” (58 yards passing and an INT in the 1H against ‘bama; nice job, men)
5 Vandy – Nickson must be mistake free
6 Auburn – Did Auburn beat Tennessee, or did Tennessee beat itself
7 Kentucky – And now, a wee step up in competition
8 Ole Miss – Can Hardy play offense too?
9 USC – Stephen Garcia, may I introduce Mr. Hardy
10 MSU – (up from 11) Good performance, even in a loss to LSU
11 Tennessee – (down from 10) Wow – the Titanic sank slower than this
12 Arkansas – Turn out the lights…
Harbach
1 LSU – (up from 3) Just wait until these two lines play Georgia
2 Alabama – (up from 4) Dominant performance in a tough atmosphere
3 Georgia – (down from 1) Schedule caught up before we all thought it would
4 Florida – (down from 2) Gators have serious problems in all 3 phases
5 Auburn – Offense is regressing each week; defense is holding the Tigers above water
6 Vanderbilt– Biggest game for the Commodores in 25 years with Gameday in town
7 Ole Miss – Houston Nutt has Ole Miss on the right track with a great upset win
8 South Carolina – (up from 9) Can the Gamecocks put it all together this weekend in Oxford?
9 Tennessee – (down from 8) Crompton is not the answer at QB, who will play QB in Athens?
10 Kentucky – Finally we get to see the Wildcats play a real opponent
11 MSU – It looks like they found a QB, but is it too late to save this season
12 Arkansas – After two bad weeks here come an angry bunch of Gators for a visit
THREE GAMES TO DVR
Mitchell:
1) No. 14 Auburn (4-1) v. No. 19 Vanderbilt (4-0), October 4. It all comes down to Nickson – if he can calm some teammate nerves and not turn the ball over, the ‘Dores can continue this undefeated magic carpet ride. We’ve taken Vandy in all four games, but with the worst Total Offense and Defense in the conference, and an injured leader, we believe the magic ends here – at least for a week…
Auburn 20, Vanderbilt 14
Final: Vandy 14, AU 13
2) South Carolina (3-2) v. Ole Miss (3-2), October 4. Which Ole Miss team is going to show up? The one that lost in the final seconds to Wake and Vandy, or the monster that won in Gainesville? USC has been outside the spotlight, with some weak performances against teams they should have dominated (Wofford and UAB). Its offensive line continues to struggle. Ole Miss got back DE Greg Hardy, and USC apparently gets back WR Kenny McKinley. But that’s not a wash – McKinley needs a QB in order to to shine, and if you’ve got three, you don’t have one…
Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 10
Final: South Carolina 31, Ole Miss 24
3) Kentucky (4-0) v. No. 4 Alabama (5-0), October 4. As noted, ‘bama offense is ranked just 57th in Total Offense and 101st in Passing Offense. Kentucky’s Total Defense is 4th, and Passing and Rushing Defense are both 13th. Hm… ‘course, Kentucky’s been playing JV teams. Plus the Cats’ inexperienced sophomore QB Mike Hartline is likely to experience bad things at the hands of the Saban defense. Think “The Shining”, in houndstooth…
Alabama 31, Kentucky 9
Final: 'bama 17, Kentucky 14
Season Record: 12-3
Harbach:
1) Auburn (4-1) v. Vanderbilt (4-0), October 4. ESPN College Gameday in Nashville, how crazy does that sound? After the first five weeks of the year, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Vandy has won games by creating turnovers and being safe with the ball, but they have not faced a defense like Auburn’s this season. Auburn is still in search of an offensive identity, but they have had little problems with Vandy under Tuberville. The Commodores are last in the SEC in total offense and total defense, Auburn exposes Vandy this weekend and continues their success in all white.
Auburn 27, Vanderbilt 16
Final: Vandy 14, AU 13
2) South Carolina (3-2) v. Ole Miss(3-2), October 4. This very well could be a bowl elimination game between the Rebels and the Gamecocks. Both schools have a difficult schedule the rest of the year and if they do both finish at 6-6, which is very possible, the winner of this game would have a huge advantage for a final SEC bowl spot. Ole Miss will bring a lot of confidence into this game after upsetting Florida last week, but I am going to go with the Gamecocks in an upset this one. I like Ryan Succup to kick a game winning field goal over the home team Rebels.
South Carolina 27, Ole Miss 24
Final: USC 31, Ole Miss 24
3) Florida (3-1) v. Arkansas (2-2), October 4. It just doesn’t get any easier for the Razorbacks, after being humiliated by Alabama, they were destroyed by Texas and now they get to play Florida after the Gators were upset at home by Ole Miss. Is this karma for Bobby Petrino or are they hogs just cursed this season? I expect the Gators to go back to what they know and that is lots of Tebow and a short passing game. Florida has tried too hard this season to make Tebow into something he is not, expect a huge game from Superman and another long day for Bobby Petrino.
Florida 48, Arkansas 9
Final: Florida 38, Arkansas 7
Season Record: 9-6
Yell at Brian: Brian Harbach
Yell at Russ: Russ Mitchell
Y’all Play Nice Week Five, September 25, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Four, September 18, 2008
Y’all Play Nice Week Three, 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
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