SEC: Big weekend lives up to the hype

Week 4 certainly lived up to the hype as a big weekend in the SEC. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU and Vanderbilt all scored huge road wins, while Mississippi State, Arkansas and Tennessee produced some of the weekend’s most dismal performances.

With LSU and Auburn boasting solid defenses, it was the offenses under the spotlight. Auburn came into this game off a 3-2 win over Mississippi State while LSU was impressive in two wins, but neither against tough competition. Both teams had question marks at quarterback, but it appears LSU found their starter in a close 26-21 victory.

After LSU quarterback Andrew Hatch suffered a concussion, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee tossed an interception that was returned for a touchdown, but rallied to complete 11 of 22 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Lee threw two touchdown passes in the second half, including one to Brandon LaFell with just over a minute remaining to give the Tigers the victory.

“We have all seen Jarrett throw and play and just getting him comfortable on the field and with the calls, that was really the issue,” coach Les Miles said. “You watch him out there today and you could see that he was having a lot of fun. He certainly plays and enjoyed the competitive times.”

Auburn quarterback Chris Todd completed 17 of 32 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. Todd wasn’t bad, but it was the small mistakes that cost Auburn, specifically their punting game and LSU’s timely trick play.

"I was proud of our offense fighting back and getting the lead for us and then our punting let us down,” coach Tommy Tuberville indicated. “We didn't kick a very good punt. In a game like this, it is about everybody and everybody doing their share. Some areas didn’t do as well as we hoped to. In the first half on defense we played awesome. In the second half, they got something going in the passing game. They stayed with it and it opened up their running game and kept us off balance a little bit. They had a good game plan. They have an excellent football team.”

In Knoxville, Florida was outgained 258 to 243 by the Volunteers, but the outcome of this game was never really in doubt. The culprits for the loss? Three turnovers and poor special teams play for the Volunteers. Florida returner Brandon James is one of the best in the country and racked up 144 return yards and a touchdown. The Gator defense was one of the biggest question marks going into this season, but they’ve been the strength of this team through three contests. 

“Statistically, we’re not where we want to be, but we’re getting our running backs more involved,” Meyer said. Quarterback Tim Tebow hasn’t thrown an interception all year and doesn’t have the big numbers produced last year, but the Gators continue to win and that’s all that matters to get to the national championship game.

Florida and LSU will meet October 11th in Florida, but don’t be surprised if these two teams meet in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Scoreboard:

Georgia Tech 38, Mississippi State 7
Alabama 49, Arkansas 14
Florida 30, Tennessee 6
South Carolina 23, Wofford 13
Vanderbilt 23, Ole Miss 17
LSU 26, Auburn 21
Georgia 27, Arizona State 10

Team of the Week: Florida

The Gators may not have their offense rolling like it was last year, but the argument can be made they are more of a complete team. The defense has not allowed more than 10 points to an opponent and ranks fifth in total yards. Expect the offense to get better in the coming weeks, especially when receiver Percy Harvin and quarterback Tim Tebow get in rhythm.

Disappointment of the Week: Tennessee

Mississippi State or Arkansas could certainly go in this place, but Tennessee showed little fire in the loss to Florida. The Volunteers made several mistakes which doomed their chances at an upset and the schedule only gets more difficult in the next few weeks. Match-ups against Auburn, Georgia and Alabama await the Volunteers before the end of October.

Player of the Week: Ryan Hamilton, S, Vanderbilt

The Commodores haven’t been flashy, but find themselves 4-0 and in position to challenge for a bowl game. Hamilton had one of the best defensive performances in recent memory, as the safety picked off three passes, taking one for a touchdown, saved a touchdown with a key tackle, recovered a fumble and racked up six tackles.

Freshman of the Week: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

One of the biggest knocks on the Georgia offense in recent years has been the lack of playmakers at receiver. Four games into 2008, it looks like the Bulldogs have found a go-to guy for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Green had a huge performance against Arizona State, catching eight passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, which gives him 16 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns on the year.

Arizona State no match for Georgia

It’s not easy going across the country to play Arizona State, but Georgia passed this difficult test with flying colors. The Bulldog defense limited the Sun Devils to 212 yards and 14 first downs. Without the threat of a running game, the Bulldog defense was able to key on stopping Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter and his receivers. When the Bulldogs had the ball, quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno turned in another steady performance. Moreno continues to build his Heisman resume, with an impressive leap into the end zone to give the Bulldogs their first touchdown on the evening. Stafford passed for 285 yards and one touchdown and has yet to throw an interception in four contests.

The Bulldogs passed this test, but will face a tough test from Alabama this Saturday. The Crimson Tide’s powerful running game will test the Georgia front seven, while the Bulldogs won’t have an easy time running against one of the best run defenses in the country.

Ole Miss falls short of program’s 600th victory

Ole Miss had to feel like it left one on the field. In Saturday’s 23-17 loss to Vanderbilt, the Rebels had six turnovers, including four interceptions by quarterback Jevan Snead. Although Snead had his struggles, the Rebels had a chance to take the lead with less than three minutes remaining. However, receiver Dexter McCluster was stripped by Commodore linebacker Chris Marve, and the Rebels weren’t able to rally for a final touchdown in the final seconds.

Alabama dominates Arkansas

You could see this coming after Arkansas opened the year with sluggish performances against Louisiana-Monroe and Western Illinois. Razorback quarterback Casey Dick threw three interceptions, with two returned for touchdowns by the Crimson Tide secondary. The Alabama offensive line dominated the Arkansas defensive front, as running back Glen Coffee averaged 16.2 yards per carry on 10 carries for 162 yards and Mark Ingram chipped in 53 yards and a touchdown on six carries. 

South Carolina struggles, but notches victory

The last time Wofford visited Columbia, the Gamecocks escaped with a 27-20 victory and the South Carolina faithful were hoping for a much better performance this year. However, the Gamecocks struggled to put away the Terriers for the second consecutive match-up. Quarterback Chris Smelley completed 23 of 33 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but the offense drew several boos from the crowd for their struggles.

“We're a struggling bunch,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “We got to start hitting passes down field and see if we can't do a little bit better. It was a good win for us. I thought our guys played with a pretty good effort most of the time. Our defense played really well, better than two years ago. And even though we didn't do much offensively, we stayed out there a bit and made a bunch of third downs. It was an ugly game, but it is what it is. We're happy to get a win and move on.”
More offensive struggles for Mississippi State

After a breakthrough season for Mississippi State last year, the Bulldogs are in danger of missing the postseason. A 38-7 loss to Georgia Tech has the Bulldogs at 1-3 and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. In Saturday’s defeat, the offense sputtered and had most of their success once the game was out of hand. Starting quarterback Wesley Carroll completed 14 of 22 passes for 120 yards, but threw two interceptions. Don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs give more time to junior Tyson Lee, who completed 17 of 27 for 179 yards in Saturday’s loss.

Vanderbilt improves to 4-0

Is the long bowl drought for Vanderbilt over? Led by a strong defensive performance against Ole Miss, the Commodores improved to 4-0 on the season. Safety Ryan Hamilton had a huge night, while the offense was efficient and made timely plays. Quarterback Chris Nickson left with an strained shoulder in the second half, but Mackenzi Adams was a steady 3 of 5 for 31 yards to seal the victory. The Commodores have an off week to prepare for Auburn.

Fulmer takes responsibility for loss

It was a disappointing effort for Tennessee against Florida and coach Phil Fulmer took responsibility for his team’s poor showing. "As I told our football team in the locker room, that loss is on me,” Fulmer said. “I've got big shoulders, and I take responsibility. That wasn't us. The penalties, the orange-area efforts... we've been outstanding in those areas (in our previous games). Our punt coverage has been exceptional (in previous games). We never gave our defense really a chance.”

The Volunteers were demolished in Gainesville last season, but rallied to win the SEC East title. However, the Volunteers have a lot of work to do if they want to get back to Atlanta to play for the SEC title once again.

Moody sighting

Florida’s rushing attack got a boost from Emmanuel Moody against Tennessee, as the USC transfer rushed for 55 yards on nine carries. With the Gators looking for ways to reduce the wear and tear on quarterback Tim Tebow, Moody should continue to play a key role in this offense for the rest of the season.

Del.icio.us | Digg it | Athlon Sports RSS Feeds