One thing we want to see from every SEC game in Week 1
Missouri kicks off the SEC football season Thursday night in Columbia, meaning we’re officially 24 hours from kickoff.
Every team in the league enters the season with questions, and Week 1 will give us our first chance at some answers. Here’s one thing we want to see from each SEC team this week.
Alabama – Running the dang ball
Alabama fielded their worst rushing attack in 60 years last season. This year, they have really good talent in the backfield, but they also have a ton of injuries that have already piled up.
None of those injuries are to expected starter Daniel Hill. It would be nice to see Hill get off to a start where he averages over five yards per carry and 100 yards on Saturday.
Arkansas – The TV Guide
I refuse to watch Arkansas football with Ryan Silverfield as the head coach. So, I’ll mostly be interested in whatever else YouTube TV has on while the Hogs are playing. If there’s nothing worth watching, I guess it’s back to yardwork or another round of The Office reruns.
Auburn – Alex Golesh bringing some fire
It will be refreshing to see a head coach actually light a fire under someone on the sideline instead of simply pointing the finger, as Hugh Freeze often did with his starting quarterbacks over the last two seasons.
It will also be refreshing to see someone care more about the scoreboard on Saturday instead of their golf scorecard on Sunday.
Florida – Buster Faulkner’s offense without Haynes King
Jon Sumrall hiring Buster Faulkner this offseason was one of the best moves any head coach made at the FBS level.
Faulkner is considered one of the best offensive minds in college football, and he will almost certainly get some head coaching opportunities in the near future.
For now, one of the most interesting things about his offense in Gainesville will be what the quarterback is asked to do. He asked a lot of Haynes King the last two years at Georgia Tech. Both Florida quarterbacks are talented, but almost no one in college football was as uniquely talented as King was.
Georgia – Kirby Smart coach speak
You just know Georgia is going to roll out of bed and sleepwalk to the most boring 48-3 win imaginable over Tennessee State. Personally, I can’t wait to hear Kirby Smart say something along these lines after a blowout win.
“Thought the defense lost focus there for a while in the third quarter. We couldn’t get off the field on third downs and let them go on a 12 play 43 yard drive that gave them that field goal. Lot to clean up before next week when a really good Western Kentucky team comes in here.”
Kentucky – Covering the spread
Kentucky is only a 23.5 point favorite against FCS Youngstown State. That feels a bit disrespectful to an offensive minded coach who has a ton of blue chip talent to work with in his first year in Lexington.
LSU – Non-NFL players winning by 20+ points
The storyline has become exhausting. Everyone is ready for football. More than that, everyone is ready for college players to play college football.
Whether you agree with Lane Kiffin doesn’t really matter at this point. Regardless of who plays Saturday night, I think Kiffin is going to put everyone on notice about just how good this team can be.
He’s going to send a message.
Mississippi State – Kamario Taylor
That’s it.
Taylor is must-see television. He most likely won’t be a Heisman contender, but Kamario Taylor will be one of the most liked players in America this season.
Missouri – Austin Simmons throwing for 300 yards
Simmons has all the talent in the world, and people around Missouri have been pretty vocal that they have talent at the wideout positions. That should serve him well.
What would also serve Missouri well is giving him a game where his confidence can get a big boost. We know what Missouri can do on the ground, especially with a healthy Ahmad Hardy.
Oklahoma – 300 yards rushing
Allow me to age myself for a minute, but I’m talking about Marcus Dupree levels of Sooner ground game. That’s what I want to see.
Oklahoma struggled in the run game a season ago. This Friday night, the Sooners need to reestablish the run game with a box score masterpiece. Give me 300 yards on the ground with two 100 yard rushers and neither of them is named John Mateer.
Ole Miss – A Lane Kiffin-less offense
Ole Miss has done everything right to win the breakup with Lane Kiffin. Most of that has just been them minding their own business and staying out of the spotlight.
Now, they get a primetime game against a ranked opponent on Sunday night to show everyone what their offense can still do without Charlie Weis and Lane Kiffin.
South Carolina – Score 50+ points
The evil grey cloud that hung over Columbia last season is gone. Mike Shula, that is.
In steps Kendal Briles at offensive coordinator. He has one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country at the helm and will be facing a Kent State defense that ranked in the 120s last season in scoring and yards allowed.
Hang half a hundred Kendal, we are begging you.
Tennessee – Faizon Brandon legacy game
There isn’t a single new starting quarterback in America that has more at his disposal than Brandon. Tennessee returns almost every other starter on offense around him.
They should have one of the best offensive lines in the conference and receiving corps, as well. Whatever his passing props are, hammer the over.
Texas – Will Muschamp’s defense
It feels like all we’ve talked about all offseason is Arch Manning and the offense. There are weapons everywhere on that side of the ball, but if Texas is going to win the national title, they’ll need their new(ish) defensive coordinator to be in his bag starting this week.
Texas A&M – An efficient, turnover free Marcel Reed
Marcel Reed is one of the only three-year starters in the entire country, but even in year two a season ago he struggled with protecting the football. Reed finished 15th in the SEC in interceptions with 12.
Everyone is excited to see this new offense, but I’m more eager to see how efficient he is through the air.
Vanderbilt – Jared Curtis
Blaze Berlowitz will be the starting quarterback against Austin Peay.
Not only does his name sound like I asked AI to name the antagonist in a Disney Channel Original Movie, but he also isn’t the highest-ranked recruit in program history. Jared Curtis is.
Spare us watching the eventual backup and let us see Curtis.
