It was an odd Saturday afternoon for the SEC. Postponements and blowouts seemed to be the theme of the day. For some teams the playoff window closed, and for the league as a whole the postseason picture seemed to come much more clearly into focus. Here’s what you may have missed.
Georgia vs the field? Georgia vs the field.
My coworker Hunt Palmer jokingly asked me in the LSU press box if I’d take Georgia or the field? I think it was a joke at least. Either way the answer is as simple as it is serious. Georgia.
Earlier this week there were some national pundits, and one very ornery head coach in Bloomington, Indiana, tried to gaslight college football fans into believing Georgia wasn’t deserving of the No. 1 spot. The bad loss to Auburn and its resumé were enough to convince those in that camp that the Bulldogs may be a bit overrated. By the time Saturday rolled around, I doubt head coach Kirby Smart’s team heard any of the outside noise. If they did it only served as motivation.
Georgia faced its third ranked opponent in consecutive weeks, and there were no signs of being tired. They opened a 31-0 lead halfway through the second quarter and the juggernaut in Athens continued to roll. Georgia intercepted Missouri on the first play from scrimmage and scored two plays later. They then forced a punt on five of Missouri’s next six offensive possessions including four three-and-outs. The Bulldogs won 48-21, improved to 9-1 on the season and have now outscored three ranked opponents by 81 combined points in the last three games.
Georgia vs the field? The mortgage is about to be wagered on Kirby Smart and the Dawgs.
Tennessee makes Mike Elko tap out
It wasn’t pretty, and it didn’t need to be. The two headed, well, monster is a bit of a stretch. The two-headed quarterback system for Tennessee worked enough again. George MacIntyre was 13-of-17 for 109 yards and a putrid QBR of just 38.5. When he couldn’t find the endzone, true freshman Faizon Brandon came in and threw his only pass of the game for a five yard touchdown.
The story was never going to be the offense for Tennessee though. The story was the defense that made Texas A&M look completely inept once again. That’s been a consistent theme this entire season. This Saturday was no different. The Aggies finished with just 179 yards of offense and eight first downs. Marcel Reed finished with a QBR of, wait for it, 5.1.
After the game Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko looked broken at the podium.
“Utter apology with everything that I have to everybody that supports this program,” said Elko. “Thank you for turning out, you deserve so much better. Give me a chance and we will get this fixed and put a much better product on the field.”
Auburn finds its slumpbuster
My goodness what got into Auburn? The Tigers took a bus over to Starville and proceeded to roll over Mississippi State with it. The Tigers got to bowl eligibility with their sixth win and can now clinch their first winning season in five years with a win over FCS Samford next weekend.
The Tigers were only a -1.5 point favorite but they heard none of that. The Tigers had their best game of the season and blasted Mississippi State, 41-9. Quarterback Byrum Brown had four touchdowns, and the defense held the Bulldogs to just 262 yards of offense and 3-of-16 on third downs.
Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Mississippi State’s biggest win of the week, and probably the season, happened earlier this week. Star quarterback Kamario Taylor announced he would be returning to school next year. For Auburn it was a much needed confidence boost for Alex Golesh and company in year one of his tenure.
