Cullen's Week 7 SEC Recap
What I learned from a weekend of big plays and bigger problems in the SEC
Alabama at Missouri
Prediction: Alabama
Result: Alabama 27, Missouri 24
What an opening game for the weekend. If you had told me that Ahmad Hardy was going to have 57 yards rushing going into this one, I would have said Alabama won by double digits. Credit to Missouri, they hung tough after Alabama looked like they were poised to pull away multiple times during this game. While Missouri still got adequate rushing from Beau Pribula and company, Bama did a really good job of bringing down the Tigers backs. Ty Simpson continues to show how he is the best quarterback in the SEC (and probably the country), helping the Crimson Tide move the ball consistently throughout the game on Saturday. At the end of the day, Alabama was able to expose a flawed part of Missouri’s team that up till now has been kept hidden: Beau Pribula. Sure, I get it, he has been really efficient and looked really good in Eli Drinkwitz’s system this year. But when forced to rely on his arm and not Ahmad Hardy’s legs, Pribula showed an inability to move through his reads and distribute the ball to open receivers in crunch time. At the end of the day, the better team (and the better quarterback) won out, but don’t sleep on Missouri winning a ton of games in the SEC this year.
Washington State at Ole Miss
Prediction: Ole Miss
Result: Ole Miss 24, Washington State 21
Come on in Ole Miss, we need to talk. I was the idiot that took the Rebels -32.5. Sure, was it a bad bet looking back against a team with nothing to lose? Definitely. But guys COME ON. Even Lane Kiffin was disgusted, and I totally agree with him. Games like this are what give me pause when talking about Ole Miss being a legitimate SEC contender, much less a National Title contender. Give credit to the Cougars defense for making Chambliss and company look pretty pedestrian all day, coming up with big stops when they needed them the most. The Rebels were lucky to escape with a win, but they are officially on my fraud alert list.
Oklahoma vs Texas
Prediction: Oklahoma
Result: Texas 23, Oklahoma 6
Yeah I lost another bet this weekend ok, so what. This line stunk like some stinky cheese, and I was the fat rat that gobbled up Oklahoma +1.5 before kickoff. I mean what the heck was John Mateer doing in the game?! Clearly he was not 100%, and it affected his decision making. Multiple times, as Longhorn defenders were running free at him, Mateer protected himself much more than in the past (which it totally fair, the man just had surgery). This change in play made him throw errant passes and led to turnovers for the Sooners, which Texas was able to take advantage of. I left much more impressed with the Longhorns defense than anything else, as they responded in a big way after a poor showing in The Swamp. Arch looked efficient, which is much more than anyone could say about him in his first couple starts. While Oklahoma’s defense still wrecked havoc on the Longhorns offensive line, Manning was able to keep his offense out of trouble and play clean football, another step in his quietly improving career. Brent Venables and company will need to fix their porous offensive line heading into a sneaky trap game against South Carolina next week if they truly want to contend in the SEC.
Arkansas at Tennessee
Prediction: Tennessee
Result: Tennessee 34, Arkansas 31
Say what you want about Bobby Petrino, the man can coach. Look no further than this game, where Petrino took a team that couldn’t gain a yard against Notre Dame a week ago and had them going toe to toe with Tennessee. The Razorbacks were scrappy all day, refusing to quit when the Volunteers took a commanding lead in the second half and brought them all the way to the brink of an upset in the fourth quarter. Tennessee was always going to be tough to beat with Joey Aguilar and company, as Josh Heupel’s offense continued to look incredible on Saturday. While Arkansas wasn’t able to finish the game, I left this one feeling much better about Petrino’s squad for the rest of the season. It wouldn’t shock me at all to see the Razorbacks knock off a few contenders before the season over, paving the way for one of the most improbable (and morally dubious) coaching comeback stories in recent memory.
Florida at Texas A&M
Prediction: Texas A&M
Result: Texas A&M 34, Florida 17
Another week, another impressive Texas A&M performance. Florida looked like they were ready to arrive on the national stage in the first quarter, racking up a bunch of yards and 14 points. And then, Mike Elko’s defense settled in and adjusted, proving once again that this Aggie team is for real. Florida would only kick one field goal the rest of the game, suffocated by A&M’s ferocious pass rush. Questions remain about Marcel Reed taking care of the football, but you have to tip your cap to this Aggie offense. They have consistently shredded defenses this year, and Florida looked like they were gassed defensively in the fourth quarter. While DJ Lagaway didn’t look bad, you have to question how much longer this Gator squad can keep it together for the rest of the season. With no chance of making the playoff, or even a bowl game, the Napier tenure stands on the edge of a cliff. One more tough loss, and everything could unravel in Gainesville.
South Carolina at LSU
Prediction: LSU
Result: LSU 20, South Carolina 10
South Carolina is one of the more maddening teams to watch this year. Yes, I am a Gamecock fan so I am incredibly biased. But bear with me, I’m correct on this take. Listen to this stat: every time South Carolina crossed the 50 yard line offensively, they committed a procedural penalty. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. The Gamecocks are 135th in the nation in penalties per game. Guys, there are only 136 teams in D1 football. Needless to say, it’s time for changes to be made, and Shane Beemer made them by firing offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley shortly after returning to Columbia Sunday morning. This should come as no surprise to readers of The Crowded Booth, as this summer I talked about how important this season was for Carolina’s o-line.
Back to the game: LSU really tried to hand this one the Carolina all night. With two go-ahead touchdown turnovers and multiple other boneheaded mistakes, the Tigers were able to overcome their mistakes and make plays when they needed them. While LSU may have had a forgettable day for the most part, their quarterback took a step forward. This was the best I have seen Garrett Nussmeier look this year, delivering the football with zip and precision. Both quarterbacks were hit way to much, but Nussmeier was able to deliver in the clutch and get his team a desperately needed win.
Georgia at Auburn
Prediction: Georgia
Result: Georgia 20, Auburn 10
Glad there was no controversy in this one! Officiating was excellent as always, and the Auburn faithful are once again thrilled with Hugh Freeze! Alright, take everything I said and reverse it. Officiating is so bad right now in college football that I can’t properly address it in an article of this length. Auburn fans are pissed at both the SEC and their own head coach, with Freeze losing another crushing game against Kirby Smart. Georgia looked like they were ready to lay another egg in the first quarter, with Jackson Arnold and company tearing up the Dawgs defense. There is a conversation that needs to be had about how Georgia has started football games recently (that is, forgetting to show up at all), but credit to their coaching staff for responding and adjusting. After looking like world beaters in the first quarter, Auburn looked awful offensively for pretty much the rest of the game. Boo birds rained down on Arnold and the Tiger offense on their last drive, as Hugh Freeze called a very sad quarterback draw that went nowhere to essentially finish the game. The Dawgs looked far from perfect offensively, but just like the Georgia defense, Mike Bobo adjusted to what Auburn was doing defensively and set up Gunnar Stockton to make winning plays. This was a tale of a winning football program and a losing football program, and until Auburn goes out and takes it from good teams in the SEC, Freeze’s squad won’t win anything that matters.