SEC week 7 recap: Shakeup in the East
The Gators get over the hump and beat Georgia, Texas A&M destroys South Carolina, and Arkansas outlasts Tennessee. Oh, and Mississippi State found a win. Great SEC Saturday as usual, let’s dig in.
By: The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Midday Games
#8 Florida 44 - #5 Georgia 28
Photo: Curtis Compton, AP Photo-Atlanta Journal Constitution
Here at B&S, we hate bragging when we are right (no we don’t) but we nailed this one. We predicted a 34-31 Florida win, so it wasn’t as close as we thought, but the game came down to Trask against Bennett just as we said. Bennett was shaken up throughout the game, so D’Wan Mathis saw some time at quarterback, but neither were good. Bennett and Mathis combined to throw 9/29 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions (one of those picks was on a last-second heave so more like two). Florida’s defense has been gashed a few times this year, but that kind of quarterback play won’t get it done against good teams, period.
On the other side, Trask went 30/43 for 474 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. The one interception was a bad throw and ended up being taken back by Bulldog defensive back Eric Stokes for a touchdown, but aside from that, Trask was dealing. And that was the difference in the game. Trask was accurate and Florida’s skill position players made plays. Georgia quarterbacks were not accurate and could not muster up enough offense to keep pace with the Gators.
The game could not have started better for Georgia. They went up 14-0 with 11:44 to go in the first quarter after a 75-yard touchdown run by Zamir White, three and out from Florida, and then a solid touchdown drive led by Bennett. But after that it was all Florida, outscoring The Dawgs 44-14 from that point on. Georgia clearly missed safety Richard LeCounte, who was out due to an injury. Adding to the secondary troubles, the Bulldog’s other starting safety, Lewis Cine was ejected after a targeting penalty on Florida’s Kyle Pitts midway through the second quarter.
This Georgia defense is still very good, but the offense needs to find some juice to help out. Florida dominated time of possession 37 minutes to 22, and with all the weapons Florida has it’s no surprise a depleted secondary got torched. Give credit to Dan Mullen and the Gators for playing to their strengths and taking it to Georgia. There was no doubt after the game who the better team was. Until Georgia can find an offense, they won’t be able to beat top teams. Florida now has control of the SEC East race with their eyes set on a presumed matchup against the Crimson Tide in Atlanta.
Next weekend, the Gators host a feisty Arkansas team in The Swamp at 7:00 ET on ESPN. Revenge game for ex-Florida quarterback, Felipe Franks? Doubtful. Meanwhile, Georgia travels to Mizzou to take on Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. They should be able to get back on track, but Drinkwitz could have a few tricks up his sleeve. That one is at noon ET on ESPN.
Mississippi State 24 - Vanderbilt 17
Photo: Matt Bush, USA TODAY Sports
Best alternate unis in college football this year, it isn’t close.
Is it time to jump back on the Mississippi State bandwagon? No lol. But the Bulldogs were able to take down Vanderbilt to secure their second win of the season. The Pirate sank the Commodores and proved supremacy over the high seas of SEC bottom dwellers. Will “Wild Bill” Rogers had a decent game throwing for 226 yards and one touchdown, completing 35/46 passing attempts. But the Mississippi State offense is still struggling.
The Bulldogs got off to a fast start, leading 17-0 midway through the third quarter. Then, the air raid offense stalled and Vanderbilt clawed their way back to make it 17-14 with a few minutes to go in the third quarter. Mississippi State took advantage of a costly Vanderbilt fumble and scored a late touchdown to go up 24-14 and seal the deal. Vanderbilt outgained Mississippi State 478 to 204 in total yards and yet somehow still lost. It really came down to turnovers as the Commodores threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles. Mississippi State on the other hand, did not turn the ball over all night. Lose the turnover battle 5-0, and you won't win any game no matter how poor the other team is.
The Bulldogs host Auburn next weekend and will probably be steamrolled at 4:00 ET on SEC Network. Vanderbilt will try to stumble into a win against the Kentucky Wildcats but is yet again overmatched. Just hope they play baseball this year, Vanderbilt fans. That game is at noon on SEC Network.
Late Games
#7 Texas A&M 48 - South Carolina 3
Photo: via @AggieFootball
Complete dominance. That is the best way to describe the Texas A&M victory over South Carolina. South Carolina has been inconsistent all year and they got consistently destroyed yesterday. The Aggies did whatever they wanted offensively and their defense completely suffocated the Gamecock offense.
This is one of the most statistically lopsided games you will ever see. Texas A&M outgained South Carolina 530 yards to 150. Wow. Kellen Mond was efficient through the air and tallied five total touchdowns. He is really coming into his own as a senior and looks like a top-three quarterback in the SEC. Another big game for Aggie tailback Isaiah Spiller who ran for 131 yards on 18 carries and he added 46 yards receiving. After Spiller left for an injury early in the second half, freshman running back Devon Achane stepped in and did not miss a beat. Achane ran for 65 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for 70 yards, and added a receiving touchdown. I could go on and on here but you get the point. A&M dominated.
Maybe the most impressive unit was the Aggie defense. After allowing a bunch of yards to Arkansas last week, the defense came to play. Collin Hill had an abysmal night going 8/21 for 66 yards and two interceptions. Kevin Harris had no room to run at all and was only able to muster 39 yards on 13 carries. Harris came into the game the third leading rusher in the SEC and averaged over 5 yards per carry. A big reason he had nowhere to go is the Aggie front seven. Jimbo has recruited absolute dogs and its showing. The defense totaled 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. These guys are unblockable.
Not sure where South Carolina goes from here but Muschamp has his work cut out for him. They are not trending in the right direction. We’ll see if he can right the ship next week as the Gamecocks travel to Ole Miss for a 7:30 ET bout on SEC Network. Meanwhile, Texas A&M looks to continue their winning ways in Rocky Top where they face off with a struggling Volunteer team at 3:30 ET on SEC Network.
The Hammer
Arkansas 24 - Tennessee 13
After hearing from upper management about my poor performance in predictions, I have overachieved going 3-0 the past two weeks. Apparently, this does not “merit” any sort of praise. Whatever. Tennessee came out like we expected with more down linemen than any defense really needs. They were rushing between 4-6 the whole night which allowed Feleipe Franks to tear the Vols secondary apart. Franks ended the night with 215 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. To pour salt in the wound, the stacked Tennessee defensive front was not overly impressive, giving up 178 yards to the Hog running backs. Not much went right for UT in this one, but Eric Gray did end up having to carry the Vols unfortunately as predicted his performance was not enough to leave Fayetteville with a win. Gray ended the contest with 123 yards and a touchdown which is a good day for any back in the SEC.
Tennessee had to open up the stables in search of a competent quarterback. Smoking J. Guarantano started the game and put on a performance that flag football coaches would be ashamed of. His abysmal night ended in the third with only 42 yards passing. It only got worse for the Vols, as Brian Maurer came in as relief and was anything but that. He was unable to complete a pass during his stint under center. Harrison Bailey then took the reins and threw two interceptions on only 9 attempts. At this point, it does not seem Tennessee has a viable option at quarterback for the rest of the season. Coach Jeremy Pruitt will have his hands full going forward. Not only does he have to find a quarterback, but he also has to play Texas A&M, Auburn, and Florida to finish out the season. The Vols may not win another game this season.
Arkansas has proven they can play SEC football, but they have Florida, LSU, Mizzou, and Alabama to look forward to. The Razorbacks should be able to pull off wins against LSU and Mizzou. I also think that Feleipe Franks could enter The Swamp and blow up Florida’s Playoff run, I mean if anyone can why couldn’t it be the former Gator playmaker? We will get to see just how good of a coach Sam Pittman really is against a #6 Florida team next weekend at 7:00 ET on ESPN. Don’t discard the Hogs in this one, they have a habit of playing top 25 teams close and keeping things interesting. Tennessee hosts Texas A&M next weekend and all I have to say is: yikes. Tune into ESPN at 3:30 ET on Saturday if you want to see Tennessee volunteer to leave the SEC.
The Waco Kid
Thanks for reading - we’ll see you back here for our week 8 in-depth recaps next week.