B&S Week 2: Game by Game Previews
Tigers and Dawgs, Aggies and Tide headline the weekend among other intriguing matchups.
By: Bossman Slim, The Waco Kid
Photo: Vasha Hunt, AP
One top 10 tilt and one top 15 game in the SEC weekend - does it get any better than that? College Gameday in Athens to preview the Bulldogs and Tigers, and Bama and A&M occupying the 3:30 CBS timeslot. Other interesting matchups like Ole Miss v. Kentucky and South Carolina v. Florida. It’s going to be a great Saturday of SEC football.
Time for some previews and picks.
Early Games
South Carolina at #3 Florida - 12 PM ET on ESPN (Florida -18)
Will Muschamp leads the Gamecocks into Gainesville, returning to the place where his nightmare of a head coaching career began, and trust me, Muschamp is in for another kind of nightmare on Saturday. While South Carolina looked impressive last week, barely falling to #21 Tennessee, it was nothing compared to Florida’s production put up by two Heisman candidates, quarterback Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts. Don’t expect Florida to allow South Carolina to hang on to much hope throughout the game. Even though Florida’s defense gave up 35 points and over 600 yards of offense to the #LaneTrain last week, their offense will look to score early and fast, giving the defense a cushion to work with. South Carolina will head back to Columbia with their Gamecock’s tucked between their legs taking on their second loss of the season. While I don’t see it happening (due to a significant payout) wouldn’t it be poetic if Muschamp’s head coaching career completes the circle of life in the very place where it began?
Muschamp’s defense holds Florida to fewer points than Lane Kiffin’s, but his offense is less prolific rendering South Carolina another victim of The Swamp.
#3 Florida 48
South Carolina 17
Mizzou at #21 Tennessee - 12 PM ET on SEC Network (Tennessee -11.5)
After a nice hike through the woods in full uniform to get to Rocky Top, Mizzou is taking a mulligan on the “New Zou” era and starting it this week, not last week, because they are erasing their memory of the previous week after taking a beating at the hands of Alabama. Tennessee comes off a nice win against South Carolina and looks to continue building momentum. Based on last week’s performances, this could be a tricky one. Missouri played a very good Alabama team, while Tennessee barely held on to a win against South Carolina, a team we might not know the full caliber of until next week when they play Vanderbilt (😉). Missouri will play two quarterbacks, Shawn Robinson and Connor Bazelak until one significantly outplays the other. Most two quarterback offenses do not produce wins due to a lack of direction, confidence, and that no one QB can get into a rhythm. But both will be deployed against an opposing offense who only has Jarrett Guarantano to offer up. Guarantano is no Peyton Manning, of Rocky Top past, hell - he isn’t even a Josh Dobbs. That is what makes this matchup interesting: the quarterback position will decide the game. Will the two-player approach finally work, or will the mediocrity, but stability of Guarantano come out victorious?
Guarantano will make mistakes and miss wide-open receivers. Missouri will settle into their two-quarterback approach and will score on the Vols defense after having faced the Alabama defense last week. Spoiler alert, Tennessee will be out of the top 25 next week. I talked myself into this “New Zou” movement after watching that video of the Missouri player hiking through the woods like Davy Crockett with a Nike Helmet Visor on. Hey Vols fans, how do you like Missouri’s Davy Crockett alternates?
Missouri revealed their Davy Crockett alternates this week, making a video in a river.
Missouri 32
#21 Tennessee 24
Midday Games
#13 Texas A&M at #2 Alabama - 3:30 PM ET on CBS (Alabama -17.5)
The Aggies hit the road to face the Tide in a matchup that has been completely one-sided since Uncle Verne Lundquist’s iconic call of that Johnny Manziel game in 2012. “Oh my gracious, how about that!”
Since that game, as Dan Wolken points out, Texas A&M has lost each of the next seven matchups with the Tide by a combined score being 252-107. The games really haven’t been close since 2013, the last year Johnny Football and Mike Evans donned Aggie jerseys. When looking at this year’s teams, Mac Jones looked solid in a comfortable win over “New Zou” last week, while A&M limped across the finish line against…...Va...nderbilt. 17-12 - and Vanderbilt was driving late in the game. The Aggie defense was the only thing that kept A&M from a monumental loss to the Commodores.
The Aggie defense has players as Jimbo and Co. have recruited very well for the past few years. But Alabama has recruited better, and they’re Alabama. It’s lock and load or lock and reload every year. This year is reload since they are replacing Tua, Henry Ruggs III and Jerry Jeudy - but it doesn’t matter. Enter Mac n’ Cheese Jones who can cook, and Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith add that salt n’ pepper. Waddle gave A&M fits on special teams last year, and we expect him to create problems again this year. Texas A&M’s offense has talent, but Kellen Mond still has yet to turn the corner as a fourth-year starter. We don’t expect that to change Saturday against the Tide.
A&M’s defense is talented enough to keep it close for much of the game, but Bama slowly suffocates the Aggies in the end.
#2 Alabama 30
#13 Texas A&M 21
Ole Miss at Kentucky - 3:00 PM ET on SEC Network (Kentucky -6)
The Rebels showed flashes of improvement in the first glimpse of the Lane Train last week in a loss to Florida. For Kentucky, it can be argued that they outplayed Auburn but shot themselves in the foot too many times to pull off the upset at Jordan-Hare. Even though it is an unranked matchup, it’s a sneaky good game that we’ll be flipping to once Alabama gets up enough on A&M for us to get comfortable switching the channel. Ole Miss can score, but can they play defense? D.J. Durkin is a great DC, but he may not have the personnel this year to keep offenses in check. If they’re going to keep anyone in check, Kentucky is a good start. While the secondary in Oxford leaks like a sieve, giving up 446 yards and 6 TDs last week, the Wildcats passing attack is nothing to fear until proven otherwise. Florida also rushed for nearly 200 yards on the Rebs, and the Rebels defensive front isn’t Auburn caliber, so Kentucky may be able to find the holes there.
Kentucky’s defense wasn’t great against Auburn, giving up 324 yards and 4 total TDs. Granted, their offense hung them out to dry with three turnovers and the defense kept them in the game for three quarters. But this defense doesn’t have enough to stop Lane’s high-powered offense. Ole Miss can score, and that UK offense isn’t up to par yet. Kentucky starts the year 0-2 and the Rebels/Sharks/Bears/LaneTrain/Fighting Hemingway’s will move to 1-1.
Ole Miss 34
Kentucky 24
Late Games
#7 Auburn at #4 Georgia - 7:30 PM ET ESPN (Georgia -6)
We’re expecting a good old-fashioned SEC slugfest in this one from start to finish. We wrote a full game breakdown on Wednesday, which you can read here. While both of these teams have followed the larger SEC trends and added much more passing to their offenses in recent years, and Chad Morris and Todd Monken are generally regarded as pass-first OCs, this one will be won or lost in the trenches. Georgia is likely to be breaking in a new QB in JT “Peg-leg” Daniels who had a short offseason to learn the offense, all while dealing with medical clearance issues for the aforementioned peg leg. It will be imperative for the Dawgs to establish the run if they want to win this game. The Auburn defensive line might have something to say about that. What was a question mark before the season for the Tigers looks like it could again be a strength of this defense, and they will also welcome back star DE Big Kat Bryant from injury. Auburn’s offensive line will also need to keep Bo Nix upright and establish a better run game than they were able to muster last week against Kentucky.
Watch the big boys upfront. The team who controls the line on Saturday will take the W. We like Auburn in an upset, as Georgia needs more time to find the right QB.
#7 Auburn 33
#4 Georgia 28
Photo: Jason Ivester, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas at #16 Mississippi State - 7:30 PM ET on SEC Alternate (Mississippi State -18)
Arkansas hung around for a half last week with Georgia but turnovers and UGA’s superior talent buried the Hogs in the second half. Mississippi State turned some heads in downing LSU in Death Valley, catapulting KJ “Elvis” Costello into the Heisman conversation after his record-setting day.
This week’s matchup should be lopsided, so we can make this quick. The Arkansas cupboard is still bare, Feleipe Franks is who he is, and the coffee filter Arkansas defense won’t be able to stop the Star Wars Leach offense. If Georgia’s offense can hang 28 on Arkansas with their 3rd string QB, Leach can put up 60. The Pirate has too many weapons to utilize on offense for the Hogs to keep up in a track meet.
#16 Mississippi State 47
Arkansas 24
#20 LSU at Vanderbilt - 7:30 PM ET on SEC Network (LSU -26)
The Tigers look to rebound after a disappointing loss last week to Mississippi State. It was so disappointing that LSU even made a bizarre video about overcoming adversity with player’s reading off a teleprompter script. We were wondering if the team’s mental health was okay - it’s just one game guys! Vanderbilt fought hard at Texas A&M last week but was unable to pull off the upset.
LSU shouldn’t have any trouble in this one, and it’s never good to catch the Tigers when they’re pissed off, especially if you’re a bottom-tier team. If you’re a Vandy fan, you may want to head to the bars early in the game because it won’t be pretty. Not even the alternate suave helmet revealed this week can give them enough boost to take down the Bayou Bengals. LSU will have their way in this one, and we expect Myles Brennan to look sharper and have a bounce-back week, and the LSU defense to stifle an anemic Vanderbilt offense.
#20 LSU 38
Vanderbilt 13