B&S week 4 game by game previews
Aggies and Hogs in Dallas is the game of the week, plus a few more intriguing matchups.
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Zach Calzada looks to make a statement against Arkansas (Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports)
Y’all feel that? The Fall weather is COMING! The weather has started to turn and you don’t have to sweat all day at your tailgate, and instead can need to throw on a light jacket while you grill those wieners. That slight chill in the air also means we’re getting into the heart of football season. SEC play for most teams starts this week, and it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.
Here’s how the crew fared last week:
Bossman Slim: 10-2; 31-7 overall
The Hammer: 11-1; 33-5 overall
The Waco Kid: 11-1; 33-5 overall
The Hammer and The Waco Kid have been lights out early in the season. Let’s see if they can keep it up this week.
Now for some previews.
Early Games
#2 Georgia at Vanderbilt - 12:00 PM ET on SEC Network (UGA -35)
Bossman Slim: Another tune-up game for Georgia. Vandy is an abysmal football team right now. No need to dunk on the Commodores any further, Clark Lea has his work cut out for him over the next few years. It will be good for the Georgia offense to keep getting the first-team reps. Dawgs, big big.
#2 Georgia 48 - Vanderbilt 10
The Hammer: Good luck, Commodores. We don’t need to talk about this one much. Georgia will steamroll the Commodores and burn down Broadway after. Ken Seals and the Vanderbilt offense are in grave danger.
#2 Georgia 42 - Vanderbilt 3
The Waco Kid: What a waste of a slot. Georgia vs. Vandy? Should this really be a televised game? No, The Dawg defense shuts out the commodores and scores at will. JT Daniels will throw for 4 scores before Kirby Smart pulls him in the first quarter and UGA rolls to another SEC win. Clark Lea may be the future for Vanderbilt football but he is not the present, especially not today.
#2 Georgia 54 - Vanderbilt 0
LSU at Mississippi State 12:00 ET on ESPN (LSU -2.5)
Bossman Slim: LSU gained some traction on offense last week, and it looks like Max Johnson may have found his groove. The Tigers will be ready to avenge last year’s season-opening embarrassing loss to Mississippi State. One concern: it sounds like Derek Stingley made the trip to Starkville, but he’s questionable after going down with an injury in practice on Wednesday. If that’s the case, this one moves to a toss-up for me. Mike Leach will attack that replacement corner if Stingley can’t go, and this pass defense has been suspect even with Stingley and Eli Ricks on the field. I’m still holding my nose and taking LSU - I think the offense is on track.
LSU 34 - Mississippi State 30
The Hammer: Can Coach O exact revenge for the 2020 season opener? Mike Leach and the Bulldogs embarrassed LSU in Baton Rouge and kicked off a season to forget for the Tigers. I think LSU wins this, but it should be close. Mississippi State is no pushover, I just trust Max Johnson and the Tiger offense more than I do Cowboy Will Rogers and the Bulldog offense. The one catch is - can LSU defend a crossing route? Seems pretty simple but they’ve struggled mightily in that arena since last year. If they can limit those, give me LSU.
LSU 34 - Mississippi State 28
The Waco Kid: Mississippi State has more peaks and valleys than a drive through the beautiful Colorado countryside. Mike Leach is almost there and he knows it, which could be detrimental to the SEC. A setback against Memphis was expected (by me) but needed to get this team back on track. LSU is an anomaly for the second year in a row so I guess at this point it is no longer an anomaly. Coach O is doing his best but with the expectations set by Joe Burrow and co. he has not been able to live up to the Bayou hype. This will be a good one in Starkville, the defining factor will be the cowbell. If the faithful show up and are loud they will send the Tigers home with another L on the year.
Mississippi State 35 - LSU 21
Missouri at Boston College 12:00 ET on ESPN (Mizzou -2)
Tyler Badie is that dude for Mizzou. (Photo: Mizzou Athletics)
Bossman Slim: Boston College pops up every 6-7 years and has a good team or a good few players like that running back they had a few years ago. And Matt Ryan before him. Then they go dormant again. It looks like second-year head coach Jeff Hafley has them headed in the right direction. Mizzou has looked so-so through the first few games, but Tyler Badie is a stud and Connor Bazelak is a steady hand at QB. The line is -2 Mizzou - I think this BC offense is balanced and can beat Mizzou’s defense, and I give the edge to the Golden Eagles since this one is in Massachusetts.
Boston College 31 - Mizzou 29
The Hammer: Although I don't think we’ve learned much after the first three weeks of college football, we do know at least one thing: the ACC is terrible. Boston College is 3-0, but their three opponents have been Colgate, UMass, and Temple. The Eagles’ starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec got injured in week 2 and is unlikely to return this season. All that said, give me Mizzou here. The Tigers are just a better team and they’ve been tested already, playing Kentucky on the road. I trust Connor Bazelak and Tyler Badie to make enough plays for the Tigers to get out of Chestnut Hill with a win.
Mizzou 38 - Boston College 28
The Waco Kid: If Phil Jurkovec plays in this one, the Eagles have a chance. Fortunately for Mizzou, he is out for a while. This will be a no contest, the Tigers win handily. Bazelek is hitting his stride and the Tigers offense has shown they can hang with top-tier offenses. Take the Kentucky game for instance, are they top tier? No, but the Cats are no slouch. Missouri is on the up and up and will be a problem for bigger programs, so for the little guys it’s not even a question. Let’s take Drinkwitz by 10.
Mizzou 24 - Boston College 14
Midday Games
#7 Texas A&M vs. #16 Arkansas 3:30 ET on CBS (A&M -5.5)**
Bossman Slim: Trench warfare. That is what this one is going to be all about. Both teams will likely load the box and dare the QBs to beat them through the air. A&M has a blanket in the secondary with the top pass defense in the country right now. Watch the Aggies sell out for the run and make KJ Jefferson make plays with his arm. The reverse is also true - expect Arkansas to load the box to neutralize the A&M run game with Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane, and make inexperienced QB Zach Calzada beat them with his arm. So, which QB can make the most plays with his arm, and which O-line and protect the QB enough to give him time to make said throws. To me, that’s A&M. The new Wrecking Crew defense is too good for Arkansas and Calzada makes 1-2 more plays with his arm (and possibly a scramble) to notch the Aggies 10th straight against the Hogs.
#7 Texas A&M 28 - #16 Arkansas 21
The Hammer: Game of the week right here. Arkansas is high on the hog right now after their destruction of Texas, and many people think Arkansas will finally get over the hump and beat the Aggies. In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend! Give me the Aggies in a close one. Arkansas is a good team, don't get me wrong, but A&M is better. Both teams are beaten up on the offensive line right now and depending on who plays for either team, could end up swinging this one. Arkansas looked great against Texas but I’m sorry the Longhorns are Charmin soft and have been for a long time. You want to play physical and run the ball, Razorbacks? Great, that's exactly what Texas A&M wants to do too. But the Aggies have more talent and have won 11 straight games dating back to last year being physical and running the ball. They find ways to win, Arkansas has to prove that they can do it and I’m not bought in yet.
#7 Texas A&M 24 - #16 Arkansas 17
The Waco Kid: The game of the week in my opinion. This is always a good one and now we are talking about two top 20 teams. It doesn’t get any better than this. Pittman is turning that damn jukebox up and Jimbo is well, Jimbo. Both have their teams playing at an elite level and will have numerous wins throughout the season. Bowl games are definitely in the future for these two squads. The question is what about today? We live in a world of constant what-ifs but today the Hogs and Aggies get to determine their what-ifs. Arkansas comes in red hot after a win against Texas followed by a blowout of Georgia State. Texas A&M is still finding its groove behind QB2 Zach Calzada. Calzada has made strides but today will test the fortitude of the Maroon and White. I expect this to be a fun game as it always is in Jerry World. I think the Razorbacks are a little too comfortable because of a win against the subpar longhorns. I am taking the 12th man by 12.
#7 Texas A&M 36 - #16 Arkansas 24
#23 Auburn vs. Georgia State 4:00 ET on SEC Network (Auburn -27)
Bossman Slim: I think Auburn has reached their cupcake quota for about two years. The amount of early cupcakes they’ve played this year is ridiculous. Auburn, big.
#23 Auburn 44 - Georgia State 13
The Hammer: Auburn comes off a tough loss on the road against Penn State to play another terrible team. The Tigers can sleepwalk through this one and win comfortably. Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter should be able to run wild.
#23 Auburn 48 - Georgia State 14
The Waco Kid: Does Auburn play anyone besides Penn State? How many non-contests does it take to get to the center of the SEC? If you don’t know the Tigers will answer this year. Bo Nix, Tank Bigsby blah blah blah. Play some competition and we will write more than three sentences. For now Nix still SUX.
#23 Auburn 45 - Georgia State 6
Late Games
#11 Florida vs. Tennessee 7:00 ET on ESPN2 (Florida -20)
Emory Jones played well against Bama last week. Can he avoid a let down against Tennessee? (Photo: Florida Athletics)
Bossman Slim: Tennessee just doesn’t have the horses yet to give Florida a scare. The Gators looked like a team that can compete with anyone last week after nearly picking off Alabama in The Swamp. It could be a letdown situation for Florida coming off of the war with Alabama, but I don’t see it. Florida runs it down Tennessee’s throat and the Vols can’t muster enough on offense to pull an upset.
#11 Florida 41 - Tennessee 23
The Hammer: Interesting game here with Florida coming off a heartbreaking loss to Alabama. I don’t believe we’ve heard if Hendon Hooker is starting for the Vols for certain, but you have to think he’s earned the job for now. He’s been far more accurate than Milton, and Milton’s health is still in question. I think this one could be close at half but the Gators will pull away in the second half. They will be able to run on the Vols defense and given how fast the Tennessee offense plays, their defense will just run out of gas. Bad matchup for Tennessee scheme-wise right now.
#11 Florida 34 - Tennessee 17
The Waco Kid: I would love to see the Vols come away with this and send the entire East into a fit. It won’t happen. Tennessee might be heading in the right direction but they are still off course. Hendon Hooker is the guy and can make some things happen in Knoxville but the program does not have the talent to compete for an SEC championship. Florida does and has the coach to go with the talent. Dan Mullen just needs to figure out his team and he will unlock a championship contender. I think this is the week the Gators hit the ground running and don’t look back. They kept it close with Bama last week which means UT has no chance. Florida will start slower because they will be trying different things to see what works but make no mistake by the end of this one it will be a 21 point game. Rocky Top will be a Rocky flop.
#11 Florida 52 - Tennessee 21
Kentucky at South Carolina 7:00 ET on ESPN2 (Kentucky -5)
Bossman Slim: SEC Nation is in town for this one, and Williams-Brice is a bucket lister. For any SEC fan, you need to go to a night game at that stadium - the fans show out for the Cocks...even when they are terrible. And they are terrible this year. Kentucky hasn’t lost a game but last week was shaky. Can the Wildcats get back on track? Yes. They’re just better than South Carolina right now, which doesn’t have much to offer.
Kentucky 38 - South Carolina 20
The Hammer: Very interested in this game to see how Kentucky takes their show on the road. Will Levis and the Kentucky offense have been streaky, but still better than years past in Lexington. They are capable of pushing the ball downfield for the first time in a while, but Levis has been inconsistent and thrown too many balls to the wrong team. I don’t think South Carolina has the horses to match up with the Wildcats and see Kentucky pulling this one out. The atmosphere will be rocking at Williams Brice, so I think it’s a close game. Maybe this is the game that Kevin Harris and the Gamecocks run game gets on track but I’ll believe that when I see it.
Kentucky 28 - South Carolina 21
The Waco Kid: Love it. Middle-of-the-pack East teams fighting to become a top-tier team, it doesn’t get any better than that. Everything in me is saying pick the Gamecocks, but I can’t. I have to go with the high flying offense of Kentucky and Will Levis. These guys have been impressive and with a back by the name of C-Rod there is nothing this offense cannot do. Shane Beamer has South Carolina on the right track but it is not an overnight success story. It may take years to get them back to relevance. It even took Steve Spurrier years to get this program to a place that was acceptable, so for that reason, the bluegrass team wins by 13.
Kentucky 37 - South Carolina 24
#1 Alabama vs. Southern Miss 7:30 ET on SEC Network(Alabama -45)
Bossman Slim: Alabama needs a show of force this week against Southern Miss. Gimme Alabama to cover, Saban has been all over these guys this week and I expect the results to show it. All gas no brakes like Steven Sarkisian HAHAHA.
#1 Alabama 52 - Southern Miss 7
The Hammer: You do not want to be the team playing Alabama after they lose or nearly lose a game. Credit Alabama for winning a tough game on the road last weekend, but we all know the Tide did not play their best. And that is the standard that Nick Saban expects - the best. I would not want to be in the Tide film room this week because I guarantee you those players are being served a heaping helping of ass chewings. Look for Alabama to get back on track here and blast a weak Southern Miss team.
#1 Alabama 52 - Southern Miss 3
The Waco Kid: Goodness. Is this really a game? Southern Miss is famous for one thing and that is Brett Favre. There is no Favre this year so there is no chance for the Golden Eagles. This is a stat packing game and the Tide will do plenty of that. 5 tuddies from Young and at least one for the defense. Saban will still be pissed at the end of the game but Bama will be Bama.
#1 Alabama 60 - Southern Miss 17
** = Neutral site game