Summer has turned to fall. In the SEC, some teams are falling out of contention, while others are solidifying their status. Time to hand out grades for the week that was, and then honor a few top students for the best work in offense, defense and special teams — as well as calling out those who might need to head to detention in the same areas.

SEC WEST GRADES

Alabama: A

Sure, Vanderbilt isn’t Clemson. But any time you dominate an opponent to the extent that you outgain them by almost 600 yards, you’re doing some work. This was the Alabama we expected to see — the one that clicks in all areas of the game and looks like it could win five or six games as an NFL expansion team.

Auburn: A-

Speaking of teams that looked like what we expected. The Tigers have been an underwhelming bunch, but something — maybe the team gelling, maybe taking on Missouri — made them look much sharper than they have previously this season.

Texas A&M: B+

This win might have been a season-saver, might have been a job-saver. Or it might mean next to nothing, but a team that comes back from a two-touchdown deficit and then re-takes the lead three more times did something on Saturday. Kellen Mond looked like a quarterback who came into his own, and if A&M football thrives in the next two years, that resurrection started here.

LSU: B-

There’s no reason this game should have been this competitive. After looking like world-beaters for two weeks, the LSU defense got very pedestrian in the last two weeks. If the pressure shifts to LSU’s offense, the results are going to be uneven — which is probably the best word for their last two games.

Mississippi State:  C-

This was a tough loss for a Bulldogs team that had been phenomenal previously. The offense suddenly ground to a halt and the defense was less that stout by land or by air. State would be graded worse, but this felt like a fluke. Of course, the week before’s impressive win might have been the fluke. We shall see.

Arkansas: D

There’s no “d” in Arkansas. No really, there wasn’t any. An A&M offense that had looked punchless in its last nine quarters or so of football put up 50 points and 500 yards. The Arkansas offense was better than it had been, but it wasn’t enough. Bret Bielema’s spot on the hot seat is reserved.

Ole Miss:  Incomplete

It was bye week for the Rebels. Alabama is next.

 

 

SEC EAST GRADES

Georgia: A

Got to brag a little. Last week, we wrote: “With every game they play, the Bulldogs subtly post signs that they might be who we thought they were.” The subtlety was gone this week, as UGA blasted a Mississippi State team that is possibly the third best team in the league. Can this kind of effort be sustained? A beating of Tennessee next week would be a good sign.

Florida: B+

Winning ugly may be ugly. But it is winning. Florida juggled quarterbacks, used the Wildcat formation effectively, and made just enough plays to eke out a win over Kentucky. The first part of that sentence sounds great, but the second part is testimony that this isn’t your dad’s Gators squad. They’re not dropping 50 on people anymore. They’re winning ugly, but at least they ARE winning.

South Carolina: C+

Well, they won. On the upside, even down two touchdowns, Carolina found a way to battle back and win this game. On the other hand, its offense is almost incapable of making big plays. EVERYTHING is a grind with this team. Given how tough its schedule is, this season figures to be difficult.

Kentucky: C

Is the glass half full or broken across the room? Led by Stephen Johnson’s passing, Kentucky put up enough of a fight to beat Florida … only to leave two Gators receivers uncovered for crucial touchdowns. The Wildcats missed a last-gasp field goal by a couple yards, and ensured that ESPN will show video of another torturous loss to Florida for another year. It should count for something that Kentucky actually looked like they could win this game.

Tennessee: C-

See South Carolina comments above and multiply them. Yes, a Kentucky team that lost a heartbreaker gets a higher grade than a winning Tennessee team. It was hard to see much to be excited about for UT in this game. Butch Jones’s long-term job security isn’t looking so hot.

Vanderbilt: D

“D” is for don’t talk smack to Alabama. The Tide are who we thought they were. The Commodores looked short on talent and long on confusion. Fortunately, look up (and down) the East. How many of these teams are dynamic enough to blow out Vandy? Maybe two more? For the others, it’ll be a grinder of a game in which the ’Dores have a fighting chance.

Missouri: F

Do the Tigers still have a team? This is their second “F” in as many weeks.

Hall passes

OFFENSE
Alabama: 496 yards rushing. You did read that right. The Tide passed for 181 yards as well. And Vandy’s defense was number one in the nation in total defense coming in. Not so much after this game. Alabama will have three 1,000-yard rushers. Maybe four.

Texas A&M: The biggest story from this game for the Aggies was successfully establishing an identity. Two 100-yard rushers (Kellen Mond and Keith Ford), and 216 yards via the air made A&M look like the team from the first half of the UCLA game.

DEFENSE
Georgia: A week after Mississippi State lit up LSU like a pinball machine, the UGA Bulldogs held their canine counterparts to a mere field goal. This might not be Alabama’s defense, but it’s the best one in the East. Speaking of which …

Alabama: We try not to put both sides of a dominating performance on the sheet. But Vandy’s offense was so bad (detention, below) and Alabama’s defense was so good that both earned their spots. Holding opponents to sub-100-yard games is the stuff of honor roll work.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Texas A&M: Christian Kirk had a 101-yard kick return score, and Daniel LaCamera was rock-solid in the kicking game. Aggies wouldn’t have won without special teams.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks actually did very little right on special teams, but when the game hung in the balance, kicker Parker White nailed a 31-yard field goal, his first make of the season. Sometimes, it’s not what you do as much as when you do it.

Detention

OFFENSE
Tennessee: Sure, the Vols had 319 yards. But they were outrushed (both in total yardage and yards per carry) by UMass. They scored 17 points. UMass’s other opponents and points scored include: Hawaii (38), Coastal Carolina (38), and Temple (29).

Vanderbilt: 78 total yards. Three first downs. A long play of 10 yards for the game. Sure, the Alabama defense had a lot to do with that. So did the Commodores’ offense.

DEFENSE
LSU: Yes, they won, but Syracuse passed for 308 yards and scored 26 points in Death Valley. This Tigers team has looked pretty bi-polar, and the defense hasn’t exactly been a rock it could rely upon.

Kentucky: The Wildcats held Florida to under 400 total yards and 28 points. But they gave up two of UF’s four touchdowns by leaving receivers literally uncovered — with each mistake coming out of a timeout. Not covering receivers is a good way to earn detention.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Missouri: An awful fake punt headlined another part of the Tigers’ team that is absolutely nothing special.

Alabama: Very “meh” effort for the Tide special teams, which was about the only unimpressive thing they did this week.