Most of the cupcakes are gone. Only a few remain.
But Week 3 doesn’t lack for treats.
Here are the 5 things I can’t wait to see today, in order of how they appear on the schedule:
1. Zach Cunningham vs. Paul Johnson’s triple option: Johnson wrote the book on option football. There isn’t a dummy coverage or front he hasn’t seen, hasn’t beaten. Today’s 12:30 p.m., ET, matchup against Vanderbilt will be a film junkie’s delight because it matches Derek Mason, one of the best defensive minds in football, against Johnson’s option. These teams combined for seven wins last season; I’m way too excited about Vanderbilt-Georgia Tech. I freely admit it.
Cunningham’s career high for tackles in 15. He might top 20 today. This day is made for him. If you’re a linebacker and can’t get excited about playing Georgia Tech, you probably shouldn’t be a linebacker.
2. Jalen Hurts vs. Chad Kelly: Hurts isn’t exactly a secret anymore, but at 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS), he’ll have the nation’s attention. The games will grow more important — he’s only a true freshman — but this is his first true measuring stick. On the road, against the SEC’s best quarterback, streaks to end, goals to go.
Kelly is trying to become the first SEC quarterback to throw for 300 yards twice against Nick Saban’s Tide teams. He’s trying to become the first SEC QB to beat Saban twice. He’s trying to do a lot of things few other QBs have done against Saban.
In a 179-degree departure from Vandy-Ga. Tech, the ball will be in the air all afternoon in Oxford.
If Kelly can get this done, against that defense, he’ll soar into the Heisman conversation.
3. Texas A&M puts the T, A&M in sTAteMent: The Aggies weren’t ranked in the preseason. Seemed a bit silly then, but perhaps writers weren’t sold that Trevor Knight could step in and start rolling. This system is built to score; it’s the most prolific in the SEC. Auburn slowed down Clemson. The Tigers are favored by about a field goal at home, but I don’t think it will be close. I’m anticipating another 300-yard passing day from Knight as the Aggies announce themselves as a legitimate threat to win the West.
4. Danny Etling to Dural, Dupre: Could Mississippi State really be the biggest game of LSU’s season? It’s hugely important for this reason: Etling has to play well. If he doesn’t, all those whispers of a player revolt could turn into roars. Travin Dural and Malachi Dupre, both NFL talents, have a combined nine catches for 79 yards and one score. That should be a weekly stat total for each. Dupre has struggled with drops; that can be a sign of a guy going through the motions. We’ll see at 7 p.m., ET, how engaged he and the Tigers are.
5. Can Missouri bust open the SEC East? Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason, another true freshman, will either start or play regularly in his first road SEC game tonight at Missouri. Two key offseason dismissals took some of the sting out of Missouri’s defensive line; it helps explain why the Tigers have just one sack in two games.
Look for that to change tonight. Eason and Greyson Lambert are relative statues in the pocket, which bodes well for Charles Harris and Co.
The East wasn’t terribly interesting last year. Upsets were few. Many expected the same three teams — Florida, Georgia, Tennessee — to battle for the top spot in 2016, with a different one finishing on top.
Missouri is the wild card, the only team capable of making a push to turn a three-team race into four. We’ll find out at 7:30 p.m., ET, how legitimate those hopes are.
Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
