Before we get into the Hot or Nots in Week 4 of SEC football, we should mention some lukewarm performances that don’t quite fall into either category.
South Carolina finally found some steam, not only in its win this week against Central Florida, but also in its true freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nunez. Nunez threw for 184 yards with 2 touchdowns, and ran for 123 yards.
And although Auburn wasn’t able to truly get back on track this week, new quarterback Sean White’s ability to complete most of his passes (and not throw any backwards) was very refreshing, He finished 20 of 28 for 188 yards and one interception.
Now onto the rest of the Hot or Not list for this week:
HOT
- Florida’s refusal to quit. It’s Week 4 and the Gators have found themselves in the company of the four other remaining SEC teams who are also undefeated: Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M. This is a little shocking, considering the amount of people who expected them to lose to Kentucky or to Tennessee. Florida has worked extremely hard to earn its current perfect record, and has shown impressive stamina and resiliency in final moments of games. It could all be over next week against Ole Miss, but then again it could come down to the final few drives yet again.
- SEC running backs. Last week, Leonard Fournette was the talk of the nation. For this week, we’re pulling back to include not only him but Nick Chubb, Alex Collins, and Peyton Barber. Fournette produced more highlight reel runs against Syracuse and ended the day with 244 rushing yards, a season-high performance so far. Chubb accounted for 131 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in Georgia’s walloping of Southern. Arkansas got back to its running roots this week, which meant Collins was much more effective with 151 yards. And continuing Auburn’s trend, the team lost but Barber went for 137 yards and his best game of the season so far.
- Vanderbilt’s defense. With an offense as on fire as the one Ole Miss has, you’d expected them to drop at least 30 on a visiting Vanderbilt team and do so easily. However, the Commodores started to make the Rebels nervous for the first time this season when they tied the game up at 13 a piece in the 3rd quarter. Vandy forced Ole Miss to punt four times and intercepted Chad Kelly twice. The Commodore defense also forced a fumble.
NOT
- Tennessee being stuffed in the final moments. You had it, Butch Jones. The win that would break a decade-long losing streak was in your grasp and yet you still let it slip away. Many point to Jones’ conservative play-calling as the reason for the loss. Opting not to take opportunities for more points is disappointing, but Tennessee’s defense also needs to do some self-evaluation. This is the second time this season they’ve given up a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
- Missouri’s offense, again. Last week, the Tigers’ offense landed under the Not category because they only managed to weasel nine points against Connecticut. They scored more points this week against Kentucky but still struggled to push offensive drives into scoring opportunities. For the second week in a row, both Maty Mauk and Drew Lock saw playing time at quarterback. However, there was nothing they could do while suffering from ineffectual running and receivers dropping passes.
- Auburn’s offense. This squad was more lukewarm instead of stone cold this week. However, Auburn’s offense is still struggling to score points, especially when they are in prime positions to do so. Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs was the first time since 2012 that the Tigers ended a matchup without a touchdown. The Tigers got as close to the goal line as the Mississippi State 1-yard line but had to settle for a field goal attempt, which ended up being no good. Two other red zone appearances also ended in field goals. Auburn’s offense is climbing out of the hole it dug itself, but the journey upwards is going to be a slow process.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
