It’s a relatively light schedule of games on Saturday, but don’t tell those teams involved in the four SEC matchups that they’re any less important.
Here’s a look at a key matchup in each game:
Idaho (2-4) at Missouri (1-5, 0-4)
Noon
Missouri defensive front vs. Idaho pass protection: The Tigers are licking their chops at the prospect of going up against an Idaho offensive line that has already allowed 21 sacks, ranking 120th nationally, and 40 tackles for loss. The Tigers have recorded 11 sacks this season, but in only two games have they been able to come up with more than one. And one of those games was the opener against Missouri State. But here’s a chance for the Tigers to pin back their ears and pad those stats.
Tennessee (3-3, 0-3) at Alabama (7-0, 4-0)
3:30 p.m.
Alabama run game vs. Tennessee defensive front: It won’t be pretty if the Vols can’t stem the Tide’s ball-control ground game. Leading the SEC, Alabama has rolled up 2,118 rushing yards. Only two teams in country have accumulated more — Army (2,649) and Navy (2,385). That doesn’t bode well for a Vols defense that has yielded 1,457 yards on the ground. Only Vanderbilt (1,698) has allowed more among SEC teams. If the Vols don’t shore up their run defense, it will be a long afternoon for the 30-plus-point underdogs.
Kentucky (5-1, 2-1) at Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2)
4 p.m.
Nick Fitzgerald vs. Kentucky containment: It sounds like a broken record, but containing the Bulldogs’ quarterback is essential in stopping them. It’s certainly no secret. In two losses this season, Fitzgerald was held to 47 yards rushing and just 83 passing by Georgia, while Auburn yielded only 56 rushing yards and 157 passing yards to Fitzgerald. Not surprising that those are his lowest combined totals for the season. That’s the task at hand for Kentucky, which ranks third in the SEC against the run, having given up 583 rushing yards this season. But the Cats are last in the conference against the pass, with opposing teams piling up 1,732 yards through the air.
LSU (5-2, 2-1) at Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2)
7:15 p.m.
Shea Patterson vs. LSU pass rush: The Rebels’ quarterback lit up a solid Vanderbilt pass defense last week for 351 yards and four touchdowns. But Arden Key and company will look to disrupt a Rebels passing attack that leads the SEC with 2,143 yards. The Tigers used a pressure defense, led by Key, that combined with blanket coverage in the secondary to limit Auburn to 165 passing yards. It’s a defense that has recorded eight sacks over the last two games. It will take that kind of effort to keep under wraps an Ole Miss quarterback who has been held under 345 passing yards just once this season. Patterson threw for only 165 yards against Alabama.
Auburn (5-2, 3-1) at Arkansas (2-4, 0-3)
7:30 p.m.
Auburn ground attack vs. Arkansas vulnerable defense: If Auburn is to bounce back after last week’s debacle, it must generate a run game against the Razorbacks. While Kamryn Pettway deals with injuries, Kerryon Johnson has carried the load in the backfield. Rushing a career-high 31 times against LSU last week, Johnson rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown. Pettway got just four carries for only 7 yards. The Tigers need both to be healthy to take advantage of an Arkansas defense that ranks 10th in the SEC against the run, having already allowed 1,038 rushing yards.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
