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Grading the overrated, underrated, properly rated around SEC
By Keith Farner
Published:
Trends are beginning to develop across the league, and that’s not necessarily a good thing for some SEC East offenses. Yet a couple of SEC West quarterbacks are playing at or above the level we expected from them entering the season.
Factoring in the first two games of the season, here is Week 3’s version of players and units that are overrated, underrated or properly rated.
Overrated
Mark Stoops’ resume: Not only is the Kentucky coach’s defensive background under fire following an 0-2 start, his relatively highly-ranked recruiting classes are also drawing questions. Stoops’ string of recruiting successes, especially in Ohio, has some wondering if his talent evaluations match the recruiting rankings.
Georgia offensive line: The Bulldogs failed to record a 100-yard rusher, and to make matters worse, it came against Nicholls, which even held Georgia to 81 rushing yards after three quarters. Nick Chubb was bottled up for 80 yards on 20 carries, a steep drop from the North Carolina game when he collected 222 yards on the ground.
Kurt Roper’s impact: No matter if it’s Perry Orth or Brandon McIlwain, the new offensive coordinator hasn’t yet left a positive impact on the Garnet and Black. After Orth rallied the team to a win at Vanderbilt, he went 9-for-17 for 83 yards and an interception at Mississippi State. He was also sacked twice and the running game managed just 34 yards. McIlwain was 11-for-22 passing for 126 yards and two touchdowns. But perhaps where he’s most dangerous, he had just 17 yards on 11 carries.
Underrated
Austin Allen: The Arkansas quarterback was instrumental in the double-overtime win at No. 12 TCU. All three touchdown passes and a TD run were in the second half or overtime. He was 5-for-6 on the Razorbacks’ final three drives — all resulted in touchdowns — and also caught a two-point conversion to tie the game with just over a minute remaining. The redshirt junior is establishing himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league after he was overshadowed in the offseason by the myriad quarterback competitions and Chad Kelly and Joshua Dobbs. He leads the SEC with a 63.8 completion percentage, and is tied for the national lead with four TD passes in the second half and overtime.
Micah Abernathy: In just his second career start at free safety, the Tennessee safety made three fumble recoveries that resulted in 14 points in the win over Virginia Tech. He was the first Tennessee player named SEC Defensive Player of the Week since 2013, and the three fumble recoveries set a school record.
Johnathon Johnson: The freshman did a little bit of everything for Missouri to rack up 210 all-purpose yards in the win over Eastern Michigan. He had a 54-yard punt return TD, an 87-yard touchdown catch. Overall, he had five catches for 115 yards, two punt returns for 74 yards and a 21-yard kickoff return.
Properly rated
Ralph Webb: The Vanderbilt running back each week pads his resume as one of the top backs in the league. In a win over Middle Tennessee State, Webb had a career-high 211 rushing yards and two TDs, and also added a forced fumble on a punt return. Webb also hurdled a defender and his rushing performance was Vandy’s most since Frank Mordica set an SEC record with 321 rushing yards in 1978, and the third best in school history.
Chad Kelly: The Ole Miss quarterback put on an efficient performance with 20-for-27 passing for 219 yards and three TDs against Wofford. In the shadow of the Alabama game, and a record crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Kelly led the offense to scores on each of its first four possessions, including three TDs, for a 24-3 halftime lead.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
