This week in the SEC features one throwaway game, one potentially great game, one sneaky good game, one potentially hilarious game and two that will basically be forgotten by the time you make it to the Sunday breakfast table. Here are 10 “matchups” to look for this weekend; note that we put them in order of the time they start on Saturday, not the prestige of the individual game.
1. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn vs. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema (or, #Auburnfast vs. Arkansas’ run game). Few people in college football are more devoted to the HUNH than Auburn head coach (and Arkansas native) Gus Malzahn, and no one in the country has been more vocally critical of that strategy than Arkansas’ Bret Bielema. Games between these two are something of a battle of wills — one team wants to go as fast as possible, and the other moves like Mayberry on a Sunday afternoon.
Ever since Springdale High School head coach Gus Malzahn took an assistant coach’s role at Arkansas, his relationship with that university and its fan base has been, well, complicated. Putting him in a role in which he gets to antagonize the state’s top program — burying what little hope is left in the season in the process — seems only fitting, expectations be damned.
2. Auburn’s defense vs. Arkansas’ offense. Lost in the shuffle of Auburn’s disastrous offensive performance this season: The Tiger defense has remained as sieve-like as it was the past two years, currently 93rd in the country, surrendering 5.75 yards per play. And it looked at its worst against LSU and mammoth tailback Leonard Fournette. Whether Arkansas can duplicate that performance remains to be seen.
3. Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs vs. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland (and friends). Forget for a moment about all the factors stacked against Tennessee — playing in Tuscaloosa, trying to salvage a disappointing season, against a rejuvenated Bama team that simply doesn’t lose to unranked opponents — and focus on this: since 2008, the type of quarterback that has bothered Alabama’s rock-solid defense the most has looked like Josh Dobbs. That is to say, a scrambling QB who’s hard to bring down, keeps plays alive with his feet, forces Alabama’s secondary to cover for 7 and 8 seconds and makes plays down the field. The Vols were dead in the water in last year’s tilt with Bama until Dobbs relieved starter Nathan Peterman. He led them back to within 10 points before the Tide slammed the door.
Alabama’s D has been great since it was ambushed by Ole Miss, but hasn’t faced a true dual threat QB like Dobbs. If Tennessee has a chance — I said if — it is because of its QB.
4. Tennessee head coach Butch Jones vs. Alabama’s Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. With each passing week, it seems Alabama is putting to bed the notion that it can’t handle up-tempo spread attacks. And, with his tenure as Vols’ head coach under increasing scrutiny — for what it’s worth, Jones’ team appears to improve with each passing week — Butch Jones comes to Tuscaloosa off a bye, eyeing what would surely be a career-defining victory. Look for UT to pull out all the stops.
5. Mizzou’s offensive line vs. Vandy’s defensive front. In a game surely to be watched by dozens of people, the Tigers have to find a way to run the football if they are to stay out of the SEC East cellar. Vanderbilt’s defense isn’t great, but has been tough in short-yardage situations most of the season. So the challenge for Mizzou is simple: Find a way to control the line of scrimmage. Otherwise, this one could get downright interesting.
6. Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty vs. LSU’s defense. So the first thing you should know about Western Kentucky is they’re pretty good. Maybe you remembered that Bobby Petrino coached there, or maybe you remember that they already have an SEC win this season (over Vanderbilt, but still). You should know that Doughty is a legit pro prospect (74 percent completion rate, 10.2 yards per attempt, 24 TDs to 4 INTs), that he’s already made a little noise by saying the Hilltoppers “aren’t just going to collect a check” and that there’s every reason to believe LSU won’t have its head in this game, one week after Florida and two weeks before a trip to Alabama with a bye next. Be on alert, is all I’m saying here.
7. Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly vs. Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen. It is fair to say that putting a “quarterback vs. quarterback” matchup on this list is something of a cop-out, since the two will never actually “face” each other. Still, these are the two best QBs in the league — statistically speaking, anyway — and both come into Saturday night’s game with something to prove. Allen showed flashes of brilliance against Alabama last week, but quickly washed away those flashes with four interceptions, three of which went back for touchdowns. Kelly, meanwhile, comes into the game off a nightmarish loss at Memphis — he did throw for 372 yards and two touchdowns, but his performance included two interceptions, three sacks and was outplayed soundly by Paxton Lynch. These games have historically resembled track meets — each time one offense scores, it will be incumbent on the opposing number to hold serve and to do the same.
8. Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett vs. Ole Miss LT Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil’s absence has been one of the running subplots for the Rebels and their fans all season. With him suddenly back in the lineup, Ole Miss may have some hope of actually running the football (something they haven’t done for most of three seasons). Garrett showed his effectiveness rushing the passer last week vs. Bama, but looked ineffectual against the run at times.
9, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin vs. Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze. I’ll be honest: I have no idea what to expect from this game, except that it will almost surely last four hours and keep everybody awake far too late. The Rebels looked like a listless football team that wanted to go home a week ago, while the Aggies showed a good bit of fight in the second half vs. Bama. Both teams want to run up-tempo; both want to wear down the opposing defense by running a million plays per quarter. Both probably do more harm to their own defenses as a result. Look for both teams to empty the playbook, and pray to God this game doesn’t go to OT.
10. Kentucky QB Patrick Towles vs. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott. Yet another “QB vs. QB” matchup. This one is probably better than you think — both are in the SEC’s top-5 in passing yardage, but neither does anything spectacular that gets anyone’s attention (for the most part). Prescott has the experience advantage, and his team is playing at home, but Towles is due for a breakthrough game. Sort of like Kentucky.
Will Heath is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.
