Four of the 5 SEC-on-SEC matchups in Week 5 came right down to the wire.
One thing is becoming clear a third of the way through the regular season: No team in the SEC appears head-and-shoulders above the others. Tiers are emerging, yes, but in a lot of ways it feels like we’re following the same pattern from last year.
Alabama beat Georgia by 3, who beat Tennessee by 3. Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are right there in the mix. Texas, Vanderbilt and Mizzou? Who knows! Here’s what I do know, however: This is shaping up to be a fantastic race for the SEC title.
We have to start with Alabama at Georgia. Let’s hand out some stars.
First Star: Kalen DeBoer
It would all be simpler if Georgia beat Alabama Saturday night, huh? The Bulldogs would clearly have the best résumé in the SEC, and they’d be in the driver’s seat for a trip to Atlanta.
Well, Kalen DeBoer hated that idea.
Say what you want about the Alabama head coach and his team’s rollercoaster start to the season, but he’s now gone toe-to-toe with the best coach in the SEC 2 years in a row and bested him both times. Georgia is flawed this season, yes, but folks don’t just walk into Sanford Stadium and leave with a win these days. You’ve probably heard this stat before — the Crimson Tide’s win snapped Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak that was started before the pandemic.
DeBoer’s teams consistently show up against top-tier opponents. While James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are on one side of the spectrum (4-21), DeBoer is on the other with a 7-1 record against top-10 foes going back to his time at Washington.
You have to keep that same energy against everyone though, Alabama. The Tide’s remaining schedule is tough, and it starts next week against a 5-0 Vanderbilt squad that’s coming back for seconds.
Second Star: Connor Shaw
If this one doesn’t give you chills or some sort of emotional reaction, I just don’t know what to tell you.
Prior to South Carolina’s game against Kentucky, former Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw was introduced as the celebrity starter, just a week after being hospitalized on September 18. Thankfully, it appears Shaw is doing great after being released on September 20 — he showed that much by firing up the Gamecocks crowd under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium.
What an incredible moment:
To make things better, South Carolina ended its 2-game skid and picked up a win in SEC play. Now the Gamecocks get a bye to prepare for a coming battle at LSU.
Third Star: Overlooked quarterbacks
The best quarterbacks in the country are not the highly-touted, former 5-star guys. For the most part, anyway.
Let’s look to the SEC, where you’ll find that, by my estimation, the 5 best quarterbacks in the conference (right now, no order) are:
- Joey Aguilar — JUCO (Diablo Valley)
- Trinidad Chambliss — 0-star recruit out of Ferris State
- John Mateer — No. 124 QB in 2022
- Diego Pavia — JUCO (New Mexico Military Institute)
- Ty Simpson — 5-star, No. 4 QB in 2022
You could argue that Beau Pribula and Taylen Green belong there; Pribula was a 3-star prospect in the Class of 2022, and Green was the No. 79 quarterback in the Class of 2019. So, 6 of the top 7 quarterbacks in the SEC are guys that — if you subscribe to recruiting logic — weren’t expected to do much in their careers.
Some in that group were especially great in Week 5. Pavia led the conference with 5 touchdown passes and accounted for 6 on the afternoon in a 55-35 win over Utah State. Chambliss — I don’t even know what a “Ferris State” is, by the way — beat Blake Baker’s LSU defense, accounting for just under 400 total yards and a touchdown to down the Tigers.
Then there’s Aguilar, whose perfect final drive ensured overtime for Tennessee against Mississippi State. The Vols have some very real concerns, but the quarterback position is not one of them. The former Diablo Valley star threw for an SEC-high 335 yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns in a win at Mississippi State among the cowbells.
Team Statistical Leaders (Week 5)
Most points scored: 55 — Vanderbilt (vs. Utah State)
Fewest points scored: 10 — Auburn (vs. Texas A&M)
Fewest points allowed: 6 — Mizzou (vs. UMass)
Most points allowed: 56 — Arkansas (vs. Notre Dame)
Most rushing yards: 268 — Mizzou
Fewest rushing yards: 52 — Auburn
Fewest rushing yards allowed: 52 — Texas A&M
Most rushing yards allowed: 227 — Alabama (vs. Georgia)
Fewest passing yards allowed: 105 — Mizzou
Most passing yards allowed: 431 (Notre Dame) — Arkansas
Most total yards: 543 — Vanderbilt
Fewest total yards: 177 — Auburn
Fewest yards allowed: 124 (UMass) — Mizzou
Most yards allowed: 641 (Notre Dame) — Arkansas
Most penalty yardage accumulated: 119 — Texas A&M
Fewest penalty yardage accumulated: 5 — Mizzou
Best turnover margin: +4 — South Carolina (vs. Kentucky)
Worst turnover margin: -4 — Kentucky
Most first downs: 31 — Mizzou, Vanderbilt
Fewest first downs: 9 — Auburn
Tackles for loss: 11 — Tennessee (vs. Mississippi State)
Sacks: 6 — South Carolina
Individual Statistical Leaders (Week 5)
Passing touchdowns: 5 — Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)
Passing yards: 335 — Joey Aguilar (Tennessee)
Receiving touchdowns: 3 — Junior Sherrill (Vanderbilt)
Receiving yards: 118 — Mike Matthews (Tennessee)
Receptions: 12 — Kevin Coleman Jr. (Mizzou)
Rushing touchdowns: 3 — Ahmad Hardy (Mizzou)
Rushing yards: 139 — Le’Veon Moss (Texas A&M)
Yards per carry (min. 10 carries): 9.9 — Chauncey Bowens (Georgia)
Tackles: 17 — Arion Carter (Tennessee)
Sacks: 2 — Linuz Zunk (Vanderbilt), Tyre West (Tennessee), Bryan Thomas Jr. (South Carolina)
PBU: 3 — Jahron Payton (Mississippi State)
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
