Some things stayed the same during Week 5 of SEC play. South Carolina quarterback Lorenzo Nunez is still a freshman and showed it against Missouri. Kentucky, despite having all the advantage, still only looked so-so against a non-conference opponent it could have blown out. And no one has found a way to stop the rampage of LSU’s Leonard Fournette.
However, Week 5 also featured some huge high points and miserable low points. Here’s who was hot or not in the SEC:
HOT
- Florida’s offense and defense. The Gators’ upset of former No. 3 Ole Miss wasn’t a last-second miracle, wasn’t due to an overtime field goal, and wasn’t earned out of desperation. Florida’s upset of Ole Miss was domination, proving that coach Jim McElwain has been doing his job at a high level. It’s been so long since both sides of the ball have been reliable for the Gators, and that deserves respect. Are they worth the No. 11 ranking bestowed upon them by the Associated Press? We’ll see. (Ole Miss has been omitted from the “not” section of this article because its destruction deserves its own article.)
- Alabama’s offense still can roll. What started out as a slow-moving, defense-centered game gave way under Jake Coker’s superb quarterback skills and Derrick Henry’s constant pounding. Coker threw for 190 yards and a touchdown. He also ran six times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Henry sprung for 148 yards over 26 carries, also nabbing a touchdown.
- Texas A&M’s offense. The Aggies didn’t pull off a big upset this weekend, which is why talk of A&M has been muted. But they are one of the two undefeated teams left in the SEC West and they played like it on Saturday. Kyle Allen threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Tra Carson ran for 110 on 26 carries and a touchdown.
NOT
- Mississippi State’s offense. Credit needs to be given to the Aggies defense for creating a continuous headache for the Bulldogs this weekend. But the Bulldogs are also to blame. Dak Prescott completed 20 of 34 attempts, and also happened to be Mississippi State’s leading rusher with 96 yards. I know it’s Prescott, but you never want your quarterback to be the leading rusher.
- Georgia’s quarterback play. The Bulldogs pulled a Missouri during their game against the Crimson Tide on Saturday. After Greyson Lambert showed no signs of getting it done, UGA put in Brice Ramsey, who also didn’t get anything done. Coker produced more than both of the Georgia quarterbacks combined. Lambert and Ramsey had a total of 106 yards and three interceptions. Yikes.
- Tennessee’s defense, which can’t get off the field. Here’s the thing, Volunteers defense. You only get to rest when you stop the opposing offense and kick them off the field. One would have thought UT didn’t know that on Saturday against Arkansas. The Razorbacks had the football for nine more minutes than the Volunteers, and Tennessee only had the ball four times during the second half. At this point, the Volunteers have down to a science the best ways of losing leads.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
