Each week, Matt Hayes uses his sources around the country to bring you insider knowledge about what’s going on in the SEC ahead of this week’s games.
This is what he’s hearing from SEC coaches and NFL scouts in Week 4 …
Is Drew Lock legit … or a bully who beats cupcakes?
I spoke to an NFL scout earlier this week about Missouri QB Drew Lock, and his first big test this season against Georgia. “There’s this myth out there that he hasn’t played well against ranked teams, and that’s just not true. Last year, specifically, he played really well. The Georgia game is a prime example (4 TD, 1 INT). I still believe that had he applied (for the NFL Draft) last year, he would’ve gone to the Combine and his measurables would’ve been off the charts and he would’ve been picked in the first round.
“He came back to increase his stock, and this game this weekend is how you do it. These are the games where you see arm talent, vision, leadership, moxie. All those things we look for in a guy you want to be your franchise player. He’s playing against the elite of college football. Here’s where you get an idea of what you have.” …
Feleipe Franks or Jarrett Guarantano?
I asked an SEC coach who he’d take if he had to choose between Florida QB Feleipe Franks and Tennessee QB Jarrett Guarantano? His response: “I’d punt a lot.” Both Franks and Guarantano were elite recruits in the 2016 class, and both have struggled since winning the starting jobs in 2017. They’ll go head to head this weekend in Knoxville. “To be fair, those two both have the arm to make every throw, and they can do some things in the run game, especially Jarrett. But neither one of them sees the field, and by your third season, that should be second nature. I don’t blame them, I blame coaching. I was told long ago that if a player isn’t playing the way you want him to play, more times than not, it’s your fault. Those two (coaches) there now are trying to retrain everything when they should be refining right now.” …
What about Alabama’s run game?
Lost in the hype of Tua Tagovailoa and the new-look Alabama offense is a nagging concern about the foundation of the Saban era: the run game. In three games against overmatched defenses, Alabama has just two running plays over 26 yards (one for 26 from Najee Harris, one for 43 from Damien Harris). The Tide use multiple tailbacks, and Harris leads all rushers with 203 yards on 30 carries.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, is No. 14 in the nation in run defense, giving up 87 yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry. Clemson ran for 115 yards on 32 carries, and its leading rusher was QB Kelly Bryant (54 yards).
One NFL scout: “It’s too early to say any number of things, including they don’t run the ball like they used to or their focus on the passing game has changed the way they do business. I don’t believe either – yet. I do believe, however, that they’re not as physical in the middle (center, guards) as they’ve always been. The only way to know for sure is what happens when you line up against an active and physical front seven?” …
Miss. State at Kentucky: bigger than you think
An important, under the radar game: Mississippi State traveling to Kentucky. Have the Wildcats turned the corner under coach Mike Stoops in big games after ending a 31-year losing streak to Florida? Can Joe Moorhead continue State’s mastery of UK (8-1 in past nine games) built by former coach Dan Mullen? “This is the world we live in, and we all know it,” one SEC coach told me this week. “Joe could lose that game against a really good Kentucky team – not your granddad’s Kentucky team – and Lord knows there will be some nut jobs screaming about how Dan Mullen used to beat Kentucky. Every week is a grind in this league. A punishing grind. Just ask Notre Dame what it was like dealing with Vanderbilt. Or Washington about Auburn, or Miami about LSU.” …
Vandy is a dangerous underdog
Speaking of Vanderbilt and another wildly important and overlooked SEC game: the Commodores playing host to South Carolina, which hasn’t played since being embarrassed by Georgia in a game the Gamecocks had pointed to all offseason. Vandy needs this game to prevent a backslide and momentum lost – especially considering a fortunate schedule (Arkansas and Ole Miss on the West Division rotation; Georgia the only real threat in the East) could translate to winning 9 game for the first time since James Franklin won 9 in back-to-back seasons (2012-13). “This is Derek’s best defense yet, and that’s saying a lot,” one SEC coach told me. “They’ve always been quick in the front seven, but now they have size. Now they can line up and hit you in the mouth. They’re not going to be an easy out for anybody.” …
Jake Fromm is Georgia’s best player
An NFL scout on the Georgia quarterback situation: “I know it’s fun to say Georgia has two quarterbacks who can win a championship, and they’re good with either guy. Trust me, (Jake) Fromm is the best player – not quarterback, player – on that team. He’s smart, he’s talented, he’s tough; he can make every throw and the guy does not get rattled. I was blown away by his composure and control last year, and he has gotten better at everything this season. He has such a command of that offense and what they want to do.”
Matt Hayes is a national college football writer for Saturday Down South. You can hear him daily from 12-3 p.m. on 1010XL in Jacksonville. Follow on Twitter @MattHayesCFB
