When one player succeeds on the football field, it often comes at another’s expense. Here are a few of the not-so-great moments from around the SEC in Week 9.
Juuust wide: Kyler Murray’s starting debut was nearly flawless, but it didn’t exactly begin that way. The freshman quarterback drove Texas A&M to the South Carolina 7-yard line, courtesy of a 10-play, 68-yard march on the game’s opening drive. But the Aggies stalled out and, facing a fourth-and-2, opted for the 25-yard chip shot field goal — which Taylor Bertolet promptly pushed wide right. The senior from Reading, Pa., has hit four attempts between 20-29 yards this season, but his only attempt against the Gamecocks is one he’s likely trying to forget.
Better luck next time: Sean White threw 25 times for 258 yards and his first career touchdown in Auburn’s Week 9 contest against Ole Miss. But with three seconds left and the Tigers needing 52 yards for a chance to tie the game, it was Jeremy Johnson under center with the Tigers needing a Hail Mary-type play. The junior quarterback never looked comfortable on the play, was hurried and threw a pass that landed about 30 yards short of the end zone, dropping Auburn to 4-4 (1-4 in the SEC) and in last place in the SEC West. The maligned quarterback finished with one completion on three tries for 44 yards.
Right in the hands: It didn’t take long for Georgia to show us what kind of day it was going to be for the struggling Bulldogs. Return man Reggie Davis badly muffed a punt return on the final play of the first quarter, which Florida DB Nick Washington pounced on for the game’s first touchdown. The junior has 110 return yards on the season, but you’d never know it judging by his botched return against the Gators. Georgia was never able to recover and lost 27-3.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
