It’s too bad.

It’s too bad that we had our 1st full slate of SEC-only games without any bye weeks and it felt like injuries told the story of Week 6 in many ways. We knew entering the day that Bryce Young, KJ Jefferson and Will Levis were all dealing with injuries and considered game-time decisions. Ultimately, none of them played. All of their teams missed them.

Unfortunately, that dominated the day.

So yeah, we’ve got some injury-centric “things I learned” about Week 6 in the SEC:

Alabama — A full game without Young was scarier than anything Bama fans will see in October

My goodness. Alabama turned the ball over 4 times, it missed 2 kicks and it was 1 competent offensive play call away from somehow losing to A&M. But instead, the Tide avoid disaster and remained unbeaten. How many years did that take off the lives of Alabama fans? Maybe 4? Like, 1 for every turnover? With all due respect to Jalen Milroe in his 1st career start, there were constant reminders of why experience is so valuable. Whether it was not holding onto the ball with 2 hands or forcing throws to covered receivers, Milroe’s passing game struggles were obvious.

It didn’t help that Alabama also had the Jase McClellan fumble, and that Will Reichard reverted back to the Alabama kickers of old and missed a pair of field goals that could’ve made it a 2-score game. It was a mistake-filled game that Alabama was lucky to survive. Of course, we know that Alabama played with fire with Young as the starter, too. It was more that Young wasn’t there to save the day because he was recovering from his shoulder injury.

Needless to say, Alabama needs the Heisman Trophy winner back to be the best version of himself next Saturday at Tennessee.

Arkansas — Malik Hornsby took the backup QB job … but the Hogs didn’t have a chance without Jefferson

I’m gonna give Hornsby some credit here. While he definitely missed some short throws because of his lack of touch, he did show in relief of the ineffective Cade Fortin that there’s at least the threat of the downfield passing game with Hornsby. He hit Jadon Haselwood multiple times when he was wide open, but his best throw of the day came when he wound up on a deep shot to Bryce Stephens:

Amidst an ugly day in which Arkansas dropped to 1-3 in SEC play, I thought Hornsby’s play was mostly positive. Arkansas is still too dependent on Jefferson being a running force, and it’s clear that Barry Odom’s defense is vulnerable in some way every time it steps on the field (drop-8 coverage didn’t work on MSU). But if the Hogs are going to be without Jefferson, who was dressed and available as an emergency quarterback according to Sam Pittman, there’s at least some reason to think Hornsby can be more than a wildcat quarterback.

Er, my bad. Wild Hog.

Auburn — There’s no quit, but a last-ditch miracle for Bryan Harsin? Nah.

I’m gonna start with the positive here. Auburn scored more than 6 points in the 2nd half against Power 5 competition for the 1st time since Oct. 16, 2021. Jarquez Hunter kept his legs churning and squirted past a pair of Georgia defenders for Auburn’s lone touchdown of the day.

But any hope that Auburn would put together some miracle effort as a 4-touchdown dog was nonexistent. Harsin attempted to get cute with a fake punt, and you didn’t have Georgia skill players running free, which suggests it wasn’t a team that quit. It’s still just painfully obvious that the Tigers have a nonexistent passing game without any real game-changers for Robby Ashford to throw to. And much like Bo Nix before him, Ashford spends far too much time rolling to his right and cutting off half the field. Even against a Georgia defense that’s still figuring some things out, Auburn never had a shot.

Auburn is only 1-3 against Power 5 competition because of a missed 26-yard field goal from an All-America kicker. That’s all you need to know about the state of things on The Plains.

Florida — 1 step forward, 2 steps back for the passing game

I don’t want to sound too negative because SEC wins shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially after an 0-2 start to conference play. Florida deserves credit for forcing 2 key turnovers on defense and avoiding disaster with some nice running by Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne. But with the exception of Anthony Richardson’s dart to Ricky Pearsall in the end zone, that was a brutal setback for the passing game. Richardson was 8-of-14 for just 66 yards. Considering he threw for 453 yards in his previous game against SEC competition, that didn’t prove to be a “turn-the-corner” performance.

It was conservative playcalling, and there was a lack of rhythm all day. It didn’t matter if Richardson was throwing over the middle or just trying to connect on a swing pass. There was nothing doing against Mizzou’s defense, which has actually been solid against the pass against Power 5 competition. And Richardson did leave for the medical tent with a lower body injury for the 2nd consecutive game. Still, though. Billy Napier doesn’t have the remedy to get Richardson right, and until he finds it, the Gators will have a limited offense.

Georgia — The ground game is still gonna have to do the heavy lifting for a bit

A couple things on that.

Stetson Bennett IV, after consecutive duds in the passing game, failed to average 3 yards per attempt in the 1st half. He had a better 2nd half, but it was still the 3rd consecutive game in which he failed to average 8 yards per attempt. The passing game lacked rhythm for most of the day. Even Brock Bowers had only 2 catches. There was a deep ball to Ladd McConkey that would’ve felt like an exhale for Bennett, but it was a touch too long. Bennett said afterward that the UGA offense “has to get its moxie back.” I agreed with that, despite what that 42-10 final might’ve indicated.

But the encouraging development was that for the 2nd consecutive week, we saw some creative ways to get the ground game going. Getting Daijun Edwards and true freshman Branson Robinson involved proved to be the right formula. Edwards looked like a legitimate featured back, which Todd Monken seems to have acknowledged by virtue of getting him more carries than Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh in each of the past 3 games. Oh, and of course, who could forget about the wheels of Bennett. The Red Sea parted, and Bennett took off for a 64-yard scamper that he won’t soon forget. That was a positive. UGA will have Vandy and the bye week to figure the passing game before things get real with a pair of rivalry games.

Kentucky — Without Levis, UK is … a mess

If you were one of those people who said that Levis’ presence was overrated, I think you saw how badly he was missed on Saturday night. It was a bad omen from the jump that Kentucky tried a reverse play, and it was a disastrous fumble that allowed South Carolina to take over from the 2-yard line and have a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into the game. Things like that happened, and it also didn’t help that Kentucky had its 3 top receivers (Tayvion Robinson, Barion Brown and Dane Key) all leave at some point with injuries.

But let’s not get it twisted. Kentucky was undisciplined on defense — the Juice Wells touchdown was rough — and a lack of protection for Kaiya Sheron made Saturday night more than just bad injury luck. A team that was bad on special teams again got exposed, too. Even with Chris Rodriguez Jr. looking like his usual self, the Wildcats insisted on making life difficult on itself. South Carolina’s ground game took over, and Mark Stoops’ team suffered the type of home loss we’ve rarely seen in the past 5 years. Levis is expected to return next week, but Kentucky’s problems won’t magically disappear.

LSU — That “we’ll figure it out in the 4th quarter” plan doesn’t work against everyone

LSU entered Saturday as a flawed football team, but one that would always seemingly find a way to get the job done late. In 3 games against Power 5 competition, the Tigers had outscored teams 41-7 in the 4th quarter. Sure, it was encouraging how much Brian Kelly’s team showed fight in Year 1, but against a team like Tennessee that can expose flaws and end the game before the 4th quarter starts, yeah, that formula isn’t ideal.

You knew it was gonna be a bad day for LSU when Jack Bech muffed the opening kickoff. We saw the flaws, which went beyond LSU not having Will Campbell, though that didn’t help Jayden Daniels get settled in (he took 4 1st-half sacks). We saw Daniels not trust receivers in man coverage — that 3rd-and-1 sequence on play-action was rough — or lock in on his 1st read without reading coverage or down and distance. LSU’s defense didn’t really have much of a chance considering Tennessee started 4 possessions in Tigers territory in the 1st half alone. The Tigers lacked offensive identity, and a flawed team got clubbed.

Mizzou — Eli Drinkwitz has to make a quarterback change

Woof.

That’s what those 2 Brady Cook interceptions were. The pick-6 was the difference in the game, and it appeared to be the byproduct of Cook not recognizing that Florida was in zone coverage. Maybe he expected Luther Burden III to cut it on the route, but whatever the case, it was a costly mistake in a low-scoring game that was decided by 7 points. Cook bailed himself out with some impressive 3rd-down conversions, but his 3rd-down interception in the red zone was the more pivotal play.

Mizzou’s defense is much improved under Blake Baker, and it deserves better. The problem with Cook is that he’s not even playing ball-control football, and he’s not a big enough threat with his legs to overlook that. Cook is now averaging 6.6 yards per attempt against FBS competition, and it’s clear that this passing game is Mizzou’s biggest weakness. So what does that mean? It means Drinkwitz needs to seriously consider Tyler Macon, the ageless Jack Abraham or, dare I say, true freshman Sam Horn. A shakeup is needed.

MSU — The Bulldogs have … a running game?!?

Mike Leach has been flirting with this during the 1st part of the season, but it was a different story to see MSU run and execute a legitimate ground game against an actual SEC defense. Credit Leach for being willing to run the ball against Odom’s drop-8 coverage, which was ineffective, to say the least. The Bulldogs ran the ball 6 times on the opening drive alone and finished the day with season highs in both attempts (36) and rushing yards (173).

What a beautiful sight it was to watch Dillon Johnson operate. The MSU tailback ran with power and decisiveness en route to a career-high 100 rushing yards. That included a bulldozing run at the goal line to make it a 3-score game.

MSU isn’t about to stop throwing the ball 45-50 times a game. I mean, Will Rogers still threw the ball 48 times for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns without taking a sack. But the willingness to run the ball against drop-8 coverage combined with Rogers’ precision and MSU’s defensive discipline is going to make the Bulldogs a brutal 60 minutes for any SEC team.

Ole Miss — You don’t need to sweat double-digit deficits when you have Jonathan Mingo

Move over, Elijah Moore. There’s a new Ole Miss single-game receiving record-holder. Go figure that, like Moore, Mingo’s record-setting day was also at Vandy. The difference, of course, was that Mingo’s 247-yard day helped pull Ole Miss out of a 10-point deficit late in the 2nd quarter. Mingo repeatedly got behind the Vandy secondary, and Jaxson Dart recognized that. That was important on a day when the Ole Miss quarterback made a couple, as Lane Kiffin said, “horrible” decisions.

It felt like a breakout game for Mingo, who entered the day with 13 catches for 280 yards and 1 TD. Vandy seemed to be keying in on the prolific Ole Miss ground game, and Mingo made the Dores pay. That’s key going forward, because Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins will be at the top of every scouting report. Having a deep threat like Mingo who can make a defense pay is pivotal. It was especially pivotal after Ole Miss slept through most of the 1st half.

South Carolina — Yes, the Gamecocks can seize a golden opportunity

I don’t want to take away from the Gamecocks’ 1st win against a ranked foe in the Shane Beamer era. Context is needed, because Kentucky isn’t the No. 13 team in the country with Levis sidelined. But Beamer didn’t care about that, nor should he. His defensive line set the tone on the very 1st play from scrimmage by blowing up the reverse. Tonka Hemingway and the Gamecocks’ front made it a long night for Sheron in his 1st career start, which is exactly what they needed against a struggling UK offensive line.

And offensively, it wasn’t a masterpiece from Marcus Satterfield. Spencer Rattler still struggled with ball security, but MarShawn Lloyd was MarShawn Lloyd, and Juice Wells turned something out of virtually nothing for a huge touchdown in the 2nd half. Did that matter, though? Nah. What mattered was that Beamer clearly felt like Stoops called him out for his comments earlier in the offseason about “changing the culture” and how dancing around and putting on “some sunglasses” wouldn’t do that.

This says it all:

The ultimate good vibes team is back.

Tennessee — No Cedric Tillman meant … no problem. Vols are for real

I was dead wrong. I thought Hendon Hooker not having his go-to receiver was going to make for a back-and-forth game. Saturday was anything but back and forth. It was a bloodbath. It was a reminder that Hooker is special, and the development of Jalin Hyatt and Bru McCoy has been a revelation. We knew the offense was special, and a 40-point showing in Death Valley only confirmed that.

But what continues to impress me is Tim Banks’ defense. The Vols frustrated Daniels. Whether that was Byron Young blowing up plays in the backfield or Jeremy Banks being an elite spy, Tennessee always seemed to have an answer. LSU’s elite receivers couldn’t get separation, and everything Daniels did looked challenged. He was pressured seemingly all day behind a porous offensive line, but don’t get it twisted. The Vols have all sorts of reason to believe they can finally make things interesting against Alabama and Georgia.

Texas A&M — Jimbo Fisher didn’t back down from Nick Saban … until the final play

I’m sorry. I know that A&M’s defense, which fought its collective tail off, deserved better. I know that Evan Stewart, who played like the 5-star he signed as, deserved better. And I know that a banged-up Aggies offensive line, which had the unpleasant task of trying to contain Will Anderson all night, deserved better.

But man, I hated that play call to end the game. I’m usually not “that” guy to play the results, but that was such a low-percentage play for Fisher to dial up. You’ve got a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the country after the war of words we had over the summer, and you draw up a comeback route to the front corner of the end zone with a 5-11, 175-pound true freshman receiver in press coverage? No way. Stewart isn’t to blame for that because that’s a high degree of difficulty to get any separation on that play, knowing that it’s likely not going to be whistled for pass interference AND it’s entirely dependent on having perfect timing and accuracy from Haynes King. None of that happened. Hence, why it looked so bad.

It was a brutal attempt at stealing a golden opportunity, and Fisher has nobody but himself to blame after his offense was gifted 4 turnovers and 2 missed kicks.

Vanderbilt — Jayden McGowan and AJ Swann are the SEC’s best true freshman connection

McGowan entered the day No. 2 in receiving among SEC true freshmen. By day’s end, he had the top spot thanks for a 104-yard performance to help Vandy at least have some life early. He took what looked like a quick out and turned it into a 36-yard touchdown to give the Dores the lead in the 2nd quarter. The 5-8 freshman and Swann hooked up 7 times, which was crucial in a game in which leading receiver Will Sheppard was sidelined at times with a leg injury.

Yes, the takeaway of the day was that even on a day in which Vandy led by double figures against an SEC team, it still remained winless in conference play for the 2020s. That wasn’t really Swann’s doing, though obviously, that pass he thought was forward but really wasn’t proved costly. The good news if you’re a Vandy fan is that Swann and McGowan look like a duo that Vandy can build the passing game around.