Impactful coaching moves: The best and worst decisions of Week 6
Week 6 is in the books, and as always, there are no shortage of story lines in the SEC. Some of those story lines involve coaching. Some are very good, while others are less so.
With that in mind, here are the best and worst coaching decisions from around the SEC in Week 6:
GOOD MOVE
LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron knows what the rest of America knows — Leonard Fournette is very good. Cameron also knows that overusing the star running back is a concern, so in the back of his mind on game days, he’s pondering ways to move the ball while No. 7 hangs out on the sidelines.
Apparently, he also knew that Derrius Guice is a pretty good running back in his own right. Guice shredded the Gamecocks for a game-high 161 yards in a 45-24 win.
Cameron also did a good job of mixing in passing plays for quarterback Brandon Harris, who responded with the best game of his short career.
BAD MOVE
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is back in the bad move category for this week, but this time, it has nothing to do with the Razorbacks’ play on the field in a 27-14 loss to Alabama.
Bret Bielema got close to Crimson Tide offensive lineman Cam Robinson after a whistle near the Arkansas sideline, attempting to come between him and Arkansas’ Hjalte Froholdt. Robinson didn’t appear to touch the coach, but Bielema fell backwards, and then celebrated the ensuing personal foul penalty on Robinson.
To steal a line from ESPN analyst Cris Carter, “C’mon man.”
GOOD MOVE
Late in the second quarter on Saturday, Tennessee’s season was over. With a little under 3:30 left before halftime, Georgia’s Reggie Davis returned a punt 70 yards for a score to stake the Bulldogs to a 24-3 lead at a subdued Neyland Stadium.
The stories were already being written about how a once-promising season had been reduced to rubble, and how the seat for coach Butch Jones is hotter than ever.
But the Volunteers struck back for a pair of touchdowns before halftime, and eventually won a 38-31 thriller to pick up their first SEC win, and even their season record at 3-3.
Jones and his staff deserve credit for holding things together and orchestrating the furious rally that gave Tennessee its biggest win of the year.
BAD MOVE
Missouri’s struggles on offense continued in a 21-3 loss at Florida on Saturday, and with an inability to protect Drew Lock or create holes for Russell Hansbrough or Ish Witter, it’s time to start asking questions of offensive line coach A.J. Ricker.
The Tigers are last in the SEC in rushing yardage and have allowed 12 sacks in 2015, startling numbers for a senior-laden unit. Ricker has shuffled the deck in recent weeks, trying to find the right combination to unlock Missouri’s offensive struggles.
The Tigers have had three different starting lineups on the offensive line in their six games, and with this many upperclassmen, it’s reasonable to expect Ricker to be getting more out of this unit.