Early impressions of every Week 3 matchup in the SEC
Finally, some conference games.
Three of them will highlight the Week 3 SEC slate. Of course, that’s not to say those are the only games that matter in the SEC on Saturday. Mizzou hosts defending Big 12 champ Kansas State while Arkansas will take on new Big 12 member BYU.
After the SEC’s 3-6 mark against Power 5 teams in nonconference play, it feels like there are more questions than answers heading into Week 3.
Here are my early impressions of the week that awaits:
LSU vs. Mississippi State — There’s no way you’re dropping Harold Perkins into coverage vs. new-look offense … right?
Much has been made about the preseason All-American’s usage as an off-ball linebacker in Matt House’s defense. Brian Kelly admitted that Perkins endured “growing pains” against FSU. So far, Perkins has only rushed the passer 17 times in 2 games (7 in the first, 10 in the second). One would think that’ll change against a new-look Mississippi State offense, which is much more run-heavy than the Mike Leach Air Raid. Will Rogers attempted just 17 passes in an overtime game vs. Arizona. In other words, it’s not like the drop-8 coverage mindset with the occasional blitzer is essential anymore. Perkins needs to be put in spots to heat up the quarterback.
Kansas State vs. Mizzou — It can’t just be the Luther Burden III show for Mizzou’s offense
It’s great that the former 5-star recruit has looked the part through these first 2 weeks. His transition to the slot has been highly successful so far. The Mizzou receiver has 15 catches for 213 yards and looks every bit like the best player every time he steps on the field. But to beat a team like Kansas State, Mizzou needs more non-Burden offensive firepower. Against Middle Tennessee, 8 of the 14 completed passes went to Burden. The only other play that went for more than 15 yards was a wide-open wheel route to Nathaniel Peat. To beat the defending Big 12 champs, it’ll take more than a handful of highlight-reel plays by Burden. If there’s ever a time for Brady Cook to take that next step, now is it, especially against FBS’ top-ranked run defense.
South Carolina vs. Georgia — Is Ladd McConkey coming back?
Excuse the lame attempt at a pun. The veteran Georgia receiver has been dealing with a back injury. As a result, UGA’s offense has looked a bit disjointed with the first-teamers. McConkey’s ability to line up anywhere while also being an exceptional blocker is extremely valuable. It’s too early in the week to know his status, but it feels significant, even in a game with a 4-touchdown spread. While UGA might not necessarily need McConkey to beat an inferior team, getting those live reps with Carson Beck is still important. Kirby Smart has said that McConkey is “day-to-day,” which suggests he was held out of the first 2 games as a precaution. It’ll be interesting to see how his availability is handled in the SEC opener.
Alabama vs. South Florida — Is this about Jalen Milroe’s confidence or re-opening the battle?
Because if it’s all about Milroe’s confidence, he’s getting a chance to put up 50 before getting an early shower. If this is about figuring out the quarterback situation on the heels of a telling Texas loss, Milroe won’t be the only quarterback that we’ll see in the first half. Could Tyler Buchner get a serious look? Or could Ty Simpson, who came in third against Middle Tennessee, get some run? Whatever the case, Alabama getting some offensive mojo back in Tampa is priority No. 1.
UL-Monroe vs. A&M — We’ve seen the passing attack. Now get the ground game going
Conner Weigman is that dude, and in Bobby Petrino’s offense, we’re going to continue to get reminders of that. But the most disappointing element of that A&M offense was the offensive line, who let Weigman take far too many hits and couldn’t clear open big running lanes. A&M’s longest run of the day was 14 yards, and nobody has a 30-yard run yet. The continuity of A&M’s experienced offensive line was expected to be a strength, much like the 2020 Maroon Goons. If that group can’t get it going against UL-Monroe, it’s fair to wonder if it’ll be a pass-heavy approach in conference play.
Tennessee vs. Florida — 20 years is a looooooong time
Think about how old you were in 2003. Personally, I was still in middle school. Tennessee players don’t have any recollection of the last time that the Vols went into The Swamp and came out victorious. Obviously, Josh Heupel doesn’t have to worry about “getting over the Florida hump” because Tennessee did that last year, albeit in Knoxville. This year will be a different story for a couple of reasons. In a hostile atmosphere, Heupel needs Joe Milton to deliver his best start to date. If Tennessee is still struggling to get those chunk plays, this will be a 60-minute battle. Milton has yet to really look the part in a non-Vandy road atmosphere. There’s no better time than now.
Samford vs. Auburn — Payton Thorne needs reps with the first-teamers
I came away from the Cal rock fight thinking that while it was great that Auburn pulled out a win on the road, Thorne is still very much a work in progress in his new home. Most post-spring transfer quarterbacks have a steep learning curve. As much as Hugh Freeze continues to put support behind the 2-QB system with Robby Ashford, I can’t help but wonder if this would be an ideal matchup to let Thorne get all the meaningful reps before giving way to Ashford. I’d imagine that Freeze will disagree with that logic, but it seems like a good spot to let him get full control of the offense without having to wonder when his understudy will sub in.
Vanderbilt vs. UNLV — Will Sheppard should feast yet again
Did you know that Sheppard leads FBS with 6 touchdown grabs? If you watched Vandy, you knew that (you also knew that Vandy played in 3 games while the vast majority of FBS teams have only played in 2). Sheppard now gets a tasty matchup against Barry Odom’s UNLV squad. Last year as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas, Odom’s pass defense was the worst in America. That should benefit the emerging Sheppard-AJ Swann connection, which also produced the most catches (20) of any Power 5 duo.
Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss — Get Quinshon Judkins going early
It’s been tough sledding for Judkins to start his second year. It’s too early to say that he’s in the midst of a “sophomore slump,” but Judkins’ longest run of the season is just 13 yards, and against a pair of non-Power 5 foes, he averaged 3.5 yards per carry. The preseason All-American is clearly at the top of every scouting report, which will continue against a Georgia Tech defense that allowed 316 rushing yards to Ole Miss in a shutout loss last year. Maybe we’ll get a little more wildcat with Judkins behind center. Whatever the case, Lane Kiffin would ideally like to get his star tailback going ahead of SEC play.
BYU vs. Arkansas — Now is the time to figure out the ground game
To be clear, yes, I understand the things that have worked against Arkansas’ ground game so far. Rocket Sanders getting hurt was a big part of that, and not having Brady Latham available in the opener didn’t help the Hogs’ transition to a more pass-heavy offense with Dan Enos. Throughout the offseason, Sam Pittman expressed concern about the non-Latham/Beaux Limmer pieces of that offensive line. It’s strange to think that Arkansas doesn’t rank in the top 100 in yards/carry, but given those limitations, it makes sense. Against a BYU team who couldn’t tackle a soul in last year’s matchup — Arkansas had 644 total yards in a 52-point performance in Provo — one would think that the Hogs would be set up well to figure out that offensive line and the non-Sanders running back rotation.
Akron vs. Kentucky — Keep an eye on the Liam Coen situation
On Sunday, Kentucky announced that its offensive coordinator had experienced “a medical episode” at the team facility and that he was hospitalized overnight. Mark Stoops said on Monday that Coen returned and that the “prognosis looks good.”
Mark Stoops thanks the first responders on the anniversary of 9/11. It’s hitting close to home after UK needed their assistance following Liam Coen’s Sunday medical episode at the football facility.
“It’s been a challenging day or so for us.”
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) September 11, 2023
It sounds like a scary situation could’ve been worse, which is positive. As for what it means on the field, Stoops added that he didn’t want to discuss who would call plays if Coen wasn’t able to return to the sidelines. But if that situation does present itself in a favorable matchup, how well-positioned would Kentucky be to pivot? It could be a case where having a 24-year-old quarterback is a major benefit. Either way, Coen’s status will be a popular topic of conversation all week.