September, I hardly knew ya.

The final Saturday of this all-too-fast month is now here, and buddy, it’s loaded. At least it is in the SEC.

We’ve got 7 SEC vs. SEC matchups, all of which are loaded with intrigue.

Here are my early impressions of each game in the conference this week:

No. 22 Florida at Kentucky — Maxwell Hairston vs. Ricky Pearsall … yes, please.

What a juicy wide receiver-cornerback matchup this is. Both players were phenomenal in Week 4, albeit for different reasons. Hairston had not 1, but 2 pick-sixes in a convincing Kentucky win at Vanderbilt while Pearsall did this:

Pearsall didn’t just haul in one of the best catches you’ll ever see. He recorded his third game with at least 90 yards, and he hauled in 6 catches for the 4th time in as many opportunities this season. For Kentucky, Hairston has been a massive breakout star in Mark Stoops’ defense. He’s currently PFF’s No. 3 corner in FBS through 3 games, and he played 86% of his defensive snaps at the outside corner spot. Pearsall has actually played 42% of his snaps lined up on the outside, so it’s not crazy to think that we’ll get plenty of Hairston on Pearsall in this interesting SEC East battle.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (in Arlington) — Will we get Conner Weigman and Rocket Sanders? And how important is that?

Here’s what I mean by “how important is that?” Weigman left Saturday’s game against Auburn with an ankle injury, and in his absence, Max Johnson was lights out. The veteran quarterback sparked an A&M offense in need of some life. If he gets the start, the Bobby Petrino-led Aggie offense should still have plenty of opportunities to light up the scoreboard after getting off to a blistering start (A&M ranks No. 17 in scoring).

Sanders, on the other hand, has been out since the season opener. We don’t know the latest on his status, but the “how important is that” question is more about a struggling Arkansas offensive line. If that atypically subpar group can’t block, Sanders’ status might not be so pivotal. Arkansas is ranked No. 98 in yards/rush this season. Against an A&M run defense that ranks in the top 1/3 in FBS and has allowed just 1 rushing score through 4 games, Arkansas’ chances might not come down to which tailback suits up. But obviously, fingers crossed that both Sanders and Weigman can go.

No. 1 Georgia at Auburn — Become a Robby Ashford-led service academy in this one, Auburn.

Wait … what? Run the football against Georgia? What year is this? Well, it’s 2023, and if you didn’t know any better while watching Auburn attempt a forward pass in College Station, you’d think it was 1923. Also, if you look a bit closer, you’ll see that this Georgia run defense isn’t as invincible as it was the last 2 years. It ranks No. 46 in yards/rush allowed (3.48), and that’s against 3 Group of 5/FCS teams and South Carolina, who ranks No. 128 in FBS in rushing yards/game. All of those games were at home, too.

At Jordan-Hare Stadium, Hugh Freeze would be much better suited to start Robby Ashford and let that offensive line, which struggled mightily to pass-protect Payton Thorne at A&M, go to work. Thorne will be a walking sack/interception against a Georgia defense that is allowing 4.8 yards/pass with 7 interceptions this season. Auburn’s best chance of staying in this game is by trying to bleed the clock and keep that Georgia offense off the field. Ashford needs to get more than a red-zone package — he needs to start.

No. 23 Mizzou at Vanderbilt — How does one stop Luther Burden? Asking for a friend.

Imagine being Clark Lea and digging into the Mizzou game film. You know that you’ve got a depleted secondary, and you had perhaps heard that Luther Burden was having a big year, but then you actually see the things he’s doing. He’s beating teams deep, he’s been devastating in space and he’s catching everything thrown his way. He said “he doesn’t think anyone can tackle him in the open field” … is he wrong? Burden’s switch to the slot receiver position has been a revelation for the 4-0 Tigers, who are seeking their first win vs. a Power 5 team while ranked inside the AP Top 25 since 2014. Burden is:

  • A) PFF’s highest-graded WR in FBS
  • B) Averaging 126 receiving yards/game
  • C) T-No. 2 among Power 5 players in catches
  • D) Accountable for 45% of Mizzou’s receiving yards
  • E) All the above

It’s “E.” It’s always “E.”

TCU is the only Power 5 team that allowed more 40-yard passing plays than Vanderbilt. In other words, don’t expect Burden to cool down on Saturday.

No. 13 LSU vs. No. 20 Ole Miss – Jekyll or Hyde for the LSU secondary?

I can never remember which one is good and which one is bad between Jekyll and Hyde. Whatever the bad one is, it surfaced for the Tigers at home against Arkansas. That was a week after LSU went into Starkville and handed Will Rogers the worst performance of his college career. So far, here’s the roller coaster that’s been the LSU pass defense:

  • vs. Florida State (in Orlando): 24-for-32, 359 yards, 4 passing TDs
  • vs. Grambling: 15-for-31, 157 yards, 1 passing TD
  • at Mississippi State: 12-for-29, 107 yards, 1 passing TD
  • vs. Arkansas: 21-for-31, 289 yards, 3 passing TDs

LSU’s biggest weakness entering the season was the back end of Matt House’s defense. It’s pretty clear so far that against mobile quarterbacks who can avoid pressure and shift the pocket like KJ Jefferson and Jordan Travis, that group has struggled. Against guys who don’t do that as well like Will Rogers, it’s been a problem. Jaxson Dart has definitely been more of the former than the latter, but historically, his numbers against winning FBS teams are nothing to write home about, which we saw play out against Alabama. I suppose it’s anyone’s guess whether Jekyll or Hyde shows up for both teams.

South Carolina vs. No. 21 Tennessee — The Vols sparked Spencer Rattler, now can they cool him off?

If you haven’t been paying attention to the South Carolina quarterback, you’ve missed his emerging into one of the nation’s best players at the position. For real. Dating back to last year’s Tennessee game, Rattler completed 76.5% of his passes for 2,182 yards, 17 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 2 rushing scores. Mind you, that came against Tennessee, Clemson, Notre Dame, UNC, Furman, Georgia and Mississippi State. Oh, and for 3 of those games, top target Juice Wells was out. Most recently, Rattler completed his first 17 passes in a shootout win against Mississippi State. OC Dowell Loggains has quickly quieted concerns about his lack of experience as a college play-caller.

The question is whether Rattler can continue that against the Tennessee defense that kicked off that 7-game stretch last November. Rattler essentially had a perfect game last year in Columbia. This year in Knoxville, his squad is again a double-digit underdog. The Vols rank No. 21 in FBS with 5.9 yards/pass allowed, but they haven’t faced a quarterback anywhere near Rattler’s level yet. A fitting test awaits.

No. 12 Alabama vs. Mississippi State — Two stunning Mississippi State stats are on my mind

Are you sitting down for this? Good. You should be. Mississippi State hasn’t had a passing touchdown against Alabama since Dak Prescott threw one in the final minute of the 2014 matchup. It’s been 9 (!) years since the Bulldogs had a score through the air against the Tide. Never mind the fact that we’re on the heels of 3 years of the Mike Leach Air Raid facing Alabama. Coming off a career-high in passing yards, can Will Rogers finally end that drought?

On the other side of the ball, Jalen Milroe has as tasty of a matchup as one can ask for. In 3 games against Power 5 competition, Mississippi State allowed quarterbacks to complete 79% of their passes for 9.6 yards/attempt and 332 yards/game. Yikes. When the Bulldogs don’t get pressure on the quarterback, they’ve been exposed on the back end. Turning that around is the only chance that Zach Arnett has at avoiding an 0-3 start to SEC play.