The Hangover: Nuggets and tidbits from Week 2 in the SEC

Week 1 certainly didn’t go as planned for the SEC, which for the most part was unimpressive outside of No. 1 Alabama.

But Week 2 was a much more complete performance from the best conference in America. Arkansas in particular delivered one of the better wins across the country, knocking off No. 15 TCU in double overtime on the road.

Unfortunately, neither of the two in-league matchups provided much excitement. In Gainesville, Florida extended its winning streak over Kentucky to 30 — yes, three full decades — with a 45-7 whitewashing. And then in Starkville, Mississippi State shut out South Carolina in the first half and eventually won by two touchdowns, 27-14.

Several other teams were able to pad their stats against Cupcake U, although that wasn’t the case between the hedges. Georgia let Nicholls hang around way to long and was fortunate to run out the clock a 26-24 victor.

Program by program, here are some of the more memorable nuggets and tidbits that I scribbled into my Week 2 notebook.

#RollTide

While we obsess over the quarterback position in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide continue to field a suffocating defense.

The secondary was especially dominant in a 38-10 beatdown of Western Kentucky, which recorded an eye-opening 552 yards passing just seven days earlier. These cornerbacks and safeties are becoming a special group.

There may not be a more physical corner in the country than Marlon Humphrey, who smells out plays near the line of scrimmage and really packs a punch when it’s time to tackle. As for the safeties, both Ronnie Harrison and Eddie Jackson picked off a pass against the Hilltoppers. Jackson took his all the way to paydirt for six.

WKU ran some trickeration early and beat the ‘Bama defensive backfield for a big play. But going back to the well a second time with a little sandlot football, Harrison wasn’t fooled and came away with an easy INT.

The Tide were passing around that championship belt quite liberally. It might be time to have more than one on the sideline.

#WoooPig

Since coach Bret Bielema has come to Fayetteville, the Razorbacks seemingly play the most riveting games in the SEC.

Needing a two-point conversion to tie TCU late in regulation, leave it to Bielema to pull out all the stops from a creativity standpoint. No way was he going to have quarterback Austin Allen (below) run a conventional pass play.

Instead, Bielema flipped to the back of the playbook and called a reverse pass. Throwing said pass? Southpaw receiver Keon Hatcher. Catching said pass? None other than Allen, who slipped into the left flat unbeknownst to the Horned Frogs defense. Allen secured the soft toss from Hatcher with some nifty footwork in the end zone.

Allen capped the 41-38 win in double overtime with a QB keeper from 5 yards out, his fourth total TD of the evening.

#WarEagle

Auburn quarterback Sean White was 17-of-23 passing for 244 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in a 51-14 blowout of Arkansas State.

More important, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III combined to complete 0 passes on 0 attempts for 0 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. Yes, Tigers coach Gus Malzahn bagged his ridiculous three-headed QB rotation from Week 1. As a result, White was able to settle into the game without having to look over his shoulder.

White even ran for 60 yards on 10 carries, proving that he does indeed have a little wiggle in the read-option game.

#GoGators

It was fair to wonder if Florida could be as stubborn on defense as the 2015 team, which saw five key contributors taken in the NFL Draft. However, through two games, the Gators might be even better this year on D.

UF intercepted as many passes as Kentucky completed in a 45-7 thrashing. The play that All-SEC corner Teez Tabor made registering his INT was especially slick. With Vernon Hargreaves in the pros, Tabor is now the Alpha of a terrific secondary.

#UGA

It was a roller coaster of a game for Georgia receiver Isaiah McKenzie. His 66-yard catch-and-run touchdown injected some life into a receiving corps that wasn’t lending much support to Jacob Eason making his first career start.

But then on special teams late, he fumbled a punt that led to a Nicholls touchdown just two plays later. The next opportunity McKenzie had, he flubbed a kickoff inside his own 10 that made the two-point win even more of a nail-biter in the final minutes.

#BBN

From soup to nuts, it was an abysmal performance from Kentucky. The Wildcats were whipped in every phase of the game.

This is now Year 4 for coach Mark Stoops. He had a rep for being one of the better defensive minds in the land, yet Luke Del Rio looked like Danny Wuerffel. UK quarterbacks completed just as many passes to the other team as their own (three).

Following a pair of 5-7 campaigns, Stoops was supposed to take the ‘Cats bowling in 2016 — remember, the East is much easier to negotiate than the West. We’ve heard so much about his wins on the recruiting trail, including double-digit starters from the talent-rich Sunshine State. But this program is going nowhere fast.

Back at SEC Media Days in July, Stoops expressed frustration with his team’s inability to close out games in the fourth quarter. He left some Ws on the table, including one or two against this very Florida squad.

This time, Kentucky didn’t have a chance to finish. The Wildcats never even got started. Come closing time, they had long since quit.

#GeauxTigers

LSU coach Les Miles had finally seen enough, pulling out the hook for struggling quarterback Brandon Harris to the relief of many.

Danny Etling, a Purdue transfer, promptly threw a TD on his first drive to wake up not only the Tigers, but an antsy crowd at Death Valley. After sleepwalking early with Harris at the helm, Etling (below) sparked a 34-13 win over Jacksonville State. Still, his final numbers were hardly video game-like: 6-of-14 for 100 yards with a score and a pick.

Nevertheless, Miles can’t go back to Harris now. A full week of first-team reps in practice will do Etling a lot of good, too.

#hottytoddy

With Laquon Treadwell suiting up in the NFL these days, Chad Kelly entered 2016 without a primary target in the passing game.

That was evident in Week 1, as his wideouts were all kinds of inconsistent — excluding tight end Evan Engram, who played quite well — in Ole Miss’s collapse to Florida State. Kelly needed more help and didn’t get it.

The receiving corps had a much better performance in Week 2, as Van Jefferson, DeMarkus Lodge, Markell Pack and Damore’ea Stringfellow all reeled in at least three balls. Of course, Wofford featured a fraction of the talent defensively that the Seminoles did. Kelly didn’t have to work very hard to throw for 219 yards and 3 TDs.

Alabama visits Oxford in Week 3. The Crimson Tide are even better on the back end than FSU. Kelly’s supporting cast needs to ball out.

#HailState

Nick Fitzgerald was pulled after two three-and-outs just a week prior, so expectations were low for him making his second career start.

All he did was set a Mississippi State record with 195 yards rushing by a quarterback — no, Dak Prescott never had that much — on 17 carries. Additionally, he was relatively efficient through the air on 19-of-29 passing.

One of many several coaches to try his hand with multiple signal callers in Week 1, this time Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen let Fitzgerald take control of the game both on the ground and through the air. MSU continues to struggle with production at tailback, but Fitzgerald was awfully Prescott-like with his dual-threat abilities.

That being said, the sledding will be much tougher for Fitzgerald in Week 3 traveling to Baton Rouge. LSU isn’t South Carolina.

#Mizzou

We heard so much before the season about Missouri having one of the best defensive lines in the entire nation.

But even in a 61-21 laugher over outmatched Eastern Michigan, the Tigers weren’t able to generate much pressure on the enemy passer. Eagles quarterback Todd Porter managed to throw 45 passes yet only got sacked once.

Charles Harris, a decorated D-end, hasn’t touched the QB in two games. Terry Beckner Jr., a gifted D-tackle, doesn’t have a sack either.

#spursup

Even though he threw two TDs late, it only takes one play to demonstrate that Brandon McIlwain lacks instincts as a quarterback.

On his very first play, taking over for the frustrated Perry Orth, he scrambled to the right after a bad snap — essentially running for his life with Mississippi State defenders in pursuit. Still, McIlwain (below) had every opportunity to sling the ball into the seats to make it second-and-10. Instead, he ran out of bounds. Result? Second-and-24.

There is a lot to like about McIlwain’s future at South Carolina. He has so much to learn, though. So does this offense as a whole.

#GBO

For the second consecutive game, Tennessee’s offensive line was pushed around in the trenches. That’s not supposed to happen.

In Week 1, Appalachian State’s smaller, quicker defensive linemen were able to penetrate the bigger, slower Volunteers and blow up several plays in the backfield. Even if UT ran for 239 yards in Week 2, Jalen Hurd had to fight awfully hard for his 99 on 22 bruising attempts facing Virginia Tech.

In two weeks, the Vols will have to find a way to block Florida’s defensive front. The Gators look to have an advantage there.

#GigEm

Texas A&M was able to rack up the rushing stats against Prairie View, gaining 277 yards on the ground and averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Spreading the wealth in a lopsided game, no Aggie was given more than 8 attempts.

But for the second consecutive week, the most promising A&M ball carrier was Keith Ford, the transfer from Oklahoma. With 62 yards and 2 touchdowns, he runs with a certain anger that is a welcome addition to what has been a finesse offense.

#anchordown

It’s time to start mentioning Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb more often when talking about the SEC’s best running backs.

With the Commodores still having all kinds of trouble throwing the ball — Kyle Shurmur didn’t complete a single pass in the first quarter — Webb was nearly unstoppable to the tune of 29 carries for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. He now leads the conference in rushing with 308 yards through two games.

Barring injury, Webb is a virtual lock to become Vandy’s all-time leading rusher by season’s end. And he’s only a junior.

Sweet Tweet

Bielema runs a classy program. He did at Wisconsin, and he continues to do so at Arkansas. After upsetting TCU in overtime, the Hogs still took the time to clean up after themselves like polite guests once they were done with the visiting locker room.

Win, lose or draw, leave it how you found it! Thanks @TCU_Equipment for the hospitality! Good luck! #WoooPig pic.twitter.com/Y2T6aB8Fe2

— Razorback Equipment (@RazorbackEquip) September 11, 2016

Sweet Stat

Florida has now defeated Kentucky a ridiculous 30 times in a row. The last time the Wilcats beat the Gators, “Amanda” by Boston was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, “Crocodile Dundee” was the top-selling movie at the box office and “The Cosby Show” was the highest-rated program on television. Gag me with a spoon.

Sweet Quote

“When I catch the ball, I just try to turn to an offensive player and score a touchdown, make a big play for the team. I know it was a crucial turnover. We needed to score, so I tried my best to get into the end zone.”

— Alabama S Eddie Jackson

Pick Six

• After a quiet Week 1, receiver Calvin Ridley was clearly a big part of Alabama’s game plan early. In the first quarter alone, he had 5 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.
• Kicker Eddy Pineiro is arguably the most popular player on Florida’s roster. He rebounded from an earlier miss to boot a 53-yard field goal that would have been good from 60.
• Rarely does a defensive lineman lead his team in tackles, but Georgia’s Trenton Thompson is a rare talent. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound sophomore was unblockable and made 11 stops.
• The hottest seat in the SEC through two weeks belongs to Stoops. Despite accomplishing little in Lexington, it would still cost Kentucky about $12 million to fire him this season.
• With Speedy Noil back following a one-game suspension, Texas A&M’s receiving corps looked scary good collectively. Quarterback Trevor Knight is spreading the love, too.
• Weather was a factor across the country, including a lightning delay in the Middle Tennessee-Vanderbilt matchup that lasted an hour and 44 minutes.

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John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.