SDS Week 5 Mailbag: Best chance to beat Alabama, Kelly Bryant vs. Jalen Hurts and cornhole vs. bags
Welcome to Week 5 of the SDS Mailbag!
This week, Mizzou is on a bye, so I have an extra week of reliving one of the worst officiating plays I have ever seen in my life.
I mean, seriously, how has this play not become a national scandal yet?
Some great downfield blocking by the ref on UGA's pick six. Sorry Mizzou.pic.twitter.com/4HOcoE8jK2
— Saturday Down South (@SDS) September 22, 2018
I know Congress is busy right now, but I demand congressional hearings! First of all, forward progress anyone? Then, this ref threw such a perfect block that it will be shown on film for years.
Would Drew Lock have made the tackle? Probably not. Should he have even tried? Probably not, considering how important he is to the Tigers’ success. However, he should have still had a chance to make the play, and bozo referee up there took that chance away from him.
All right, now that I’m all worked up again, let’s get to your questions:
Robert:
This summer, Averion Hurts said his son Jalen would be “the biggest free agent in college football history” if he didn’t win the Alabama starting quarterback job. With this week’s news of Kelly Bryant’s impending transfer, it is now possible that both quarterbacks from the 2017 Alabama-Clemson College Football Playoff semifinal will be playing for different teams in 2019. Who would you rather have between the two Playoff veterans?
I’m going to come in strong here and say it’s Jalen Hurts, and it’s not even close. If I’m a team like Auburn, who many think will be involved with both Bryant and Hurts, I take my time and wait for Hurts to make his decision.
Just look at their 2017 numbers for all the proof you need that Hurts is the better quarterback:
Bryant: 262-for-398 passing, 2,802 yards, 13 touchdowns, 8 interceptions; 665 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns
Hurts: 154-for-255 passing, 2,081 yards, 17 touchdowns, 1 interception; 855 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns
Bryant may be a little bit better as an overall passer, but Hurts had more touchdowns and seven fewer interceptions. Hurts is also the more dynamic runner.
Look, both quarterbacks will be great for whatever school they end up at, but the fact that Hurts was even able to hang around in the quarterback competition with Tua Tagovailoa for as long as he did is nothing short of incredible. With what Tagovailoa has done this year, it’s absolutely crazy that Hurts has been able to stick around in Tuscaloosa for as long as he has.
That just goes to show his unique talent and how much he has progressed (even if Tagovailoa has progressed at a much faster rate). If he ends up at Auburn, where coach Gus Malzahn prefers a quarterback with Hurts’ skill set, watch out.
@SChinni12:
Between LSU, Auburn and Georgia, which team has the best chance to beat Alabama?
I’ll answer this a couple of different ways. If we’re assuming that Georgia is going to win the SEC East, then I give the Bulldogs the best chance of beating the Tide. However, since winning the division is no guarantee (especially with the way Kentucky is playing right now), I’ll also offer a different opinion.
I think that the Nov. 3 game at LSU is going to be tougher than people think for the Tide. The Tigers always play ‘Bama tough. Even last year, the score was a closer-than-it-seemed 24-10.
LSU has proven it can beat top-10 teams, with wins over Miami and Auburn already. While I think Alabama is a big step above both of those squads, playing this year’s Tigers team in Death Valley won’t be easy.
@Dobbe8:
You’re a high school senior in Canada picking an SEC school. You’re swept up in American football fever and want the best 4 years possible. Where are you going?
It depends on what you value most. If you want to see a title, you have to go to Alabama. The Tide haven’t had a four-year championship drought since Nick Saban took over.
However, if you want atmosphere, I have two options for you — Georgia and LSU. I know I’ve already angered 11 other SEC fanbases by leaving them off this list, but the Bulldogs are building something special under coach Kirby Smart. I really think they’re going to win a title in the next four years.
Then there’s LSU. If you’re looking for a great SEC football atmosphere, look no further than Tiger Stadium. A night game at Death Valley is a bucket-list item, and if this hypothetical Canadian high school senior were looking for the best gameday experience, Baton Rouge is tough to beat.
Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
@ThatTruth2018:
Do you think the white board that Jeremy Pruitt kicked will file charges or will it be handled in house?
What is it with the Vols and weird sideline props and sayings? First it was Butch Jones’ brick-by-brick motto, then last year someone had the great idea to put a trash can on the sideline. How did someone not realize they would be mocked for that?
This, at least, wasn’t some bizarre motivation tactic — it was simply an angry head coach kicking a whiteboard. However, if you think that won’t be replayed 1,000 times during the Vols’ remaining eight games, you’re wrong.
With every loss the Vols pile up this season, it’ll increasingly become the Year of the Whiteboard in Knoxville. I, for one, can’t wait to see what theme the 2019 season ends up having.
@JhyphenM65:
How many coaches hate Nick Saban after he asked for bad press?
In case you missed it, things are going so well for Alabama that Saban actually asked (somewhat jokingly) for media members to write something negative about the Crimson Tide.
I don’t think it’s that coaches hate Saban, per se, as he seems to be very well respected in the industry (six titles will do that). However, it certainly is a problem that no other top program has.
Just off the top of my head, Ohio State has the ugly Urban Meyer scandal, Clemson has the Kelly Bryant transfer drama, Oklahoma just needed overtime to beat Army and Georgia players can’t stop dropping the football before they cross the goal line.
Meanwhile, Alabama is blowing opponents out and looking like an absolute juggernaut. However, I will say one bad thing about the Tide, just to humor Saban — their 35.9 yards-per-punt average ranks only 120th in the country.
That’s definitely what keeps Saban up at night these days.
And now for our non-football question of the week:
@Dobbe8 (again):
Is it cornhole or bags?
I’ve lived in Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Utah and California, so I can tell you I have heard it both ways. In the Midwest, it’s generally cornhole, while I usually hear it called bags on the East Coast. I even had one friend in Utah who called it “Baggo” (looking at you, Alan).
It was called cornhole because the bags were originally filled with corn. Even as we have gotten away from that a bit today (with beans usually providing the filling), every now and then you’ll find a set that still uses corn.
Those are the best, providing authentic gameplay, so next time you’re at a tailgate, please call it cornhole. That’s the most popular name for it across the country, and it’s just more fun to say than “bags.”
I think Jalen is too much of an AL boy to go to Auburn or Tennessee.
Can you imagine him going to Florida with Mullen?
My neighbor has a cornhole set (painted with a big Bama “A” of them) that the bags are filled with corn. I definitely think that the corn filling is much better than the beans (or the sand in one case).
Anyone struggling that much about the Missouri game probably shouldn’t be allowed to make comments on what it takes to beat the Tide. A bad case of little man’s syndrome if I ever heard one.
You seem fun.
So, in terms of that play, what do they do if it’s immediately decided that it had an effect on the play? Is it just, “suck it up, tough break”? (Not fair, IMO)
In the play above, it appears that the ref moved to the right because he rightly assumed Tyson would cut left across the field. Drew thought Tyson was going to continue down the sideline and was trying to edge him out of bounds. He ran into the ref who was also edging to the sideline.
The real problem with that play, and this is my opinion, but by the looks of it the ref should of blew the whistle and stopped the play because of forward progress. His forward progress is clearly stopped yet they let the UGA players continue to go after the ball. I have seen the whistle blow a lot quicker in other plays similar to that, so I guess it is more of a judgement call by the ref.
Exactly 17Tide. I don’t have any issues with the ref getting in the way. That stuff happens even across the middle on routes and stuff but I do believe that play should have been blown dead
I’ve never even heard it called “bags.” Not that I think Auburn needs to go after either, but I would rather have Bryant. He’s a much better passer and still has some wheels.
Yeah, never heard of bags.
I’m not sure which is better, but I think Auburn would be more likely to get Bryant, so I’d go after him first if I were Gus.
The bias is strong with this one. I think that beginning needed an explicit disclaimer.
If you think that was the worst instance of officiating ever, you haven’t watched a ton of football. I get that Mizzou didn’t like the result, and I wouldn’t either, but it wasn’t “obviously” bad. No way to be sure, but looks like the ref was trying to do his job and the returner used him. I’m sure Lock’s offenses have tried or done the same thing over the course of his career. That’s football until we figure out something better. As for forward progress, pretty sure that can’t be reviewed. And most offenses on 3rd down, with a completion to a TE near the line-to-gain, would prefer to give their guy a chance, as the refs did. He just lost the ball a second early instead of waiting for a whistle.
I wouldn’t say it was an example of great officiating, and I get not liking it. But it wasn’t close to the worst officiating ever, and I don’t think it merits publically calling the ref a “bozo” in a published piece.
Worst officiating? Hell no. Especially in terms of what Mizzou has dealt with over the years.
NOTHING will ever surpass the infamous Fifth Down against Colorado (which somehow allowed them later that season to claim a Natty) Plus we’ve got the Flea Kicker, along with a whole slew of fun calls that has sapped the fan base into a constant “how else can this go wrong?” underlying attitude.
That blocking ref was nothing in the scheme of Missouri lowlights.
You know, it’s kind of hard to rank, really. Suck-ness is such a hard thing to quantify.
“Then there’s LSU. If you’re looking for a great SEC football atmosphere, look no further than Tiger Stadium. A night game at Death Valley is a bucket-list item, and if this hypothetical Canadian high school senior were looking for the best gameday experience, Baton Rouge is tough to beat.”
Yes, a night game in Death Valley. LSU loses a showdown game (as usual) and drunken and vindictive cajuns spend the evening vandalizing cars with out of state license plates. I’ve had it happen twice. I had this misfortune of living in Baton Rouge for 7 years and knew people that bragged about doing this personally.
Sorry about your property but that has nothing to do with the experience at Death Valley during the game. Those are external things.. it sucks but you can’t control them. I have actually have been to 8 of the SEC stadiums and the only places where my property has been vandalized has been Athens and Tuscaloosa. Have been to LSU 3 times and not one problem.
Poor dude sounds bitter. He was probably there when Bama was on probation and LSU was beating them regularly. I spent a few very nice years in Baton Rouge. The fans are passionate but not many are out of control. No more than anywhere else. I doubt his car was vandalized twice. That’s just not very credible.
Agree LSUSMC. There are nuts everywhere. As much as I want to talk crap when visiting another teams campus I quickly realize I have Auburn stuff on my vehicle. Also his comment on “LSU loses a showdown game (as usual)..” doesn’t LSU have almost a .900 winning percentage at home when at night?
Not so great against Bama lately. We have been competitive, but can’t get over the hump.
No, actually I lived there in the 1980’s, so it definitely wasn’t during the one period in all these long decades in which LSU had the upper hand. The fans there aren’t going to vandalize *your vehicle*, because you aren’t showing up there in Saban’s return game when Alabama kicked LSU right in the teeth.
What’s LSU’s winning percentage at night against Alabama in Tiger stadium?
LSU has been losing showdown games on a regular basis since 2011. There is a reason they haven’t won more than 9 games for years now. It is a program in obvious decline, regardless of how many games Gus Malzahn gives them.
Fans like you are just sad. Instead of just being happy your team is doing well, you feel the need to belittle others. It’s you we feel sorry for.
No, I feel the need to point out things happened to me as a guest in that place twice, in light of this site recommending it so heartily. As I said, I was a resident of the city for 7 years. Don’t believe me? Feel free to google Parkview Elementary, Mckinley Middle Magnet, and Mckinley High School. Those are the schools I attended while living there. I was harassed so much as a child for wearing Alabama attire that I gradually stopped doing it. Upon returning many years later, my vehicle (or that of the person I rode with) was twice vandalized. I don’t particularly care if you believe me or not, but I wouldn’t recommend to any fan of a rival team that they venture to Tiger stadium for a night game.
I’ve been to a game at every SEC school except A&M. My experience has been that people that act like jerks generally find jerks on the other side and people that act civilized generally find civilized fans on the other side. Then there are the anomalies. My wife once got punched in the back of the head by a mentally disabled female LSU fan when the Gators scored a TD in Baton Rouge. I’m not calling the Tiger names, she was genuinely disabled. I watched Auburn fans try to tip over an occupied vehicle with Gator logos at a red light. The one time we went to Athens I had a little kid jump out at me barking and his dad had to literally drag him off us. My brand new convertible was even vandalized in Nashville once. I think the worst one was when I almost had to fight a fellow Gator who was going off on a female Seminole fan in our group in Tallahassee. Every school has that fringe element that does not reflect the values of the vast majority of fans that are decent human beings. There will always be a small percentage of people who just don’t understand that football is not a valid excuse to treat people poorly. It doesn’t matter where you go. Even Gainesville and Tuscaloosa.
We may disagree about jorts, but I can agree with you on this.
How traumatic for you to have a little kid jump out at you and bark!
Why is everyone saying Bryant or Hurts will choose Auburn? Don’t they have a quarterback already?
who?
Tyler simmons was onside
UGA lost…..