Each week, we’ll be running down who is tearing up the SEC and who is slumping. After week 3, we’ve got a couple of high powered units dominating opponents, while a group that doesn’t wear helmets and pads had a rough Saturday.

Hot

  • Arkansas’ running game. The Razorbacks are running hog-wild over their opponents right now. They’re averaging 362 yards per game, 32 more than the fearsome Auburn Tigers are (and doing it on fewer carries per game), and have already topped 1,000 yards. On Saturday, they flat out steamrolled Texas Tech, calling power running plays and daring the Red Raiders to stop them. Alex Collins, Korliss Marshall and Jonathan Williams and co. rang up 438 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.
  • LSU’s defense. Since the Tigers fell behind 24-7 with 12:24 to go in the third quarter of their opener, they’ve outscored their opponents 108-0. That’s 147:24 of game time without a single score allowed. The fact that they’re doing it while still working in several redshirt freshman is even more impressive.
  • Maty Mauk and Kenny Hill. Both QBs are lighting up secondaries. Mauk has thrown for a touchdown on a quarter of his completions (12 of 48) for some off-the-charts efficiency. Of course, Maty has made a few bad decisions with his picks, but he’s developing into the most entertaining signal caller in the SEC. Hill, meanwhile, was once again flawless piloting Texas A&M’s potent attack. He might not match the 511 yards he had in the opener as A&M heads into its SEC slate, but he’s shown he’s ready to be one of the SEC’s best.

Not

  • Marshall Morgan. Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium, we saw a prime example of the old saying “it happens to the best of us.” Morgan, Georgia’s kicker, is one of the best in the country, but had one of his worst days against South Carolina. With circumstances conspiring against him – a wet field and ball, kicking into the student section – Morgan missed what should have been a gimme field goal to tie the game, his second miss of the evening.
  • O.J. Howard. The Alabama tight end isn’t just cold; he’s in a deep freeze, with no catches through three games. Maybe Nick Saban is keeping him on ice until he’s needed in SEC play, or maybe Lane Kiffin hasn’t figured out how to use him. The latter seems impossible, given Howard’s skill set.
  • SEC referees. The officials made two calls that had two separate fan bases pulling their hair out. First, they awarded a first down to South Carolina with under two minutes to go, sealing the Gamecocks win, when TV angles made it look like the ball was a hair short. Later in the night, Florida appeared to have committed a delay of game penalty on a fourth down in overtime, but the referees didn’t blow their whistles and the Gators tied it up against Kentucky, going on to win in three OTs. The SEC issued a statement on Sunday, but didn’t give any comment as to whether or not a flag should have been thrown.