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Well, at least Florida is recovering under new coach Jim McElwain.
As new fall golfer Steve Spurrier might say, the rest of the SEC East, is well, not up to par. At 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, Tennessee is the division’s second-best team.
The most common thread among the five least of the East is poor offensive play, especially at quarterback. That doesn’t include Kentucky, where Patrick Towles and Boom Williams haven’t been able to make up for defensive woes.
Missouri and Vanderbilt have been terrible on offense. South Carolina’s offense is merely bad. Georgia’s offense disappeared in October, a week before Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury against Tennessee. Kentucky took a header after its rally fell short against Auburn in a Thursday night home loss.
Let’s look at the problems facing East teams, beginning at the top of the bottom:
Tennessee: The Vols are close, but have failed to close. The Vols blew leads of 13 points or more against Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas. They also led Alabama late in the fourth quarter.
Butch Jones has assembled a collection of much-heralded talent, which has gone toe-to-toe with three top 15 teams only to come up one play short. Jones made glaring mistakes down the stretch against Oklahoma and Florida.
But the comeback victory against Georgia and the thorough dismantling of Kentucky have given the Vols momentum that should increase if they blitz through struggling division opponents as expected to close out the regular season. We won’t know until next year whether the Vols have learned how to win tight games.
Georgia: The Bulldogs (5-3, 3-3) have serious issues. Georgia, once again unable to deliver as the preseason division favorite, doesn’t have a quarterback. In a few weeks, the Bulldogs may not have a coach, either. Mark Richt’s future seems in doubt.
The loss Alabama compounded by Chubb’s injury on the first play at Tennessee and the blown 24-point lead in Knoxville sent the Bulldogs’ season into free fall. The calls for Richt’s ouster are a distraction. The bright side: Georgia has four very winnable games remaining, including a regular-season finale against 3-6 Georgia Tech.
Kentucky: Towles may be the No. 2 quarterback in the division behind Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs. Boom Williams has averaged 6.62 yards per carry. But 11 interceptions — seven in their four losses — stopped Kentucky (4-4, 2-4) in its quest for a winning record in conference play.
The Wildcats’ biggest problems are on defense. They’ve given up more than 41 points per game during their three-game losing streak. Kentucky is soft against the run. In their last two games, the Wildcats have yielded 453 yards and 6 TDs on the ground and more than 5.7 yards per carry.
Missouri: Though Missouri (4-4, 1-4) may be the SEC’s best defensive team, the Tigers’ offense is terrible throughout. Running back Russell Hansbrough, the team’s only playmaker, has been injured.
Regardless, a veteran offensive line hasn’t opened holes or provided adequate pass protection. There’s no go-to receiver among a group that can’t get open. Maty Mauk’s suspension can’t be blamed. Mizzou wasn’t scoring when he was in the lineup. The Tigers haven’t scored a touchdown in their last three games.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks (3-5, 1-5) have no coach, no quarterback and no hope the rest of the season with its traditional “Orange Crush” finish featuring Tennessee, Florida and Clemson beginning on Saturday. The November 21 game with The Citadel might have been an fun week if it weren’t for the media attention that will come with the 25th anniversary of the Gamecocks’ horrific 38-35 loss to the Bulldogs at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Pharoh Cooper is a versatile playmaker. Brandon Wilds is a capable ball carrier. But without a solid quarterback, the offense has bogged down. The defense has been porous at times, most notably forcing only four third downs while giving up 52 points to Georgia. Interim coach Shawn Elliott has injected some enthusiasm, though.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores (3-5, 1-3) haven’t been able to move the ball with dual-threat quarterback Johnny McCrary, who has thrown 12 interceptions, or Kyle Shurmur, who’s averaging only 3.5 yards per pass attempt. The defense has been outstanding, but the offense is ridiculously bad.
How bad? Take away 47 points against FCS member Austin Peay and the Commodores are averaging fewer than 10 points per game.
