SEC Week 1 Round-up: Vanderbilt and Georgia impress, Florida does not, dross in the middle
The SEC was involved in four major match-ups with weekend, with Georgia playing Clemson, LSU playing Southern Cal (USC), Texas A&M at home to Notre Dame, and Florida hosting Miami.
Oh, and Vanderbilt played the other game FBS game SEC schools were involved in, battling out with Virginia Tech.
It was hard not to be impressed with Georgia’s kerb-stomping of Clemson. But LSU losing a neutral site game to USC was OK. We’re a lot happier with the state of the Tigers than we are with Texas A&M’s offense loss to higher-ranked Notre Dame or almost everything that was the Florida Gators.
But Vanderbilt? Jeez. The Commodores were 13 1/2 point underdogs. But they won. Even after blowing a 17 point half-time lead.
So here we go in some sort of ‘I was impressed’ order:
- Georgia (1-0): Pummeled Clemson after a slow start. They made the adjustments, Clemson did not.
- Vanderbilt (1-0): 13 1/2 point underdogs. 7 point deficits in the third quarter AFTER blowing a 17 point leads usually look unsurmountable for this group. But they were awesome in defense on Virginia Tech’s overtime drive, and came away with a stunning win.
- Oklahoma (1-0): Stuffed Temple 51-3. Deion Burks – the transfer from Purdue – had 3 TDs and Jackson Arnold threw for 4 total. But it was against Temple. Who are crap.
- Texas (1-0): It was Colorado State, so OF COURSE everyone including God Himself was going to say that the Longhorns were going to win the Natty after this one (and talk relentlessly about Arch Manning’s 92 yards passing).
- LSU (0-1): In a game that had NFL players all over the place, losing in the final seconds after a circus catch isn’t the worst loss LSU has had this season. A loss to Ole Miss, Alabama, or A&M couldn’t put them in direr straights though.
- Texas A&M (0-1): Jimbo Fisher’s offense seems to have come over a year later, because it was same old, same old for the Aggies against Notre Dame. Bad quarterback play. In effective running game. Outgained by over 100 yards. The quest for a CFP Play-off Spot not over by any stretch of the imagination, but things have to improve.
- South Carolina (1-0): Things don’t bode well if you struggle mightily with a non-FBS team. Gamecocks fans will blame the weather delay, but other teams around the country had that. They just weren’t….very good.
- Kentucky (1-0): The game was called off after a weather delay, but the Wildcats were cruising at 31-0 during the 3rd quarter, with Brock Vandergriff throwing for 169 yards and 3 TDs.
- Alabama (1-0): Thumped Western Kentucky, with Jalen Milroe putting an astonishing 200 yards and 3 TDs…on 7 completed passed (he finished 7 for 9). Granted WKU suck, but this is quite a feat.
- Mississippi State (1-0): Thumped EKU, but struggled with the run-blocking.
- Missouri (1-0): Congratulations to Mizzou for beating a basketball school, whose alumni includes Ja Morant. Murray State has had a dry spell recently, not making the tournament since 2022, but we’re told they’ve recruited well for the 2024 season.
- Ole Miss (1-0): Wait: Didn’t Furman set the world on fire by beating Virginia in the 2023 March Madness tournament?
- Auburn (1-0): Congratulations on beating a school that’s not great at basketball, either.
- Tennessee (1-0): Did you know Terrell Owens played there? Oh, and the Mocs’ basketball team even made a Sweet 16 in 2007, after shocking No.3 Georgia and No.6 Illinois, before finally succumbing 71-65 to Providence. I’m told that UTC will be pretty good this year.
- Arkansas (1-0): Did you know Arkansas Pine-Bluff last made March Madness in 2010 (won in D 61-44 and then in the 32 to Duke 73-44).
- Florida (0-1): Words cannot express how awful Florida was against Miami. At one point I was asking: “What’s Florida’s worst loss at home?”. The Gators looked disjointed. Graham Mertz should never have been the starting quarterback. Napier failed to get one in the transfer portal. They actually looked weaker in every way, until Mertz was injured and DJ Langway took over. If Napier doesn’t start Langway, then he should be run out of town earlier than….he probably will.