Gators, Tide, Tigers chomping at the bit: 8 Things About the SEC After Week 8
1) Well, South Carolina got a fine lesson in not turning the ball over, didn’t they? The Gamecocks had four turnovers, and were punished for each one. Heck, they were punished for everything else they did badly, too by the Gators and tens of thousands of Gator fans chomping at the bit for more.
2) As for Texas A&M – another game with a fantastic atmosphere – Kyle Field learned what it’s like to be Les Miles-ed, where your team outplays the Tigers for half-a-game only to go in at the break losing and then being smashmouthed by defense and running backs for the second. LSU wasn’t great in Aggieland, but sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than great – especially if your quarterback’s Zach Mettenberger. The guy needs non-stop lessons about not overthrowing his receiver. Oh, and A&M went back to its old self of giving up a double-digit lead.
3) We don’t know if they were looking towards Jacksonville, but Georgia was dreadful against Kentucky on Sunday night. They were unable to run the ball or throw it particularly well, and we saw nothing that makes us think that the Dawgs – which suddenly are in the driver’s seat in the SEC East (if they beat Florida and don’t, er, play like Georgia has been throughout 2012) – will beat Florida, and everything to think that Mike Gillislee could put up 150 yards on his own on Saturday.
4) Kentucky: Where have you been this season? Your team played with heart, courage and some defense! Why did Joker Phillips wait until now to get his team up for the challenge? Wildcats fans: There is a future. It might not be in Atlanta anytime soon (unless you want to play a season opener in the Georgia Dome), but you know what, this suddenly didn’t become a dreadful side. Unless, of course, Georgia really were that bad…
5) Johnny Manziel: Some runs got the heart racing. This player is going to be God in Aggieland for years to come. In a place that loves its heroes, this could be the biggest since The Bear. But for crying out loud, the turnovers are going to kill him – as they did against LSU, and he has to learn that he can’t do everything.
6) We dubbed Vanderbilt and Auburn the ‘Car Crash Bowl’, because watching the game was distinctly uncomfortable and we felt genuinely like going to church and apologizing to God for watching it. It was absolutely horrific. Vandy won, by the way. Auburn’s stretch of losing to teams it doesn’t usually lose to continues. I bet the Tigers fans can’t wait for their drubbing in the Iron Bowl. Oh, and congratulations to Zac Stacy for being Vandy’s top running back in the school’s history. Nice one. He even got a touchdown for the pleasure…..Auburn didn’t seem to want to tackle him.
7) Tennessee looked OK in the first half against Alabama, only trailing by 10 at half time. Then, Tennessee – and in particular Tyler Bray (who threw 2 picks and overthrew his receivers) made the mistakes and Alabama capitalised, and Darth Saban’s Death Star rolls on. Is there any team that can beat the Crimson Tide this year?
8) No great surprise that Mississippi State beat MTSU this week because……SORRY I’M DEAFENED BY THE SOUND OF COWBELL I CAN’T FREAKING HEAR YOU BUT I HEAR YOU’RE GOING TO PLAY ALABAMA NEXT WEEK. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT.