Game of the Week
Auburn at Georgia
Auburn meets Georgia “between the hedges” of Sanford Stadium for a top 10 matchup. #7 Auburn opened the season with a win over Kentucky, while #4 Georgia beat Arkansas.
Auburn quarterback Bo Nix threw for three touchdowns in the win. Two were to junior wide receiver Seth Williams. While Nix proved to be effective passing, the running game was another story. The Auburn rushing attack only had 106 yards in the win over Kentucky. They will be facing a stiff challenge in the Georgia defense. The Bulldogs surrendered only 77 rushing yards in their win over Arkansas.
Georgia is dealing with a bit of a quarterback conundrum. Freshman D’Wan Mathis started against Arkansas, but was pulled after throwing only 55 yards and an interception. Stetson Barrett came in and threw for two touchdowns. Stetson is the presumed starter, however, J.T. Daniels could see action this week. Daniels, the transfer from USC, was recently cleared for contact.
This will be the 125th meeting in the “Oldest Rivalry in the Deep South”. This will be the earliest date the two teams have played, as they typically play in November. Georgia has won their last three against Auburn.
Player to Watch
Kyle Pitts, Florida
Kyle Pitts was simply dominant in the season opener against Ole Miss. The junior tight end caught 8 passes for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns. Pitts will look to keep that going into this week’s matchup against South Carolina. In last season’s meeting with the Gamecocks, Pitts had 5 catches for 29 yards a touchdown.
Pitts is not your average tight end. Check out his speed in the clip below.
Upset Alert
Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee was tested against South Carolina to begin the season. The Volunteers were able to hang on to win 31-27. They will be tested again this week against Missouri, and that is why I have them on upset alert.
Missouri was outmatched last week against Alabama, but that did not stop them from competing until the final whistle. And I mean the very final whistle, as the Tigers scored with time expiring in the fourth quarter.
The Missouri secondary had problems containing Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle, but their front seven held up rather well. On the day, the Tigers came away with nine tackles for loss. They also kept Alabama running back Najee Harris under 100 yards, as he finished with 98.
I can see Missouri hanging with Tennessee, potentially winning.
Woodshed Alert
Texas A&M at Alabama
Things can change fast in this league. Last week, I had Vanderbilt on “Woodshed Alert” as they faced Texas A&M. Now Texas A&M travels to take on Alabama, and they are on “Woodshed Alert”.
Texas A&M had trouble putting separation between themselves and Vanderbilt as they came away with a 17-12 win. While the defense was impressive, the offense was held back by inconsistent play from quarterback Kellen Mond. Mond only had 189 passing yards and lost a pair of fumbles. Now he gets to face an Alabama defense.
Nick Saban is 19-0 facing his former assistants as head coaches. Three of those wins have come against Jimbo Fisher. While that appears to give Saban some level of motivation, last week’s game against Missouri has given some extra. Saban was not pleased at how his team finished.
Good luck, Aggies!
Hot Seat
Jimbo Fisher
Jimbo Fisher is now in his third season at Texas A&M. This is when Texas A&M should expect to see dividends on their $75 million investment in Fisher. This week provides a measuring stick as the Aggies go on the road to face perennial power Alabama. As I mentioned above, Fisher has yet to beat Saban since he came to Texas A&M. In addition, the Aggies’ last win over a ranked conference opponent came in the seven overtime thriller against LSU in 2018.
Now, the SEC-only schedule presents Texas A&M with a great challenge. The Aggies next three are against #2 Alabama, #3 Florida, and a suddenly potent #16 Mississippi State.
If Texas A&M’s offense does not improve, things could get ugly quickly.
OUTTA HERE!
Clarknado Sports 