Another week is down, and of course, it had ramifications when it comes to Hot Seats in the SEC. We start off in familiar territory, once again.
Billy Napier, Florida
Billy Napier suffered another loss to bring his record at Florida to 20-21. Of course, questions about Napier’s future arose during his weekly press conference.
While Napier understandably is downplaying this, the play of his quarterback definitely is a concern. Sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway was picked off a handful of times against LSU. He will be counted on to improve with a tough road ahead, beginning at #4 Miami this Saturday night.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Speaking of improving, Alabama looks much better than they did in their season opener. Quarterback Ty Simpson was nearly perfect as he threw for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s 38-14 win over Wisconsin. Star receiver Ryan Williams also made his presence felt with this sensational play.
Things appear to be clicking for Alabama, but we will find out how real it is when they go to Georgia on September 27.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops made a change at quarterback and the offense responded by scoring touchdowns on four of their first five possessions. Freshman Cutter Boley threw for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While Boley’s performance was encouraging for a struggling Kentucky offense, it is important to note that it came against 0-3 Eastern Michigan.
Kentucky is on a bye this week. Their next opponent is South Carolina, who has been dealing with issues of their own.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Arkansas went to Oxford and battled Ole Miss, but ultimately fell short. This is the Razorbacks’ fourth straight loss in SEC play.
After the loss, Sam Pittman was clearly frustrated with some of the calls on the field.
A major positive for Arkansas has been the play of quarterback Taylen Green. Green is leading the country in total offense with 391 yards per game. The Razorbacks will need him to maintain that level of play as they navigate a difficult stretch against 3-0 Memphis and Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s pass defense has struggled thus far this season, so look out for an upset when they come to Fayetteville later this month.
Brent Venables, Oklahoma & Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Oklahoma and Auburn face off this weekend, so it is fitting to cover Brent Venables and Hugh Freeze together this week. Both Oklahoma and Auburn head into this matchup undefeated, and now they begin SEC play against each other.
Both Venables and Freeze began the season on the hot seat, and brought in quarterbacks to improve their respective teams’ outlooks. Three weeks in, both quarterbacks have done just that. Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold will return to Norman Saturday, where he spent his first two seasons. Arnold has proven to be a dual-threat playmaker, with four touchdown passes and four rushing scores.
Venables was complimentary of his former quarterback when asked about Arnold.
His current quarterback, John Mateer has been one of the most exciting players in college football so far this season. Mateer ranks second nationally in total offense with 368.3 yards per game. That was highlighted by his performance against Michigan in which he ran for two touchdowns and threw for another.
This is a pivotal game for both teams as well as their respective coaches. Who will come out on top this weekend?
OUTTA HERE!
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