# SEC 1st week thoughts



## WickedTider (Aug 31, 2014)

After watching the first weekend of games, what are your Division rankings, and your teams performance thoughts?

My opinion, the best showings were UGA, Tex A&M, LSU. 
I put UGA at top of East, and A&M/LSU at top of the West at this point. 

Bama's secondary is either terrible, or was a no show. Running game on O looked good, and I still put a ? When it comes to QB. Sims did enough to win, but it's obvious he cannot stretch the field. We have tons of room for improvement, but the kicking game did look solid. 

What are y'all's thoughts?


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## BowChilling (Aug 31, 2014)

I can't disagree with anything you said. I hope Georgia wasn't a mirage! That second half of football was pretty dang good. 

A&M was the biggest surprise to me though. A Texas school in the SEC is gong to be talent rich!


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## Old Dead River (Aug 31, 2014)

Mississippi State will be a force to be reckoned with when their conference play begins. Granted their first three games are crème puffs, they dominated southern miss in every sense of the word and took the pedal off the gas midway through the third quarter. they had already been rotating their 2nd string offensive and defensive squads in prior to that. this could've easily been a 70-0 game.

State has returned more starters and has more depth than anyone over there. LSU had an impressive comeback but it is very evident that this is not the LSU of the past few years, they sent far too many players to the pros to compete on the level they did previously. Wisconsin could've won that game.

Alabama did not impress me, WV is definitely a good team but bama's defense isn't what is typically is and despite reasonable success their qb isn't the effective game manager that McCarron was. I look for them to improve on this as the season goes by. Most of the top tier pres season teams underperformed this week.
I really thought Boise St. had an opportunity to beat Ole Miss. The final score was misleading as the game was very close until the fourth quarter. Bo Wallace is a streaky quarterback and I think Hugh Freeze is right to worry about his team being incomplete. Texas A&M's rout of South Carolina was impressive but is this an indictment on how good they are or how bad South Carolina are. The gamecocks looked slow and inept on both sides of the ball boasting a porous swiss cheese defense. This is not the south Carolina of the past two years. We'll see how Texas A&M does when they face teams with a pass rush and good coverage. Auburn's second half against Ark was impressive. They won't have the luck they did last year obviously. Ark is unfortunately very one dimensional, big 320 lb offensive line but you have to be able to throw the ball some in the sec to win.

If Dan Mullen can't knock off some of the sec west stalwarts with this team, under these circumstances - after so many players have been graduated and gone pro by other top programs (the cycle year) then he will never win at Miss. State. If they can go to Death Valley in a few weeks and win then the bulldogs will be for real and may be Atlanta bound. Dak Prescott is a darkhorse Heisman candidate. He's got legs like Nick Marshall, but isn't nearly as one dimensional, he's bigger, stronger, and can throw the ball. He's become a very good passer.


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## rhbama3 (Aug 31, 2014)

My first thoughts are that it is too early to really know how the season will play out. I did watch a LOT of football yesterday and went back and watched the first half of Bama/WVU that i missed live.
Bama-
Blake Sims did about as well as i think we could realistically expect. He only tried the deep ball 5 times or so and with the exception of Christion Jones dropped gimme TD, they were terrible. The short to intermediate route passes were good, but the fact that he went to Amari Cooper 12 times shows me he fixated on him and ignored other receivers who were open and in better field position. The run game and offensive line finally gelled but it took halfway thru the third quarter to look solid. Henry, Yeldon, and Drake all looked good as expected.
Defensively...... not as bright. When was the last time we had a Saban defense that couldn't stop a screen pass? Granted, Bradley Sylve was a huge liability in place of the suspended Trey Depriest, but come on! He got hammered and they keyed on that weak spot in the linebacker ranks all game. The defensive line totally shut down the mountaineer run game ( 28 yards/24 carries) but considering how well they carved us up in passing does it matter? At the end of the game i was just glad that we weren't playing the  Texas A&M team that USCe faced. The Mountaineers gifted us with crucial dropped passes when it counted and the Tide defense got 3 sacks and at least put SOME pressure on Trickett but he still completed 29-45 for 365 yards.
If Depriest returns and the defense is still like this, well...... i don't want to think about it.
Special teams- Griffith was great! 4/4 o FG's and long yardage at that! Kick Coverage- Lets another 100 yard return for a TD happen? Are you kidding me? 
UGA:
By far the best looking team of the SEC as far as complete package. The 2nd half defense looked like a totally different team. There are enough threads on them to tal about.
Ole Miss:
scored 4 TD's in the 4th quarter to make it look like a blow out on paper, but Wallace looked terrible most of the game and Boise's lack of depth was the only reason this one got away. I'm not buying the rebel black bears as a contender just yet.
LSU:
looked tight most of the game and Wisconsin gave them everything they could handle for 48 minutes. LSU's offensive line finally made some holes in the 4th quarter for 15 points they needed to come back and win.
Texas A&M:
Scary good on offense but saw lots of missed opportunities by Carolina on defense. I'll tell you right now, this team will be a nightmare for us.
Vandy:
New coach Derek Mason looked nervous, uncomfortable, and confused. So did the team. Lost by 30 to Temple? They are a disaster this year with no bright spots that i could see. Enjoy the stat padding if you play them this year.


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## Georgia Hard Hunter (Aug 31, 2014)

I agree Ole Miss will not score enough points to be a contender with Jeckel/Hyde QB Bo Wallace but I think the defense is for real and will deliver the PAIN


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## flowingwell (Aug 31, 2014)

Good: Tam very impressive, UGA good win (defense playing much smarter, rb's are really good, really miss Murray at QB)
Miss st rolled southern miss. Auburn is a different team with Marshall, very explosive.

Not sure about bama, LSU , neither was overly impressive but still got the win.

Bad: South Carolina and Vandy. I'm sure sc will improve but they looked shell shocked. Vandy was awful


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## RipperIII (Aug 31, 2014)

I watched the BAMA game from the 50 yd line.

WVU has speed all over the field, and they are well coached, almost always in position.
Sims made 5 poor throws, 2 were short hopped in the first half...nerves, 1 was a poor decision = pick and he was behind on 2, otherwise he threw the ball well with zip and accuracy.
C. Jones dropped 2 sure catches for big yards.
Sims did "lock on" a few times, but he also checked down several times.
He could have pulled the ball down and run for big yards on 2 plays but threw the ball instead...he'll figure that out.
Yeldon and Henry both made great pick ups on blitzs adn Sims had plenty of time.
The O-line did much better than last year's version with the exception of Brown who had 3 penalties and got pulled.
D White is out for a while, but chris black looked very good.
Cam Robinson looked like a 2 year starter instead of a true freshman.
The offense will be just fine with Sims.
I thought they would run the read option, WVU kept 7-8 in the box almost the entire evening except of course on 3rd and long.
Sylve did get torched,...but tip your hat to #11 Smith, that guy made catch after catch with Sylve hanging on him, and Trickett put the ball on a dime several times.
The LB's were lost on deep middle crossing patterns...hopefully DePriest can solve some of that...the D was not lined up properly many times.
Dickson is a beast, he never sat down the entire game.
Other than the kick return for a TD, teh coverage was very good, fast and held their lanes.
That WVU kid outraced 2 of our fastest players, Drake and Cy Jones...give that kid props.
Saban and Kiffen did communicate...often, usually Kiffen talking to Saban.
The sidelines never looked panicked.

Cooper is obviously the go to guy...just like Julio a few years ago,...and he was often open in dbl coverage...Kiffen is going to feed him, count on that.

I did not see much of any other game, but gurley and UGA form what I saw looked very good,...and Pruett is definitely making a difference.
Can't tell too much about A&M,...USCe looked slow and confused defensively and their QB looked indecisive much of the night.
Miss State looked strong and fast...but what does USM have?
Ole miss looks very athletic, don't sleep on them.
ROLL TIDE


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## Catdaddy SC (Aug 31, 2014)

A&M wins the west

Georgia wins the east.


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## southGAlefty (Aug 31, 2014)

Overrated as usual...troll troll troll my boat gently down the stream


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## Old Dead River (Aug 31, 2014)

RipperIII said:


> I watched the BAMA game from the 50 yd line.
> 
> WVU has speed all over the field, and they are well coached, almost always in position.
> Sims made 5 poor throws, 2 were short hopped in the first half...nerves, 1 was a poor decision = pick and he was behind on 2, otherwise he threw the ball well with zip and accuracy.
> ...



USM doesn't have much, but Miss State completely suffocated them and that's including state's offense sputtering a couple of times in the red zone in the first quarter. I think this Miss. State team is as good as the Jackie Sherril teams of the late nineties. Prescott is poised to be one of the best sec qbs this year. With all the qbing woes we've discussed in the conference it's very viable.

I thought Johnson for Auburn did good, he can throw. he's a better passer than Marshall obviously. I wouldn't put that success in the second half all on Marshall's shoulder, ARK folded up like a cardboard box and Auburn's D played better.


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## KyDawg (Aug 31, 2014)

How did Vandy get that bad that quick?


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## rhbama3 (Aug 31, 2014)

KyDawg said:


> How did Vandy get that bad that quick?



New coach, new quarterback, and returning less than 10 starters from last year. Add to that, they just flat out looked unprepared, outcoached, and under conditioned. 
Temple was 2-10 last year!


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## RipperIII (Aug 31, 2014)

PennSt. looked good...


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## biggdogg (Aug 31, 2014)

I know they are still a work in progress and the D obviously needs work, but that O line and the 3 headed monsters that Arkansas has at RB will mess up some seasons in the west. UGA looked a ton better on D though time will tell. Clemson lost a couple of weapons to the NFL. 

The Gators return game looked impressive...


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## Old Dead River (Aug 31, 2014)

rhbama3 said:


> New coach, new quarterback, and returning less than 10 starters from last year. Add to that, they just flat out looked unprepared, outcoached, and under conditioned.
> Temple was 2-10 last year!



I'm sure a lot of franklin's recruits followed him to penn state


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## rhbama3 (Aug 31, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> I'm sure a lot of franklin's recruits followed him to penn state



Hmm.... hadn't considered that. Think i'll go googling.


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## rhbama3 (Aug 31, 2014)

rhbama3 said:


> Hmm.... hadn't considered that. Think i'll go googling.



As near as i can tell, there were 5 recruits that flipped to Penn State but nothing about players transferring from Vandy to PSU. From a manpower standpoint, I think Franklin pretty much left a bare cupboard.


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## Matthew6 (Aug 31, 2014)

I have a friend. Her son is a freshman at penn St. He followed Franklin to PSU. Number 15. Ga Boy.


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## Twiggbuster (Aug 31, 2014)

Georgia's D looked soft in first half(d-line)
But stepped up big in second half( athletic)
Think they can play with anybody except a team that has a Todd Gurley.
In the west Texas A&M was impressive.
Man they havei some big receivers


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## RipperIII (Aug 31, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> I'm sure a lot of franklin's recruits followed him to penn state



Recruits or not, Franklin is a very good coach


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## BobSacamano (Aug 31, 2014)

As a florida fan i was pretty disappointed to wait nearly till 11 pm before they finally decided to cancel the game. I know it was a cup cake but wanted to see the new offense at work a little. But glad they called it as the "Swamp" was literally a swamp on that field and not worth risking an injury. Excited to see Driscoll in Kurt Roper's offensive schemes. Should be a MUCH better fit for our QB and athletes. 

As for the rest of the league. Georgia looked great. No question about it. 
of course Carolina laid an egg the other night. I don't think that game was indicative of how their season will be. But definitely showed some holes. 
The west is gonna be wide open this year. A&M looked as good as anyone in the country. Miss State is going to be stout. LSU doesn't worry me near as much as in years past. 
Bama?? Not sure what to think about their game. Just didn't look like a Saban team. Of course the offense is going to look different with Kiffin calling the shots but I think Saban is going to have little patience with Kiffin. There D was surprisingly average though.


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## Old Dead River (Aug 31, 2014)

Matthew6 said:


> I have a friend. Her son is a freshman at penn St. He followed Franklin to PSU. Number 15. Ga Boy.



yeah I'm sure a lot of ppl de-committed when franklin left. bare cupboard indeed.


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## Old Dead River (Aug 31, 2014)

Catdaddy SC said:


> A&M wins the west
> 
> Georgia wins the east.



No, a&m couldn't win the west with Manziel. so they had one good game against a mediocre sc team. Wait till they play a team that puts pressure on their new qb.


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## Amoo (Sep 3, 2014)

Two teams not many are talking about will have a huge impact this season.  

Miss State.  This year's State team returns a ton of starters and their QB is better then the year they beat Florida.  As an MSU fan I spend every week watching their games waiting to see new ways a team can throw away a game.  In the end I think we will see MSU is still MSU, but the look of this team and the look of the rest of the West has me cautiously optimistic.  Could you imagine a West standing with MSU and A&M 1 & 2?  It could happen except there's that whole Auburn school.  Auburn has always been a thorn in MSU's side (I'm looking at you 3-2 loss).  Needless to say I don't think either school can get past Aubby.

Missouri.  Wait what, yeah Missouri.  I was of the opinion last year they were better with Mauck then they were with Franklin.  This year Franklin is gone and the big question mark on this team is the WR core.  SC looks like (picture Dennis Green Voice) not who we thought they were.  Ga looked like Gurley is a beast, but UGA is like MSU and usually finds a way to let people down.  UT isn't there yet.  Kentucky and Vandy will forever be Kentucky and Vandy.  Florida is the only wild card here, as a Florida fan, I'm not expecting them to be much trouble.


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## Rebel Yell (Sep 3, 2014)

Catdaddy SC said:


> A&M wins the west
> 
> Georgia wins the east.



I don't know.  aTm will have to play a defense with a pulse pretty soon.

UGA should win the the East.  Outside of the Dawgs, this is the worst division the SEC has trotted out in a long time.


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## Old Dead River (Sep 4, 2014)

Amoo said:


> Two teams not many are talking about will have a huge impact this season.
> 
> Miss State.  This year's State team returns a ton of starters and their QB is better then the year they beat Florida.  As an MSU fan I spend every week watching their games waiting to see new ways a team can throw away a game.  In the end I think we will see MSU is still MSU, but the look of this team and the look of the rest of the West has me cautiously optimistic.  Could you imagine a West standing with MSU and A&M 1 & 2?  It could happen except there's that whole Auburn school.  Auburn has always been a thorn in MSU's side (I'm looking at you 3-2 loss).  Needless to say I don't think either school can get past Aubby.
> 
> Missouri.  Wait what, yeah Missouri.  I was of the opinion last year they were better with Mauck then they were with Franklin.  This year Franklin is gone and the big question mark on this team is the WR core.  SC looks like (picture Dennis Green Voice) not who we thought they were.  Ga looked like Gurley is a beast, but UGA is like MSU and usually finds a way to let people down.  UT isn't there yet.  Kentucky and Vandy will forever be Kentucky and Vandy.  Florida is the only wild card here, as a Florida fan, I'm not expecting them to be much trouble.



I too am a state fan. I know what you mean about finding ways to blow games especially when it comes to Auburn. State had them beat last year, could've won the year they had Cam Newton. I despise the Auburn Tigers more than the Confederacy. The Cam Newton scandal still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I think State can handle Auburn. Whether they will remains to be seen. I think Coach Mullen is taking the games very seriously as if it were a tactical military campaign. The southern miss game made the team look like a well oiled machine alternating. Aside from Prescott holding the ball too long they are playing so much smarter. maybe without Tyler Russell and the penalties of the Jackie Sherrill era this state team will contend. If we beat LSU at death valley we're for real. If not, 8-9 regular season wins


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## atlashunter (Sep 4, 2014)

Cautiously optimistic on A&M. I expect they will continue to impress on offense and I'll say now they probably have the best offense in the SEC. How far they go is going to really depend on their defense. Hoping it has improved over last year.


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## DaddyFatracks (Sep 5, 2014)

While GA and A&M had the big name teams, you have to consider what Clemson and SC lost. The verdict is still out on those 2 imo. It's been just a matter of time before Bama would see it's decline and I believe and have said before season started that I believed this would be the year. Hiring Kiff was about as stupid of a move someone could make in division I football. Ole Miss will be decent, but I don't see them as a dark horse like some think they are. Arkansas looks to be on the right track. I think the west will be a dog fight between LSU, TXA&M and Bama.

The east is on its way back to the way it used to be. I think UGA will be over hyped liked every year. They have talent at running back, but their D is still a major question mark. SC lost a lot with Clowney and a valuable qb, but Spurrier is a winner. I think they are a top 3 for east. UF? Who knows what's going on with them. Will they improve, or is this Chump Champs last yr? Spurrier made Florida in the 90s. Meyer inherited a good team for his system, but quickly realized it was a sinking ship. Everything in college ball happens in cycles. We've seen Bama fall and rise. They are going to fall again. We've seen Fla rise and falling now. We've seen Candy come from no where, but that's over. We've seen my beloved Vols struggle for awhile, but they are on track to take back the east. I believe next yr is more likely, but we'll catch a few people this yr. We've been recruiting lights out and its gong to transfer to the field. Butch has been a blessing. KY is a basketball school, nuff said. Missouri, well they lost a lot of their guys too. Will be an interesting year


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