SEC Football: Impressions From Around the Conference, Week Three

It is hard to believe, but the SEC Football season is already one-quarter of the way over. Time flies when you’re watching great football. Below you will find our impressions from this week’s games. There were several intriguing matchups. Be sure to share your own impressions of them in the comments below. Off we go!

Alabama:

Jalen Hurts

is a great runner. He also has a lot of poise to be so young. However, he needs to work on the timing and placement of his deep ball.

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) runs the ball during the second half of the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

The team needs to work on onside kick recoveries. That was a shameful display.

There were quite a few small injuries. Hopefully Eddie Jackson, Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Ardarius Stewart can all heal up in the next two weeks.

Alabama finally beat Ole Miss. Roll Tide.

Arkansas:

Austin Allen and Rawleigh Williams are a great combo in the Hog backfield.
Allen spread the ball around nicely. He completed 16 passes to seven different receivers.
The Hog defense was never seriously tested. Nevertheless, they did play well.

Auburn:

Sean White may have already lost the job he won last week. John Franklin III came in during the fourth quarter.
Franklin showed that he has elite running ability. However, his passing leaves a bit to be desired. If he can improve his accuracy he will be a nightmare to defend against.
The Tiger defense showed they have some weaknesses. Trevor Knight found some success against the Tiger secondary, and Trayveon Williams ran wild in the second half.

Florida:

The Gators won the battle, but they may have lost the war. Luke Del Rio injured his knee, and will miss the pivotal showdown with Tennessee next week.
The Gator defense is incredible. They held North Texas to 53 total yards. That’s crazy.
The Gators have depth at running back. Mark Thompson, Jordan Scarlett, LaMichael Perrine, and Jordan Cronkrite all carried the ball 11 times. Each one averaged over five yards per carry. The Gators may lean on their running game in Knoxville on Saturday.

Georgia:

Isaiah McKenzie is establishing himself as Jacob Eason‘s go-to receiver.

Sony Michel played much better this week. You can tell he is getting more comfortable on the field with every snap.

Nick Chubb was contained all night. Missouri decided to make Jacob Eason try to beat them.

Luckily for Dawg fans, Eason proved he was up to the challenge. He is going to be scary good by the time he leaves for the NFL.

Kentucky:

Stephen Johnson has usurped Drew Barker as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback. He had a great game, throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 completions.
Boom Williams is a great tailback, and he showed it against New Mexico State.
C.J. Conrad stepped up at the receiver position in a big way, catching all three of Johnson’s touchdown passes. If he can keep that level of play up, then the Cats may win a few more games this season.
The Kentucky defense, on the other hand, remains extremely bad. They gave up 42 points to New Mexico State. That’s all you really need to know there.

LSU:

Danny Etling was solid in his first start for LSU. If he can continue to develop then the Tigers could make serious noise down the stretch.

Leonard Fournette

dominated, which is nothing new. Still, he didn’t look quite his normal self. His ankle may still be troubling him.

Sep 17, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) following a win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi State 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

The Tigers were stout against the run. But they did give up some passing yards to Fred Ross and Donald Gray. The secondary may be worth keeping an eye on.

Mississippi State:

The quarterback competition might be back on. After Nick Fitzgerald struggle, Dan Mullen turned to Damian Williams. Williams played very well and nearly brought the Bulldogs all the way back. Will he start next week? I don’t know, but I have to think so.
The Bulldogs are anemic on the ground. That will need to change in a hurry.
The Bulldog defense started poorly but finished the game strong. We will see if they can sustain that high level of play.

Missouri:

The Tigers gave Georgia all they wanted. Drew Lock showed both his good and bad sides. He threw three touchdowns and three interceptions. Turnovers are an absolute killer. He will need to get that under control if Missouri wants to be a contender in the East race.
In fairness to Lock, the running game wasn’t producing. Missouri averaged just 2.6 yards per carry as a team. That won’t get it done.
J’Mon Moore had a monster night. He caught 8 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He looks to be “the guy” for the Tigers.
The Tiger defense did a good job of keeping Nick Chubb contained. Unfortunately, they let Isaiah McKenzie roast them. The secondary could use improvement.

Ole Miss:

Chad Kelly has an NFL arm. He can make any throw he feels like making at pretty much any time.
Ole Miss’s young secondary played pretty well against Alabama’s talented receiving corps.
Marquis Haynes is a demon off the edge.
Ole Miss gave Alabama all they wanted, but just couldn’t quite pull it out. Nevertheless, they showed that they are still a team to be reckoned with in the SEC West.

South Carolina:

Brandon McIlwain proved that he has what it takes to be the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback. He had over 200 total yards and rushed for South Carolina’s only two touchdowns in the game.
The Gamecock defense bent, allowing over 500 yards, but for the most part didn’t break. They allowed only one touchdown on the day and held East Carolina to four field goal attempts.
South Carolina just isn’t a very good team this year. But maybe Will Muschamp will get them there in the near future.

Tennessee:

The bipolar play continues for the Volunteers. They looked disinterested in their game against Ohio. Perhaps they were thinking ahead to their matchup against the Florida Gators.

Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3). Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Joshua Dobbs was unspectacular through the air and on the ground. Nevertheless, he did enough to lead his team to a close victory.

Josh Malone had a nice day, as he caught two touchdown passes. He appears to be Dobbs’ favorite target.

Texas A&M:

The Aggies established themselves as a dark horse candidate in the West with a win against the Auburn Tigers.
Trevor Knight played fairly well. He only completed half of his passes, but he accounted for 289 total yards and threw a touchdown pass.
Trayveon Williams showed his explosiveness on an 89 yard touchdown. He is scary fast.
The A&M defense, led by Miles Garrett, played well.

Vanderbilt:

Ralph Webb was contained. The rest of the offense was pretty poor.
The Vanderbilt defense couldn’t handle Tech’s triple-option offense.
Vanderbilt is just bad this season. They may be looking for a new head coach pretty soon.

Thank you for reading. Be sure to “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter. Also, be sure to post your impressions from this week’s action in the comments below. And finally, be sure to check in with us tomorrow for our “3 Things to Watch For Recap.”

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