SEC Football: What We Saw, What We’ll See in Week 12-13
By James Bowers
SEC football had a strange week, and here are some of the things which stood out to us as the season draws to a close.
It sounds strange, but Florida Head Coach Jim McElwain is probably grateful for Hurricane Matthew. The storm necessitated that the University of Florida not play their game against LSU on October 8. As QB Luke Del Rio was returning from a week 3 injury with a rusty skillset, this news was welcome.
The decision was made to move the game to November 19, by which time Del Rio had returned from his injury while his backup Austin Appleby – 2-1 in three relief starts – was playing strong enough football to give his Gators a shot to beat the Bayou Bengals and capture the SEC East.
The odds for the orange and blue were much better than in early October, and it showed when UF knocked off Louisiana State 16-10 in Baton Rouge, sending them to the 25th SEC Championship to face usual Atlanta opponent Alabama in the game’s final Georgia Dome edition.
The loss is a tough blow for LSU’s Interim head coach Ed Orgeron, who, according to at least one media observer, may be removed from contention for the permanent job due to the defeat. If Dennis Dodd’s premonition is true, it will be another painful setback for a man who has proven a talented coach but been repeatedly spurned by the politics of college football.
Also on this day, Vanderbilt took a step toward bowl eligibility with a surprisingly convincing 38-17 win over a sinking Ole Miss, Arkansas came up on the long end of a 58-42 shootout with Mississippi State, and UT’s Joshua Dobbs shone in his Neyland Stadium finale, with 413 all purpose yards as his Tennessee Vols outpaced Missouri by a 63-37 count.
Aside from conference games, FCS opponents peppered the SEC schedule, with Auburn slaughtering Alabama A&M, Alabama going easy on UT-Chattanooga as South Carolina and Kentucky earned bowl eligibility.
With rivalry week approaching, games against mid-major and lower division opponents are now staples of the third week of November. We’ll take a closer look at what we saw, and what we’ll see on thanksgiving weekend, below.