The Hurry Up: Biggest Takeaways from The SEC (Week 2)

In the weekly 2 Minute Drill from Southbound and Down, I’ll provide that one thing that stuck out most to me from each SEC team from the weekend. After that it is up to you. We’ll leave the comments section open and you are free to tell me I’m an idiot, agree, or explain why you know something we don’t. This is an SEC page, after all, home of some of the most boisterous fans in the country.

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Auburn: Jeremy Johnson was supremely overrated. For a second straight week, Johnson looked confused often and made terrible decisions throwing the ball. He was billed as an improvement over Nick Marshall due to his passing prowess and an ability to still make plays with his feet. A 57.2 QBR from ESPN and 7 yards on 4 carries hardly instills confidence, however.

Ole Miss: Hugh Freeze can stop pretending. He revealed to Patrich Ochs of The Sun Herald that he has known Chad Kelly was the leader of the quarterback competition since week 2 of fall camp. Freeze also made it clear who will be the quarterback moving forward, “It’s his to lose and he certainly has done nothing to put himself out of it as the starter. I expect that to continue . . .”

Vanderbilt: *cue best Dennis Green voice* .. “They are who we thought they were.” Vanderbilt’s new and improved defense did everything it could and kept the game to a respectable 31-14 score. Johnny McCrary further proved Vandy has no offense by throwing 3 interceptions and finishing the game with a 15.0 QBR from ESPN.

Georgia: I hate to be repetitive but you could use Green’s infamous line here as well. Greyson Lambert went 11-21 for 116 yards but did not turn the ball over. Nick Chubb ran wild, going for 189 yards on 19 carries. Georgia’s defense further embarrassed Vanderbilt’s offense and the special teams units outside of field goals were solid. Marshall Morgan missing two field goals kept this game a bit more respectable…but no surprises or new information here.

Alabama: Derrick Henry is enough offense. While his 96 yards on 18 carries will not cause anyone’s jaw to hit the floor, he scored 60% of Alabama’s touchdowns in week 2. As impressive as that is, he also scored 60% of the Tide’s touchdowns in week 1. At this rate (3 TDs a game), Derrick Henry will end the regular season with 36 touchdowns. No, I don’t expect that to happen. No, I would not be surprised if it did.

Arkansas: Arkansas is nothing like we thought they were. Brandon Allen passing 53 times? Passing for 412 yards? Alex Collins only gaining 54 yards on 20 carries? Excluding Allen, 5 ball carriers that failed to reach 100 yards rushing? What? Arkansas lost their identity somewhere in the offseason. O yeah, they also lost to Toledo after Bielema concerned himself with Ohio State’s schedule…never a good idea.

Tennessee: Tennessee still does not know how to win. The Volunteers led by 17 at home and managed to let Oklahoma tie it before the end of regulation. It took two overtimes, but Stoops and his Volunteers showed that, though they are improved from a year ago, they still have a ways to go in learning how to be winners.

Texas A&M: Kyle Allen and Kyler Murrary continued to be both effective and impressive. John Chavis had his defense ready to roll again. The takeaway here, though, is the running game of the Aggies. Excluding the quarterbacks, 5 ball carriers took 41 carries for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the Aggies continue rushing the ball with that level of success, the rest of the SEC will have nightmares game planning for this team.

Missouri: The Tigers continue to be maddeningly successful. Yes, they only beat an Arkansas State team that was embarrassed a week before 55-6. But they did win. While Mizzou will catch plenty of flak for how they won, they are only concerned with the fact they won. The Tigers always seem to play to their level of competition, but they also usually win.

Florida: It is tough to tell anything from Florida right now. The Gators opened the 2014 season with a 65-0 thrashing of Eastern Michigan. They did the same in 2015 with a 61-13 dismantling of New Mexico State. Continuing the parallel, they beat their week 2 opponent (Kentucky in 2014, East Carolina in 2015) in a closer game than expected. We’ll know everything we need to, though, after the Gators complete their upcoming stretch of Kentucky-Tennessee-Ole Miss-Mizzou-LSU. This could be impressive…or really ugly.

Kentucky: For the second straight week, Kentucky did their best to give a game away that they had complete control of. Kentucky led the Gamecocks 24-7 at halftime and had yet to punt the ball. It took a Pharoh Cooper fumble and Denzil Ware 98 yard return on a two-point conversion for the Wildcats to squeak this one out 26-22. After these two weeks Kentucky will be better prepared for the close games sure to come this season.

South Carolina: The Gamecocks are in trouble. Connor Mitch is likely out for the season with a separated shoulder. Perry Orth performed well, but losing Mitch is no doubt a blow. The Gamecocks made a valiant comeback attempt (as noted in Kentucky’s section) but fell short in heartbreaking fashion. This could be a long mediocre season in South Carolina.

Mississippi State: Mississippi State is not going to surprise anyone this year. LSU was ready for their rushing attack and frustrated the Bulldogs offense for 3 full quarters. MSU made an impressive comeback and lost due to a failed two-point conversion and missed field goal that would have won the game. There was also a Les Miles-like delay of game penalty on the final drive of the game that hurt their chances of winning.

LSU: The Tigers are not very different in 2015 than they were in 2014; they are still incredibly one dimensional. As a result, they will rely only on their defense and rushing attack to win them games in 2015. One major difference is Leonard Fournette. He became an elite running back to end 2014 and begins 2015 as possibly the best back in the nation. Having such a dominant rushing attack should mean a more successful 2015 for LSU.

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