SEC Football, The Hurry Up: SEC West Reactions (Week 12)

In the weekly Hurry Up 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. As always, we’ll go in the order the teams played.

One tweak to past versions of the Hurry Up we began last week and will continue this week is that we’ll cover the quick hits of the SEC West and SEC East separately. First up is the SEC West.

Mississippi

Ole Miss showed out in the 2015 ~~What Could Have Been~~ Magnolia Bowl. Chad Kelly accounted for 4 touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing) and no turnovers, Akeem Judd provided the Rebels with an actual rushing attack, and 8 Rebels caught at least one pass for the offense. The Landsharks D intercepted Harris twice, contained Fournette all night (aside from their prevent D), and generally made life miserable for the entire LSU receiving corps. This team beat Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the same year. Yet they still need help to reach the SEC Championship after losing to Florida, Memphis and Arkansas. Crazy.

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LSU

LSU simply did not show up for the 2015 ~~What Could Have Been~~ Magnolia Bowl. While it appeared the Tigers were going to start the game on a roll offensively, a holding call negated a huge first rush from Leonard Fournette and the Tigers never really recovered. Aside from a quick field goal and touchdown after an Ole Miss turnover to start the 3rd quarter, LSU never looked like it belonged on the same field as Ole Miss. Leonard Fournette has given this team 8 wins. They play an A&M team with John Chavis calling the shots on D. . . I’m not sure they’ll even reach 9 wins.

Alabama

First off, I feel the need to admit and own that I was wrong. I thought Saban’s rant ahead of the game with Charleston Southern was a clear sign that the Tide was ready to under perform. I could not have been more wrong. Henry averaged 7.6 yards a carry and added 2 touchdowns to bolster his Heisman resume. The passing game clicked, the defense had an interception and the special teams units were major contributors. Cyrus Jones returned 2 punts for touchdowns and this version of the Crimson Tide looks like the most focused group Saban has had this late in the season in years. Tread carefully, Auburn (and the rest of the college football world).

Auburn

Whereas the Magnolia Bowl was still relevant with dreams of what could have been for each team, this matchup was as close as you can get to irrelevant for the rest of the SEC. Sure, SEC West fans are proud to once again boast that all 7 teams from the division became bowl eligible. Outside of that, what is there to take from a week 12 22 point thrashing of an opponent you were favored to beat by over 30? The fact that Auburn finally beat up an opponent it should is the only noteworthy part of this. Next week is the Iron Bowl, though, so all bets are off. This truly is a rivalry where anything can happen.

Mississippi State

Nov 21, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott (15) passes in the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mississippi State defeated Arkansas 51-50. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, this was a fantastic game. Yes, it deserves tons of coverage. It had moments where each team seemed to fall a part, crazy plays, and was topped off by a blocked field goal. But can we stop for a moment to acknowledge Dak Prescott’s Performance? Dude drastically under performed the first half of the season. But he just had a game where he passed for 508 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also added 46 yards rushing to go along with 2 touchdowns. Dak Prescott is Mississippi State football and he has been good enough for 8 wins thus far. Props, sir. Props.

Arkansas

The award for the most inconsistent team of 2015 goes to Adrum roll please* the Arkansas Razorbacks! After going on the road to beat both LSU and Ole Miss, the Razorbacks found a way to lose at home to Mississippi State. It is no knock against Dakippi State, as the Bulldogs fought tooth and nail for this one. The Razorbacks, for the second time in 3 weeks, allowed a field goal to be blocked that could have won the game for them. The first time sent the Razorbacks into overtime against Ole Miss. There was no OT to be found this time, however, and the Razorbacks continue to be maddeningly inconsistent. Just so we’re all on the same page, this team is bowl eligible despite losses to Toledo and Texas Tech. What?

Texas A&M

Props to Kevin Sumlin and his Aggies on this W. Many in the media were picking Vanderbilt in the upset and even more thought they would cover the spread. Texas A&M had quarterback controversy, rumors about Sumlin’s job security and a seemingly red hot Vanderbilt D to contend with. While Vandy’s D held up their end of the deal by holding the Aggies to only 25 points (no sarcasm given the flow of the game), John Chavis and Co. completely eliminated the Vandy offense from the equation. A&M’s offense, however, performed impressively with Kyle Allen back at the helm. The game with LSU next weekend should be one to watch.

Next: The SEC West: College Football's Most Dominant Division

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