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SEC Football: Around the SEC, Impressions from Week Four

By Justin Melton

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) makes a pass during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) makes a pass during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Another fantastic week of SEC Football is behind us. 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 improving. But he still needs to work on his deep ball, timing, and going through his progressions.
  • Damien Harris can afford to miss a game or two. Alabama has depth at running back. Joshua Jacobs looks particularly good.

    • The first team defense is nasty. The second team has a lot of room to improve.

    Adam Griffith

    made all his field goals. That’s an  encouraging sign for Tide fans.

    Sep 17, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen (8) warms up before the game against the Texas State Bobcats at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 42-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
    Sep 17, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen (8) warms up before the game against the Texas State Bobcats at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 42-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

    Arkansas

    • The Hog defense got exposed by A&M. This looks like another 8 win Arkansas team.
    • Austin Allen played pretty well. But with Arkansas’s run game completely stagnant, the Hogs had no chance to keep up with A&M’s high-octane offense.
    • Rawleigh Williams had one big run. Otherwise he was bottled up.

    Auburn

    Florida

    • The Gators need Luke Del Rio to stay healthy. Austin Appleby is not the answer.
    • The Gators have talent at running back. Jordan Scarlett looked especially impressive in the first half.
    • Antonio Callaway might as well be the only receiver on the team. The others didn’t do anything.
    • The Gator defense finally got tested. They failed. Depth may be a concern. As they wore down in the second half.

    Georgia

  • Jacob Eason looked like the raw true freshman he is.
  • Nick Chubb and Sony Michel had no room to run.

    • The Bulldog offensive line was hot garbage.

    The Bulldog defense got demolished.

    The team didn’t quit. That’s about the only positive that Bulldog fans can take away from this whipping.

    Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated New Mexico State 62-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
    Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the New Mexico State Aggies in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated New Mexico State 62-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

    Kentucky

    • Boom Williams is the man. And it looks like he finally found some help. Freshman Benjamin Shell Jr. also had a big game.
    • Stephen Johnson threw an interception, but other than that had a pretty decent outing. He looks to be the man at quarterback.
    • The Wildcats have now won two straight! For a while it was looking like they’d be lucky to win two all season. Could they sneak into a bowl game? I doubt it. But anything is possible at this juncture.

    LSU

    • Danny Etling is not the savior that LSU needs him to be.
    • Poor Malachi Dupre. He was wide open for the winning touchdown on multiple plays, but Etling never looked his way.
    • Travon Dural appears to be Etling’s favorite target.
    • Leonard Fournette had a decent day, but then he injured his ankle again. Unfortunately, Les Miles will need him the next two weeks.

    Mississippi State

    • The Bulldogs tried really hard to embarrass the conference again. But Nick Fitzgerald refused to allow it to happen.
    • Fitzgerald accounted for over 400 yards of total offense. He was the Bulldogs leading rusher on the day. He appears to have re-established himself as the guy after a poor performance against LSU.
    • Fred Ross and Brandon Holloway had good days as well.
    • The defense did not have a good day. However, they did have three vital interceptions.

    Missouri

    • The Tigers are better than Delaware State. By a lot. That’s really all you can take away from such a one-sided affair. Missouri looked good in all facets of the game.
    • We will see how good they look against LSU this week.

    Ole Miss

  • Chad Kelly is unfair. He spanked Georgia through the air as well as on the ground.
  • Freshman running back D’Vaughn Pennamon looks ready to contribute. He averaged six yards per carry on the day and scored a touchdown.
  • Evan Engram is the best tight end in the conference and probably the country. O.J. Howard may have more raw talent. But Engram is more consistently productive.

    • The Ole Miss defense finally looked like the dominant unit they’ve been the last couple of seasons.

    More from SEC Football

    South Carolina

    • Brandon MCIlwain was not allowed to run, which greatly impacted his effectiveness.
    • A.J. Turner scored a touchdown, but otherwise he had a quiet night.
    • Hayden Hurst stepped up and had a nice day at wide receiver, catching seven passes for 84 yards.
    • The Gamecock defense played well. But their offense let them down in a major way. That must sound awfully familiar to Will Muschamp.

    Tennessee

    Tennessee got off to another slow start but finished strong.

  • Joshua Dobbs had an up and down day. He tossed two interceptions but accounted for five touchdowns (4 passing and one rushing). If he can up his completion percentage and stop throwing interceptions, Tennessee could reach their lofty potential.
  • The Volunteers look like they have finally found some receiver depth behind Josh Malone. Jauan Jennings and Tyler Byrd both played well.

    • The Volunteer defense looked marshmallow soft in the first half. But they really tightened it up in the second. Can they sustain that level of play? Volunteer fans certainly hope so.

    Sep 17, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Trayveon Williams (5) runs for an 89-yard touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Aggies beat the Tigers 29-16. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
    Sep 17, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Trayveon Williams (5) runs for an 89-yard touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Aggies beat the Tigers 29-16. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports /

    Texas A&M

    • The Aggies dominated Arkansas, and established themselves as Alabama’s primary threat in the SEC West this season.
    • Trevor Knight and Trayveon Williams form a lethal read-option combo. Both had over 150 yards and two touchdowns apiece.
    • The Aggy defense did very well, particularly against Arkansas’s power run game. Rawleigh Williams had nowhere to go.

    Vanderbilt

    • Ralph Webb continues to be a one-man show on the ground. He had 95 of Vanderbilt’s 110 rushing yards in the game. He also ran for three touchdowns on the day. If he goes down the Commodores will be in major trouble.
    • Kyle Shurmur played well. He completed 18 of his 29 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. He did have an interception, however. Nevertheless, his emergence can only be seen as a positive for Vanderbilt.
    • The Vanderbilt defense is considerably worse than they were last season. Anthony Wales ran wild on them.

    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 SEC Football 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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