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SEC Football: Impressions from Around the Conference: Week Ten

By Justin Melton

Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; A Mississippi State Bulldogs helmet is displayed during the SEC Nation show before the game with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; A Mississippi State Bulldogs helmet is displayed during the SEC Nation show before the game with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-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:

Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) celebrates with Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Lester Cotton (66) as they leave the field following their 10-0 win over the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) celebrates with Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Lester Cotton (66) as they leave the field following their 10-0 win over the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
  • The Tide have real problems in the passing game. It is clear that Lane Kiffin does not trust Jalen Hurts to throw the ball over the middle. That may cost the Tide down the stretch.
  • Bo Scarbrough finally looks healthy. He is a Derrick Henry clone.
  • The Tide defense is incredible. They haven’t missed a beat, even with the departure of key players to the NFL and the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt.

Arkansas:

  • The Hogs are a good team. It is unfortunate that they are stuck in the toughest division in football.
  • Rawleigh Williams found some space to run. When he can do that, it is going to be a long day for the opposing defense.
  • The Hog defense looked stout against a lousy Florida offense. Still, the Hogs deserve some credit.

Auburn:

  • Injuries are starting to take their toll on the plains. Sean White missed the first half with a shoulder problem. Kamryn Pettway left the game late with a pulled hamstring. Those will be worth keeping an eye on moving forward.
  • The Tiger defense didn’t look their usual selves. Not sure what the issue was.
  • John Franklin III is not ready to be an SEC quarterback, and I’m not sure if he ever will be. He looked woeful.

Florida:

The offense looks really bad right now. Luke Del Rio is a game manager on his best day. Saturday was not his best day.

The Gator defense looked surprisingly soft in the run game.

If Florida is still the best team in the East, which I think they are, then the East is a horrible division this season.

Oct 9, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Georgia wins 28-14 over South Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Georgia wins 28-14 over South Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

Georgia:

  • The Dawgs finally got another win thanks to the late-game heroics of Jacob Eason and Sony Michel.
  • Nick Chubb had two costly fumbles. He also lacks the burst that he had prior to his injury.
  • The Bulldog defense did enough, but they still got gashed pretty good by a one-dimensional offense.

Kentucky:

  • The Wildcat offense played pretty well. Benny Snell Jr. and Stanley Williams both had good days running the football.
  • Stephen Johnson was pretty average. He did throw a bad interception.
  • The Wildcat defensive line got pushed around by Georgia’s offensive line. That’s hard to do this season.

LSU:

  • The Tiger defense had a great game plan and it worked to perfection for most of the night.
  • The Tiger offense, on the other hand, looked completely out of sorts.
  • Danny Etling is not an SEC caliber quarterback. He missed on several easy throws.
  • Leonard Fournette, for the second year in a row, had absolutely no room to run.

Mississippi State:

  • The Bulldogs scored one of the biggest upsets of the season by taking down Texas A&M.
  • Nick Fitzgerald had two interceptions, but other than that he was exceptional. He had four total touchdowns and almost 400 total yards on the day.
  • Aeris Williams finally got to tote the rock and he showed Dan Mullen that he was up to the task.

Missouri:

  • The Tigers remain the worst team in the SEC by a wide margin.
  • The Tiger defense is marshmallow soft.
  • Drew Lock had a bad game. The running game, on the other hand, was pretty effective. Perhaps they should have leaned on it more.

Ole Miss:

  • Chad Kelly looked great before leaving the game with an injury. Let’s hope it isn’t serious.
  • In Kelly’s absence, Hugh Freeze leaned on the run game. Akeem Judd responded by having a very nice game.
  • The Ole Miss defense had a tough time stopping the triple-option attack of Georgia Southern.

South Carolina:

Nov 5, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley (4) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina wins 31-21 over Missouri. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley (4) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina wins 31-21 over Missouri. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
  • Jake Bentley is the man. He, along with Jacob Eason and Jalen Hurts, should make SEC fans excited about the future at the quarterback spot.
  • Rico Dowdle is also the man. He ran all over Missouri’s porous defense.
  • The South Carolina defense played well against the pass but left some wide-open running lanes for the Missouri backs. Look for Will Muschamp to try to sort that out in practice this week.

Tennessee:

  • Tennessee finally whipped up on a cupcake this season.
  • Joshua Dobbs was nearly perfect.
  • John Kelly looks like the future at running back.

Texas A&M:

  • The Aggies suffered an ugly loss to a horrible Mississippi State team. This effectively ends any hope they had for winning the division, conference, or a national title.
  • Trevor Knight got hurt and left the game, but he was playing badly before that.
  • Christian Kirk was the only bright spot for the Aggies on the day. He ran back a punt and caught a long touchdown pass.

Vanderbilt:

More from SEC Football

  • Kyle Shurmur played very well. His receivers didn’t help him out very much though.
  • Ralph Webb was extremely limited with an ankle injury. One has to wonder why Derek Mason kept sending him out onto the field.
  • The Commodore defense played well for most of the game before tiring in the second half. Still, it was a gutsy performance.

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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