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Week 5 in the SEC is a big one. Saturday’s slate features several mega matchups, including Alabama at Georgia, Ole Miss at Florida and Mississippi State at Texas A&M.
Here’s what the league’s coaches had to say about their teams’ respective games this weekend:
Nick Saban, Alabama: “I just think that in every sport, there’s about 20 percent bad fans,” Saban said. “They don’t get it. They’re disrespectful. They do things and say things that don’t really need to be said, that aren’t helpful, that don’t reflect the image of what college football is all about or even what sports is all about. You should appreciate the competition.” We’ll see what kind of fan reaction Saban and his Crimson Tide will get in Athens this week.
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: “Our kids aren’t flinching an inch,” Bielema said. “I really don’t believe that they’ll do anything but go over to Tennessee and expect to have success and play a four-quarter game or overtime game, whatever we need to do, to have success.” The Razorbacks visit the Volunteers this week.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: “We take great pride in scoring points around here and playing well on offense, and we haven’t done that yet,” said Malzahn, whose Tigers host San Jose State this week. “There were times that we’ve done some good things, but we haven’t been consistent.”
Jim McElwain, Florida: “This will be a good challenge for our secondary, who I think are pretty good,” McElwain said. “I’m sure they’re saying, ‘Look, here’s my chance to go up against the best.’ To me, that’s fun. That’s the challenge. So go accept it and see how you do.”
Mark Richt, Georgia: “Alabama is a great football team,” Richt said. “I don’t know what the talk might be out there. But they’re as good or better than anyone in our league, and they’re as good or better as anyone in the country.”
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: “I think we’ve done a nice job,” Stoops said of his 3-1 Wildcats, who host Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. “Our players have been able to overcome it. I think we’re deeper. We’re a better football team.”
Les Miles, LSU: “We have a talented team which can be dominant at times,” Miles said. “But we play too close because of those penalties.” The Tigers, who host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, committed 14 penalties in last week’s 34-24 win over Syracuse.
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: “You know one thing that hasn’t been brought up in our offensive meetings? Balance,” Mullen said. “The thing that’s brought up is how do we get first downs, how do we move the ball and how do we get into the end zone? I’m good with whatever’s working.”
Gary Pinkel, Missouri: “Any time you come off a game like that, we lock into what we do,” Pinkel said of last week’s 21-13 loss to Kentucky. “That’s something we talk about in August, how we deal with adversity here, and that’s what we’re doing at this time.” It’s been a week full of adversity for the Tigers, who will be playing Saturday’s home game against South Carolina without starting quarterback Maty Mauk and backup tackle Malik Cuellar, who have been suspended indefinitely by the school for violating team rules. To make matters worse, Mizzou linebacker Kentrell Brothers, who leads the nation in tackles, is questionable for Saturday’s game after spraining his left ankle.
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: “Everyone knows about their back end,” Freeze said about Florida’s secondary. “They are definitely one of the best defenses in the country, and they are going to test us for sure.”
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: “At least we’ve got some direction,” Spurrier said of his Gamecocks, who beat Central Florida, 31-14, last week. “We’ve got some hope.”
Butch Jones, Tennessee: “It comes down, again, to closing games out, which we’re all aware of, and we had many opportunities to do that,” Jones said. “In order to improve and correct this, we must own it. It starts with me first and foremost, and it starts with everyone within our football organization.”
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: “This team has got an experienced quarterback who knows how to win and will not be intimidated, been in big environments and won big football games,” Sumlin said about Mississippi State, Saturday’s opponent. “… I think basically it’s a team that’s not getting the type of respect they should be getting. They’re coming in here to prove something. You’ve got two very similar teams playing, so it’s going to be a heckuva game.”
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: “… Our football team is excited to play,” Mason said of his Commodores, who visit Middle Tennessee this week. “We’ve talked about exactly what this is going to look like for us, going into another hostile environment. We look to play a great game. Every week we prepare this football team and try to go play its best ball game of the year. So we look forward to the challenge.”
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
