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Impactful coaching moves: The best and worst decisions of Week 8
By Randy Capps
Published:
Week 8 proved to be an interesting one around the SEC.
Alabama fought off Tennessee, Arkansas outlasted Auburn in an overtime thriller and LSU took care of business with a non-conference win against Western Kentucky.
There were a few other things of note in the weekend that was, and as always, coaching played a key role.
Let’s have a look back at the good, and the not-so-good, from Week 8.
GOOD MOVE
On paper, Ole Miss was a slight favorite on its home field against Texas A&M. On the field, the Rebels dominated the game in all phases in a 23-3 win.
The most startling thing for me in this game was the inability of the Aggies to generate anything offensively. Co-defensive coordinators Jason Jones and Dave Wommack had a brilliant game plan for this one.
By land (27 rushes for 58 yards) or by air (134 yards on 45 passing plays), Texas A&M had no room at all to maneuver.
The Landshark defense also locked up standout freshman wide receiver Christian Kirk, who ranks among the SEC leaders in catches, yards and touchdowns. Kirk was limited to 2 receptions for 16 yards.
It was a great game plan, executed to perfection.
BAD MOVE
Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott is a very good player.
Anyone with even a passing interest in the SEC already knows that. So, I wasn’t surprised when Prescott sparked a 42-16 rout of Kentucky on Saturday.
What was a little surprising is how easy of a time he had doing so.
It’s hard for opposing defensive coordinators to stop great players. Instead, a plan is usually put in place to limit the big plays and hopefully create situations where other offensive players have to produce in key situations.
If Kentucky coach Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot had such a plan, it was difficult to see.
With Prescott, you usually see teams try to make him just a passer. Auburn and LSU did that, and Prescott had a combined -5 yards on the ground in those games.
On Saturday, the senior quarterback ran for 117 yards and 3 scores, which would be devastating by itself. He added 348 yards and 3 more scores through the air, producing a highlight package you’ll see next spring playing on a loop during NFL Draft coverage.
The Wildcats apparently didn’t learn anything from last year’s meeting in Lexington, where Prescott had 88 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
You should tip your cap to Prescott, but you have to wonder a bit about the plan designed to keep him in check.
GOOD MOVE
Arkansas games have to be the best bang for your entertainment buck in the SEC this season. Win or lose, something newsworthy always happens when the Razorbacks are on the field.
In this case, it was a 54-46 four-overtime win over Auburn. It goes down as a big win for Arkansas, and there are a lot of places you could go to heap praise on folks.
For me, the coaching staff deserves a nod.
After building, and quickly losing, a 14-0 lead — the team didn’t fold.
When Rawleigh Williams III went down with a scary looking neck injury, the team didn’t fold.
When Arkansas needed a conversion on fourth down in the first overtime to stay in the game, it got one. And when Auburn scored a touchdown and the mandatory two-point conversion in the third overtime, the Razorbacks matched it to give themselves a chance to win the game in the next overtime session.
It was a gutty win, and Bret Bielema and his staff have to get some credit for keeping the team together in the face of that kind of adversity.
BAD MOVE
Missouri’s offensive woes are well documented, especially in this space.
However, the Tigers hit rock bottom on Saturday with a 10-3 loss to Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt played very well defensively, and I don’t want to diminish that, but the offensive ineptitude was staggering for Mizzou:
- 188 total yards
- 10 first downs
- 0 for 14 on converting third downs
It’s now been 13 quarters since the Tigers scored a touchdown, and a look around social media on Saturday put the Missouri fan base’s displeasure on full display.
I think you can fault offensive coordinator Josh Henson for a lack of creativity in his play-calling, but ultimately, coach Gary Pinkel has to shoulder the blame for what’s gone wrong this season.
There’s a bye week coming up, and Missouri fans have to be hoping that the Tiger offense can find its mojo — or at least a path to the end zone — after a few days off to think it over.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
