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A week after Georgia and Missouri gave fans a thrilling finish, the SEC East slate looks to be even more enticing in Week 4.
Florida travels to Tennessee for an early battle for divisional supremacy, and Georgia has a second consecutive road test, this time at Ole Miss. Kentucky will seek to build on its first win against a South Carolina squad trying to prove it’s a player in the East.
Here’s what the SEC East teams are up against in Week 4.
No. 19 Florida (3-0, 1-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0)
Tennessee PPG: 31.0
Tennessee allowed: 18.7
Vols’ strength: UT’s offense, strangely, is still trying to figure out its identity behind a struggling offensive line and inconsistent quarterback play, but its defense has stepped up to win games. The Volunteers rank inside the top 40 nationally in total defense, passing defense and scoring defense, but the loss of senior cornerback Cameron Sutton to an injury will hurt their stifling secondary.
Must stop: Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a disruptor at linebacker with two tackles for loss and a team-leading 18 tackles. Senior quarterback Josh Dobbs topped 200 yards passing for the first time this season against Ohio last weekend and is always a threat in the running game as well.
Notable: Tennessee has had three coaches since its last win against Florida, a 30-28 triumph in 2004.
Florida PPG: 33.7
Florida allowed: 4.7
Gators’ strength: No, the above statistic is not a typo. The Gators’ dominant defense has allowed the fewest points in the nation while also ranking first in total defense at 129.7 yards per game — 75 yards ahead of the next-best unit. Florida has surrendered only two touchdowns through three games and is fresh off a shutout of North Texas in which it gave up a school-record 53 total yards.
Must stop: Receiver Antonio Callaway won the game last year and remains the Gators’ scariest offensive threat. The sophomore has 13 catches for two touchdowns and 201 yards, which makes him the conference’s 10th-leading receiver even though he didn’t play against the Mean Green because of a quadriceps injury. He’ll have a new QB this week, though, as backup Austin Appleby replaces injured Luke Del Rio.
Notable: Florida’s current 11-game winning streak is the longest in the history of the series.
No. 12 Georgia (3-0, 1-0) at No. 23 Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1)
Ole Miss PPG: 38.8
Ole Miss allowed: 35.3
Rebels’ strength: This might come as a surprise to you, but Ole Miss likes to throw the ball. With senior quarterback Chad Kelly running the show, the Rebels are gaining more than 440 yards and scoring almost 40 points per game. Kelly is 15th in the country with 317.7 passing yards a contest to go along with 10 touchdowns. Turnovers are the reason the Rebels are 1-2.
Must stop: On the other side of the ball, junior defensive end Marquis Haynes is a terrifying presence with 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. He’ll surely be intent on getting after true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason in hostile conditions.
Notable: Ole Miss hasn’t beaten Georgia in its last 10 tries, with its last win coming in 1996.
Kentucky (1-2, 0-1) vs. South Carolina (2-1, 1-1)
South Carolina PPG: 15.7
South Carolina allowed: 17.3
Gamecocks’ strength: Though the Gamecocks rank in the bottom third of FBS teams in terms of yards allowed, they clamp down when it counts. South Carolina is tied for 28th nationally in scoring defense, which helped a struggling offense eke out a pair of wins in defensive-minded coach Will Muschamp’s first three games in Columbia.
Must stop: True freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain got the starting nod going forward from Muschamp after helping the Gamecocks edge East Carolina last Saturday, and with good reason. The athletic McIlwain has sparked South Carolina’s usually sluggish offense on multiple occasions, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 356 yards and another pair of scores this season.
Notable: With a victory against Kentucky, the Gamecocks would match their overall win total and exceed their number of SEC wins from 2015.
Kentucky PPG: 34.7
Kentucky allowed: 43.7
Wildcats’ strength: The Wildcats’ offense has been good enough to win games, but the defense has consistently let it down. Kentucky is gaining more than 415 yards per game to go with a healthy amount of scoring, which is a definite improvement from a season ago.
Must stop: Junior running back Stanley “Boom” Williams exploded for 181 yards and a touchdown last weekend, making him the SEC’s fourth-leading rusher. If quarterback Drew Barker remains out with an injury, junior Stephen Johnson will try to build on his 310-yard, three-touchdown performance against New Mexico State last weekend.
Notable: The past three games in this series have been decided by 7 points or fewer, with Kentucky winning the past two.
Missouri (1-2) vs. Delaware State (0-2)
Delaware State PPG: 17.0
Delaware State allowed: 45.0
Strength: This turnover-prone FCS squad has struggled in all phases while getting outgained, on average, 464-202.5 and shuffling between two quarterbacks. The running game could be a bright spot for the Hornets with more carries, but they’ve trailed so often that passing has usually been the best option.
Must stop: Shifty sophomore running back Brycen Alleyne averages 7.1 yards a carry and warrants more than the 8.5 rushes per game he has received so far. Junior linebacker Garfield Heslop has 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup to his name.
Notable: Compared with other SEC sites, Missouri’s Memorial Stadium (capacity of 71,168) is often viewed as a small venue. But Delaware State is used to playing in front of a maximum crowd of only 7,193 at its Alumni Stadium.
Vanderbilt (1-2) at Western Kentucky (2-1)
Western Kentucky PPG: 29.0
Western Kentucky allowed: 25.3
Strength: Coach Jeff Brohm has put Western Kentucky on the map with his spread, Air-Raid offense, and that hasn’t changed this year. At 345.3 passing yards per game, the Hilltoppers rank No. 14 in the nation in that category.
Must stop: Junior quarterback Mike White has terrorized secondaries not named Alabama, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 920 yards and five touchdowns. His favorite target is senior Nicholas Norris, who’s the eighth-leading receiver in the country with 354 yards and three touchdowns on 20 receptions.
Notable: The nickname “Hilltoppers” is derived from the university’s location atop a hill in Bowling Green, Ky.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
