Ad Disclosure
The SEC continued its winning ways in Week 3, albeit against much weaker opponents, going 5-1 in non-conference play.
Unfortunately, there were still a few performances that left us feeling some type of way. There’s always something to nitpick about SEC football, and this week provided several of those opportunities.
Here’s who disappointed us the most in Week 3.
Vanderbilt: There isn’t much that is usually expected of the Commodores, but a bad loss to an ACC school doesn’t reflect well on the conference. Vanderbilt went to Georgia Tech to play a game in a less-than-full house.
10 mins til kickoff – VANvsGT pic.twitter.com/fSCye7B0JH
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) September 17, 2016
Georgia Tech has a tough triple-option offense, but Vanderbilt was embarrassed defensively on the ground and through the air, surrendering 511 yards of total offense.
A disappointing day for defensive guru Derek Mason.
Ole Miss: Nobody can fault the Rebels for losing their first game to Alabama in the past three years, but the way they did it was disappointingly familiar. Two second-half turnovers directly led to two touchdowns that ultimately made the difference in the 48-43 loss.
It was reminiscent of Ole Miss’ second-half meltdown against Florida State (which got shellacked by Louisville on Saturday) and was like reliving a terrible nightmare. The loss is understandable – it’s football, teams lose, especially and usually to Alabama – but the way the Rebels loss is extremely disappointing.
William Ham: Georgia and Missouri played an extremely exciting first half of football and a boring second half before the thrilling final three minutes. After the two teams combined to score 41 points in the first half, there was only one touchdown scored after halftime, before Jacob Eason led Georgia on its comeback drive.
Part of the reason for the lack of points was the Bulldogs’ kicker, William Ham. He missed his first attempt from 23 yards and missed a 38-yarder a little while later. Those six points were the difference in the game until Georgia’s game-winning drive. On the season, Ham is 3-of-7 on field goal attempts.
Anticipation for Tennessee-Florida showdown: Before the season, this was looking like one of the best games of the year and a matchup that could decide the SEC East. All of those might still happen, but the excitement isn’t as high as it might have been.
Tennessee sandwiched a solid win against Virginia Tech with two lackluster performances against Appalachian State and Ohio. The Vols haven’t yet looked like the juggernaut many expected would run over the division.
Florida’s two recent victories have proven that the Gators once again have one of the top defenses in college football. Unfortunately, quarterback Luke Del Rio was injured in Saturday’s victory and will miss the game against Tennessee. The Gators’ defense is enough to help them win the game, but it’s disappointing that neither team is firing on all cylinders heading into the weekend.
