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Week 5 wasn’t the most thrilling for college football in the SEC, outside of one notable game between the hedges.
Some teams took care of business, others had some surprising struggles. The SEC East is still winless against the West, which means this piece has an eastern flare to it.
Here’s what disappointed us the most in the SEC over the weekend.
Florida’s offense: The Gators’ offense picked up right where they left off in the second half against Tennessee, and that isn’t a good thing.
In Saturday’s 13-6 victory at Vanderbilt, Florida gained only 236 yards of total offense. Even South Carolina’s maligned offense mustered 13 points against the Commodores. With the likes of Antonio Calloway and the Gators’ stable of running backs, scoring 13 points against Vanderbilt shouldn’t happen.
Florida lost one fumble, but the defense secured three turnovers, which should have been more than enough to help the Gators put points on the board. Luke Del Rio’s potential return this Saturday is a much-needed boost, especially against an LSU team that shutout Missouri’s explosive offense into the fourth quarter.
Speaking of which …
Missouri’s offense: The SEC East’s highest-scoring offense this season had a chance to make a statement against LSU and earn the division its first victory against a western counterpart. Instead, Missouri was locked down until late in the fourth quarter of its 42-7 loss.
Let’s give LSU’s defense its due; they turned in a dominant performance in Ed Orgeron’s first game. Nobody ever questioned the Tigers’ defense, but it was impressive, nonetheless.
For Missouri, there was very little that went right. Drew Lock had his worst outing, completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes for 167 yards and an interception. Missouri’s only touchdown came on a trick play, where receiver Eric Laurent threw it to Lock in the end zone.
Brandon McIlwain: Over South Carolina’s past three games, Brandon McIlwain earned the starting quarterback job. Against Texas A&M, he lost it.
The freshman had his worst outing of his young career, throwing for only 34 yards, for a meager 2.3 yards per attempt, with an interception. He was benched in the second half in favor of former starter Perry Orth, who played much better in his relief appearance.
South Carolina’s offense is tied for the second-fewest points scored this season in the FBS. McIlwain has shown flashes that he can improve to become a decent quarterback, but Saturday’s performance can’t happen again.
Georgia’s Hail Mary defense: Easily the most entertaining SEC game of the weekend/year, Georgia was only seconds from stunning Tennessee and earning Kirby Smart his first signature SEC win, but then the Vols made the play that mattered and walked away with yet another comeback victory.
All credit should go to Tennessee, which earned the right to get into that position with its second-half performance. The Vols capitalized on their final play and now have a nice lead in the division.
For Georgia, however, there are plenty of questions. First, the sloppy penalties that gave Tennessee that shot are indicative of a young team with an inexperienced coach. But rushing three players and dropping everyone else into coverage, especially when the Bulldogs’ corners have a significant height disadvantage, might not have been the best strategy.
No Georgia player positioned himself between Jauan Jennings and the football. Lorenzo Carter, the team’s specialized jumper on that play, was a good yard behind Jennings and never had an impact.
It was a great game for the Bulldogs, but that last play is a heartbreaker.
