Ad Disclosure
As we near the final stretch of the college football season, the true contenders are starting to separate themselves.
The SEC East picture is beginning to take shape, but there have been plenty of disappointments along the way. Preseason hopes have long been dashed for some teams. For others, the wounds are slow to heal.
Here are the things that disappointed us the most about Week 9.
Georgia’s offensive line: Entering Saturday’s rivalry game against Florida, many believed Georgia’s best hope of emerging victorious would be by running the football. With talented running backs like Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, the Bulldogs have one of the conference’s better 1-2 punches.
Unfortunately, Georgia’s backs never found much running room behind an offensive line that was thoroughly manhandled for much of the afternoon. The Bulldogs averaged just 1.1 yards per carry and gained 21 yards against the Gators.
Georgia’s line didn’t just struggle in the run game, however, it failed to give Jacob Eason time to throw the ball effectively. Eason dropped back to pass 37 times and was sacked or hurried 18 times and forced to scramble four times. Nobody is going to confuse Eason with Jalen Hurts or Johnny Manziel, so it’s best to give him a clean pocket to work with.
Chris Lammons: South Carolina scored a major 24-21 victory over Tennessee on Saturday, but not all of the players were on the field to celebrate the win. Cornerback Chris Lammons was ejected from the game in the first quarter for throwing punches at Volunteers receiver Jauan Jennings.
Why Chris Lammons was ejected pic.twitter.com/1DTlESVH4P
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) October 29, 2016
Lammons has three interceptions this season and has become a solid defender for the Gamecocks. Throwing punches at an opposing player just can’t happen, though. To his credit, Lammons did apologize and promised to stay in control in the future.
https://twitter.com/Lammons_1/status/792557684784500737
Tennessee: Speaking of Tennessee, the Vols’ once-magical season is suddenly spiraling out of control, Jalen Hurd’s transfer merely adding to the turmoil. After losing to South Carolina, Tennessee has now dropped three consecutive games and fallen to third in the SEC East race.
With such a talented, veteran team returning to Knoxville, it was a troubling sign that the Volunteers needed so many dramatic comebacks to win their first five games. But as long as Tennessee kept winning, those problems were easier to swallow.
Now, however, they cannot be ignored. Injuries have certainly played a role this season, but the sloppy performances were happening long before that point.
Ole Miss: Like the Vols, Ole Miss has had a disappointing year. A brutal start to the season was going to make or break their season, but the team doesn’t appear to have recovered from their letdown against Alabama.
After a 1-2 start, Ole Miss is 3-5 and losers of its past three games. This is still a Rebels squad that has Chad Kelly at quarterback and plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. At this point, though, Ole Miss needs to go 3-1 down the stretch just to become bowl eligible. Not what we expected from a team that started the season ranked No. 11.
Gary Danielson: During the weekend’s Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville, CBS broadcaster Gary Danielson had a slip of the tongue that was likely harmless but interesting nonetheless.
https://twitter.com/C4dunaway/status/792469270089302016
Gary Danielson just said "Moving the chains is what he's paid to do" talking about Luke Del Rio ???
— big hungry (@_Graytness_) October 29, 2016
Moving the chains is what Luke Del Rio is "paid" to do according to Gary Danielson.
— Collin Kerr (@collink91) October 29, 2016
Yep, according to Danielson, Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio is being paid to move the chains. Everybody slips up sometimes, but rarely does it happen while the nation is watching one of college football’s most storied rivalries.
