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Week 11 SEC report card: Defenses for Alabama, Florida continue to set the curve
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The SEC’s Week 11 report card:
OFFENSE
Arkansas: A
After throwing for 442 yards in last week’s high-flying win over Ole Miss, the Hogs showed their balance in a 31-14 victory over LSU. Led by Alex Collins’ fourth straight 100-yard game, Arkansas churned out nearly 300 rushing yards while passing just 16 times. Collins had 16 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder early in the second quarter. Meanwhile, 250-pound backup Kody Walker plowed his way for 88 yards on 17 carries, both career highs. The passing game wasn’t quite as efficient as it had been in recent weeks – it didn’t need to be – , but the Hogs’ 440 total yards and 7.9 yards per play are more than any other LSU opponent this season.
Texas A&M: B-plus
Lower-tier foe or not, the Aggies needed this. A week after a thoroughly disappointing 26-10 loss to Auburn, Texas A&M rolled up 583 yards of offense in a 41-17 win over Western Carolina. A pair of freshmen provided the highlights, as quarterback Kyler Murray passed for 191 yards and three scores while rushing for 50 yards, and Christian Kirk had nine catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns after three straight relatively quiet games. The Aggies also ran for more than 300 yards, led by Tra Carson’s 104 on 17 carries. The one problem area: Texas A&M had three turnovers for the fourth time in the past five games.
Kentucky: D
For the second straight year, the Wildcats are faltering down the stretch, and a passing game that looked sharp early in the season is largely to blame. Kentucky’s woes through the air are multi-faceted and were on clear display in a 21-17 loss to Vanderbilt. Patrick Towles was benched after throwing an interception in the red zone in the first half, only to return in the second half when the offense bogged down with freshman Drew Barker under center. The receivers didn’t provide much help to either quarterback, dropping numerous catchable balls in key situations. The passing game futility is especially frustrating considering the Wildcats ran for 225 yards against a respectable Vanderbilt defense.
DEFENSE
Alabama: A
It has become exceedingly clear than lining up and running directly into the meat grinder that is the Alabama front seven is a losing proposition. Georgia, Arkansas and LSU have each tried and failed. What Saturday’s 31-6 win over Mississippi State showed is that airing it out may not bring any greater success. The Tide racked up nine sacks against the Bulldogs, pushing its season total to 38, good for second in the country. It was the first time since the 2013 season opener that Mississippi State has failed to score a touchdown.
Florida: A-minus
The Gators were headed for an A-plus before South Carolina put a scare in them with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes that cut the lead to three with less than five minutes remaining. In fact, of the 189 yards the Gamecocks gained Saturday, 145 came in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, it was another stellar showing for the Florida defense. The Gators gave up just 21 rushing yards on 23 carries and now rank 10th in the nation and second in the conference with 105 yards surrendered on the ground per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Georgia: A
The Bulldogs managed just 243 yards of total offense, but kicker Marshall Morgan drilled a pair of field goals to make sure those precious yards weren’t wasted when Georgia moved within striking range. The knockout punch was supplied when Isaiah McKenzie sliced through the Auburn punt team on a 53-yard return for a score in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game.
COACHING
Missouri: A
No, this isn’t just a sympathy grade. Gary Pinkel, who on Friday announced his pending retirement due to a lymphoma diagnosis, guided the Tigers to their first win in more than a month after a tumultuous week on the Missouri campus. Despite all that was happening off the field, Missouri played its best offensive game of the season in a 20-16 win over BYU, topping 400 yards of total offense for the first time since a Week 1 win over Southeast Missouri State.
LSU: D
Les Miles repeatedly took the blame for his team’s performance in Saturday’s 31-14 loss against Arkansas, and that’s probably exactly what he should have done. Though both coaches and players said there was no hangover from the Alabama loss, the Tigers looked listless in the first half as the Hogs raced to a 21-0 lead. Offensively, Leonard Fournette was held to less than 100 yards for the second straight game, and though he finished with 19 carries, the Tigers largely abandoned their power sets in favor of three-wide, shotgun formations. Injuries at the tight end and fullback positions dictated some of that, but LSU seemed more intent on trying to take advantage of Arkansas’ perceived weaknesses defending the pass than it was doing what it does best—letting Fournette run downhill 25 times per game.
OVERALL
Arkansas’ win over LSU means the SEC West is one step closer to being settled, with Alabama needing a win over Auburn or an Ole Miss loss against LSU or Mississippi State to clinch a spot in Atlanta.
It also appears the conference is down to just the Tide and Florida as viable playoff candidates. The Gators have played uninspiring offensive football lately, but their defense is championship caliber, and most importantly, they keep winning. Florida was at No. 11 in last week’s playoff rankings, and with four teams in the top 10 sustaining losses Saturday, the Gators should creep up when the new poll is revealed Tuesday.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
