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Week 2 was a tough one for the SEC. One week after a record 10 conference teams landed in the Associated Press Top 25, three of them fell out after shaky performances, and Auburn dropped 12 spots to No. 18 after struggling to beat Jacksonville State in overtime.
There are several big intraconference matchups this Saturday, including Ole Miss-Alabama and Auburn-LSU. Here’s what the league’s coaches had to say about their teams’ respective Week 3 games:
Nick Saban, Alabama: “If you’re a great competitor you love to play in games like this,” Saban said. “This is certainly going to offer as many challenges as anyone could hope for as a competitor.”
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: “We definitely have got to be able to run the football,” Bielema said. “That’s an emphasis in our program that has got to come to light more than at any time ever before.” The Razorbacks, who are coming off a stunning loss to Toledo, host Texas Tech Saturday night.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: “That’s behind us and we’re looking forward to going to LSU,” Malzahn said. “That’s the way you look at it when you’re in the moment and you’re a coach or a player. That one’s behind you and you look forward and you do everything you can to improve.”
Jim McElwain, Florida: “The team has settled into it,” McElwain said regarding his use of two quarterbacks, Treon Harris and Will Grier. “Here’s the good thing: both guys are really studying the game plan. … That mindset is you prepare yourself as a starter because you’re going to get a ton of reps.” The Gators visit Kentucky Saturday night.
Mark Richt, Georgia: “I know from playing that position that you don’t become super-proficient overnight,” said Richt, referring to Bulldogs’ starting QB Greyson Lambert. “I know Lambert has played a lot of college ball, but he’s not played a lot of college ball in this league or in this system. There’s a learning curve. It’s going to get better as you go.” Georgia hosts South Carolina Saturday night.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: “Just as you would expect from a Florida team, they have some very dynamic playmakers in Demarcus Robinson at wide receiver and Kelvin Taylor at running back,” Stoops said. … You see a very hard-nosed football team. I see disruptive guys up front like usual and they have some guys that look very sudden and very quick on the defensive line.”
Les Miles, LSU: “The Auburn team’s very talented,” Miles said. “Jacksonville State is a good football team. They’ve historically had a lot of transfers in from other schools that are really, really good players, and they have a very quality team. Watched them on film. The coach at Auburn does a great job, Gus Malzahn is a very fine coach. I certainly respect the job that he does there.”
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: “(Getting the backups game reps) is more important for this year than even the future,” Mullen said. “Next year, they’ll have another full year under their belt in the system and they are a play away from getting on the field right now, so we’d love to get them more reps than we have, I just haven’t force-fed them on the field.” The Bulldogs host Northwestern State on Saturday.
Gary Pinkel, Missouri: “We could be sitting here talking about a loss,” Pinkel said. “But we found a way to win a game, and that’s good. The bad news is we’re not playing as good as we can play.” The Tigers host UConn on Saturday.
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: “I think we have a confident football team right now that believes it can win,” Freeze said. “I believe we can win. But I also know you can lose these games because you’re playing a really good team.”
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: “He throws a nice pass when he takes his steps and gets protection and throws it, he can throw a beautiful pass,” Spurrier said of former walk-on Perry Orth, who will make his first career start after Connor Mitch suffered a shoulder injury and hip bruise in last Saturday’s 26-22 loss to Kentucky. “He’s been here, what, three years now, earned a scholarship preseason, so if we can protect him and get some guys open he’s very capable.”
Butch Jones, Tennessee: “It starts up front with pass protection,” Jones said. “It starts at the running back position as well as the tight end position, and then out on the perimeter, being able to beat man-to-man coverage and tight coverage and creating separation. Those are all things that go into being a very efficient throwing team. We had too many drops and too many drops at critical moments in the (Oklahoma) game.” The Volunteers host Western Carolina on Saturday night.
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: “The more than you’re in this business, you start playing guys that are your friends and that’s never easy, no matter what happens,” Sumlin said of Nevada coach Brian Polian, who coached the Aggies’ special teams and tight ends for Sumlin in 2012. The Wolfpack visits College Station on Saturday.
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: “For this young team, we have to continue to understand when there is an opportunity for us to break away or make something happen, we need to make it happen,” Mason said. “Because our margin of error is somewhat slim.” The Commodores host Austin Peay on Saturday. Both teams are 0-2.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
