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The first weekend in November could be one to remember in the SEC.
The winner of Saturday night’s LSU-Alabama matchup will take control of the SEC West, while Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Arkansas will try to stay alive in the division race.
Meanwhile, Florida can clinch the SEC East with a home win over Vanderbilt.
Here’s what the league’s coaches had to say about their teams’ respective games this weekend:
Nick Saban, Alabama: “They return 16 starters, a lot of experienced players,” Saban said of LSU. They’ve been very, very productive on offense. I think Leonard Fournette is probably, in my opinion — I haven’t seen all the players, but he’s as dominant as any player in the country in terms of the way he plays and what he’s capable of doing as a running back, both running the football and as a receiver.
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: “At times, it was a little frustrating defensively, but overall I thought they played pretty well. I am excited for the opportunity to hit the road for two weeks, then two home games at the end to see where we are,” said Bielema, whose Razorbacks kick off November with Saturday’s game at Ole Miss.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: “We haven’t played good on offense and good on defense at the same time all year,” said Malzahn, whose Tigers travel to face the Aggies on Saturday. “That’s our challenge. We’ve got to figure out a way to put a complete game together … That’s what we’re striving to do.”
Jim McElwain, Florida: “It’s not about thinking about going to the championship,” said McElwain, whose Gators would clinch the SEC East with a win over visiting Vanderbilt on Saturday. “It’s about what do we do right now to get better because the championship will never come if we don’t take care of the now. And our guys are getting that.”
Mark Richt, Georgia: “What we’re going to do now is we’re going to focus on our jobs, we’re going to fight like mad, and we’re going to do it together,” said Richt, whose Bulldogs host Kentucky on Saturday.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: “The only way you make this feeling go away is to go get a victory,” Stoops said. “That’s it. That is it. We are not alone. Georgia is going to feel the same way.”
Les Miles, LSU: “The good news is we’ve played these games before, and we certainly understand them,” Miles said. “A big game is only so big, right? You’re playing for all the things you wanted to play for at the beginning of the year. You’re playing for the lead in the West. And you’ve put yourself, with your achievements, this team, in position to do so. They should look forward to it. They should relish it. It’s why you come to LSU, to be a part of this game.”
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: “They create havoc with athleticism on the outside and size on the inside,” Mullen said, referring to Missouri, which hosts the Bulldogs on Thursday night. “They can rush the passer and stop the run.”
Gary Pinkel, Missouri: “It’s November now,” Pinkel said. “For us, that’s a different deal there. In November, that means winning for different reasons sometimes. Sometimes it’s to compete for a championship. Sometimes it’s to get into a bowl game. There’s many different reasons, but at the end of the day, November’s a really big month in our business.”
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: “I’m a competitor and an offensive coach,” Freeze said. “As soon as we were able to turn our attention from Auburn, (Arkansas) was on my mind. I like getting another shot at that. It motivates me.”
Shawn Elliott, South Carolina: “We’ve got to keep adding some wrinkles, keep doing some things differently and trying to move forward and get an SEC win,” said Elliott, whose Gamecocks travel to face the Vols on Saturday. “That’s our goal.”
Butch Jones, Tennessee: “They’re playing with great effort. They’re playing with great pride,” Jones said of the Gamecocks. “They’re playing with intensity, and I think you can see that.”
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: “I’m not surprised he’s come on this year,” Sumlin said of Auburn QB Sean White. “We’ve got to shore up our run defense, but we’ve got to eliminate big plays.”
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: “The turnover battle for us has been our arch nemesis,” Mason said. “If we take care of the football, we put ourselves into position to be in ball games, so for me it’s about which quarterback (Kyle Shurmur or Johnny McCrary) gives us the best opportunity to manage that.”
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
