SEC PRIMER: new-look SEC has a new feature

RRS STAFF

Ladies and gentlemen,

Introducing the first-ever SEC Primer.

What is a primer? If researched in a dictionary, it would say, “an elementary book for teaching children how to read.”

But that’s not our meaning. It’s more like something for preparing dynamite to explode or to ignite a charge…. A prime-er.

Yes, it also has something to do with watching paint dry but hopefully this will have more interest than that.

Each week, River Region Sports will take a look at each of the games in the Southeastern Conference (and others, if necessary) to prepare you for Saturday’s action.

We will do our best to stay away from the mundane stats, although some are pertinent to the matters at hand. I.E. - last week new Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello broke the SEC single game record for passing yards (623) but chances are you already knew that.

But what you might not know is he is the fifth of the top 11 passing performances (yardage) nationally by a quarterback who was coached by one Mike Leach (Can you name the other five? Answer below.)

So, stats aren’t all bad and they do help tell the story. We intend to give you facts and a few figures to impress your friends and when you hear Gary Danielson give a number, you’ll probably say, “I already knew that!”

We look forward to making your Saturday more fun and more informed.

So get ready and start pumping!

Answer: Conner Halliday (Wash St – 2014); BJ Symons (Texas Tech – 2003); Graham Harrell (Wash St. - 2008); Luke Falk (Wash. St. - 2015).

Voice of the SEC

Each week, RRS will feature an interview with a personality from the SEC.

This week, it’s the voice of CBS Studio host Adam Zucker, who joined River Region Sports Radio earlier in the week to talk about dealing with COVID-19, early SEC upsets, the difficuties of an AP voter and what not to put in a microwave.

QUOTE MASTER

“You ask somebody the week of the game, the team they are playing will have the most talent team. Then the next week, they have the most talent.... that’s called coach speak. So, thank you Gus. He has the most talent in the SEC.”

— Kirby Smart on comments from Gus Malzahn who stated Georgia was the SEC's most talented team

OCT 3 Schedule/Notes

 

South Carolina (0-1) at Florida (0-1)
11 a.m. CDT (ESPN)
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/Spurrier – Fla Field

Series: FLA, 28-9-3  (Last: 2019 – FLA, 38-27)

5 THINGS about SC/FLA

1. Florida’s No. 3 ranking  in the current Associated Press poll is the highest since 2012 when Will Muschamp was the Gators’ head coach.

2. Florida’s 642 total yards versus Ole Miss set a school record.

3. UF’s Kyle Trask’s 6 TD passes tied Joe Burrow in an SEC opener. He had four TD passes against South Carolina a year ago.

4. Dating back to last season, the Gamecocks are currently on a four-game losing streak. Their last win came against Vanderbilt on Nov. 2, 2019.

5. Will Muschamp is 1-3 as a head coach against both teams in this game (1-3 as SC coach vs. Fla and 1-3 as Fla coach vs. SC).

RRS PREDICTION: Florida 31, South Carolina 14 (FLA favored by 18)

Missouri (0-1) at Tennessee (1-0)
11 a.m. (SEC Network)
Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

Series: Mizzou, 5-3 (Last: 2019 – Tenn., 24-20)

5 Things about Mizzou/Tennessee

1. Saturday’s game stayed true to the original date the game was to be played prior to COVID-19 changes. This is the earliest the two teams have met on the calendar.

2. Tennessee has the longest win streak in the SEC – 7 games.

3. UT QB Jarrett Guarantano had his best game of his career against Missouri, passing for 415 yards last year.

4. Mizzou QB Shawn Robinson had the best start of any Tiger quarterback, completing 76 percent of his passes (since 2000).

5. Missouri’s defense recorded nine tackles for loss last week against Alabama, the most against an SEC opponent since  2018 (South Carolina).

RRS PREDICTION: Tennessee 23, Missouri 20 (Tennessee favored by 12.5)

Texas A&M (1-0) at Alabama (1-0)
2:30 p.m. CDT (CBS)
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa

Series: UA, 10-2 (Last: 2019 – UA, 47-28)

5 Things about Bama/A&M

1. Nick Saban will meet a former assistant on the opposite sideline for the 20th time this Saturday. He currently has three wins against Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher. It is the first of four straight games he will face a former pupil (Ole Miss-Lane Kiffin/ Georgia-Kirby Smart/ Tennessee-Jeremy Pruitt).

2. Since A&M joined the SEC in 2012, Alabama has scored at least 40 points in five of eight meetings.

3. A&M’s Isaiah Spiller was the lone back to rush for more than 100 yards last week in the SEC. Bama’s Najee Harris had 98 yards rushing.

4. In 12 starts against ranked opponents, A&M QB Kellen Mond is 3-9.

5. Dating back to 2018, opposing kickers have made 25 straight field goals against the Crimson Tide. The last miss? Rodrigo Blankenship of Georgia in the 2018 SEC Championship game.

RRS PREDICTION: Alabama 37, Texas A&M 17 (Bama favored by 18)

Ole Miss (0-1) at Kentucky (0-1)
3 p.m. CDT (SEC Network)
Kroger Field, Lexington

Series: Miss, 27-14-1 (Last: 2017 - Miss., 37-34)

5 Things about Ole Miss/Kentucky

1. his is the third-straight meeting between the two teams in Lexington with the home team winning four of the last five games.

2. KY coach Mark Stoops will try to even his record at home with a victory. He is 44-45 at Commonwealth Stadium (aka Kroger Field).

3. Elijah Moore earned a light blue star with 227 yards in receiving in a losing effort last week for the Rebels.

4. The Rebels averaged more than 18 yards per reception against Florida on 400 yards in passing.

5. Wildcats assistant Eddie Gran got his first SEC coaching job at Ole Miss (1995-98) and was on Lane Kiffin’s staff at Tennessee in 2009.

RRS PREDICTION: Kentucky 35, Ole Miss 31 (Kentucky favored by 6)

Arkansas (0-1) at Mississippi State (1-0)
6 p.m. CDT (SEC Alternate)
Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field, Starkville

Series: Ark, 16-13-1 (Last: 2019 - MSU, 54-24)

5 Things to know about Arkansas/Mississippi State

1. According to ESPN FPI, Arkansas and Mississippi play the toughest schedules in the nation. Overall the all teams in the SEC play 14 of the 15 toughest schedules nationally.

2. Mississippi State enjoyed their highest-ranked win in program history last week over No. 6 LSU. Mike Leach was the first MSU coach to beat a ranked team in his debut.

3. Kylin Hill’s receiving 158 yards last week is highest ever for a Miss St running back. Of that number, 155 yards were after the catch.

4. Arkansas held Georgia to 1-of-12 on third-down conversions in the first half of last week’s loss, the 19th straight in SEC play. That was the best since 2014 against Nicholls State (1-of-12).

5. After starting 25 games for Florida, Arkansas QB Feleipe Franks made his first start for the Razorbacks last week. He is the second-straight transfer quarterback to start for Arkansas (Ben Hicks).

RRS PREDICTION: Mississippi State 41, Arkansas 19 (Miss St favored by 17.5)

LSU (0-1) at Vanderbilt (0-1)
6:30 p.m. CDT (SEC Network)
Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

Series: LSU, 23-7-1 (Last: 2019 – LSU, 66-38)

5 Things to know about LSU/Vandy

1. · LSU owns its current longest winning streak over an SEC team against the Commodores with eight. The number stretches back to 1991. Vandy’s last win? – 1990.

2. Vanderbilt has faced LSU fewer than any other team in SEC history. That includes former member Tulane, which left the conference in 1965. Vandy has played the Green Wave 48 times (last – 1989) and LSU 31 times.

3. ·      The Tigers have scored 30 or more points in eight straight games, dating back to the Alabama win last season.

4. LSU’s QB Myles Brennan set school records for completions (27), attempts (46) and passing yards (345) for a first-time starter.

5. The Commodores have not beaten a ranked team since  2017 when they knocked off Kansas State in Nashville
   
   
   

RRS PREDICTION: LSU 35, Vanderbilt 16 (LSU favored by 21)

Auburn (1-0) at Georgia (1-0)
6:30 p.m. CDT (ESPN)
Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, Athens

Series: UGA, 60-56-8 (Last: UGA, 21-14)

5 Things to know about Auburn/Georgia

1. The South’s Oldest Rivalry last played outside the month of November in 1936. This is the 125th meeting which is the second-longest active among Division I games (FBS), trailing only Minnesota-Wisconsin, which is at 129. AU-UGA first played in 1893.

2. Auburn has a winning record in Athens (18-15) but hasn’t won there since 2005 (six straight losses).

3. Before leading Georgia to last week’s win over Arkansas, quarterback Stetson Bennett was the 2017 Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year before leaving for Jones County Junior College in Mississippi in 2018.

4. AU QB Bo Nix continued his streak of passes without an interception last week, increasing the number to 218 attempts. That’s second only to Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (276).

5. Auburn had eight tackles for losses against Kentucky. That continued a trend that the Tigers recorded at least four in every game last season.

RRS PREDICTION: Georgia 19, Auburn 16 (UGA favored by 6.5)