SEC Wrap-Up: A Look at the League’s Week-Four Action
OXFORD, Miss. – “When you wish upon a star…..”
After the fourth week of Southeastern Conference football action, each team wants to have a few coins to toss into the gridiron wishing well. It could be for health, forgiveness or to just wish the season would hurry up and end.
Here is each team’s wish as many close out their non-conference schedules:
GEORGIA 39, KENT STATE 22
Georgia wishes it had thought of handing the ball to Brock Bowers sooner. The tight end ran twice for 77 yards, and both runs resulted in touchdowns.
The Bulldogs are also wishing their secondary improves fast. Kent State receiver Devontez Walker ran wild through the UGA defensive backfield grabbing seven passes for 106 yards. KSU hopes the athletic department’s accounting staff shows up to work Monday. They need to deposit the Golden Flashes’ third “money game” check of the year. Kent State previously played at Oklahoma and Washington.
AUBURN 17, MISSOURI 14
Hey, somebody had to win in this game that may have featured the worst teams in their respective divisions.
About now, Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwicz wishes he was still at App State. Brian Harsin of Auburn wishes he was almost anywhere but where he is. Harsin may have his wish granted.
The television audience wishes when ESPN cut from the game to coverage of Aaron Judge’s at bats for his quest for his 61st home run, the network would have stayed there instead of going back to this ugly game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 45, BOWLING GREEN 14
Mike Leach wishes his team was not in the SEC West. In four games, State is undefeated in the American Conference (beat Memphis), the Pac-12 (Arizona), and the MAC (Bowling Green). Too bad the Bulldogs lost to LSU and now have Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama in the next four games. Bowling Green wishes its non-conference schedule was a nightmare – the Falcons dropped three-of-four including a loss to Eastern Kentucky.
OLE MISS 35, TULSA 27
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin wishes his team didn’t have a brake pedal. The Rebels put 35 points on the scoreboard in the first half, but after the break, put up a donut. Bupkis. Nada.
In the first half, Ole Miss notched 211 rushing yards and in the final two quarters, a paltry 97. Defensively, the Rebels had 13 sacks in the first two weeks of the season. Saturday, zip, blank, and I am out of synonyms for zero.
Tulsa wishes its quarterback, Davis Brin, is not injured badly. He is the nation’s leading passer and if he had played the entire game, the Golden Hurricane might have pulled the upset.
TENNESSEE 38, FLORIDA 33
Tennessee wishes Hendon Hooker had a twin brother. Without his favorite target, Cedric Tillman, Hooker threw for 349 yards and ran for 112 more.
UT coach Josh Heupel probably wishes his team was not off this week because of the momentum it has.
Florida wishes more teams will try to defend the Gators by making Anthony Richardson throw the ball. After he struggled passing against South Florida, the sophomore threw for a game-high 453 yards. That total was also the highest total in the SEC Saturday.
ALABAMA 55, VANDERBILT 3
Vanderbilt wishes it could skip the next two games – Ole Miss and Georgia – and October 22 would hurry up and get here. That is the day the Commodores play Missouri.
Alabama wishes it had remembered an old SEC adage. Don’t beat Vandy too badly; in 15 years we will all be working for them.
TEXAS A&M 23, ARKANSAS 21
Texas A&M wishes it had more ranked opponents on its schedule. After getting knocked off by unranked Appalachian State, the Aggies have beaten ranked Miami and Arkansas in consecutive weeks.
The win over the Hurricanes was diminished Saturday as Miami lost to Middle Tennessee State by two touchdowns.
Arkansas wishes its offense featured more than KJ Jefferson. He led the team in passing (171 yards) and rushing (105). His 276 total yards were over half of what the Hogs gained all day.
KENTUCKY 31, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 23
Kentucky wishes Chris Rodriguez had returned Saturday instead of next week against Ole Miss. The Wildcats only ran for 103 yards against the Huskies but Will Levis picked up the slack by throwing for 303 yards and four touchdowns.
UK also wishes it had more Ole Miss transfers on defense. Jacquez Jones and Keidron Smith combined for 13 tackles for the Cats.
Northern Illinois wishes there were only two quarters in a game. At halftime, the contest was tied at 14.
SOUTH CAROLINA 56, CHARLOTTE 20
South Carolina wishes it could bottle coach Shane Beamer’s halftime speech. Leading 20-14 at the break, the Gamecocks came out of the locker room and outscored the Niners 22-0.
Carolina also wishes MarShawn Lloyd commits this game to muscle memory as he ran for 169 yards and averaged over 11 yards per carry.
Charlotte wishes its defense remembered that tackling was legal. In five games, Charlotte has surrendered 43, 41, 56, 42 and 56 points.
LSU 38, NEW MEXICO 0
LSU wishes people would talk about the quarterback situation now. Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier combined to go 33-of-39 for 414 yards.
The Bayou Bengals are still wishing they had made an extra point against Florida State. If that conversion goes through and LSU wins in overtime, the Tigers would be a perfect 4-0.
New Mexico wishes New Mexico State never dismantles its football program. As long as NMSU is playing, at least New Mexico can say they have the best football team in the state.
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
