The Grove Report

SEC Snapshot: Arkansas is Here, Powers Cruise during Ole Miss Bye Week

A stroll around college football's top conference to kick off the week

John Garcia, Jr.

The SEC, as it often does, faced the combination of fatigue and unrealistic expectations all at once entering the 2021 season. Now a month in, the usual has set in with some funk behind it. 

Alabama and Georgia are playing a bit above the rest of the country while Arkansas and Florida are legitimate top 10 programs running, at least for now ahead of each playing that mighty Bulldog defense. Texas A&M's unit is still among the nation's best but the Jimbo Fisher offense hasn't come close to clicking beyond the ground game. 

We sift through each SEC game from the weekend in addition to looking ahead to a big Week 5 in Tuscaloosa and beyond. 

No. 1 Alabama 63, Southern Miss 14

Outside of a nice Frank Gore Jr. story before the game, there wasn't much to break down heading into No. 1's game before Ole Miss comes to town. Jameson Williams showed off his wheels right out of the gate and the Crimson Tide do what they always do, beat unranked opponents. It was the 100th-straight such win for Nick Saban. 

No. 2 Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 0

How about Georgia? SI ranks the Bulldogs as the nation's No. 1 team and for good reason -- it has looked like an unmovable force throughout the first month of the season. Its offense continues to improve and playing Vandy helps, but the story of UGA is on defense. The unit is loaded with NFL talent at every level and continues to prove it. The Bulldogs held the Commodores to 77 total yards in a conference game, and it was in Nashville. That means even the young UGA players were dominant when their number was called in the blowout. Georgia-Florida can't come soon enough, though Arkansas-Georgia next week will be a fun Sam Pittman bowl. Strength vs. Strength. 

No. 16 Arkansas 20, No. 7 Texas A&M 10

How about the Hogs? Arkansas came out of the gates strong against A&M, on a neutral field, and held on for a double-digit win. Outside of one busted play in which Isaiah Spiller broke loose for a long touchdown run, this game was all Arkansas from the jump. The Razorbacks are strong in the trenches, reflecting head coach Sam Pittman and they have just enough balance offensively, especially with KJ Jefferson seemingly healthy -- to make the line fluctuate against powerful Georgia next week. Of course, nobody has moved the ball on the Bulldogs, but the group hasn't faced a dominant rushing attack like Arkansas'. Pittman versus his old team in a top 10 matchup? Sign us up. 

No. 11 Florida 38, Tennessee 14

Florida had two blown defensive looks in the first half versus the Vols but was dominant otherwise on both sides of the football Saturday night. Emory Jones looks as comfortable as both a runner and passer as he has all season long and he's even playing efficient football in the process. Most importantly for UF, especially as we matriculate closer to the Cocktail Party, Jones didn't turn the football over for the first time as a starter. That stat is even more impressive than his 144 rushing yards. The Gators are a run-first team with some balance and a four-pronged (five with Anthony Richardson on the way back) rushing attack that can gash a defense on a moment's notice. The defense has also come along well since that first quarter against Alabama.

No. 23 Auburn 34, Georgia State 24

Auburn had a chance to win at Penn State two Saturdays ago and all of a sudden it feels like ages ago. GSU, which was blown out by Army to kick off the season, was in control most of the way at Auburn, which went through a quarterback change and last-minute touchdown pass to survive the scare. Perhaps the Tigers are who we thought they were preseason, at least offensively. Winning in Death Valley next week, which AU hasn't done since 1999, could come with one of the most interesting one-game storylines of 2021 if former LSU Tiger TJ Finley gets the start for Auburn. 

LSU 28, Mississippi State 25

LSU got its vengeance over Mississippi State for last season's embarrassment, but it nearly gave it away in the process. That's the tell of the 2021 LSU team, talented at every skill position with weird results thereafter, like not stopping the run versus UCLA or DBU getting cooked by the air raid offense (again) for nearly 500 yards. Max Johnson looked a bit better, especially early, in this one so perhaps he is the type of mobile passer who can move the ball on Auburn as Penn State did. The Tigers are more threatening on the outside but less efficient in the running game, so that weird tag may roll into the Tiger vs. Tiger showdown on Saturday night. 

Boston College 41, Missouri 34

Mizzou is the SEC team that has been on the brink of big wins without getting it done. The OT push against BC was impressive until the coverage breakdown against Zay Flowers when it counted most, against BC's backup QB no less. The week prior, versus Kentucky, seemed like the battle of who may be next up in the SEC. UK is undefeated and Mizzou is 2-2. So it goes...

Kentucky 16, South Carolina 10

UK just finds a way. It wasn't pretty but a road SEC win for any team in the East not named Georgia or Florida is a good win. The Wildcat defense was ready for USC's move back to Luke Doty at quarterback and the running game behind Chris Rodriguez steadied the ship on an otherwise dull offensive night. Like Arkansas and Florida, perhaps it's time for Mark Stoops and the Wildcats to lean into the run-first return early in the 2021 season. Rodriguez and Kavosiey Smoke make for one of the league's best one-two punches but the latter has just 29 attempts this year. 

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John Garcia, Jr.
JOHN GARCIA, JR.

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