Around the SEC: Week 10 (Football)
With six SEC teams having a bye this week, all eyes are on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs as they host the No. 3 Florida Gators this Saturday.
The Gators will be without defensive lineman Zachary Carter and linebacker Antwaun Powell for the first half of this week’s game following the brawl that took place last Saturday in Florida’s win against Missouri. It began after quarterback Kyle Trask suffered a late hit right before halftime. Head coach Dan Mullen was also fined $25,000 for the events that took place.
Nonetheless, Trask had a great performance – throwing four touchdown passes for a total of 345 yards following a two week break due to positive COVID-19 tests for Florida.
Normally, Georgia would be able to defend a solid passing game like this, but as shown in its loss against Alabama, the Bulldogs’ secondary is questionable without safety Richard LeCounte, who is out due to a frightening dirt bike accident.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett will still start despite throwing five interceptions in the past two games while running back Zamir White has been very solid this season. Both teams are coming into this week off of a win to fight for the top seed in the SEC East.
No. 7 Texas A&M will face unranked South Carolina after taking down Arkansas in a gritty battle ending in a final score of 42-31. The Aggies’ offense went 7-11 on third-down conversions in last week’s game.
Following their bye week, it will be interesting to see which version of South Carolina shows up this weekend – the Gamecocks who beat Auburn 30-22 or the team who was destroyed in Death Valley, 52-24.
Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond became Texas A&M’s all-time leading passer against Arkansas after putting up 260 yards and three touchdowns. With the help of his dominant offensive line, Mond has not taken a sack in four straight games.
On the other hand, South Carolina quarterback Colin Hill was sacked five times against LSU alone. He showed a glimpse of greatness in the season opener throwing for 290 yards, but has not matched that performance since.
The Tennessee Vols are coming into this week’s game against Arkansas having lost three consecutive games. Once ranked as high as No. 14, they have since dropped following the losses partly due to a lack of third down conversions and their weak offensive line.
Arkansas has pulled off some impressive wins this season – defeating Mississippi State and Ole Miss while coming close to upsetting Auburn. While both teams sit at 2-3, Arkansas looks like the much more promising pick for the game ahead.
In the fourth game for the SEC this weekend, Mississippi State will host Vanderbilt.
Starting off strong with a win against LSU, the Bulldogs have not won a game since. Even worse, Vanderbilt has not won a game all season. With both teams lacking a solid offense, whoever can score will win the game – and Vanderbilt has a solid opportunity to get its first win of the season.
Kathryn Tague is freshman majoring broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email kgt5061@psu.edu.
