With two big upsets, a Top 5 showdown and two COVID-19 postponements, Week 4 was the busiest one yet in the 2020 SEC season. We’re here to provide you with a quicker-than-ESPN recap on all things SEC on each week of this weekly series.
The wrinkle here is that this recap is built around the framework of the 2020 Georgia football schedule.
Consider’s this your weekly need-to-know on all things SEC. Just served up for the appetite of the discriminating Georgia reader.
This Week’s Scores
No. 2 Alabama 48, Tennesee 17 Auburn 35, Ole Miss 28 Missouri 20, Kentucky 10 LSU 52, South Carolina 24
What does all of that mean for Georgia? Here is all of what DawgNation needs to know:
Next Game’s Opponent: Kentucky (2-3)
How the Wildcats fared: The Wildcats looked nothing like the squad which blasted Tennessee by 27 points a week ago. Kentucky went on the road and managed just eight first downs and 145 yards of total offense in a 10-point loss to Missouri.
What UK did well: The Wildcats did nothing worth noting on the offensive side of the ball. They also allowed Missouri to rack up 220 yards rushing and 201 yards passing. To find the positive, we must note Atlanta native Yusuf Corker came up with a game-high 18 tackles, 2 TFLs and one sack against Mizzou. That’s a stout effort for a DB. The overall run defense was actually pretty sound against Missouri.
What UK did not do well: It was just bad. All the way around. Mizzou held the ball for 43:10 to just 16:50 for Kentucky. Missouri completed 21 of its 30 pass attempts.
The big stat lines: Kentucky ran the ball 23 times for 98 yards, but that accentuates what it cannot do through the air against even a modest defensive unit. The Wildcats only completed 4 of their 13 pass attempts for 47 yards. Sophomore RB Chris Rodriquez Jr., another Georgia native, led the Wildcats offensively with nine carries for 48 yards.
DawgNation Outlook: As limited as Kentucky has looked offensively the last few weeks through the air, there is a legit thought to ponder if this team can manage even 150 total yards against a stifling Georgia defense.
Week 7 opponent
Florida (2-1)
DawgNation Outlook: Florida had 19 positive COVID-19 tests among its players earlier this month. That led the SEC to postpone the matchup with LSU to the final Saturday of the regular season. The Gators also saw head coach Dan Mullen announce last week he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Florida had its second straight bye this week. It now faces Missouri on Halloween and then Georgia on Nov. 7. The Gators haven’t played a game since their last-second 41-38 loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 10.
What all of that means: Florida and Georgia have both now lost their advantageous off weeks placed before that annual rivalry game in Jacksonville. When those two teams meet on Nov. 7, it will mean that Florida will have played one SEC football game in the 29 days since it lost to the Aggies.
Week 8 opponent
Missouri (2-2)
How The Tigers fared: Missouri started out 0-2 but has since beaten LSU and Kentucky. It wasn’t back-to-back weeks because COVID-19 quarantine mandates affecting Vanderbilt left the Tigers without a game last week. That said, the Tigers thumped a Kentucky team this week which was perceived to be one of the stronger squads in the SEC East by that 20-10 margin.
What Mizzou did well: As stated above, the Tigers piled up 421 yards of total offense against Kentucky thanks to a healthy dose of offensive balance. They shut down Kentucky and owned the time of possession. The Wildcats could not get much going through the air against their secondary.
What Mizzou did not do well: The Tigers piled up 220 rushing yards but weren’t very efficient in doing so. They needed 62 carries at 3.5 yards per pop to produce that total against Kentucky. Leading rusher Larry Roundtree scored twice but needed to carry the ball 37 times to pick up his 126 yards.
The big stat lines: Freshman QB Connor Bazelak completed 21 of his 30 passes for 201 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdowns or interceptions. He is completing 70 percent of his passes for 893 yards with four touchdowns and one interception this season.
DawgNation Outlook: Georgia will go up to Columbia in a few weeks. When the Bulldogs do, they will face a Missouri team that has gained some confidence at home in beating two teams in LSU and Kentucky that most of the nation felt would win those games. Missouri faces Florida this week and then has a bye week before it sees Georgia.
The Rest of the Schedule:
Mississippi State (Week 9): The Bulldogs and first-year head coach Mike Leach did not play this weekend. The Bulldogs were media darlings after that road upset at LSU in Week 1, but that 14-point loss to Texas A&M last Saturday was their third straight loss. We’re not sure if Leach still has a stable No. 1 quarterback option anymore at this point.
South Carolina (Week 10): South Carolina was shredded by LSU this week after that historic Auburn win last Saturday. The Gamecocks trailed 31-10 at the half to fall to 2-3. LSU piled up 541 total yards on the Gamecocks. The Tigers averaged 5.1 yards per rush en route to 276 yards on the ground.
Vanderbilt (Week 11): Vanderbilt had this weekend and last weekend off after it became the SEC’s first COVID-19 postponement earlier this month. The Commodores are now scheduled to finish the season by playing seven straight Saturdays. The Commodores will visit Georgia on Dec. 5.
Arkansas (Week 1 win): The Razorbacks were idle this week. Former Georgia line coach Sam Pittman has Arkansas playing the jukebox a lot lately with a 2-2 record up to this point. His ‘Hawgs had a rousing win against Ole Miss a week ago.
Auburn (Week 2 win): It was not news to see the Tigers in another one-possession game. Or to see them benefit again from another curious call. Auburn was able to rally to beat Ole Miss on the road to improve to 3-2. Dynamic freshman RB Tank Bigsby had his third straight 100-yard game with a 129-yard effort and two scores on the ground. Bo Nix threw for 238 yards.
Tennessee (Week 3 win): The Vols took another one on the chin at home against Alabama to fall to 2-3 for the season. Tennessee trailed 28-10 at the half and gave up 417 passing yards to the Tide in the loss.
Alabama (Week 4 loss): The No. 2 Crimson Tide moved to 5-0 thanks to 96 rushing yards and another three rushing scores from Najee Harris. That sums up the good, but the loss of All-American WR Jaylen Waddle for the season (dislocated ankle) puts a big dent in Alabama’s national title hopes. Waddle suffered that unfortunate injury while returning the opening kickoff against the Vols.
The Rest of the SEC:
TEXAS A&M: The Aggies (3-1) were idle this weekend. They will prepare this week to face a hot Arkansas (2-2) team at 7:30 p.m. on Halloween night.
LSU: True freshman QB T.J. Finley completed 17 of 21 passes for 265 yards for two scores with one interception. The Tigers improved to 2-2 with Finley making his first career start in the absence of injured starter Myles Brennan.
OLE MISS: The “Lane Train” is running low on coal after the tough test it gave mighty Alabama earlier this month. Defense continues to be the foil. Auburn traveled to Oxford and rallied for a 35-28 win. Starting QB Matt Corral only threw for 154 yards and was intercepted twice. Ole Miss is now 1-4.
