SEC Football: 3 Things to Watch for this Week

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 3, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; The SEC logo on the field prior to a game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the UCLA Bruins at Kyle Field. Texas A&M won in overtime 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Last week was the most entertaining opening weekend of SEC Football that I can remember. We had upsets, close calls, defensive battles, offensive fireworks, and everything else an SEC Football fan could possibly ask for.

Tennessee almost lost to Appalachian State. South Carolina won on a last-minute field goal. Mississippi State lost on a last minute field Auburn nearly toppled Clemson. Alabama spanked the USC Trojans. Everywhere you looked, there was an entertaining game.

This week’s schedule doesn’t look quite as exciting, at least on paper. Several teams (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, and Missouri) are headed to the bakery to enjoy some delicious cupcakes. This leaves only a few good games: Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech, Arkansas at TCU, and South Carolina at Mississippi State.

There are also a couple of middling games: Kentucky at Florida and Middle Tennessee State at Vandy. The Vandy game will be an ugly affair, as are all of Vandy’s games under Head Coach Derek Mason. The Florida game is only interesting because it will be the 30th consecutive victory for Florida over the Wildcats if the Gators win. Which they should do fairly easily.

On the whole the weekend is just something of a let down after the heights of last week. Nevertheless, your intrepid blogging team at Southbound and Down have found three story-lines we think are worth keeping an eye on this week. Read on to find out what they are, and tell us what other things you’ll be watching for this weekend in the comments below.

3. Will Tennessee Rebound?

Last week, the Tennessee Volunteers were taken to overtime by Appalachian State. Not only that, but Appalachian State actually looked like the better team for most of the night. Only a miracle fumble recovery in the end zone saved the day for Joshua Dobbs and company.

Needless to say, Tennessee will be looking to rebound against Virginia Tech. Tech is in an interesting position. Nobody really knows what to expect out of the Hokies under new coach Justin Fuente. Last week they struggled with Liberty before pulling away for a 36-13 victory. For his part, Fuente seemed pleased. He said,

“There were some times when things were kind of ugly looking, but I liked the way our kids dug in there and plowed away. The atmosphere was fantastic and I’m pleased with the way the kids responded to adversity.”

The experience responding to adversity should serve the Hokies well, as they will certainly face more of it against a talented Volunteer team. The Hokies will have to hope that their defense can contain Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara. They were very stout against Liberty, holding the Flames to just 90 yards rushing. If they can repeat that performance, I’m not sure Dobbs has the passing ability to beat the Hokies.

On the other side of the ball, the Tennessee defense, which struggled against the run against Appalachian State, will have to contend with a Hokie rushing attack that averaged 4.8 yards per carry last week. The Volunteers may be in for a scare again this week. It should be a fun game.

Sep 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. South Carolina won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

2. Can Will Muschamp Get South Carolina to 2-0?

In his South Carolina debut, Will Muschamp led the Gamecocks to an ugly 13-10 win against Vanderbilt. Does Coach Boom have what it takes to walk into Starkville and claim another scalp against a reeling Mississippi State? Maybe.

We all remember what happened to Mississippi State last week. They lost to the South Alabama Jaguars, a team that did not exist until 2009. And they lost in heartbreaking fashion. Quarterback Damian Williams drove the Bulldogs down the field and put his team in position for the game-winning field goal. Westin Graves‘ 28 yard attempt hit the right upright and the Bulldogs lost 21-20.

Thankfully for South Carolina, their kicker doesn’t miss. The Commodores and Gamecocks were deadlocked in a tough, defensive struggle. But in the waning moments of the game Perry Orth drove his team into Elliot Fry‘s range. Fry knocked a 53 yarder right down the middle and the Gamecocks left Nashville 1-0.

Now the two teams are set to face off. If Mississippi State wants to get a win they are going to have to shore up their leaky pass defense. Dallas Davis lit the Bulldogs up for 285 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

South Carolina, meanwhile, will need to get their offense in gear. Perhaps now that Perry Orth has established himself as the starting quarterback the rest of the offense will rally around him.

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) runs for a touchdown past USC Trojans defensive back Chris Hawkins (4) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

1. Who Wins the Alabama Quarterback Competition?

Nick Saban pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes last week, when he indicated that the quarterback battle had come down to Blake Barnett and Cooper Bateman. It turned out that only one of those players was actually in the battle. Barnett got the start, but after performing poorly, he was replaced by true freshman Jalen Hurts.

Hurts promptly fumbled on a read-option gone awry. But in the second quarter Hurts caught fire. From that point on he threw two long touchdown passes to Ardarius Stewart and showed his athletic ability by running for two more.

Barnett entered the game again after Hurts put up his four scores and the game was in hand. He completed five of his six pass attempts for 100 yards and a touchdown. He threw two beautiful long passes, one to O.J. Howard and the other a touchdown strike to Gehrig Dieter.

After Barnett was pulled and Hurts went off, I thought surely the competition was over. But Barnett’s garbage time heroics made my assumption incorrect. Barnett is still very much in the running.

Both quarterbacks have big arms, although Barnett’s looked a little bit bigger against USC. Lane Kiffin loves the deep ball. Also in Barnett’s favor, he has been in Tuscaloosa a year longer than Hurts. Thus, he likely has a better grasp of the playbook.

With that said, I still think Hurts will be the guy. He has elite athleticism, which Barnett simply can’t match. I think he will blossom into a dynamic play-maker in the mold of Deshaun Watson. However, only time will tell.

Sep 3, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; The SEC logo on the chains during a game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the UCLA Bruins at Kyle Field. Texas A&M won in overtime 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Thank You For Reading

Those are the three biggest story lines we are keeping track of this week. What others will you be keeping an eye on? Let us know in the comment section. Also, be sure to “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter.

We will give you our “Three Takeaways” from the weekend on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!