SEC Football: Takeaways from Around the Conference in Week 5

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

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SEC football fans were treated to a pair of close games in a weekend of blowouts, but there was still plenty to take from the weekend for each team. While the LSU Tigers were undoubtedly the biggest winners of the week, they weren’t the only ones. Several SEC football teams made progress they can be proud of.

Although that is the case, it wasn’t a good weekend for every SEC football team. Many teams in the conference went backwards. College football is a fickle sport and these teams cannot afford to momentum again next weekend. Their players are hoping for an NFL dream, their coaches are hoping for future employment.

While teams either usually gain or lose momentum, there is also the possibility to stall or maintain. Whether it be an expected victory or disappointing performance that still led to a win, it happens. Les Miles would have had his Tigers in this category a lot, though it looks like that won’t be the case with Oregon.

Here we take a look at which SEC football teams gained momentum, lost momentum and stayed put.

Oct 1, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) gets out of reach of the Kentucky Wildcats defender at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama Crimson Tide

A week of distractions and a slow start were not enough to derail the Crimson Tide. Alabama executed soundly against an overmatched Kentucky team. The Crimson Tide came away with their 7th non-offensive touchdown of the season — courtesy of a 55-yard fumble return from Ronnie Harrison — to go up 17-3 in the second quarter and never looked back.

Impact Moving Forward

-Little to none

Alabama fans had to be happy when they realized they got to play SEC East cellar dweller Kentucky before the season. And the game came at a great time. The Tide has already beaten the best team on their schedule. Nick Saban and Co. have a tough three week stretch ahead of them, though, traveling to Arkansas and Tennessee before hosting Texas A&M. Nick Saban and Co. being able to cruise to a victory in week 5 allows them to be healthy and well-rested heading into the grueling stretch.

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) celebrates after a touchdown during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Florida Gators

The story will be that the Gators played down to their competition and barely escaped with a victory against Vanderbilt. Think what you want, but I have a ton of respect for what Derek Mason is doing with Vanderbilt’s defense. Florida was missing their starting quarterback and found a way to win a road SEC game.

Impact Moving Forward

-None

“A wise man once said, `you even have to bring your ugly babies home from the hospital,’ and that was ugly,” was the response to the game from Florida head coach Jim McElwain. The Gators went .500 without their starting quarterback in SEC play, and that’s about all you can hope for. They’ll need Luke Del Rio and all hands on next week if they want to successfully defend the Swamp against the Bayou Bengals.

Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Evan Engram (17) reacts after a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Memphis Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mississippi won 48-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels took care of business and did what they needed to do against a regional rival that embarrassed them last year. The game was closer than the 48-28 final score, but the Rebels getting a three score victory is exactly what they needed heading into their bye.

Impact Moving Forward

-Sustained momentum

While it wasn’t a spectacular win by any means, the Rebels have now won two in a row for the first time this season. Ole Miss will need to keep that momentum rolling if they want to put a winning streak together. After a bye, the Rebels travel to Arkansas and LSU. Ole Miss plays an insane schedule this year. If the Rebels can avoid another loss anytime soon, they may be able to play in a New Year’s Six bowl for a third straight year.

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Chris Lammons (3) reacts in the closing moments of their loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina Gamecocks

Will Muschamp continued to show that he can coach defense, but the Gamecocks will turn into a more expensive Vanderbilt if he cannot get some offense going. South Carolina failed to score when it mattered and have yet to top 20 points in a game. That will need to change if South Carolina wants to be competitive in SEC football.

Impact Moving Forward

-Stalled momentum

If this wasn’t Muschamp’s first year, this would be a momentum loss. No one expected him to win this game or the one against Georgia next week to begin with. Sitting at 2-3, though, the Gamecocks will need an upset over Georgia, Tennessee, Florida or Clemson to make a bowl game this year. Good luck Coach Boom.

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) hits Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Eason (10) causing a fumble recovered by Tennessee for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Bulldogs

I walked by someone showing the Georgia-Tennessee as I was tailgating yesterday and got a good chuckle about the disparity between the SEC West and SEC East. Georgia was up 10 at the time and in field goal range for another score. Tennessee managed to comeback, though, and officially but Georgia’s preseason dreams on life support.

Impact Moving Forward

-Slight loss of momentum

Yes Georgia has lost two in a row, but fans knew they’d have to be patient with Smart as he adjusted to life in the SEC not at the side of Nick Saban. Then again, Georgia fans never thought Mark Richt was good enough for them…so maybe they didn’t. If Nick Chubb had been available for this game, I don’t think the Bulldogs would have coughed up this game. Michel fulfilled his duties well, though, and Jacob Eason continues to grow as a quarterback. The Bulldogs should begin rebuilding some momentum with an SEC football win against South Carolina next week.

Oct 1, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats safety Mike Edwards (27) reacts after Alabama Crimson Tide scored late in the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky Wildcats

How irrelevant is Stephen Johnson as the quarterback of Kentucky? If you click his name on espn.com, it brings you to Stephen Johnson of Grambling State. Try if for yourself here. The Wildcats offense resembled anything but an SEC football team while failing to top 100 yards rushing or passing. This was ugly — even after Alabama got off to a slow start.

Impact Moving Forward

-Negative snowball

Mark Stoops likely has one foot out of the door at this point. No one circled this game as one his Wildcats could win, but Stoops was expected to make a bowl game this year. Kentucky faces off with Vanderbilt at home next week in a game with a ‘loser leaves town’ kind of feel to it.

Oct 1, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Derrius Guice (5) is tackled by Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Kyle Mitchell (72) during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri Tigers

Absolutely nothing worked for Mizzou, as Drew Lock completed only 17 of his 37 passes and the team’s rushing attack failed top top 100 yards. They also played as much defense as your local peewee team, so there isn’t much positive to take away from this one.

Impact Moving Forward

-Negativity snowball forming

No, Missouri was not expected to win this game. No, the Tigers were not expected to put up a ton of offense this year. Yes, Barry Odom was expected to continue to have a great defense. No, fans cannot continue to say that after the drubbing his defense received at the hands of LSU. If Missouri can’t play defense against a fairly one-dimensional attack, it is going to be quite a long year for Odom. Missouri simply has to be better on defense.

Oct 1, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Kyle Shurmur (14) attempts a pass during the first half against the Florida Gators at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Vanderbilt Commodores

Kyle Shurmur looked like hot garbage at quarterback this week. In addition, the Vanderbilt offense couldn’t muster up a touchdown at home to possibly upset the Gators. Ralph Webb continued to be the sole bright spot on an otherwise hapless Vanderbilt offense. I hope NFL teams are watching.

Impact Moving Forward

-Losing traction

I’ve already said I have a ton of respect for what Derek Mason is doing with the Vanderbilt defense, but moral victories only get you so far. I incorrectly thought Vandy would take the next step this year. If Mason can’t eventually get some quality SEC wins under his belt this year, his team will eventually grow weary of playing for him. Sure the Commodores beat Western Kentucky in overtime, but they cannot afford to lost to Kentucky next week if Mason wants to continue having the ear of his players.

Oct 1, 2016; Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back T.J. Hammond (6) rushes for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Alcorn State Braves at War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas defeated Alcorn State 52-10. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas Razorbacks

The positives here are obvious. A 42 point win against any team is a reason to feel good. Austin Allen managed the game well and the rushing attack topped 350 yards. A scoreless second quarter and the defense allowing as many yards as it did against such an outmatched opponent are causes for concern, however.

Impact Moving Forward

-Slight momentum bump

Dating back to last season, Arkansas has now won 10 of its last 12 games. Both losses for the Razorbacks, though, have come against SEC football teams (Mississippi State, Texas A&M). Arkansas has a chance to improve that trend with 7 straight games against SEC competition. The bad news? Bret Bielema will get the two best SEC teams through 5 weeks as his next two opponents. The good news? At least he’ll get both of them at home. While dominating an overmatched FCS team doesn’t do much for anyone, the Razorbacks dominated the way a top 25 team should.

Oct 1, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback John Franklin, III (5) scores on an 80-yard run against the UL-Monroe Warhawks during the third quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Warhawks 58-7. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Tigers

The only surprising thing about this one was the fact that Malzahn didn’t let the backup quarterbacks try to find some rhythm passing the ball. Auburn put up over 400 yards on 66 team carries and got back to fundamental Malzahn football. A hapless Louisiana Monroe team did what they could, but this was never close.

Impact Moving Forward

-Slight momentum bump

Yes, Auburn has the talent to do this with no problem. But we haven’t seen Auburn click like this offensively in quite a while, so the Tigers will happily take the momentum moving forward. If the Tigers can come out victorious against Mississippi State this week, they’ll be building some serious momentum heading into their bye week. All this one showed us is that John Franklin III can run against inferior opponents — which we already learned from Last Chance U.

Oct 1, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers interim head coach Ed Orgeron is dunked with a cooler by quarterback Caleb Lewis (8) and wide receiver Stephen Sullivan (10) following a win in his first game against the Missouri Tigers at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Missouri 42-7. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

LSU Tigers

The ghost of Ed Orgeron the interim coach of USC returned to college football this past week and roamed the sidelines of the Bayou Bengals. LSU rushed the ball 52 for 418 yards and Danny Etling made Mizzou respect the passing attack while completing 19 of 30 passes for 216 yards. Look out SEC football, the Tigers are dangerous. I correctly projected the Tigers to flop this year. Ed Oregon, though, is making me look foolish for doubting him.

Impact Moving Forward

-Huge momentum gain

LSU’s administration better be careful. I don’t think they have any intention of naming Ed Oregon their head coach. LSU’s leaders won’t have a choice if he keeps the Tigers playing like this, though. I know Missouri isn’t the best of SEC football, but a 35 point conference win is something that I don’t think we would have seen under Les Miles this year. Orgeron will see the competition kick up a notch this week as he leads the Tigers into the Swamp of Florida.

Oct 1, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) catches a game winning touchdown pass in front of Georgia Bulldogs safety Dominick Sanders (24) on the last play on the game during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee defeated Georgia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee now has two SEC football wins and are sitting at 5-0. While they’re fortunate to have missed Luke Del Rio and Nick Chubb, the only thing that matters in SEC football is wins and losses. I wouldn’t put too much stock into these wins, though.

Impact Moving Forward

-Huge momentum gain

The scoreboard doens’t show it all, but Tennessee is now 2-0 against the other top teams in the SEC East. The Gators and Bulldogs will eliminate one of the two when they play each other and Tennessee should remain in the driver’s seat all the way to Atlanta. I don’t buy the Volunteers as a College Football Playoff threat, but a trip to Atlanta will help Butch Jones building his program brick-by-brick. A huge test against Texas A&M in College Station awaits.

Oct 1, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate following their win over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M finally won a game thanks to their defense. While South Carolina isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, the Aggies played poorly on offense and came away with a two score SEC football victory. That’s not something we’ve been able to say very often about the Aggies.

Impact Moving Forward

-Continued steady momentum growth

The Aggies are now sitting at 5-0 with 3 SEC football wins under their belt. As positive of a sign as that is, the real meat of their schedule begins now. The play back-to-back games against the SEC East (Tennessee) and SEC West (Alabama) leaders with a bye sandwiched in-between. If the Aggies can knock off Tennessee, look out. Their showdown with Alabama in Tuscaloosa could wind up being a top 5 matchup.

SEC football may be a little down this year. SEC football also has some of the most exciting football every Saturday. We all look forward to what week 6 holds. I know I do. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.