Juggernaut: Jones fuels Tide offense
QB producing gaudy stats for No. 2 Alabama
Alabama’s high-flying offense makes an impressive statement. QB Mac Jones put on a Heismanesque performance, throwing for 417 yards and four TDs while leading the Crimson Tide past Georgia. It was his third consecutive game with 400-plus yards. Jones leads the nation in passing efficiency (220.1) and passing yards per attempt (13.2) as Alabama stayed the team to beat in the SEC.
Georgia’s offense needs to be perfect if the Bulldogs are going to win the SEC.
As disappointing as the loss to Alabama was, Georgia may get another shot at the Tide down the road. If that happens, the Bulldogs need better play out of QB Stetson Bennett, who was 6-of-20 passing for 104 yards in the second half, including two INTs that led to 14 secondhalf Tide points.
FSU earns signature win. It’s been a rough first year for Seminoles coach Mike Norvell, who’s dealt with many challenges while trying to rebuild the FSU program, including testing positive for COVID-19. The Seminoles continued to battle, showing tremendous growth during a loss to Notre Dame and now with a win over a top-five team in North Carolina.
Notre Dame survives, but the Irish have cause for concern.
Notre Dame improved to 4-0 after an ugly 12-7 win over Louisville. Irish QB Ian Book completed 11 passes for 106 yards, extending a troubling trend. The Irish rank second to last in the ACC in passing offense and last with three passing TDs this season.
Auburn’s stumble has Tigers facing another middling season.
Turnovers and mistakes led to Gus Malzahn’s team dropping its second game of the season to unranked South Carolina. Tigers QB Bo Nix threw three picks for just the second time in his career. Unless Auburn can turn things around quickly, it looks like the Tigers are headed for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the SEC West.
Kentucky gets defensive while snapping a skid vs. Tennessee.
Kentucky’s offense is playing the understudy role to the true star of the team right now: its defense. The Wildcats have allowed nine points during the past two games while forcing 10 turnovers, including nine INTs. Two of those were returned for TDs as the Wildcats earned their first win in Knoxville since 1984.
There’s no slowing down Clemson. Trevor Lawrence passed for 382 yards and five TDs — in the first half — as Clemson put up 73 points against Georgia Tech. The Tigers have won 37 consecutive regularseason games, including five this season by an average margin of 36 points per game. Dabo Swinney’s team may not face a challenge until it plays Notre Dame on Nov. 7.
Arkansas wins coaching sweepstakes in the SEC.
No disrespect to Mike Leach (Mississippi State) or Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), but Arkansas coach Sam Pittman could be turn out to the best offseason hire in the SEC. Pittman’s Razorbacks have played tough defense during wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss and were a controversial call away from knocking off Auburn last week.
When UCF and Memphis square off, throw out the record books.
The top teams in the AAC the last three seasons combined for a leaguerecord 1,501 yards, including 1,087 yards passing, during Memphis’ 5049 win Saturday. It’s the third time during the last three meetings the programs have combined for more than 1,100 yards in a game.
Rough stretch for Florida’s Dan Mullen.
A week after his controversial comments asking for 90,000 Florida fans to fill the Swamp, Gators coach Dan Mullen revealed he tested positive for COVID-19. It’s part of an outbreak among the Florida team that prompted the SEC to postpone the Gators’ games against LSU and Missouri.