The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WEST DIVISION RECAP
ALABAMA
Losing to Clemson is learning opportunity
■ Season opener: Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game — Alabama vs. Florida State (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta), 8 p.m., Sept. 2, ESPN
Coach Nick Saban is hoping Alabama will find a way to grow from that loss to Clemson in the national championship game.
The three-time defending SEC champion Crimson Tide fell on a last-second touchdown to the Tigers.
“When you lose the mindset is much more, I’m willing to change,” Saban said. “I want to learn. I don’t want to waste a failure. What could we have done better? Hopefully we won’t waste a failure.”
Alabama must replace four first-round NFL draft picks but returns reigning SEC offensive player of the year Jalen Hurts at quarterback, plus wide receiver Calvin Ridley and tailbacks Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough.
Saban called this one of his youngest teams since 2012, especially on defense.
ARKANSAS
Avoiding 2nd-half collapses a priority
■ Season opener: Florida A&M at Arkansas, 8 p.m., Aug. 31, SECN
Coach Bret Bielema has a few more weeks to enjoy being a first-time dad before his schedule gets a little busier. The Razorbacks are trying to improve on a 7-6 record in 2016, which was especially disappointing considering
they started the season 5-2. Arkansas returns senior quarterback Austin Allen, who threw for 3,430 yards, 25 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season.
The Razorbacks are especially focused on playing better in the second half. Arkansas blew big second-half leads in losses against Missouri and Virginia Tech at the end of
the season.
AUBURN
Quarterback competition is real
■ Season opener: Georgia Southern at Auburn, noon, Sept. 2
Coach Gus Malzahn insists Auburn really does have a quarterback battle.
Baylor transfer Jarrett Stidham seems to be the odds-on favorite to win the job over returning starter Sean White.
The coach said that Auburn players “know it’s a legitimate competition.” But the Tigers have struggled in the passing game the past two seasons, and White has battled injury problems.
Auburn ranked last in the SEC and 112th nationally in passing offense last season. Malzahn acknowledged quarterback depth has been the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel the past two years.
Auburn played three quarterbacks in the opening loss to Clemson last season. Malzahn promises he and new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey will have that battle settled quicker this time.
LSU
Beating Alabama is always a ‘must’
■ Season opener: BYU vs. LSU (NRG Stadium, Houston), 9:30 p.m., Sept. 2, ESPN
Coach Ed Orgeron knows beating Alabama is a priority for him, and every other coach that has been at the helm in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers have lost the last six meetings in an SEC West rivalry that produced a No. 1 vs. No. 2 “Game of the Century” and a national championship matchup in the 2011 season. Alabama won 10-0 last season.
Orgeron said he understands the reality that “the head coach at LSU must beat Alabama,” and that the Crimson Tide remain the league’s benchmark.
“The way to beat Alabama is to recruit on their level,” he said.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Just call Mullen the QB whisperer
■ Season opener: Charleston Southern at Mississippi State, noon, Sept. 2
Dan Mullen has developed a reputation as a quarterback whisperer during his coaching career.
The veteran coach has helped produce several star QBs as an assistant and a head coach, including Alex Smith (Utah), Tim Tebow (Florida) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State).
Now he has another budding standout in junior Nick Fitzgerald. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder returns after throwing for 2,423 yards and 21 touchdowns and running for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Mullen: “You really want to look for guys who have the traits that are hard to coach. If they have a skill set: the leadership, the mental and physical toughness, intelligence in processing information, decision making. Those are sometimes things that are harder to coach.”
OLE MISS
NCAA investigation dominates day
■ Season opener: South Alabama at Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m., Sept, 2, ESPNU
Coach Hugh Freeze wanted to talk about football.
Instead, he spent much of his time at the podium taking questions about the off-the-field issues swirling around the program.
Freeze, in his sixth year at Ole Miss, didn’t give much insight into the NCAA’s long-running investigation into the football program. The Rebels are facing 21 allegations that include academic, booster and recruiting misconduct and have already self-imposed several sanctions, including a one-year postseason ban.
Freeze said that “we obviously created” most of the drama surrounding the program and that Ole Miss was taking steps to correct its mistakes.
Freeze a lso said he couldn’t comment about a lawsuit filed against the university last week by former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. The civil suit filed in federal court alleges a breach of his severance agreement because of false statements he says school officials made during the ongoing NCAA investigation.
TEXAS A&M
Coach knows heat is on to win this season
■ Season opener: UCLA vs. Texas A&M (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.), 7:30 p.m., Sept. 3, Fox
In an alternate universe, perhaps Coach Kevin Sumlin would have discussed the momentum gained after another double-digit win season in College Station. Or he could have highlighted the fact that his program had become a worthy threat to Alabama in the SEC West.
Instead, the seat under Sumlin is as hot as a cracked sidewalk in a West Texas ghost town during the dead of summer.
And he deserves all of it. “I’m feeling the same pressure I feel all of the time,” Sumlin said. “And so nobody puts more pressure on me than me. And my job is every year; I look at what we do and what we do well. We want to stay ahead of the curve. When we’re not doing well, it’s my job to analyze it and try to fix it.”
Compiled by Rick Crotts, using information from SECCountry. com and Associated Press.