THIS wEEk IN THE

INSIDE ONE OF ’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COmPILED BY PaTRICk STEVENS, SPECIaL TO GaTEHOUSE mEDIa

BY THE NUmBERS GamE OF THE wEEk TENNESSEE (3-3, 0-3 SEC) POwER RaNkINGS AT NO. 1 ALABAMA (7-0, 4-0) STANDINgS Breaking down the SEC (Through oct. 14) When: 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. TV: CBS EAST 1. Alabama (7-0): Team Conf. All T25 Who’s going to Georgia 4-0 7-0 1-0 Tennessee Jarrett Guarantano Kentucky 2-1 5-1 0-1 make a run at the South Carolina 3-2 5-2 1-0 calls a play against South Carolina Oct. 14 in Crimson Tide? It’s Florida 3-2 3-3 0-1 Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee 0-3 3-3 0-1 [WADE PAYNE/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS] anyone’s guess who it will be. Vanderbilt 0-4 3-4 0-2 Missouri 0-4 1-5 0-2 (Last week: 1)

WEST Team Conf. All T25 2. Georgia (7-0): Alabama 4-0 7-0 1-0 The Bulldogs aver- Auburn 3-1 5-2 0-1 Texas A&M 3-1 5-2 0-1 aged 9.0 yards a LSU 2-1 5-2 1-0 play while piling up Mississippi State 1-2 4-2 0-2 Ole Miss 1-2 3-3 0-2 696 total yards against hapless Arkansas 0-3 2-4 0-2 Missouri on Saturday. (LW: 2)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS 3. Louisiana State (Through oct. 14) (5-2): Still unde- PASSING YARDS feated at home PlayerYds. 1. Shea Patterson, MISS 2,143 against Auburn this 2. Drew Lock, MIZ 1,723 3. Jake Bentley, SC 1,585 century after last week’s rivet- 4. , AUB1,510 ing rally in Death Valley. (LW: 6) 5. Kyle Shurmur, VAN1,331

PASSING 4. Auburn (5-2): In PlayerNo. CALLINGALL this case, the cliché 1. Drew Lock, MIZ 17 1. Shea Patterson, MISS 17 is true. It really was 3. Kyle Shurmur, VAN14 just a few big plays 4. Jake Bentley, SC 12 4. Jake Fromm, UGA 12 the Tigers gave up that doomed them at LSU. (LW: 3) RUSHING YARDS VOLUNTEERS PlayerYds. 1. Nick Chubb, UGA 688 5. Texas A&M (5-2): 2. Kerryon Johnson, AUB660 STRUGGLING TENNESSEE FACES TOUGHEST 3. , ALA 625 The good news 4. , ALA 558 OF ALL CHALLENGES: AT NO.1ALABAMA for the Aggies? 5. John Kelly, TENN 552 They’re 9-3 against RECEIVING YARDS PlayerYds. the SEC East since entering the 1. A.J. Brown, MISS 678 KEYS FoR TENNESSEE KEYS FoR ALABAMA aggression. Against Guar- conference. (LW: 5) 2. D.J. Chark, LSU 535 3. , ALA 441 Offensive spark. The More of the same. In antano and the Volunteers, 4. DaMarkus Lodge, MISS 438 there’s something to be 6. Kentucky (5-1): 5. Bryan Edwards, SC 420 Volunteers have managed four conference games, The rested Wild- one in their only once (at Texas said for trying to force SCORING some early mistakes and cats come out of PlayerPts. last two games, getting A&M) has an opponent their bye week to 1. Kerryon Johnson, RB, AUB78 remove any doubt about the 2. Andy Pappanastos, PK, ALA 72 shut out by Georgia and managed to remain face dangerous Mississippi 3. Daniel Carlson, PK, AUB70then mustering just nine even remotely within eventual outcome within 4. Daniel LaCamera, PK, TA&M 67 the first few possessions. State. (LW: 4) 5. Rodrigo Blankenship, PK, UGA 61 points in a loss to South striking distance. Carolina. Facing the Ala- Alabama crushed Vander- 7. South Carolina TEAM STATISTICS bama defense, then, is bilt and Mississippi to begin PREDICTIoN (5-2): The Game- (Through oct. 14) really not a good prescrip- its SEC schedule, and it Alabama 45-17. The cocks head into TOTAL OFFENSE tion for what ails Tennes- quickly made easy work of Crimson Tide is 10-0 their bye week with Team Yds./GPts./G Alabama 485 42.7 see. Nonetheless, the Vols Arkansas last week. The against Tennessee under both some good and bad in their Georgia 454 37.6 need to get something out Crimson Tide is rolling coach , a run remaining five games. (LW: 9) Auburn 439 34.0 Texas A&M 402 32.1 of Jarrett Guarantano and along without a blemish that spans four differ- Ole Miss 463 31.8 the rest of their offense if on its record, and continu- ent coaching tenures. One 8. Mississippi State LSU 393 25.6 (4-2): So is the Missouri 444 27.3 they are to pull a surprise. ing to play as it has over of those — Butch Jones’ Mississippi State 443 31.8 Play free. At this stage, the last month is going to — appears likely to come victory over LSU South Carolina 337 25.1 actually valuable Arkansas 365 28.7 there’s not much left for result in plenty of victo- to an end this season, Florida 351 23.7 again? It’s hard to keep up Kentucky 350 27.5 Tennessee to be tight ries the rest of the way. and Alabama can make it Vanderbilt 297 22.4 about. Its hopes of winning Apply pressure. S even more likely by push- with that. (LW: 10) Tennessee 320 21.7 the SEC East are shot, and and ing the Volunteers below 9. Florida (3-3): What- PASSING OFFENSE LEADERS every loss brings the Vols the Alabama defense .500 for the first time Team Yds. Yds./G ever those uniforms Ole Miss 2,143 357.2 a step closer to a coach- can go about its business since early in the 2015 were the Gators Missouri 1,723 287.2 ing change that’s start- many ways, from techni- season. Expect it to hap- South Carolina 1,585 226.4 wore against A&M, Auburn 1,513 216.1 ing to feel inevitable. cal precision to a show of pen in emphatic fashion. Vanderbilt 1,431 204.4 they’ve probably been tossed in an actual swamp. (LW: 7) RUSHING OFFENSE LEADERS Team Yds. Yds./G Alabama 2,118 302.6 BEST OF THE REST ThIS wEEK’S oThER ToPgAMES 10. Tennessee Georgia 1,980 282.9 Mississippi State 1,570 261.7 (3-3): Sadly for Auburn 1,557 222.4 KENTUCKY (5-1, 2-1) at No. 24 LSU (5-2, 2-1) at No. 21 AUBURN (5-2, 3-1) Volunteers fans, Texas A&M 1,432 204.6 MISSISSIPPI ST. (4-2, 1-2) MISSISSIPPI (3-3, 1-2) at ARKANSAS (2-4, 0-3) there’s no such thing as a leadership buyout. STaRS OF THE wEEk When: 4 p.m. EDT Saturday When: 7:15 p.m. EDT Saturday When: 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday (LW: 8) Where: Scott Field, Starkville, Miss. Where: Vaught-Hemingway Where: Donald W. Reynolds • WR D.J. Chark, Louisiana TV: SEC Network Stadium, Oxford, Miss. Razorback Stadium, 11. Mississippi State: Returned a punt 75 Notes: Mississippi State leads TV: ESPN Fayetteville, Ark. (3-3): The Rebels yards for a TD and caught five series 23-21, but Kentucky won Notes: Louisiana State leads TV: SEC Network at least had some passes for 150 yards to help last year’s meeting 40-38 to end series 60-40-4 and the home Notes: Auburn leads series fun last week. A.J. the Tigers rally past Auburn. a seven-game team has won 14-11-1 and Brown helped them pile up 57 • QB Jake Fromm, Georgia: skid against the last five pummeled points. (LW: 13) Threw for 326 yards and two the Bulldogs. games. What Arkansas 56-3 TDs and tacked on a TD run as The visiting a difference in last year’s 12. Arkansas (2-4): the Bulldogs swatted Missouri. Wildcats can a fortnight meeting. While The Hogs get four • TB Damien Harris, Alabama: become bowl makes for Ed not completely of their last six at Had nine carries for 125 yards eligible with Orgeron and out of the home, which is a Fitzgerald Orgeron Malzahn and two TDs, including a a victory, but LSU. The Tigers playoff picture plus. But they’re not a relevant 75-yard score on the first play that’s hardly the only accom- responded to their stunning — Auburn could theoretically program in the West. (LW: 12) from scrimmage, as the Tide plishment in mind for coach home loss to Troy by outlasting beat Georgia, Alabama and crushed Arkansas. Mark Stoops’ team. Mississippi Florida on the road and then the SEC East champ to finish 13. Vanderbilt State had little trouble with rallying from a 20-point deficit 11-2 — it removes the margin of (3-4): That 3-0 start STaT OF THE wEEk Brigham Young last week, and to defeat Auburn. Mississippi error for Gus Malzahn’s team. wasn’t a dream, QB Nick Fitzgerald will look to smashed Vanderbilt last week Arkansas would be delighted to but it did turn out help keep the Bulldogs unde- to start a three-game homes- have such problems after get- to be a just a cruel mirage. 49.75 feated at home this season. tand behind QB Shea Patterson. ting stomped by Alabama. (LW: 11) Points per game allowed by 14. Missouri (1-5): Vanderbilt during its four- The Tigers’ over- game losing streak. The matched defense ROUNDING IT OUT Time (EDT) Matchup TV Commodores gave up only is giving up 42.2 ThE REST oF ThE MATChUPS SATURDAY 13 total points while winning PPG — more than all but three Noon Idaho at Missouri SEC their first three games. FBS teams. (LW: 14)

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