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

BY THE NUmBERS GamE OF THE wEEk NO. 1 ALABAMA (5-0, 2-0 SEC) POwER RaNkINGS AT TEXAS A&M (4-1, 2-0) STANDINGS Breaking down the SEC (Through Sept. 30) When: 7:15 p.m. p.m. EDT Saturday Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas TV: ESPN EAST 1. Alabama (5-0): Team Conf. All T25 Florida 3-0 3-1 0-1 The Crimson Tide Georgia 2-0 5-0 1-0 have mauled Kentucky 1-1 4-1 0-1 South Carolina 1-2 3-2 1-0 Vanderbilt and Tennessee 0-2 3-2 0-2 Mississippi by a combined Vanderbilt 0-2 3-2 0-2 Missouri 0-2 1-3 0-1 margin of 115-3. (Last week: 1)

WEST Team Conf. All T25 2. Georgia (5-0): Alabama 2-0 5-0 1-0 Georgia stitched Auburn 2-0 4-1 0-1 Texas A&M 2-0 4-1 0-1 together a thor- Mississippi State 1-2 3-2 0-2 ough game against LSU 0-1 3-2 0-1 Arkansas 0-1 2-2 0-1 the Vols, and is looking better Ole Miss 0-1 2-2 0-1 by the week. (LW: 2)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS 3. Auburn (4-1): It’s (Through Sept. 30) increasingly tough PASSING YARDS to imagine this PlayerYds. 1. Shea Patterson, MISS 1,446 team faring worse 2. Jake Bentley, SC 1,257 3. , MIZ 1,115 than 9-3 as offense continues 4. Jarrett Stidham, AUB1,110 to improve. (LW: 3) 5. Kyle Shurmur, VAN985

PASSING 4. Florida (3-1): PlayerNo. CRIMSON QB Feleipe Franks 1. Kyle Shurmur, VAN11 1. Shea Patterson, MISS 11 was certainly good 3. Drew Lock, MIZ 10 enough against 4. Jake Bentley, SC 9 5. Several tied at ... 8 Vanderbilt to provide some

RUSHING YARDS PEAK optimism. (LW: 4) PlayerYds. 1. John Kelly, TENN 494 5. Texas A&M 2. Nick Chubb, UGA 480 TIDE HITTING THEIR STRIDE EARLY IN (4-1): The moment 3. Jalen Hurts, ALA 461 SEASON, FACE AGGIES AT KYLE FIELD 4. Aeris Williams, MSST 409 of truth is here for 5. Benny Snell Jr., UK 406 the Aggies, who RECEIVING YARDS PlayerYds. get Alabama and Florida the 1. A.J. Brown, MISS 395 kEYS FOR ALABAMA throwing 808 yards, six TDs margin. The per-game next two weeks. (LW: 9) 2. DaMarkus Lodge, MISS 356 3. D.J. Chark, LSU 338 Stick with what works. and two INTs while rushing average is tied for sev- 4. Bryan Edwards, SC 337 for 252 yards and a score. enth in the country, and 6. Kentucky (4-1): 5. Tyrie Cleveland, FLA 326 Those concerns about The state of the a depleted linebacking Texas A&M needs to have SCORING kEYS FOR TEXAS A&M similar success this week. SEC East means an PlayerPts. corps seem like a distant eight-win season 1. , RB, AUB54 One problem: Alabama 2. Andy Pappanastos, PK, ALA 52 memory. After endur- Establish the run. This is within reach even if Ken- 3. Daniel LaCamera, PK, TA&M 49 ing a few shaky moments will not be easy against Ala- is plus-10 for the year, 4. , PK, AUB45 and goading Crimson tucky is a bit erratic. (LW: 10) 5. Keith Ford, RB, TA&M 42 (by Alabama’s lofty stan- bama, which ranks second dards), the Crimson Tide nationally in rush defense Tide QB Jalen Hurts into 7. Tennessee (3-2): TEAM STATISTICS defense has allowed three (73.8 yards per game), but a miscue is difficult. The effective end (Through Sept. 30) total points in its first two it needs to be a priority of the Butch Jones PREDICTION TOTAL OFFENSE conference games. Mean- with a freshman QB. Mond era might have Team Yds./GPts./G Alabama 509 46.2 while, the Alabama rushing can help himself with his Alabama 42-17. It occurred with last week’s 41-0 Texas A&M 448 37.4 attack continues to steamroll ability to take off, but it feels like the Crimson loss at home to Georgia. (LW: 6) Auburn 431 34.2 Mississippi State 422 31.2 opponents. Why fix what will be on Trayveon Wil- Tide is hitting its stride LSU 409 27.0 isn’t broken, even against liams and the offensive line even earlier than usual 8. Mississippi State Georgia 387 33.0 (3-2): So it turns Missouri 445 25.5 a Texas A&M rush defense to keep the offense on the this year, and it seems Ole Miss 436 27.8 ranked 15th nationally. field. If Texas A&M can’t almost ludicrous to sug- out that blasting South Carolina 336 22.6 Louisiana State Tennessee 333 24.2 Badger Mond. Texas stitch together extended gest the defense will give Arkansas 408 35.3 really wasn’t that impressive, Kentucky 322 25.0 A&M hasn’t needed fresh- possessions, it will prob- up multiple touchdowns (or Florida 359 27.3 man QB Kellen Mond — ably meet the same fate as any touchdowns, for that after all. (LW: 5) Vanderbilt 285 21.6 playing heavily this year Vanderbilt and Ole Miss matter) after the last two 9. Arkansas (2-2): PASSING OFFENSE LEADERS because of Nick Starkel’s did the last two weeks. weeks. Texas A&M owns Team Yds. Yds./G A tossup game Ole Miss 1,446 361.5 ankle injury — to be over- Takeaway artists. The a better offensive talent against South Caro- South Carolina 1,257 251.4 whelming during its four- Aggies have done a fine base than Vanderbilt or Ole Missouri 1,115 278.8 lina this week could Auburn 1,113 222.6 game winning streak. For the job of taking care of the Miss, but it is unlikely to LSU 1,081 216.2 determine the trajectory of the year, he’s completed 54.8 ball and enter the week muster enough to seriously rest of the season. (LW: 12) RUSHING OFFENSE LEADERS percent of his pass attempts, with a plus-8 turnover threaten Alabama this year. Team Yds. Yds./G Alabama 1,578 315.6 10. South Carolina Texas A&M 1,278 255.6 Mississippi State 1,264 252.8 (3-2): Gave Texas Georgia 1,187 237.4 A&M a decent run BEST OF THE REST ThIS wEEk’S OThER TOPGAMES Auburn 1,042 208.4 in College State before fading in the fourth STaRS OF THE wEEk MISSISSIPPI (2-2, 0-1) at No. 5 GEORGIA (5-0, 2-0) LSU (3-2, 0-1) at quarter. (LW: 11) • LB Otaro Alaka, Texas A&M: No. 12 AUBURN (4-1, 2-0) at VANDERBILT (3-2, 0-2) No. 21 FLORIDA (3-1, 3-0) Collected nine tackles (five When: Noon EDT Saturday When: Noon EDT Saturday When: 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday 11. Vanderbilt for loss) and two sacks to Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, (3-2): Blasted by help the Aggies stymie South Auburn, Ala. Nashville, Tenn. Gainesville, Fla. Alabama, out- Carolina. TV: SEC Network TV: ESPN TV: CBS lasted by Florida • TB Malik Davis, Florida: The Notes: Auburn leads series 40-11 Notes: Georgia leads series Notes: Florida leads series and now have Georgia coming freshman rushed 17 times for and won last 55-20-2, but 32-28-3 and to town. (LW: 8) 124 yards and two TDs as the year’s meeting Vanderbilt ended a three- 12. LSU (3-2): Ed Gators handled Vanderbilt. 40-29 in Oxford. won last year’s game slide in Orgeron has now • TB Kerryon Johnson, Auburn: The Tigers keep meeting 17-16. the series with a done something he Took 23 carries and produced rolling, with QB The visiting 16-10 triumph in never did in his ill- 116 yards and three TDs to Jarrett Stidham Bulldogs have Death Valley last fated stint at Ole Miss — lose help Auburn pummel Missis- showing greater smacked Mis- year. Stidham Fromm Etling to a Sun Belt team. (LW: 7) sippi State. comfort with the sissippi State LSU plans to offense since the start of league and Tennessee in back-to- stick with QB Danny Etling, 13. Mississippi STaT OF THE wEEk play. Mississippi has dropped back games as QB Jake Fromm though Myles Brennan did get an (2-2): The Rebels decisions to California and makes quality decisions like extended look when Etling was absorbed a blister- 49 Alabama and appears likely to he has since taking over shaken up last week. Regardless, ing 66-3 onslaught settle into the spot at or near the during the first week of the there needs to be improvement vs. Alabama. Where does this Consecutive nonconference bottom of the SEC East. season. on both sides of the ball. season go now? (LW: 13) home victories for Louisiana State, a streak that ended 14. Missouri (1-3): with Saturday’s 24-17 loss ROUNDING IT OUT Time (EDT) Matchup TV The Tigers have to Troy. The Tigers had not ThE REST OF ThE MATChUPS SATURDAY a narrow path to dropped a nonconference 4 p.m. Arkansas at South Carolina SEC bowl eligibility that home game since a 13-10 set- 7:30 p.m. Missouri at Kentucky SEC will tighten even more with a back against UAB in 2000. loss at Kentucky. (LW: 14)

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