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

BY THE NUmBERS GamE OF THE wEEk POwER RaNkINGS

STANDINgS NO. 23 TENNESSEE (2-0, 0-0 SEC) AT NO. 24 FLORIDA (0-1, 0-0 SEC) Breaking down the SEC (Through Sept. 9) EAST When: 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday Where: Ben Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, Gainesville, Fla. TV: CBS 1. Alabama (2-0): Team Conf. All T25 South Carolina 1-0 2-0 0-0 It’s the second Kentucky 0-0 2-0 0-0 consecutive Georgia 0-0 2-0 1-0 Tennessee 0-0 2-0 0-0 Mountain West Vanderbilt 0-0 2-0 0-0 visitor for the Crimson Tide. Florida 0-0 0-1 0-1 Missouri 0-1 1-1 0-0 (Last week: 1)

WEST Team Conf. All T25 2. Louisiana State Alabama 0-0 2-0 1-0 Ole Miss 0-0 2-0 0-0 (2-0): The Tigers LSU 0-0 2-0 0-0 finally allowed Mississippi State 0-0 2-0 0-0 Auburn 0-0 1-1 0-1 their first TD of the Arkansas 0-0 1-1 0-1 season in the fourth quarter Texas A&M 0-0 1-1 0-0 against Chattanooga. (LW: 3) INDIVIDUAL LEADERS (Through Sept. 9) 3. Georgia (2-0):

PASSING YARDS Edged Notre PlayerYds. Dame on the road 1. Shea Patterson, Ole Miss 918 2. Drew Lock, Missouri 766 STARTING in true freshman 3. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt 498 QB Jake Fromm’s first career 4. Quinten Dormady, Tennessee 415 5. Jake Bentley, South Carolina 402 Tennessee running start. (LW: 4)

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS back John Kelly (4) PlayerNo. tries to escape the 4. Tennessee 1. Shea Patterson, Ole Miss 9 grasp of Indiana POINTS (2-0): The Volun- 2. Drew Lock, Missouri 8 3. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt 7 State tacklers during teers were never 4. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State 5 T5. Quinten Dormady, Tennessee 4 Saturday’s game in TENNESSEE, FLORIDA OPEN THEIR threatened by FCS T5. Jake Bentley, South Carolina 4 Knoxville, Tenn. CONFERENCE SLATES AT THE SWAMP school Indiana State. (LW: 5) RUSHING YARDS [AP PHOTO/WADE PAyNE] PlayerYds. 1. Damarea Crockett, Missouri 299 5. Auburn (1-1): 2. Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M 256 There aren’t many 3. Derrius Guice, LSU 224 4. Jalen Hurts, Alabama 209 KEYS FOR TENNESSEE The Gators had 11 yards their forgettable neutral-site lingering ques- 5. John Kelly, Tennessee 208 rushing in their opener, so opener against Michigan. tions about the RECEIVING YARDS Third down stops. The eliminating the ground game While Florida hasn’t spent Tigers’ defense. The offense PlayerYds. Volunteers have allowed is the more appealing option. that entire stretch getting is another matter. (LW: 2) 1. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss 389 2. J’Mon Moore, Missouri 216 conversions on 44.8 percent prepared for Tennessee, it 3. DaMarkus Lodge, Ole Miss 184 4. D.J. Chark, LSU 180 of opponents’ third downs KEYS FOR FLORIDA did have a little extra time to 6. Florida (0-1): 5. Marquez Callaway, Tennessee 152 this season, a figure inflated figure out QB Quinten Dor- The Gators

SCORING a bit by playing Georgia Tech Find a quarterback. It’s mady and the Vols. Perhaps had their game PlayerPts. in the opening weekend. But amazing that, in a way, Flor- it was put to good use. against Northern 1. Deebo Samuel, South Carolina 30 T2. Derrius Guice, LSU 24 the point remains: Tennessee ida still hasn’t replaced Tim Colorado canceled because T2. John Kelly, Tennessee 24 needs to get its defense off Tebow. Considering he last pREDICTION of Hurricane Irma. (LW: 6) T2. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss 24 5. Andy Pappanastos, Alabama 21 the faster, a task that should took a snap for the Gators at prove easier against Florida’s the end of the 2009 season, Tennessee 20-14. Will 7. South Carolina TEAM STATISTICS flimsy offense. The Vols have this is a problem. Florida’s WR Antonio Callaway be (2-0): The Game- (Through Sept. 9) a chance to control the ball offensive ineptitude parallels back from suspension for cocks controlled PASSING OFFENSE quite a bit if things go right its quarterback inconsis- Florida’s second game? And Missouri, and now Team Yds. Yds./G Ole Miss 918 459.0 against Florida. tency, and Feleipe Franks and how about TB Jordan Scar- get another SEC East oppo- Missouri 766 383.0 Render the Gators one- Malik Zaire both got turns lett? And will those two (and nent (Kentucky). (LW: 7) Vanderbilt 523 261.5 Tennessee 456 228.0 dimensional. Or, as Michigan against Michigan to lead a a few others) make a real dif- LSU 415 207.5 did, make Florida no-dimen- sputtering group. Both will ference for a Gators offense 8. Mississippi Mississippi State 406 203.0 Kentucky 405 202.5 sional. The important thing likely play in this one, and that managed nothing in its State (2-0): The South Carolina 402 201.0 Florida 181 181.0 is to either completely Luke Del Rio could see time, opener even if they do play? Bulldogs have a Arkansas 317 158.5 eliminate the run and force too. Tennessee is going for back- pair of lopsided Georgia 288 144.0 Alabama 288 144.0 someone from the Gators’ QB No rust and be ready. The to-back wins over Florida for victories to their credit. (LW: Texas A&M 287 143.5 depth chart to do something Gators unexpectedly had last the first time since 2003-04, 8) Auburn 263 131.5 constructive or to stymie week off thanks to the unwel- and the Vols’ relative sta- RUSHING OFFENSE whoever is taking the snaps come arrival of Hurricane bility should be a strength 9. Vanderbilt Team Yds. Yds./G Mississippi State 608 304.0 and leave it to Florida’s rush- Irma, which means they’ll in what looks to be a low- (2-0): The Com- Texas A&M 577 288.5 LSU 518 259.0 ing attack to do something. be two weeks removed from scoring game. modores Week 1 Alabama 478 239.0 opponent (Middle Missouri 472 236.0 Georgia 406 203.0 Tennessee) went on the road Auburn 389 194.5 to handle Syracuse. (LW: 11) Arkansas 365 182.5 BEST OF THE REST ThIS wEEK’S OThER TOpgAMES Tennessee 308 154.0 Kentucky 285 142.5 10. Arkansas (1-1): Vanderbilt 245 122.5 South Carolina 203 101.5 No. 12 LSU (2-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 18 KANSAS ST. (2-0) KENTUCKY (2-0, 0-0 SEC) Thoroughly out- Ole Miss 156 78.0 Florida 11 11.0 at MISS. ST (2-0, 0-0) at VANDERBILT(2-0) at S. CAROLINA (2-0, 1-0) played at home against Texas STaRS OF THE wEEk When: 7 p.m. EDT Saturday When: 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday When: 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday Christian (LW: 9) Where: Scott Field, Starkville, Where: Vanderbilt Stadium, Where: Williams-Brice Sta- • KR Ty Chandler, Tennessee: Miss. Nashville, Tenn. dium, Columbia, S.C. 11. Texas A&M Returned the opening kickoff TV: ESPN TV: ESPNU TV: SEC (1-1): Imagine for a TD to set the tone in Notes: Louisi- Notes: Vander- Network what a loss to the Vols’ 42-7 victory over ana State leads bilt leads series Notes: South Nicholls State Indiana State series 71-36-3 1-0, a 26-14 Carolina leads would have done ... (LW: 10) • TB Derrius Guice, Loui- and has won triumph in 1984. series 17-10-1, siana State: Rushed for 16 of the last 17 The host Com- but Kentucky 12. Mississippi 102 yards and two TDs to meetings. The modores have has taken three (2-0): Struggled Guice Ertz Stoops help the Tigers turn back Tigers roll into done a fine job in a row from for a half before Chattanooga Starkville boasting a ball control in the season’s first two weeks, the Gamecocks for the first finishing off Ten- offense led by TB Derrius Guice limiting Middle Tennessee and time. It has not been a strong nessee-Martin with a solid (224 yards) that ranks fourth Alabama A&M to a combined start to 2017 for Mark Stoops’ final 30 minutes. (LW: 14) STaT OF THE wEEk nationally in average time of six points. The competition level Wildcats, who have struggled possession. The Tigers lead the rises against Kansas State, a to get past Southern Missis- 13. Missouri (1-1): country in rush defense (31.5 defense-centric team with the sippi and Eastern Kentucky in The Tigers made 9 yards per game). ability to apply pressure courtesy the last two weeks. the first coordina- of QB Jesse Ertz. tor change of the Career 100-yard rushing days season among Power Five for Mississippi State’s Nick schools. (LW: 12) Fitzgerald after collecting ROUNDING IT OUT 111 yards at Louisiana Tech. ThE REST OF ThE MATChUpS 4 p.m. Mercer at No. 15 Auburn SEC+ 14. Kentucky That’s tied for the most 100- 4 p.m. Purdue at Missouri SEC (2-0): The Wild- yard days for a Bulldog QB; Time (EDT) Matchup TV 7p.m. Colorado St. at No. 1 Alabama ESPN2 cats have utterly Dak Prescott and Don Smith SATURDAY 7:30 p.m. Samford at No. 13 Georgia SEC underwhelmed also had nine. Noon UL-Lafayette at Texas A&M SEC 10:30 p.m. Mississippi at California ESPN early this year. (LW: 13)

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