75.2 F
Oxford

Week 11: Is Alabama Keeping The SEC’s Rep Afloat This Season?

screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-2-49-20-pm

Welcome to The Crock Pot, your one-stop in-season shop for all the SEC football news, notes, quotes and mishaps you’ve been stewing over all weekend. SEC Country has been stewing, too, and what we’re cooking up for you every Monday morning is a tasty medley of the conference’s highlights, lowlights and every #ItJustMeansMore commercial in between.

As Clemson, Michigan and Washington all went down, Week 11 could have — should have — been the SEC’s time to make a statement.

So many detractors have called out the conference for being a “one-team league,” its name and Alabama merely puffing up an otherwise underwhelming group of teams. The division-wide ineptitude of the SEC East has only poured fuel on this discussion.

Well, Saturday handed the haters a whole bunch of ammo. Texas A&M inexplicably blew a 15-point halftime lead and lost, at home, to unranked Ole Miss and freshman quarterback Shea Patterson. Auburn could only muster 164 total yards and 7 points against a Georgia team that, among other things, lost to Vanderbilt at home four weeks ago.

Any tiny, minuscule chance the conference had at squeaking a second team in the College Football Playoff is dead and buried deep underground. There is no resurrection story here. It was a missed shot of major proportions.

All of this simply underscores the clear, wide gap between Alabama and the rest of the conference this year. Excluding close calls against Ole Miss and LSU, the Crimson Tide have won every game by at least 19 points. They have the No. 2 scoring defense, the No. 14 scoring offense and one of the best special teams units in the country. They are complete, deep and dangerous in any setting.

Their dominance also creates a ripple affect that puts tremendous pressure on the conference’s other coaches. LSU fired Les Miles for a few big reasons, and one was his inability to beat Alabama. Texas A&M fans want Kevin Sumlin gone because the school is spending money like Alabama, and recruiting like Alabama, but not winning like Alabama. The same went for Mark Richt at Georgia, who did fire its longtime coach in order to hire Saban’s right-hand man. Florida’s last two coaches have been Saban disciples.

It’s a brutal standard for the rest of the SEC to face every season. In that sense, Saban’s dynasty motivates the conference to stay on top of its game and supports the league’s national prestige. Especially in a down year like 2016.

For Alabama fans, watching the chaos unfold around the country Saturday had to be fun. It can’t be too lonely at the top.


Sean White cost Auburn a shot at the SEC West

Tigers quarterback Sean White said he hurt himself during the Georgia game and didn’t fully disclose this to his coaches.

“I kind of hurt myself a little bit more during the game,” White said Sundaynight. “I think I could have done a better job letting the coaches know … wanted to play with my team, and I wanted to try to win.”

White went 6 of 20 passing for 27 yards and threw a pick-6 as Auburn lost to the Bulldogs, 13-7. There were passes dropped by receivers, sure, but the sophomore clearly wasn’t himself.

I’m not saying John Franklin III would’ve been some sort of savior. But forcing yourself to stay in the game when you’re clearly ineffective? White might have thought he was being selfless, but it’s actually the opposite.

By staying in the game, White cost his team the game and a chance at winning the division: His interception was the difference. Georgia did not score a single offensive touchdown.

The official Tigers athletics website tried to spin it was White being a “tough guy,” but the actual tough decision would have been to take himself out and give his team a chance to win.

From Charles Goldberg of AuburnTigers.com:

Such is the life of the tough-minded White, who is second in the SEC in passing efficiency and who doesn’t want to be a labeled as an injury-prone quarterback after suffering injuries each of the last two seasons.

Don’t call me injury-prone, even though I’ve missed multiple games because of injuries in my short college career is essentially how I read that. You know what will make a quarterback’s career even shorter? Playing when he’s hurt.

This is also the second time this season that Auburn lost a game because of the coaching staff’s quarterback management (or lack thereof). Gus Malzahn or Rhett Lashlee should have made the call to pull White.

Auburn’s defensive players took the high road after the game and didn’t point fingers. But they have every right to be furious, as do Tigers fans.


They still love him

Your neat moment of Week 11 came after the otherwise forgettable Florida-South Carolina game, when a slew of Will Muschamp’s former Gators players lined up to greet their old coach (video here).

Even though Muschamp’s rebuilding Gamecocks lost this one, 20-7, the entire game was a credit to Muschamp. Here are two great defenses more or less built by the same guy. Jarrad Davis, Alex Anzalone, Jalen Tabor, Quincy Wilson, Duke Dawson, Caleb Brantley — all of these guys were recruited by Coach Boom.

Don’t get me wrong, we all know why Florida parted ways with him. That was probably the right move for both sides in the end. But the man can recruit and knows defense, and he learned some hard lessons as a first-time head coach at one of the nation’s premier programs.

South Carolina’s season to date is also a credit to athletic director Ray Tanner, who took a chance on Muschamp. The hire was almost universally panned in the media when it became clear that SC missed out on a few of its top candidates, including Tom Herman, Justin Fuente and Kirby Smart.

But the Gamecocks are poised to finish 6-6 after going 3-9 and losing to The Citadel in Steve Spurrier’s final, partial season. This after the team lost its best player (linebacker Skai Moore) before spring practice and dealt with a small handful of transfers.

Muschamp can be a really good coach before all is said and done.


Interesting stats of the week:

1) Running Hog wild: Arkansas is 6-0 this season when holding opponents under 200 yards rushing, and 0-4 when it doesn’t. The Razorbacks have given up 1,563 yards on the ground in those four losses.

2) Sack masters: Alabama is averaging a nation-best 4 sacks per game this season. Since 2008, only two teams have had a better per-game sack rate: 2012 Stanford (4.07) and 2014 Utah (4.23). The Crimson Tide’s 40 sacks have resulted in a loss of 329 yards — that’s 63 more yards than Texas, the second-best FBS team in the category.

3) Playing the margins: The SEC leaders in takeaways? South Carolina and Texas A&M, with 23. The SEC leader in turnover margin? South Carolina, at plus-10, which is tied for seventh nationally. The six teams ahead of the Gamecocks — Washington, Old Dominion, Western Michigan, Ohio State, San Diego State and Minnesota — have a combined record of 51-9. Will Muschamp defense.

4) Break one off: If big offensive plays correlate to wins, Ole Miss should have a better record. Patterson completed six passes of 20-plus yards on Saturday, giving the Rebels 62 such plays on the year (tied 15th-most, FBS). All but four of the 15 teams tied with or ahead of Ole Miss in this category have eight or more wins this season. The big sore spot for Freeze has been rush defense (229 yards allowed per game), and the win over Texas A&M marked just the second time his defense held an opponent under 160 yards rushing.


Projecting the College Football Playoff rankings

Are there even four good teams left?

I kid, of course, but it is pretty remarkable how little separation exists behind Alabama. There’s a group of about eight top-tier teams with similar resumes and talent levels. How the Playoff selection committee plans to objectively sort through this mess is beyond me, but here’s my best guess as to what they could throw our way on Tuesday.

  1. Alabama
  2. Ohio State
  3. Clemson
  4. Louisville
  5. Michigan
  6. Wisconsin
  7. Washington
  8. Penn State
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Colorado
  11. Utah
  12. West Virginia
  13. Oklahoma State
  14. USC
  15. LSU
  16. Florida State
  17. Auburn
  18. Nebraska
  19. Texas A&M
  20. Washington State
  21. Western Michigan
  22. Boise State
  23. UNC
  24. Virginia Tech
  25. Florida

Trust-o-meter

Here’s how I voted in this week’s edition of the official SEC Country Power Poll:

  1. Alabama — The only constant in a conference of mystery.
  2. LSU — The Tigers opened up a can of Woo Pig whoop-ass on the road against a pretty good Hogs team.
  3. Auburn — Rivalry games are tough, and the Georgia run defense is underrated.
  4. Tennessee — You don’t always know what you’ll get from the Vols each week, but that’s half the fun, right? Josh Dobbs is still an immensely talented quarterback.
  5. Texas A&M — Injuries have taken their toll, but the ground game has almost evaporated. The Aggies were held under 130 yards rushing by Ole Miss.
  6. Arkansas — If they can stop the run, the Hogs and Austin Allen will put up a fight. If not, yikes.
  7. Ole Miss — Hey, the Rebels have another good quarterback, and signed the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class in February. Reloaded, indeed.
  8. Florida — ESPN’s FPI gives the Gators less than a 25 percent chance to win each of their last two games. On the bright side, Austin Appleby looked pretty good.
  9. Georgia — Upsetting Auburn is a major, major momentum builder that changes the outlook on Year 1 under Kirby Smart.
  10. Kentucky — In each of their five losses, the Wildcats have given up at least 460 total yards. Tennessee racked up 599 on Saturday.
  11. South Carolina — Will Muschamp’s revenge bid fell short, but a likely bowl bid will cure those blues.
  12. Mississippi State — Figuring out this team feels like trying to decipher the message in your fortune cookie. “The best prophet of the future is the past … except this week.”
  13. Missouri — Barry Odom snapped his alma mater’s awful SEC losing streak. Good for him.
  14. Vanderbilt — Ralph Webb is hurt, and it’s hurting the Commodores offense.

Headlines from around the league


What you need to know (besides football)

Do better, be better: About that whole election thing. Objectively, my biggest takeaway is: Much of the media seems to be out of touch with a wide swath of the country and how it felt about the presidential race. Yes, “the media” is not a single entity, but rather a bunch of different organizations comprised of independent reporters who each have different beliefs, opinions and skill. But there’s a problem: Reporters tend to exist within a bubble, particularly with the rise of Twitter. You don’t follow your readers, you follow important people who say shocking things, which you then parse, analyze and pass on to your readers. And you follow other reporters. There’s been heavy use of the phrase “echo chamber,” and in the case of the 2016 election, I think there’s definite truth to that. There’s an interesting NiemanLab piece on this very subject. With the country as divided as it is, we need betterjournalism in the political arena, plain and simple.

Return: Dave Chappelle has kept himself out of the limelight in recent years — I mean, the guy lives on a farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio — but that all changed this weekend when he hosted SNL. The comedian’s apparent aging was a little jarring to see, and his long opening monologue was more serious and political than it was strictly funny. But I did love this particular sketch, because it revived a bunch of Chappelle’s old characters on the Chappelle show, including Tyrone Biggums, Clayton Bigsby and Lil’ Jon. Those were simpler times.

Here’s the video.

Memory lane: We’re fast-approaching holiday season, which means you’re going to have people talking about Peanuts holiday specials … again. Here’s my hot, hot take: I’ve never thought Peanuts was funny, or enjoyable, or even mildly amusing. It’s pretty dark, somber and dreary. Don’t believe me? This is purportedly the first Peanuts comic strip to ever run in a newspaper (the year was 1950). Good grief, Charles Schulz, what the hell is wrong with you?

unnamed-1


Final word

Full disclosure: I went to Georgia — and before you ask, my fandom was beaten out of me as soon as I began pursuing journalism. But I have friends who attend games on a regular basis. A couple buddies own a big blanket imprinted with CBS legend Verne Lundquist’s face.

Before the Auburn game on Saturday, through people who know people and so on, a CBS staffer saw a picture of it and showed it to Verne, who loved it. Anyways, these friends apparently bought fake tickets from a scalper and couldn’t get into the game. So they approached the CBS truck near the stadium and relayed the story about their Verne blanket. As it turns out, CBS had leftover tickets. My friends got into the second half of the Auburn-Georgia game for free. So thanks to Uncle Verne and CBS for the generosity. You guys rock.

I don’t have an actual photo of the blanket, but this is the wonderful Verne shot they used to make it:

unnamed-2


Courtesy of the Cox Media Group

Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…

Adam Brown
Adam Brown
Sports Editor

Most Popular

Recent Comments

scamasdscamith on News Watch Ole Miss
Frances Phillips on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Grace Hudditon on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Millie Johnston on A Bigger, Better Student Union
Binary options + Bitcoin = $ 1643 per week: https://8000-usd-per-day.blogspot.com.tr?b=46 on Beta Upsilon Chi: A Christian Brotherhood
Jay Mitchell on Reflections: The Square
Terry Wilcox SFCV USA RET on Oxford's Five Guys Announces Opening Date
Stephanie on Throwback Summer
organized religion is mans downfall on VP of Palmer Home Devotes Life to Finding Homes for Children
Paige Williams on Boyer: Best 10 Books of 2018
Keith mansel on Cleveland On Medgar Evans
Debbie Nader McManus on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: The Last of His Kind
Richard Burns on A William Faulkner Sighting
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Bettye H. Galloway on Galloway: Faulkner's Small World
Ruby Begonia on Family Catching Rebel Fever
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
Greg Millar on The Hoka
jeff the busy eater on Cooking With Kimme: Baked Brie
Travis Yarborough on Reflections: The Square
BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH on Oxford is About to Receive a Sweet Treat
baby travel systems australia on Heaton: 8 Southern Ways to Heckle in SEC Baseball
Rajka Radenkovich on Eating Oxford: Restaurant Watch
Richard Burns on Reflections: The Square
Guillermo Perez Arguello on Mississippi Quote Of The Day
A Friend with a Heavy Heart on Remembering Dr. Stacy Davidson
Harold M. "Hal" Frost, Ph.D. on UM Physical Acoustics Research Center Turns 30
Educated Citizen on Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
Debbie Crenshaw on Trump’s Tough Road Ahead
Treadway Strickland on Wicker Looks Ahead to New Congress
Tony Ryals on parking
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Heather Lee Hitchcock on ‘Pray for Oxford’ by Shane Brown
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
Dr Donald and Priscilla Powell on Deadly Plane Crash Leaves Eleven Children Behind
C. Scott Fischer on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Sylvia Williams on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Will Patterson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
Rick Henderson on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
George L Price on I Stand With Coach Hugh Freeze
on
Morgan Shands on Cleveland: On Ed Reed
Richard McGraw on Cleveland: On Cissye Gallagher
Branan Southerland on Gameday RV Parking at HottyToddy.com
Tom and Randa Baddley on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
26 years and continuously learning on Ole Miss Puts History In Context With Plaque
a Paterson on Beyond Barton v. Barnett
Phil Higginbotham on ‘Unpublished’ by Shane Brown
Bettina Willie@www.yahoo.com.102Martinez St.Batesville,Ms.38606 on Bomb Threat: South Panola High School Evacuated This Morning
Anita M Fellenz, (Emilly Hoffman's CA grandmother on Ole Miss Spirit Groups Rank High in National Finals
Marilyn Moore Hughes on Vassallo: Ole Miss Alum Finds His Niche
Jaqundacotten@gmail williams on HottyToddy Hometown: Hollandale, Mississippi
Finney moore on Can Ole Miss Grow Too Big?
diane faulkner cawlley on Oxford’s Olden Days: Miss Annie’s Yard
Phil Higginbotham on ‘November 24’ by Shane Brown
Maralyn Bullion on Neely-Dorsey: Hog Killing Time
Beth Carr on A Letter To Mom
Becky on A Letter To Mom
Marilyn Tinnnin on A Letter To Mom
Roger ulmer on UM Takes Down State Flag
Chris Pool on UM Takes Down State Flag
TampaRebel on UM Takes Down State Flag
david smith on UM Takes Down State Flag
Boyd Harris on UM Takes Down State Flag
Jim (Herc @ UM) on Cleveland: Fall Vacations
Robert Hollingsworth on Rebels on the Road: Memphis Eateries
David McCullough on Shepard Leaves Ole Miss Football
Gayle G. Henry on Meet Your 2015 Miss Ole Miss
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Neely-Dorsey: Elvis Presley’s Big Homecoming
Jennifer Mooneyham on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Wes McIngvale on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
BARRY MCCAMMON on Ole Miss Defeats Alabama
Laughing out Loud on ESPN: Ole Miss No. 1 in Nation
Dr.Bill Priester on Cleveland: On Bob Priester
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
A woman who has no WHITE PRIVILEGE on Oxford Removes Mississippi Flag from City Property
paulette holmes langbecker on Cofield on Oxford – Rising Ole Miss Rookie
Ruth Shipp Yarbrough on Cofield on Oxford — Lest We Forget
Karllen Smith on ‘Rilee’ by Shane Brown
Jean Baker Pinion on ‘The Cool Pad’ by Shane Brown
Janet Hollingsworth (Cavanaugh) on John Cofield on Oxford: A Beacon
Proud Mississippi Voter on Gunn Calls for Change in Mississippi Flag
Deloris Brown-Thompson on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Sue Ellen Parker Stubbs on Bebe’s Letters: A WWII Love Story
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Tim Heaton on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Karen fowler on Heaton: Who is Southern?
Don't Go to Law School on Four Legal Rebels Rising in the Real World
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
bernadette on Feeding the Blues
Joanne and Mark Wilkinson on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Mary Ellen (Dring) Gamble on Ron Vernon: a Fellowship of Music
Cyndy Carroll on Filming it Up in Mississippi
Dottie Dewberry on Top 10 Secret Southern Sayings
Brother Everett Childers on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Mark McElreath on ‘The Shack’ by Shane Brown
Bill Wilkes, UM '57, '58, '63 on A Letter from Chancellor Dan Jones
Sandra Caffey Neal on Mississippi Has Proud Irish Heritage
Teresa Enyeart, and Terry Enyeat on Death of Ole Miss Grad, U.S. Vet Stuns Rebel Nation
P. D. Fyke on Wells: Steelhead Run
Johnny Neumann on Freeze Staying with Rebels
Maralyn Bullion on On Cooking Southern: Chess Pie
Kaye Bryant on Henry: E. for Congress
charles Eichorn on Hotty Tamales, Gosh Almighty
Jack of All Trades on Roll Over Bear Bryant
w nadler on Roll Over Bear Bryant
Stacey Berryhill on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
John Appleton on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Charlotte Lamb on Grovin' Gameday Memories
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on Two True Mississippi Icons
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Morgan Williamson on A College Education is a MUST
Jeanette Berryhill Wells on HottyToddy Hometown: Senatobia, Mississippi
Tire of the same ole news on 3 "Must Eat" Breakfast Spots in Oxford
gonna be a rebelution on Walking Rebel Fans Back Off the Ledge
Nora Jaccaud on Rickshaws in Oxford
Martha Marshall on Educating the Delta — Or Not
Nita McVeigh on 'I'm So Oxford' Goes Viral
Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello on How a Visit to the Magnolia State Can Inspire You
Charlie Fowler Jr. on Prawns? In the Mississippi Delta?
Martha Marshall on A Salute to 37 Years of Sparky
Sylvia Hartness Williams on Oxford Approves Diversity Resolution
Jerry Greenfield on Wine Tip: Problem Corks
Cheryl Obrentz on I Won the Lottery! Now What?
Bnogas on Food for the Soul
Barbeque Memphis on History of Tennessee Barbecue
Josephine Bass on The Delta and the Civil War
Nicolas Morrison on The Walking Man
Pete Williams on Blog: MPACT’s Future
Laurie Triplette on On Cooking Southern: Fall Veggies
Harvey Faust on The Kream Kup of the Krop
StarReb on The Hoka
Scott Whodatty Keetereaux Keet on Hip Hop — Yo or No, What’s Your Call
Johnathan Doeman on Oxford Man Dies in Crash
Andy McWilliams on The Warden & The Chief
Kathryn McElroy on Think Like A Writer
Claire Duff Sullivan on Alert Dogs Give Diabetics Peace of Mind
Jesse Yancy on The Hoka
Jennifer Thompson Walker on Ole Miss, Gameday From The Eyes of a Freshman
HottyToddy.com