SEC Football Week One Recap: Did You Impress Us?

Yes, we are going to post this before Tennessee plays, because well…you know.

So, week one is just about in the books and even without Tennessee, the SEC had a pretty exciting week. There were some surprisingly close games that could have already told us a lot about a team’s season.

We are going to break down the SEC teams’ week one games and rank them based on how much that team impressed us.

Who Impressed Us?

#21 Texas A&M 52, #9 South Carolina 28

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY SportsTexas A&M surprised everyone, including Steve Spurrier, after the Aggies went into South Carolina Thursday night and destroyed the Gamecocks. Kevin Sumlin brought in new quarterback Kenny Hill and no one knew if Hill could fill in the big shoes that Johnny Manziel left on the program. Hill silenced the critics Thursday night, after surpassing Manziel and setting a new school record in total passing yards in a game. Hill threw for 511 yards and three touchdowns against the Gamecock defense.

So yes, the Aggies impressed us more than any other SEC team in week one. With the loss, it already looks as though the new College Football Playoff hopes have diminished for Spurrier and the Gamecocks. The Georgia Bulldogs have already received an edge over South Carolina with a win over Clemson on Saturday. The Aggies have now proven that they’re a team to watch in the SEC West this season and could make things interesting towards the end of the regular season.

#12 Georgia 45, #16 Clemson 21

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsThe Georgia Bulldogs received an early advantage in the SEC East after adding a big win over No.16 ranked Clemson Saturday. This came after South Carolina was blown away at home against Texas A&M. Now, the Bulldogs will travel to Columbia next Saturday to take on the Gamecocks. This game maybe the factor to decide the SEC East champion.

In the win over Clemson, Georgia impressed us with their amazing ability to control the ball on the ground. The Bulldogs racked up 328 total yards in rushing against the Tiger’s tough defense. They’re currently ranked 14th nationally in rushing due to their performance Saturday. Toddy Gurley was the main factor to that equation due to recording 15 carries for 198 yards and adding three rushing touchdowns.

The Georgia defense also showed good form in the win over Clemson. Even though the Bulldogs gave up 21 points in the first half, they would hold the Tigers to zero points in the second half. Due to South Carolina’s loss, the Bulldogs could move up into the top ten this week.

#6 Auburn 45, Arkansas 21

Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY SportsAuburn impressed us the third most than any other SEC team. Even though the Arkansas Razorbacks kept up with Auburn in the first half, Gus Malzahn and his team proved that was just for show in the second half.

Auburn out scored Arkansas by 24 points in the second half. Bret Belema wanted to play in lightning, because he felt his Razorbacks had the momentum shifting their way. Unfortunately for Bielema, the NCAA rules state to look out for the safety of our kids and signaled a weather delay. If there was any momentum that Arkansas had, it was lost then. Look on the bright side, the Razorbacks have another three win season to look forward to.

#18 Ole Miss 35, Boise State 13

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY SportsIt was a win that we can say that is all that matters, but realize there is a little work to done. Everyone wants to jump the gun and only notice Bo Wallace’s three interceptions in the first half. Instead, how about we pay homage to the fact that Wallace completely turned things around in the second half? How can you really look at Ole Miss’ performance and say it was any worse than that of Alabama’s performance against West Virginia? You can’t.

After watching the win over the Broncos, it is clear that there is still struggles with our run game and the offensive line. Those two areas played a nemesis to the Rebels last season and apparently have never left. The defense looks much more stronger this year. That was predicted correctly. The secondary looks to be Ole Miss’ biggest strength and we should expect to see that carry over in future games. But for now, we need to pay closer attention to the gaps in the offense. Let ‘s please fix those things before Vanderbilt, even though Vandy has proven they suck ass.

#2 Alabama 33, West Virginia 23

RVR Photos-USA TODAY SportsIf Alabama plays like that in the coming weeks, they are a “beatable” team a lot sooner than the Iron Bowl. Many of us thought we were going to see Florida State transfer Jacob Coker at quarterback in the game, but Nick Saban went with his gut feeling with Blake Sims and Coker never came in for one snap. I’m not going to say I was completely impressed with Sims (he had his first start jitter moments), but overall he had a great performance in his first collegiate start. Sims went 22-for-33 and passing for 250 yards in the win over the Mountaineers.

It was the defense that showed the most concern for the Tide against West Virginia. The Alabama secondary gave up too many open windows for the opposing receivers to gain good receptions. However, I do believe West Virginia gave up a lot of opportunities when throwing it in air. That is why I felt this Alabama team proved that they can be beaten. West Virginia could have won that game due to Alabama’s inconsistency on defense. If there isn’t any improvements, Tide fans could see some upsets this season.

#13 LSU 28, #14 Wisconsin 24

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY SportsDue to my hatred towards LSU, I found myself rooting for Wisconsin (WIS-CON-SIN!) throughout this game. Wisconsin had the upper-hand until the fourth quarter, by then the Badgers looked too tired and couldn’t match with the depth of the LSU Tigers. Like their season opener last season, it was once again a landslide victory for LSU.

Throughout the game, there was nothing that really impressed me much about LSU. They finished the game with 239 total passing yards, 130 total rushing yards, and trailed for the majority of the game. The Tigers started Anthony Jennings, the most experienced quarterback on the team. The sophomore quarterback won the starting role against the Badgers over incoming true freshman Brandon Harris. I believe Miles will give Jennings more shots in the upcoming games, but if things begin to go sour for the Tigers, don’t be surprised to see Harris at starting quarterback.

Who Didn’t Impress Us?

Mississippi State 49, Southern Miss 0

Spruce Derden-USA TODAY SportsSorry State, you didn’t impress anyone but yourselves in the win over the Golden Eagles. For one, you shutout your rival that went 1-11 last season. This is a defense that gave up 636 total offensive yards to Marshall last season, and Mississippi State didn’t even meet that. Dak Prescott threw for 284 yards, was sacked, and threw an interception in the game against the Golden Eagles. That is not a future Heisman candidate performance in my book.

Next week the Bulldogs host UAB, who went 2-10 last season. So, there is room for improvement for State.

Kentucky 59, Tennessee-Martin 14

Play somebody worth mentioning before we start talking.

Temple 37, Vanderbilt 7

That’s just embarrassing to the SEC.

#24 Missouri 38, South Dakota State 18

I’m feeling like I did this time last year about Missouri. So, that means I could be completely wrong again.

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