SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: Ole Miss Battles Distractions and Alabama
Uncharted Waters
Times, they are a-changin' at Ole Miss.
For the first time in history, ESPN's College GameDay will emanate from "The Grove" on Saturday morning prior to the 11th-ranked Rebels hosting third-ranked Alabama in a battle of unbeaten SEC West border rivals.
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As if that spotlight wasn't bright enough, this week has also brought out distractions of other kinds.
Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported early Thursday morning that Ole Miss is under NCAA investigation. Granted, it's an investigation primarily focused on women's basketball and the only mention of football is under a previous staff.
Not to be outdone, USA Today dropped a feature on the evolution of Ole Miss' identity away from Colonel Reb and other elements of its past.
Timing is everything, right?
There are lots of distractions in Oxford this week, and the one that should concern Ole Miss football fans the most is the extreme exposure brought on by ESPN taking up real estate in "The Grove."
The meeting with Alabama could be labeled as the biggest Ole Miss home game in a generation, and certainly the biggest since LSU topped the Rebels in November of 2003 in what served as the SEC West title game.
Saturday won't be unique for Alabama. In fact, it'll be par for the course. College GameDay has been on location at Alabama games 12 times since the start of the 2010 season and, according to Alabama's game notes, leads the nation with 20 GameDay appearances since 2007—head coach Nick Saban's first season in Tuscaloosa.
These are uncharted waters for Ole Miss.
Does that mean players will thrive under the intense spotlight? Some will. If things go south, though, you never know how players will react.
This is just "another Saturday" for Alabama, which is a good thing if you're a fan of the Crimson Tide.
Time for LSU's Defense to Shine
After giving up 570 yards and 7.81 yards per play against Mississippi State, it's safe to say defensive coordinator John Chavis didn't have his team prepared for Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen's multi-dimensional attack led by Dak Prescott.
Was that the exception or the rule?
It's likely the exception. Sure, the faces have changed, but Chavis has proven over his career that he knows how to shut down dual-threat quarterbacks—particularly those like Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who's much more of a home run threat than Prescott.
LSU held Auburn in check last year as its offense cruised out to a big first half lead, and then held off a late Auburn charge to hand head coach Gus Malzahn his only regular-season loss of the season. That same year, Chavis' defense held Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel in check, holding "Johnny Football" to just 54 rushing yards—one season after it held him to 27 yards on the ground.
LSU has the athletes to shut down Auburn's dynamic rushing attack. Outside linebackers Kwon Alexander and Lamar Louis are both fast and quick, which will allow them to get out in space and make tackles when Marshall and speed back Corey Grant get outside.
The big question for LSU is the interior of the defensive line, where sophomore Christian LaCouture and freshman Davon Godchaux are being counted on to grow up in a hurry. If the defensive tackles can come of age and slow down Auburn rushing between the tackles, Chavis' defense is more than capable of leading the Tigers from Baton Rouge to a big upset on the Plains.
Kenny Trill or Kenny Chill?
As was the case two seasons ago when Manziel burst onto the college football scene and eventually became the first redshirt freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy, another young Texas A&M quarterback is doing the same.
True sophomore Kenny Hill leads the SEC with 349 passing yards per game, is third with 9.7 yards per attempt and has tossed 17 touchdowns—the second-most in the country. Is that a product of Hill's talent, the offense or weak competition?
Probably a combination of the three. Arkansas boasts the best pass defense of any of Texas A&M's FBS opponents, but it's not like the Hogs have been world-beaters. The Hogs rank 98th in the nation heading into Week 6, giving up 263.8 yards per game.
This week's opponent, Mississippi State, is another cupcake in the pass defense department. At least on paper, that is. The Bulldogs rank 124th in the nation (319 YPG). Those numbers lie, though.
They rank second in the SEC in opponent completion percentage (50.3), third in passes defended (6.75 per game) and are tied for third with six interceptions. Mississippi State's pass defense numbers are skewed by one bad game against UAB and LSU fighting back through the air against a prevent defense in a win in Death Valley.
"They’ve always been talented defensively, they have a big, athletic defensive line," Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said in quotes emailed by the university. "The secondary is very, very good. They are one of the tops in the league in tackles for loss. Their defensive coordinator Geoff Collins likes to play football on your side of the line of scrimmage. They’re extremely aggressive."
This is by far the biggest challenge of Hill's young career. If he succeeds, he'll stay in the mix for the Heisman Trophy. One stumble, though, could prevent him from walking in Manziel's footsteps.
The X-Factor
When Florida takes the field in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon, it will be a make-or-break game for head coach Will Muschamp. Win it, and he'll still be fighting to save his job all year, but he will have preserved what will be a 10-game winning streak this time next week. Lose it, as I mentioned earlier this week, and Muschamp will be fighting to win his job back for the rest of the season.
A big factor on Saturday will be Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel.
The redshirt junior of the Gators currently ranks last in the SEC in yards per attempt (5.5) and passer rating (111.14) among qualifying quarterbacks. Despite his struggles, there's no quarterback change on the horizon for the Gators.
"He takes the heat and understands that comes with the territory," Muschamp said in quotes emailed by Florida. "[He's] about all the right things, and I think again, will continue to move forward this season and he'll make the Gator Nation proud. He's their quarterback."
That doesn't mean he's their only quarterback, though. True freshman Treon Harris has been Florida's primary backup and could see time on the road on Rocky Top in specific situations.
"We go into every game considering some situational things, especially the red zone, to put him in the game," Muschamp said. "If that opportunity presents itself, in the Kentucky game and the Alabama game it never did, we would do that."
Florida should hope that it doesn't all that much.
Muschamp and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper need the offense to click with Driskel and keep Harris as the change-up quarterback—even in the red zone. If he starts to become a crutch rather than a change-up, it's a sign that Florida's offense isn't clicking the way it should.
Driskel needs to take a step forward this week on the road at Rocky Top. If he doesn't, the Gators—and Muschamp—will be in big trouble.
Quick Outs
- No, Georgia doesn't have a quarterback controversy. Hutson Mason hasn't been great, but getting receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell back will help. Of course, for Mason to really take the next step, it'd help if offensive coordinator Mike Bobo called more passing plays between the hash marks.
- "Checker Neyland" is a real thing and should be spectacular. Tennessee fans, if your lucky shirt doesn't match the color you're supposed to wear, don't worry about it. After all, it's not like it has brought you a lot of luck over the last half-decade.
- South Carolina is just over a field goal favorite on the road at Kentucky this week, according to Odds Shark. That's more of a sign that oddsmakers think Kentucky is better than it's getting credit for than a slight to the Gamecocks. I still don't see how Kentucky can hang for a full four quarters, though.
- If you can't figure out what the most compelling part of Saturday is yet, it's Alabama's offense vs. Ole Miss' defense. If you miss everything else, don't miss that.
Barrett Sallee is the Lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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