SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: UF Suspensions Spell Big Trouble vs. Vols
Two Major Losses
If Florida is going to extend its decade-long winning streak over the Tennessee Volunteers, it's going to have to do it without two important players.
Head coach Jim McElwain announced Wednesday that changeup quarterback Treon Harris and cornerback Jalen Tabor won't be available for Saturday afternoon's tilt in "The Swamp." According to ESPN's Brett McMurphy (via ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff), Harris failed a drug test and Tabor refused to take one.
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No, Harris didn't take a snap behind pro-style quarterback Will Grier last week, but his mobility is important to the offense. He has led the Gators to a few big wins during his short career, including last season's 38-20 win over Georgia in Jacksonville.
In fact, McElwain suggested earlier this week that maybe sitting Harris for the entire game last week was a mistake.
"We just felt like in the last game, Treon, we had some opportunities where maybe we should have put him, you know, that's the way it goes," he said Monday, according to quotes emailed by Florida. "We kind of get a feel for it, and that's what we talked about, and yet there's some things we really have to work on that position."
If the lights shine too bright for Grier or McElwain needs to throw a curveball, Harris would have been a good option—especially if Florida's offensive line struggles against the talented Tennessee front four.
Tabor's absence, while at a position of depth for the Gators, could be huge.
The 6'1", 195-pound sophomore from Washington, D.C., has 10 tackles and a pick-six on the season, and he gets plenty of passes thrown his way by quarterbacks who don't want to test superstar junior Vernon Hargreaves III.
Behind him, Quincy Wilson, Brian Poole and Duke Dawson are all capable of picking up the slack. But look at Tennessee's wide receivers. If quarterback Joshua Dobbs decides to stretch the field more against Florida than he has during the first three weeks, he has Marquez North, Jauan Jennings and Josh Malone—all of whom are 6'3"—to test that Florida defensive backfield.
An account allegedly belonging to Tabor tweeted: "Never believe what you read, UF athletic association sucks!" according to Morgan Moriarty of Cox Media Group. That tweet has been deleted, and Zach Abolverdi of the Gainesville Sun adds this note to "Tabor Tweetgate":
Despite that, the account tweeted this apology this morning:
Real or fake tweets aside, Florida needed Tabor—who isn't afraid to stick his nose in and stop the run—against Tennessee. His absence could help Tennessee have success through the air.
High Praise
If you're looking to predict the stars of the Tennessee vs. Florida game, Dobbs could be one.
The junior dual-threat quarterback has 474 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, seven total touchdowns and just one pick on the year.
His ability to make plays with his legs, arm and take care of the football has the attention of the Gator coaching staff.
"I'm one of these guys who truly enjoys watching teams play and how they play," McElwain said. "The one thing you notice is that he has total command of what they're asking him to do. His decision-making is what I'm really impressed with. He handles the run/pass, pass/run and all the different options that they ask him. He takes care of the football and knows how to get it to his people."
With Dobbs a big running threat and the dynamic duo of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara in the backfield, the Tennessee offense can stress the Florida offense east/west as well as north/south.
"What they're able to do in and out of the same personnel group and give so many different formation things, he's a really fun guy to watch," McElwain said. "He's a winner."
Fresh Start
What seemed like an inevitability became a reality this week, when South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier announced that true freshman dual-threat Lorenzo Nunez will start at quarterback for the Gamecocks vs. UCF, with Perry Orth—who started last week versus Georgia—serving as his backup.
"The biggest challenge is to not give him too much," Spurrier said. "Hopefully he'll know where all of his receivers will be and all of the run plays. There are a lot of decisions that a quarterback has to make, so hopefully we can put him in position where he's sound in his decision-making on all the plays that he has."
This is the right move for these Gamecocks.
A home start versus an 0-3 UCF team that lost to Florida International and Furman—each by a point—is the right place to give Nunez more of the playbook and see what he can handle.
The Gamecocks were at their best when Connor Shaw—also a dual-threat—was taking the snaps in Columbia, and Nunez is the only dual-threat quarterback on the South Carolina roster. Considering Connor Mitch's injury and Orth's struggles, Nunez gives the Gamecocks the best chance to win Saturday and down the road.
If he gains a little confidence against the Knights, don't rule out South Carolina making a bowl game in 2015. That'd be huge for Nunez's confidence, and the bowl practices would accelerate his development.
Into the Great Unknown
It doesn't look like it on paper, but game weeks for Mississippi State have been quite unorthodox this season.
Head coach Dan Mullen said leading up to Week 2 that preparing for LSU—which had its opener rained out—forced the Bulldogs to treat it like an opener themselves thanks to the absence of game tape and the uncertainty on LSU's roster.
Here he goes again.
Heading into Week 4, Mullen is forced to prepare for another mystery.
Auburn will start redshirt freshman quarterback Sean White against the Bulldogs in place of junior Jeremy Johnson.
"I haven't seen the other guy play," Mullen said. "I think this will be his first action. So I don't know how it's going to affect them. For us, we are going to have to go out there and play hard. It's not going to change anything that we do."
He's right, because what they've done virtually all season is focus on their own team rather than the opponent. Usually, that's coachspeak. Coaches always say that if they execute their game plan, they'll be fine. For Mississippi State, that's just the reality of the first four weeks of the season.
But Auburn's offense will change a little bit with White at the helm. He's much more of a traditional dropback passer than Johnson, and that will put more pressure on Will Redmond and the rest of the Bulldogs secondary.
Pitch Count
LSU running back Leonard Fournette has become the talk of the college football world after rushing for 228 yards, three touchdowns and producing numerous "Heisman moments" during the 45-21 win over Auburn last weekend in Baton Rouge.
He did that on just 19 carries, and limiting the superstar's workload will be part of the plan again this week and beyond for head coach Les Miles.
"We want to take into account the specifics of our player," Miles said. "He's a guy who seems to get warmed up the more reps he gets. Yet, we wouldn't want to wear him out before we get to some key contests in our season. In the same vein, it's also important that we win. The first criteria is 'who's the guy who should touch the ball the most?'"
Expect Fournette to be on a bit of a pitch count this weekend vs. Syracuse.
Derrius Guice, Darrel Williams and Nick Brossette are all talented backs, and Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron also need to get quarterback Brandon Harris a little bit more involved in the running game on the road this week.
Fournette is a star and will still show that in upstate New York, but don't be surprised if he doesn't have a "Heisman-level" performance. For LSU, getting his backups some meaningful snaps is job No. 1 once the game has been iced.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com. Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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