A big weekend for SEC football lies ahead as almost every team playing has something on the line. Four teams can become bowl eligible with a win on Saturday, while others look to hold onto their hopes of an SEC title shot.
#23 Missouri (8-2, 5-1) needs a win over Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) to move one step closer to winning the SEC East and reaching the SEC championship. Tennessee on the other hand, is just one win away from a bowl berth and will be hungry for that win on Saturday. Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel says focusing will be the key to playing well in a tough Neyland Stadium environment.
“The whole key for anybody is to be able to focus no matter where you play,” says Pinkel. “If you’re playing in the zoo here in Columbia or you’re playing at South Carolina, wherever you’re playing, the key is can you focus on playing your best regardless of the environment and circumstances.”
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones says his team will have to play their best in order to beat Missouri, who has an impressive 4-0 record on the road this season.
“It’s going to take our best effort and we’re going to have to be a disciplined football team,” says Jones. “It should be a great challenge but a great opportunity Saturday night.”
That game is set for 7:30 PM on ESPN.
Arkansas (5-5. 5-1) is another team in search of bowl eligibility this weekend as they prepare to host #8 Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2). The Razorbacks have competed against top-ranked opponents all season, holding #1 Alabama and #4 Mississippi State to 14 and 17 points respectively in losses to them earlier in the year, and shutting out #16 LSU in a win over the Tigers a week ago. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema says instead of focusing on a bowl eligibility, his team is simply looking for respect.
“I think a bowl would probably give the outside world recognition of what we’ve accomplished,” says Bielema, “but here on the inside all we try to do is gain daily respect. We’re looking to get Ole Miss’ success.”
It appears the Razorbacks have already gained quite a bit of that respect as Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze credits Arkansas’ physicality.
“We face a tall challenge in going to Arkansas and playing a team that’s playing with great confidence and plays a very physical brand of football,” Freeze says.
Kickoff for that game is set for 3:30 Saturday on CBS.
Other teams in search of their sixth win of the season include Florida and South Carolina. The two teams faced off last week in a game that ended in with the Gamecocks winning 23-20 in overtime. Florida head coach Will Muschamp, who was asked to step down at the end of the regular season following last week’s loss, says Saturday’s game against Eastern Kentucky (9-2) will be emotional for a couple reasons.
“[Senior day] is always an emotional day,” says Muschamp. “Coupled with that, knowing it’ll being my last day in the Swamp [it] will certainly be emotional for me.”
South Carolina prepares to take on South Alabama (6-4) in what will be its last home game of the season. Both games will begin at noon ET.
#1 Alabama, #4 Mississippi State, #10 Georgia, and #14 Auburn will also see action on Saturday. The Tide will host Western Carolina, Mississippi State will play Vanderbilt, Georgia will face Charleston Southern, and Auburn will take on Samford.
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