SEC Football Round-Up: Week 2

 There isn’t a lot of sizzle in this week’s slate of SEC football games as most league school’s are facing non-conference rivals.   However, Ole Miss does play Vanderbilt.

Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt

Ole Miss is 1-0 after winning its season opener 35-13 against Boise State. On the other side of the ball Vanderbilt lost 37-7 to the Temple Owls making their record 0-1.

Ole Miss is relying on quarterback Bo Wallace this season. In his first game Wallace completed 25 of 36 passes, but he also threw three picks.  He did throw for 387 yards and four touchdowns.  

The Ole Miss defense came out ready to play. It forced four interceptions, had three sacks, and 10 tackles for loss.

 “I thought our defense played extremely well most of the game, as did our special teams. Offensively we struggled the entire first half, but settled in the second half and played much better so hopefully we will keep improving in all areas this Saturday up in Nashville,” said Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze.

Vanderbilt struggled on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Stephen Rivers completed 12 of his 25 passes for 186 yards and no touchdowns. The Commodores also played quarterbacks Patton Robinette and Johnny McCrary to try and generate offense.

 According to Vandy head coach Derek Mason the team is focusing on the team they need to be.

“They have done exactly what they needed to do, make the changes, refocus… you know understand who they are. More or less what we need to do is be the team we want to be.”

Alabama vs. FAU

The Alabama Crimson Tide will host Florida Atlantic University at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday.

Alabama is coming off a 33-23 win against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and FAU is trying to bounce back from a 55-7 blowout against Nebraska.

Crimson Tide’s quarterback Blake Sims completed 24 of 33 passes for 250 yards but the FAU defense will have to account for Sims as a runner as well.  But a bigger worry for the Owls might be the running back tandem of Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon, who both ran for over 100 yards last week.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban said his team had some problems on defense and many had a lot to do with lack of communication between new linebackers and the secondary.

“I think most of the things we didn’t do correctly can be corrected, which is very encouraging,” said Saban. “I think we are capable of playing a lot better, which is a challenge for the coaches because we are ultimately responsible for how they guys go out there and play… and that’s something we hope to do a better job of this week.”

South Carolina vs. East Carolina

The South Carolina Gamecocks kicked off their season with a SEC matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies where they lost 52-28.

The Gamecocks offense couldn’t get moving on the ground as they rushed 22 times for 67 yards. But a bigger concern was a defense that allowed A&M to accumulate 680 yards and 39 first downs.

It doesn’t sound like South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier expects the East Carolina game to be an easy win.

“East Carolina is well coached, and have had continuous success year after year,” said Spurrier.

East Carolina had its own blow out of a different sort beating North Carolina Central 52-7. If the Gamecocks want to add a win to their record they could have to get their ground game moving, but that may be difficult against the Pirates defense that held their last week’s opponents to 70 rushing yards.

Kentucky vs. Ohio

Both the Kentucky Wildcats and the Ohio Bobcats are coming off season opening wins. The Wildcats defeated UT Martin 59-14 while Ohio edged Kent State 17-14.

“I felt the preparation was good, and I felt like we played with great energy,” said Kentucky’s head coach Mark Stoops. “That was good and exciting to see.”

The Wildcats racked up 656 yards of total offense and scored six rushing touchdowns. The Bobcats went in as the under dogs in their match up against Kent State but came out victorious.

A Bobcat defense that held Kent State to 295 yards of total offense, 17 first downs, and 31 rushing yards on eight carries may provide a challenge to Kentucky.

Here’s a list of the rest of the other SEC games this week:

Missouri @ Toledo

Arkansas State @ Tennessee

UAB @ Mississippi State

Eastern Michigan @ Florida

Nicholls State @ Arkansas

East Carolina @ South Carolina

San Jose State @ Auburn

Sam Houston @ LSU

Lamar @ Texas A&M

For sound from some SEC coaches Click here:

Hugh Freeze- Ole Miss Head Coach

Derek Mason- Vanderbilt Head Coach

Nick Saban- Alabama Head Coach

Steve Spurrier- South Carolina Head Coach

Mark Stoops- Kentucky Head Coach