Questions Ahead of Week 9 of SEC Football
Credit: LSU Athletics
By Tucker Harlin
As always, I’ll start by answering my questions from Week 8.
WHICH INCONSISTENT OFFENSE HAS THE BETTER DAY IN NEYLAND STADIUM? The answer was Tennessee.
HOW DOES LIFE WITHOUT MERTZ PLAY OUT IN THE SWAMP? Florida actually scored 48 points in its first game without Graham Mertz.
IS LSU WALKING INTO A TRAP IN FAYETTEVILLE? No, nothing about Fayetteville was a trap for LSU last week.
WILL QUINN EWERS TEAR APART THE GEORGIA SECONDARY? Another no. The Georgia defense tore Ewers apart in the first half.
Let’s jump to Week 9.
WAS BRENT VENABLES’ DECISION TO BENCH JACKSON ARNOLD AGAINST TENNESSEE TOO HASTY?
Three turnovers in a half was too many for Brent Venables to keep Jackson Arnold in Oklahoma’s 25-15 home loss to Tennessee near the end of September.
The Sooners rolled with Michael Hawkins Jr. after a better second half against the Vols, but Hawkins never threw a touchdown pass in any of the three games he started.
Ole Miss is a heavy favorite over Oklahoma this weekend in Oxford.
If Arnold goes out and at least keeps the game close, then the last three games were a wasted experiment for Brent Venables. If Arnold has a multi-turnover performance, the Sooners’ worst fear will be realized.
IS THIS THE WEEKEND MISSISSIPPI STATE FINALLY PULLS OFF AN SEC WIN?
It’s been a difficult year for the Bulldogs. They haven’t won a game since Week 1, but the Bulldogs are playing like they have nothing to lose.
Just look at the performances Mississippi State stacked together against Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M.
It lost both games, but each game was competitive for at least three quarters. Quarterback Michael Van Buren is slinging the ball around the yard right now, doing everything he can to keep the Bulldogs in games.
Arkansas has lived dangerously in SEC play. Outside of the win against Tennessee, Taylen Green has struggled to keep the ball out of harm’s way, something Conner Weigman couldn’t do against the Bulldogs last week.
If Mississippi State doesn’t win an SEC game now, when will it?
HOW DOES TEXAS RESPOND AFTER TAKING A PUNCH IN THE MOUTH?
Georgia came to Austin and punched Texas in the mouth last week.
The Longhorns turned the ball over in multiple instances over the course of the night, and Quinn Ewers looked the most flustered we’ve seen him all season. It was a draining loss, one the Horns need to put behind them.
I wouldn’t disagree with before the season if they said Texas will bounce back fine if it loses to Georgia with Vanderbilt on the horizon.
Such is not the case with the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2024. Three touchdown underdog Diego Pavia isn’t someone you want to play against. Just ask Alabama and Auburn.
While I don’t see Texas losing to Vandy, I’m also not confident it covers the three score spread.
WHAT MUST LSU DO TO AVOID A FOURTH CONSECUTIVE LOSS AT KYLE FIELD?
College Station was anything but kind to LSU in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Between the 74-72 game, an uninspired loss in the COVID-shortened season, and a head scratcher against a terrible Texas A&M team two seasons ago, the memories haven’t been fond.
Texas A&M is playing at a similar level to that 2020 team at the moment. The Aggies run the ball well, Conner Weigman is throwing the ball at an optimal level, and the defense has picked up right where it left off last season.
LSU can win this game in the trenches. The Tigers are battled tested up front against stout fronts like South Carolina and Arkansas while the Texas A&M defensive line hasn’t faced this strong of an offensive line.
They say defense travels, and LSU no longer plays like a liability on that side of the ball. Even without Harold Perkins the defense was largely responsible for the Tigers’ wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss.
I questioned LSU going into Fayetteville last week only for it to emphatically answer how the environment wasn’t going to challenge it. I’m not saying we see a similar result in College Station, but this team isn’t fazed by difficult road environments.
