Week 10 SEC Letter Grades: Arkansas Through Georgia

Written By Tucker Harlin

By Tucker Harlin

How are we already a week into November?

Week 10 didn’t provide very many close games in SEC play, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun weekend. Alabama, LSU, Missouri, and Texas all had the week off, so I’ve only got 12 grades to give out this week.

Here we go:

ARKANSAS: F

It’s hard to give out anything higher than an F when you let an opponent walk into your house and hang 60 on you.

You can narrow the start of the disaster down to one point in the first quarter.

Fresh off a goal line stand from his defense, Taylen Green lost a fumble in the end zone to hand Ole Miss its first score of the game. The fact Green didn’t turn the ball over at least once against Tennessee still befuddles me.

Green was hurt sometime in the first half and played through the injury, but playing at less than 100% wasn’t going to be enough with how bad of a day the defense had.

The secondary let the Rebels pick it apart for 562 yards and seven touchdowns, far and away its worst outing of the season.

I’m not suggesting hot seat conversations are active in Fayetteville, but the enthusiasm present for Sam Pittman after the Razorbacks’ victory over Tennessee is largely lost.

AUBURN: F

While we’re all in agreement Vanderbilt isn’t a bad loss in 2024, the way Auburn lost to the Commodores was comical.

The Tigers played well enough on defense to win this game. They didn’t allow a completion in the middle quarters, but that also makes the loss look that much worse.

The offensive output was dreadful. Rivaldo Fairweather had this nice scooping touchdown catch and run, but he undid it with a lost fumble in the final minutes of the game.

The kicker troubles are something straight out of a comedy sketch. Starter Alex McPherson has been dealing with what Hugh Freeze has called “irritable bowel syndrome” and backup Towns McGough’s long for the year sits at 32 yards. He’s 5/12 on the year with two misses Saturday.

Hugh Freeze apparently has no concept of the new clock rules. He wasted a timeout with 2:01 left in the game when he could’ve gotten free a timeout if he had just let another second tick off the clock.

Firing Gus Malzahn after the 2020 season appears to have the same effect on Auburn’s football program as firing Phillip Fulmer had on Tennessee. It’s getting nasty on the plains.

FLORIDA: C

I can’t be too hard on Florida after it put up a fight for four quarters against the top ranked team in the SEC with its third string quarterback.

The Gators led 10-3 late in the second quarter, but quarterback D.J. Lagway left the game on a cart after this play.

Yale transfer Aidan Warner was the next man up for Florida. Warner finished the day 7/22 for 66 yards and an interception as the Gators had to turn more to the run game than they wanted.

The defense did what it could to keep the Gators in the game, picking Carson Beck off three times. But the seal ultimately broke without Lagway on offense.

The unfortunate developments at quarterback likely stave off hot seat discussions around Billy Napier for the foreseeable future. No matter how good of a coach you are, winning with your third string quarterback is difficult.

GEORGIA: C+

I was between a B- and C+ for the Bulldogs, but Kirby Smart’s average team typically stomps on a team down to its third string quarterback.

The defense got off the field on its first two possessions, but D.J. Lagway led consecutive drives that ended in points before destroying his hamstring on the next.

Florida did score 10 more points after Lagway exited, but Georgia mostly did what it was supposed to against Aidan Warner.

The root of the troubles for the Bulldogs was the play of Carson Beck. The last of his three interceptions was caused by a nice hit from a Florida linebacker, but the other two were completely on him.

Beck’s now thrown 11 picks in conference play, and four of Georgia’s five SEC have featured two or more Beck interceptions.

The lack of proven options for Beck is taking its toll on this Georgia team. The Bulldogs desperately need to find the next Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey if they’re to compete for a national title.

Tucker Harlin
Previous

THE DAY AFTER: KENTUCKY
Next

Kentucky at Tennessee, From Z14