Week 3 SEC Letter Grades: Alabama Through Florida
By Tucker Harlin
This is my first batch of SEC letter grades in Week 3.
There’s a little bit of everything in this one.
ALABAMA: A
Credit: University of Alabama Athletics
Alabama did exactly what it was supposed to in its 42-10 win over Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium.
The Tide had a little bit of help with Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke going down early with a non-contact lower body injury.
Ryan Williams is the best wideout they’ve had in Tuscaloosa since Jameson Williams. Sure it’s only been three years, but wide receivers have been a weak point for the Tide over the last two seasons.
The ground attack remained important for the Tide as Milroe ran for a pair of touchdowns and running back Jam Miller opened the second half with a 34-yard score that put the lead at 25.
The win wasn’t the toughest of challenges for the Tide, but it was an important tune up going into the first bye week ahead of the Georgia game.
ARKANSAS: D
Two D grades in as many weeks from yours truly for the Hogs.
Trent Dilfer’s UAB Blazers were projecting near the lower middle portion of the American off a 4-8 season in 2023. In other words, they’re not a team that should be competing with your average SEC team.
The Blazers scored a 34-yard touchdown to take a 17-3 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Arkansas responded accordingly and tied the game at 20 at half.
The Razorbacks constructed a run-filled opening drive to start the second half, ending with a 16-yard touchdown run by Ja’Quinden Jackson. But the Blazers struck back later with another pass touchdown, thus requiring the Hogs to go on another march to get the 37-27 win.
At this point, we know Arkansas is all about the run game on offense as Jackson and quarterback Taylen Green were the focal points Saturday. Green can throw the ball, but he had a hard time finding players not named Andrew Armstrong against the Blazers.
Penalties were still very much a problem for the Razorbacks as they finished the game with six for 65 yards, and the secondary had some trouble giving up longer pass plays to the Blazers.
When you have a tighter win like Arkansas just did against an inferior opponent, it’s generally a sign of underlying issues.
AUBURN: B
Credit: Auburn University Athletics
I’m giving Auburn a little bit of a curve just because it went into Saturday with experimentation in mind, and a game against New Mexico is the perfect time to do that.
Following Payton Thorne’s disaster class performance against Cal in Week 2, Hugh Freeze opted to try Lipscomb Academy product Hank Brown at quarterback against the Lobos.
Brown finished the day 17/25 with 235 pass yards and four touchdowns, and he was helped out by a stout rush attack led by Jarquez Hunter’s 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Not all was well on the plains in the Tigers’ 45-19 win over New Mexico. They were penalized eight times for 88 yards, and the game flow wasn’t too dissimilar from Alabama’s win over USF last week as it took over three quarters for the Tigers to pull away from the Lobos on the scoreboard.
A lot of this had to do with troubles slowing down the Lobos pass attack. New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier threw for a total of 291 yards, although some of the effects were offset by interceptions.
This one wasn’t as pretty as the plainsmen were hoping it would be, but its occasional closeness served a purpose, one that could behoove the Tigers when Arkansas comes to town next week.
FLORIDA: F-
Credit: University of Florida Athletics
Don’t led garbage touchdowns fool you; the Gators trailed 33-7 at one point in the second half before cleaning up a bit near the end of the game.
Rotating quarterbacks each possession is never a successful strategy against quality opponents. Florida couldn’t do it last week against Samford with Graham Mertz out, and it doesn’t have another opponent weak enough to try it again.
Lagway impressed against Samford, but when you rotate quarterbacks you don’t allow a guy to find his groove. That’s not me defending the two interceptions he threw, but it’s impossible for a guy to go out and play his best against a defense like Texas A&M.
The Aggies destroyed the Gators on the ground, out rushing them 310-52 in yardage. A long pass touchdown early in the third quarter swung momentum away from the Gators, and a pick six later in the third crushed any momentum they had.
The hot (no pun intended) question is once again how hot Billy Napier’s seat is in Gainesville. We’ve seen reports of board of trustees meetings and buyout fund accumulations from boosters, so an announcement of Napier’s firing in the next 24 hours would not be a shock.
