Week 4 SEC Letter Grades: LSU Through Ole Miss

By Tucker Harlin

LSU: A-

Credit: LSU Athletics

LSU took down UCLA 34-17 in conditions hotter than the surface of the sun Saturday. This version of UCLA doesn’t appear as anything special, but it was able to give LSU a fight for a while before the Tigers pulled away.

The big reason LSU gets in the A tier for me is because it didn’t make any game altering mistakes along the way to its victory.

Garrett Nussmeier threw for 352 yards and a trio of touchdown passes while the defense sacked Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers five times, turned Garbers over twice, and surrendered just 14 yards on the ground.

The only real gripe one could have about LSU was the defense allowing UCLA to throw the ball at ease in the opening stages of the game.

The biggest concern about this defense is the loss of star linebacker Harold Perkins, who is believed to have suffered an ACL tear. Perkins was a preseason All-SEC selection.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: F

Starkvegas wasn’t treated to quite the disaster that occurred in the Bulldogs’ loss against Toledo, but the result wasn’t much better this time around.

An anemic Florida offense did what it wanted against Mississippi State.

Opposing quarterbacks completed over 80% of their passes against the Bulldogs for the second week in a row. On the ground, the Gators ran for 226 yards, a season high for what’s been a struggling rush attack.

Offensively, the Bulldogs were able to run the ball effectively, something they haven’t been able to say each of the last two weeks. But the offense was dealt a major blow when it was revealed Blake Shapen will miss the remainder, something a rebuilding team can ill afford.

It’s starting to feel a lot like Year 0 for Jeff Lebby instead of Year 1.

MISSOURI: C+

Credit: University of Missouri Athletics

Mizzou did not grade as one of the better winners in the SEC this week.

Defensively, the Tigers played well enough against both the run and pass to win the game. There weren’t any prevalent issues on that side of the ball.

The Commodores were able to penetrate the backfield, stuffing the Tigers for eight tackles for loss. The bigger issue was a number of stall outs in Vandy territory to go along with three missed field goals in regulation, problems that often decide games in SEC play.

The Tigers were fortunate the kicking issues also plagued the Commodores as they missed a field goal to extend the game to a third overtime, a gift to say the least.

Mizzou was bumped down four spots in the poll as a result, something that happens when you barely escape a team that’s coming off a loss to Georgia State.

OKLAHOMA: F

Credit: University of Oklahoma Athletics

The Sooners received both a heartless welcome and a harsh reality check in their 25-15 loss to Tennessee in their first game as SEC members.

My assessment of Oklahoma is pretty similar to my assessment of Auburn this week. The defense performed quite well against one of the nation’s fastest offenses, taking full advantage of the absence of Lance Heard’s absence up front.

But the offense is shockingly bad for what we’re used to seeing from Oklahoma.

The Sooners were horribly outmatched up front, leading to an abysmal rushing output. Jackson Arnold was such a turnover machine in the first half that they had to bench him for freshman Michael Hawkins, who got things going once the Vols started playing prevent. It also doesn’t help that the majority of the Sooners’ receiving core is less than 100% from a health standpoint.

The quarterback situation is one to monitor going forward as the road only gets more difficult for the Sooners as they embark on their first ever SEC slate.

OLE MISS: A

Credit: Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss is like a high school valedictorian taking pre-algebra as a senior. In other words, the Rebels haven’t played anybody.

The only negatives to this game for the Rebels were the touchdown they surrendered early in the second quarter and the pick Jaxson Dart threw at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach. Dart was also left in the game that long for, you guessed it, stat padding.

Ole Miss won 52-13 against Georgia Southern. Upper level SEC teams are supposed to beat Sun Belt teams by that margin.

I have nothing else to say.