Week 8 SEC Letter Grades: Kentucky Through Oklahoma
By Tucker Harlin
KENTUCKY: F
This could be a little harsh considering the stretch Kentucky went on between the second and third quarters.
Barion Brown scored on a 45-yard pass touchdown and a kickoff return touchdown while backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt cut the deficit to a score early in the third quarter.
But the reality is the negatives far outweigh the positives.
The defense was pretty rough for what’s supposed to be one of the few bright spots on this Kentucky team. Florida had all kinds of chunk plays through the air and ran for just shy of 200 yards of offense against the Wildcats.
Brock Vandagriff finished the day 12/26 for 165 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Backup quarterback Cutter Boley came in and went a crisp 0/6 with the pick six to ice the Wildcats’ dumpster sundae.
What makes all of this worse are both the fact Florida is fighting to reach a bowl and the fact Kentucky had won four of six against Florida before Saturday.
LSU: A+
Surprising and impressive are two words to describe LSU’s performance in its 34-10 win at Arkansas.
The Tigers established their will early by scoring on the opening possession. The Razorbacks played right into their hands with a pair of turnovers and a missed field goal.
LSU’s defense surrendered a touchdown in the first half, but the struggles for Arkansas on offense were too mighty to challenge it. The offense scored 17 points in a momentum shift caused by a Whit Weeks interception at the Arkansas 2-yard line.
The highlight of the offense wasn’t Garrett Nussmeier and the passing game. Freshman running back Caden Durham ran for 101 yards and three touchdowns, numbers we haven’t seen from an LSU running back routinely post-2019.
Everything about this win felt like it came from the tough nosed, physical LSU teams we saw in the later years of the Les Miles era.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: C
For as bad as this season has gone in Starkvegas, you can’t question Mississippi State’s effort through seven games.
The Bulldogs came out and scored a touchdown on the opening possession. Texas A&M quickly went down to score a touchdown on the next drive and never trailed again, but the Bulldogs never trailed by more than 14 points in a 34-24 loss to what is suddenly a serious SEC title contender.
The defense picked Conner Weigman off twice while quarterback Michael Van Buren threw for three touchdowns.
What I’m about to say is very cliché, but games like that build culture. Everything about Mississippi State in 2023 lacked excitement. They may not be winning as much as they did a season ago, but the Bulldogs are doing whatever it takes to build the program back up after one of the most tragic situations in SEC football history.
MISSOURI: B
This is going to seem generous to many of you, but I’m considering Brady Cook’s injury heavily in this assessment.
The Tigers defense only let Auburn score one touchdown while Cook was out of the game, which was from the first possession of the game up until the end of the third quarter.
Keep in mind, Cook went to and from the hospital in this stretch and finished the job when he returned. That’s pretty badass.
The Tigers lost two fumbles, one of which was lost by backup quarterback Drew Pyne while the other was a botched attempt at fielding a punt. These were the only real mishaps while Cook was away.
The definition of “a win’s a win” in Faurot Field.
OKLAHOMA: F
The final month and change of the 2024 season will not bring fun times to Norman, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s defense gave up a touchdown early in the first quarter, but it didn’t surrender another until the final two minutes of the first half. The Sooners offense surrendered 14 points in the opening quarter, both on a scoop and score and a pick six.
Michael Hawkins Jr. is not the answer quarterback.
Hawkins relieved Jackson Arnold when he turned the ball over three times against Tennessee. Arnold relieved Hawkins for turning the ball over three times and giving up two scores this week.
Under no circumstance should you trail 32-3 at home to Shane Beamer and South Carolina at halftime. I really don’t know how Oklahoma can turn the schooner around.
