Week 8 SEC Letter Grades: South Carolina Through Vanderbilt
SOUTH CAROLINA: A+
I have no hesitation in giving South Carolina an A this week.
It went on the road and asserted its will early by scoring a touchdown on the opening possession. Tonka Hemingway took in a scoop and score and Nick Emmanwori ran back a pick six in the first quarter to stretch the lead to 21.
Shane Beamer went back to the school he was hired away from and led by 29 at half against Oklahoma. The Sooners had no energy after the Gamecocks pieced together that incredible first quarter.
I think my best comparison for this team is 2014 Arkansas. Neither should win any more than seven games, but both have an element of volatility that no opponent wants a part of.
TENNESSEE: B
This may be one of the few times anyone has played less than an A game against Alabama and won in the past 15 years.
Three turnovers isn’t a great look for the offense. The Dylan Sampson was making an extra effort when he fumbled, Gaston Moore should never have taken the shot downfield on the first interception, and Nico Iamaleava didn’t have a good look at a receiver on the second pick.
But even with the mishaps, the Vols cashed in on opportunities later in the game. Sampson finished the game with 139 yards and a pair of scores and Iamaleava hooked up with Chris Brazzell on a tough play in the back of the end zone.
Tennessee’s defense didn’t allow the Tide to gain more than 28 yards on an offensive play. The front seven threw Jalen Milroe off balance while any and every member of the secondary found a way to make a play.
The Vols are no longer the finesse team they were in 2022; it’s a physical group that punishes you as the game wears on.
TEXAS A&M: B+
While there’s no such thing as a “bad SEC road win” this season, I don’t think this SEC road win was enough for me to bestow an A on Texas A&M.
Conner Weigman came back down to earth after an incredible performance in the win against Missouri. The first interception Weigman threw was well off target while the defense read him easily on the other.
The production on the ground was down from what it had been in previous weeks as the Aggies only racked up 136 yards in that department. The defense did enough in the win, bringing Bulldogs down in the backfield 11 times and turning them over once.
Mike Elko’s squad is now 6-1 with LSU on the horizon, a win that could catapult his approval rating among the 12th man.
TEXAS: F
Respectfully, both Michigan and Oklahoma are not the juggernauts the AP voters thought they would be before the season, so Georgia was the first true test for Texas.
The Longhorns didn’t know what hooked them in that first half.
Georgia led 23-0 as the first half came to a close, scoring many of those points off mistakes made by Texas. The worst part of the first half is the fact the Longhorns turned the Bulldogs over but never capitalized on an opportunity.
Texas captured momentum to start the second half, but the Bulldogs quelled it when they scored their first touchdown of the second half.
Maybe an F is harsh, but getting worked at home while holding the #1 ranking in the sport is a bad look. So much for taking the SEC by storm.
VANDERBILT: C+
There isn’t a more perplexing result from Week 8 than Vanderbilt’s 24-14 win over Ball State.
The Commodores didn’t take their first lead until the closing minutes of the first half, and they weren’t able to develop cushion until the middle of the fourth quarter.
The defense only gave up 268 yards and forced a punt on all but two of Ball State’s possessions. The offense had a hard time finding the end zone, something that is costly against higher quality opponents.
But other than the fact it only scored two touchdowns, it’s not like the offense was suboptimal. It didn’t turn the ball over, only had one false start, and won both time of possession and total yardage.
If a loss to Georgia State didn’t throw a wrench into the season for the Commodores, I wouldn’t expect a closer than anticipated win over Ball State to either.
