Rapid Reaction: LSU hangs on to beat Texas A&M-sds

Quick thoughts from LSU’s 23-17 win over Texas A&M.

What it means: Les Miles knows what kind of team he has. The Tigers did a few new things, but they stuck to their strength: running the ball. On defense, the Tigers were physical and beat up the Aggies for much of the game, with the young defense showing just how scary they can be when they get clicking. There’s a lot of room for growth with this team, but they showed that they’ll be a team to be reckoned with next season.
What I liked: The ball control. LSU found a variety of ways to run the ball, from jet sweeps to read-option keepers to simple overloaded power runs. The Tigers ended up with 384 rushing yards at 6.7 yards per carry and held the ball for a whopping 41:13, more than double Texas A&M’s time of possession.
What I didn’t like: LSU’s inability to put the game away. Despite more than doubling Texas A&M’s time of possession, LSU could not get the score they needed to fully take control of the game. The Tigers had two straight possessions that made it into the red zone, both of them resulting in field goals, and they missed two field goals that would have given them a lot more cushion going into the home stretch.
Key play: Leonard Fournette bulldozing Howard Matthews. Before Fournette’s touchdown run, LSU had had the ball for more than 16 minutes before their first touchdown drive, yet had no points to show for it. When Fournette ran over A&M safety Matthews, the flood gates seemed to open up for the Tigers. A lot of field goal attempts followed, but this play encompassed
Who’s the man: Fournette carried the load all night for the Tigers. They handed the ball to him 19 times, which he cashed in for 146 yards and a touchdown. He was a huge part of LSU’s ability to control the clock, and he flashed just about all the skills you want in a running back, running over, around and right past defenders all night.
What’s next: LSU awaits its bowl bid, with the TaxSlayer, Texas and Music City Bowls as possibilities. There’s still a lot to figure out with the passing game, but chances are LSU is going to stick to what it does best for the bowl and leave those decisions for the offseason.

OOPS!


Texas A&M absorbed body blow after body blow, then threatened to end an improbable comeback with a game-winning touchdown drive.

Jermauria Rasco appeared to jump offsides, his body hovering in the neutral zone, when Kyle Allen followed the time-tested rule: take the free play and throw the ball downfield. If it doesn’t work out, take the five-yard penalty.
Only Jalen Collins intercepted the pass, and the officials kept their flags pocketed. LSU ran out the clock and got out of Kyle Field with a 23-17 win.
Check out the play for yourself.

Another jewel

SEC Watchability Rankings: Week 14-sds

For nearly 12 hours every Saturday, SEC fans can plop themselves on their couches and tune into football games all day. No one wants to waste their time watching a boring game, though, so we ranked the nine games that SEC teams are playing in this weekend based on entertainment value. These rankings are subjective, but factor in league impact, how exciting and how close the games will be. Games are ranked on a 1-5 Georgia Dome scale (the site of the SEC Championship Game), with 5 being the most watchable game and 1 being the least. Note: all rankings are from the College Football Playoff committee. All games are played Saturday unless otherwise noted.

5 GEORGIA DOMES

- No. 4 Mississippi State at No. 19 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS): One of the most under-appreciated rivalries in college football is about to play its most significant game ever. The Bulldogs are playing for their playoff hopes, Ole Miss is hell bent on ending those dreams.
- No. 15 Auburn at No. 1 Alabama (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN): It’s not the College Football Playoff play-in game many imagined a few months ago, but the Iron Bowl is one of the true treasures of the year thanks to the extreme passion that comes with the rivalry.
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4 GEORGIA DOMES

- Arkansas at No. 17 Missouri (2:30 p.m. ET Friday, CBS): A few weeks ago, it would have been hard to find someone outside of these fan bases excited for the Battle Line Rivalry. Now, Arkansas is one of the hottest teams in the country and Missouri is on the verge of a second straight SEC East title.
- No. 16 Georgia Tech at No. 9 Georgia (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network): It’s been more than a decade since these two teams stepped onto the field for some Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate this highly ranked. Both teams are going to try to trample the other with their potent running games.
- Florida at No. 3 Florida State (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Florida might not be very good, but Florida State has a track record of letting not-very-good teams hang around this season. Will the Gators be able to hang in long enough to pull out the win and send Will Muschamp out with a victory and end Florida State’s playoff dream?
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3 GEORGIA DOMES

- LSU at Texas A&M (7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, ESPN): After you gorge yourself on a Thanksgiving meal, kick back to watch these two young teams battle it out. It doesn’t have the stress of playoff implications, but both have plenty to prove.
- South Carolina at No. 22 Clemson (12 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Palmetto Bowl always seems to bring out the best in Steve Spurrier, and Spurrier at his apex is as fun as any coach in the country. A sixth-straight win over their bitter rivals would salvage a disappointing season for the Gamecocks.
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2 GEORGIA DOMES

- Kentucky at No. 22 Louisville (12 p.m. ET, ESPN 2): Kentucky has to go on the road and beat their in-state rivals to avoid a complete collapse from their 5-1 start. Going against Bobby Petrino’s top-notch defense, it could be ugly for the Wildcats.
- Tennessee at Vanderbilt (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network): Tennessee has to be feeling pretty good about their chances of ending a two-game skid to the Commodores, but it’s not exactly top priority for the rest of the SEC to sit down to watch Vanderbilt play anyone. Vanderbilt has looked better as the season has worn on, but Joshua Dobbs will probably be too much for the ‘Dores to keep it close.

Hogs’ running backs, O-line present ‘big’ problems for Tigers-sds

They’re hard to miss.

When Arkansas takes the field on Friday, the Razorbacks’ offensive line won’t be hiding from anyone. I don’t think the players could even if they tried.
At an average size of 6-foot-6, 324 pounds, the Hogs’ “hogmollies” are bigger than any other offensive line in college of pro football. The overwhelming presence of these five linemen have led to some huge offensive outputs for the Razorbacks, mainly in the running game.
Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins anchor the running game. Both are fourth and fifth in the SEC in rushing yards, respectively. Arkansas’ offensive game plan is simple — utilize its strength behind the mammoth offensive line and wear down the opposing defense with a physical run game.
“I think they may be the biggest offensive line in the NFL or college,” head coach Gary Pinkel said. “They’re very big and physical. That’s [head coach Bret Bielema’s] background as he did it at Wisconsin also. Their running backs are good players. They can turn short gains into big plays. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ve played some big people before, but they really have some great size.”
Recent weeks have been very good to Missouri’s run defense, a unit that’s gotten better as the season has progressed. In Missouri’s last four games, the most rushing yards the Tigers have allowed is 104 yards against Texas A&M, and even then it was far from a dominant rushing attack by the Aggies.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they are catching the Razorbacks at the wrong time. Arkansas has suddenly turned a corner in conference play, shutting out both LSU and Ole Miss at home in their last two games. Until these two wins, the Hogs hadn’t won a SEC game for more than two years.
The Razorbacks have looked so good in the last two games that they actually come into this game as a slight favorite over Missouri, despite being the road team.
“You could see it happening,” Pinkel said during Wednesday’s teleconference. “This is not a surprise to me at all. We’re playing a really good football team. They certainly deserve all the accolades they’re receiving now for the improvement they’ve had.”
Underdogs or not, Missouri has been in this position before. Arkansas’ run game and offensive line will no doubt present a tough challenge for the Tigers’ defense, but Pinkel believes his team focus has brought them to this point and can certainly be the difference maker in a win for his squad tomorrow.
“I just think great leadership and guys working hard. I’ve got guys that battle and compete at a high level. One by one, we’ve improved as a football team,” Pinkel said.
“Win or lose, you just focus on improving as a football team.”

Inside the Numbers: South Carolina vs. Clemson-sds

Here’s a look inside some of the numbers before South Carolina’s trip to Clemson on Saturday:

THE GOOD

252.2: The number of yards Clemson’s allowing this season, a NCAA-best. The Tigers have dominated defensively in the ACC, but have lost three games against ranked teams.
461.0: South Carolina’s total offense average, tied with Georgia for first in the SEC East. Quarterback Dylan Thompson’s seven touchdowns away from tying the school’s single-season touchdown pass record.
109.0: Number of tackles behind the line of scrimmage for the Tigers, first in the country. Bednarik finalist Vic Beasley leads the way with 15.5 such stops.

THE BAD

5: Consecutive losses by Clemson in the Palmetto Bowl, a program-worst. Dabo Swinney’s only win against the Gamecocks came in 2008 when he was the Tigers’ interim head coach.
20.0: Sacks allowed by South Carolina this season despite a veteran offensive line, not a good sign going up against the ACC’s stingiest front seven on Saturday.
6.1: Yards per play opposing teams are picking up on the Gamecocks’ inexperienced defense. Over the last two weeks however, South Carolina’s been much improved.

Bold Predictions: Tennessee ends its season in Nashville against Vanderbilt-sds

The Tennessee Volunteers travel to Nashville to face in-state rival Vanderbilt on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Vols hold a 73-30-5 advantage in the all-time series, while the Commodores have won the past two meetings.

Tennessee looks to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010. The Vols are 2-1 since naming Joshua Dobbs their starting quarterback in Week 10.
Here are three bold predictions for Saturday’s game.

1. Tennessee will hold Vanderbilt scoreless- Vanderbilt’s offense has struggled all season against SEC teams. The Commodores rank No. 121 in total yards, No. 106 in passing offense, No. 114 in rushing offense and No. 118 in scoring offense. Tennessee has kept five teams under 150 yards and should hold an advantage in Saturday’s matchup.
2. Jalen Hurd will rush for a career-high rushing total- Jalen Hurd has surpassed his previous season-best rushing total five times this season, with his highest output coming against South Carolina in Week 10. The true freshman has developed into an elite SEC tailback and continues to prove validity to his five-star prospect rating. Hurd should provide a memorable performance against a Vanderbilt defense that could be without its leading tackler, redshirt freshman Nigel Bowden.
3. Vanderbilt makes at least one quarterback change- The Commodores have switched quarterbacks more than 10 times this season. Johnny McCrary should start, but could split time with Patton Robinette. If Tennessee’s offense forces turnovers, the Vanderbilt quarterback roulette may continue on Saturday.

Final Score: Tennessee- 45, Vanderbilt- 0. Head coach Derek Mason refused to call Tennessee by name earlier this week. His players shared his sentiments, calling the Vols “the team from the east” among other things. Tennessee is a 17-point favorite and holds the advantage in talent disparity. Among all these factors, the Vols will look to claim redemption after suffering two straight losses to their in-state rival.

Georgia-Georgia Tech one of the most underrated games nationally-sds

Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.

It’s a rivalry series may not get as much press as the Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl or even UF-FSU, but there’s always a good matchup between Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Take last year for example. A battle of unranked teams, Georgia Tech took UGA to the brink. Bolting out to a 20-0 lead in the first half, it took a huge second half from Hutson Mason and Todd Gurley to tie things up in the fourth quarter. Eventually, the Bulldogs won a classic, 41-34, in the second overtime period.
This season’s edition of the in-state rivalry figures to be even better. Saturday’s game will feature the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets, two top-16 ranked teams. It’ll be the first time both teams are ranked in the series since 2011.
Offensively, spectators could be in for a shootout. Although the Yellow Jackets’ offense is often regarded as gimmicky because of the triple-option game plan, it’s one of the nation’s most effective offenses this season. Georgia Tech possesses a more explosive offense than Florida State and is ranked first in the ACC, averaging 37.8 points per game.
Georgia’s offense bests Georgia Tech’s unit by nearly six points, but both units will rely heavily on the run game.
UGA’s run game is well-known thanks to the depth at the running back position and the emergence of Nick Chubb. A true freshman star, Chubb has risen in the SEC rushing ranks with the second-most rushing yards (1,152 yards), despite starting just half the season.
No defense has been able to stop Chubb, and thanks to Georgia Tech’s struggles at containing the run, he figures to be in line for a huge day.
As always with a triple-option offense, Georgia Tech’s run game is the focal point. However, this season quarterback Justin Thomas has shown some ability when throwing the ball and has added a more effective passing game into the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option offense.
“Justin Thomas for them is a really outstanding football player,” UGA head coach Mark Richt said earlier this week. “He’s passed for close to 1400 yards and 15 touchdowns. You’ve already heard the stat of having hardly any interceptions thrown, best in their league, but he’s also had over 800 yards rushing and he runs their system extremely well.”
“He’s very dangerous, very fast, and has a strong arm. I think they’re throwing and catching better than I’ve seen them do in the last few years. He’s a very impressive guy,” Richt added.
Thomas’ 827 rushing yards also leads the team in rushing, so the young quarterback is crucial to the offense and a budding star in the ACC.
Both teams could be fighting for conference championships as well after the season. If Missouri loses on Friday, Georgia clinches a spot in the SEC Championship. Georgia Tech has already won its division in the ACC and has earned a date against Florida State in the ACC Championship.
Often times, Georgia Tech is merely an afterthought nationally because of the lack of exposure for any team other than FSU in the ACC. We’ve all seen what Georgia is capable of this season, especially in its blowout win over Auburn a few weeks ago.
But UGA’s opponent is no pushover. The Yellow Jackets are as good as they have ever been in recent years and will have the offensive firepower to give UGA a lot of problems. This rivalry game is always close and competitive, but with two very talented teams this year, it should set up to be an even better game.
The 2014 edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate may not have the prime-time ESPN television slot like the Iron Bowl, but if you tune into the SEC Network at 12 p.m., you’re bound to see another rivalry week classic.