
Week 9 in the SEC sees 10 teams in action Saturday. Four teams will be on bye week including Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Georgia and Florida. Still, there will be a loaded schedule once again with some exciting games on the schedule.
Both teams have looked disappointing and a little flat this season. Mississippi State hasn’t won a game since mid-September against Kentucky. After being thumped by Auburn they lost to Tennessee and then LSU last week. They did manage to keep the LSU game competitive.
Texas A&M also has looked a little underwhelming in their second year under Jimbo Fisher. Even in the win last week against Ole Miss the Aggies were beaten in nearly every statistical category and gave up a bundle of yards on the ground.
This game should stay competitive and close for most of the game. The Aggies will have the home field advantage bright and early in College Station. The Bulldogs have not played well away from home in two opportunities this season.
Prediction: Mississippi State 17, Texas A&M 27
The marquee matchup of the weekend features to Tigers battling it out. Auburn is coming off an absolute thumping of Arkansas once again this year. The Tigers dominated all game on the ground and forced 4 turnovers as well.
LSU started slowly against Mississippi State last week before Joe Burrow once again played lights out and closed with a 36-13 victory. Burrow was near-perfect again going 25/32 for 327 yards and four touchdowns.
This game will be won by LSU. Not only is Auburn going to struggle to stop the juggernaut offense, but Auburn’s offense – especially the passing game – is going to struggle. Freshman Bo Nix’s three worst QB Ratings this season have come against ranked teams – two of which were on the road. The only games he’s thrown interceptions were against then No.11 Oregon and then No.10 Florida.
Prediction: Auburn 20, LSU 34
South Carolina is coming off a frustrating game against Florida last week that was seemingly snatched out of their hands by the refs late. The Gamecocks held on to a 17-10 lead before a blatant holding call on a touchdown. In the fourth quarter it was all Gators.
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Tennessee put up a good fight against rival Alabama last week. The offense struggled mightily against the Alabama defense, especially through the air. Brian Maurer left the game early for the second game in a row with a concussion.
This one is somewhat of a toss-up. Both teams have struggled this year but South Carolina seems to be figuring it out on defense as of late save a poor fourth quarter showing last week. Tennessee still looks ugly on offense which may give the Gamecocks an opportunity to force some key turnovers.
Prediction: South Carolina 20, Tennessee 17
The momentum Arkansas had seemed to gain by having solid showings against Texas A&M and Kentucky quickly sputtered in a blowout last week against Auburn. The offense looked horrible and the defense was nowhere to be found.
Alabama continues to roll and has no reason to stop now. Arkansas will be a walkthrough for the Tide who will be more worried about getting through this weekend without any key injuries than getting out of there with a win.
Prediction: Arkansas 13, Alabama 55
D’Andre Swift rushed for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries against Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of georgiadogs.com).
In the nightcap game we’ve got the Tigers and Wildcats. Missouri is coming off a head-scratcher last week in the loss to Vanderbilt. Kelly Bryant had his worst game of the year and the Vanderbilt defense shut down the Missouri offense all day.
Kentucky played a wet one in Athens and fought the Bulldogs hard for most of the game. The defense held them off and absolutely shut down the passing game, only allowing 35 yards through the air. In the end, D’Andre Swift was too much and the Bulldogs rode his legs to a 21-0 victory.
The forecast calls for a very wet day in Lexington which does not bode well for Kentucky’s Lynn Bowden Jr. who went 2/15 last week. If Kentucky can find success on the ground and not have to rely on the passing game they should get the win.
Missouri has struggled mightily on the road this year with losses at Wyoming and at Vanderbilt. Until they can prove they can play on the road, I like the home team every time.
Prediction: Missouri 10, Kentucky 14
*All times listed are Eastern Standard Time
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