The two headline games in the South are Florida at Miami and Georgia hosting South Carolina. Let’s take a closer look at Saturday’s slate.
FLORIDA 21 MIAMI 13: The real shame of this game is these teams are not scheduled to play each other in the near future. Florida returns linebacker Antonio Morrison and cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy from suspension. A key matchup is the Miami offense line against the Gator defensive front seven consisting of Dominique Easley, Dante Fowler and Ronald Powell.
Florida has to contend with the explosiveness of Miami quarterback Stephen Morris and running back Duke Johnson. Receivers Phillip Dorsett and Allen Hurns will test the Gators secondary. Florida wants a low-scoring game, while Miami wants a shootout. Florida is 13-0 under coach Will Muschamp when rushing for 150 or more yards
GEORGIA 34 SOUTH CAROLINA 31: The Gamecocks have won the last three in the series. In the North Carolina win, South Carolina scored on big plays from Shaq Roland, who had a 65-yard scoring catch, and Mike Davis, who had a 75-yard touchdown run. The Gamecocks will try to take advantage of a Georgia rush defense that allowed Clemson to gain nearly 200 yards.
Georgia’s offensive line problems must be corrected this week. The Bulldogs lost receiver Malcolm Mitchell when he tore his ACL celebrating Todd Gurley’s first touchdown. Gurley, who gained 154 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries last week, needs to get twice that many touches. It’s also time for quarterback Aaron Murray to step up and improve on his 1-9 record against Top 15 foes.
LSU 35 UAB 10: LSU had an impressive performance in its win over TCU. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has made a real difference with quarterback Zach Mettenberger. In a close loss, UAB allowed Troy’s Corey Robinson to complete 30 of 32 passes for 319 yards and a score, setting the NCAA record for the highest completion percentage by anyone attempting 30 passes or more.
OLE MISS 50 SE MISSOURI STATE 3: The reason the Rebels need a breather is because they have games at Texas, at Alabama, at Auburn and at home against Texas A&M and LSU coming up. SE Missouri State lost 45-7 to SE Louisiana last week. How many passes could star freshman receiver Laquon Treadwell catch in this game?
ARKANSAS 35 SAMFORD 7: Coach Bret Bielema had success changing the Hogs to a dominant running team behind Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who each went over the 100 yard mark. Quarterback Brandon Allen was 15 of 22 passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns
TEXAS A&M 42 SAM HOUSTON STATE 23: The Bearkats, who beat Houston Baptist 74-0, ran for 365 yards. Their defense allowed just 90 total yards. Still, quarterback Johnny Manziel returns for all four quarters, if necessary, as the Aggies tune up for Alabama.
AUBURN 28 ARKANSAS STATE 20: Auburn coach Gus Malzahn’s former team beat Arkansas Pine-Bluff 62-11 last week. The Red Wolves ran for 509 yards with four backs gaining 100 yards or more. The Auburn defensive line had two sacks in the win over Washington State. Alabama transfer Corey Grant ran for nearly 150 yards for the Tigers. Expect more of the same here.
VANDERBILT 38 AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay spent last week getting hammered by Tennessee 45-0. The Commodores fell short of beating Ole Miss in their opener. Vandy receiver Jordan Matthews should have a field day.
KENTUCKY 24 MIAMI (OHIO) 17: The Wildcat defense struggled against Bobby Petrino’s Western Kentucky offense, allowing 487 yards and 22 first downs. Kentucky gained 419 total yards while making a nice rally to get back in the game. Coach Mark Stoops has named Maxwell Smith as the starting quarterback over Jalen Whitlow, who completed 10 of 15 passes for only 78 yards last week.
MISSOURI 28 TOLEDO 13: Missouri’s two main weapons, quarterback James Franklin and tailback Henry Josey, are finally healthy. Franklin threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 44 in the Tigers’ win over Murray State. Josey, who missed most of the last two seasons because of a knee injury, carried the ball 13 times for 113 yards and a 68-yard touchdown. Toledo is trying to recover from being mashed by the Florida defense last week.
TENNESSEE 34 WESTERN KENTUCKY 24: Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 271 yards to beat Kentucky last week. Tennessee had an easy 45-0 win over Austin Peay as quarterback Justin Worley completed 11 of 13 passes for 104 yards with three touchdowns. Vol tailback Rajion Neal, ran for 141 yards on 16 carries. It would be huge if Western Kentucky coach Bobby Petrino started his first season with two wins over SEC teams.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 35 ALCORN STATE: 10: The Bulldogs are looking to score their first touchdown of the season. Sophomore Dak Prescott has replaced Tyler Russell after the senior sustained a concussion in the loss to Oklahoma State.
CLEMSON 45 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 0: It bears repeating. Clemson beat Georgia to become the first non-SEC team in NCAA history to defeat two top-10 SEC opponents (LSU in last year’s Chick Fil A Bowl) in back-to-back games. Clemson’s defense, who allowed the Bulldogs to gain 545 yards, had four sacks, forced two fumbles and got a pair of fourth-quarter three-and-outs. They will name the score Saturday.
OREGON 31 VIRGINIA 9: Virginia’s 19-16 win over BYU came on the strength of safety Anthony Harris, who set up touchdowns with a blocked punt and an interception. How often do you see this stat: BYU ran 93 plays against Virginia, but the Cavs forced them to punt 11 times? Virginia gained only 223 yards and two touchdowns against BYU. That production won’t beat Oregon. Virginia’s defense won’t be able to limit quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back De’Anthony Thomas for long.