Taking a look back at the top SEC story lines of the past weekend …
It appears there has been a shift in power in the Southeastern Conference.
Whereas the SEC West has been the heavyweight division of the conference the past few years, it appears that has changed. Alabama, a member of the SEC West, is still the No. 1 team in the conference, but now South Carolina and Florida, two members of the SEC East, are also ranked in the top five in the Associated Press rankings.
Carolina currently sits at No. 4 and Florida is at No. 5. Georgia, whose only loss was to South Carolina last Saturday, is ranked No. 14. There are still two West members in the top 25, with LSU at No. 9 and Mississippi State at No. 19.
Fans in the SEC East accepted the West’s dominance over the past three seasons by saying the power is cyclical. It appears that they were right. …
South Carolina’s demolition of Georgia was just as impressive as Florida’s win over LSU.
“It was a special day for us. I was thinking prior that this might be the best one since I’ve been here,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “I was thinking it might be closer, but with so much on the line and being here at home, it was a game that our guys were really ready for. Our goal is to see if we can match that emotional level and getting ready as we get through the rest of the season. We’ll see where this leads us.
“One thing we’ll have to guard against is everyone telling us how great we are, which when you win convincingly, that’s what happens,” he said. “All we have to do is remind ourselves of that Kentucky first half and the Vandy game. We were very fortunate to beat Vandy. Sometimes that’s how you hope your season goes. We still have a tough road ahead of us. It was a good one tonight and good to get all of those historical wins. Those are fun.”
Before South Carolina made its statement against Georgia, Florida took it to LSU in The Swamp with another strong second half. It was the third time this season the Gators have trailed in an SEC game before coming back to win.
“There is no question our fans made a difference in that football game. They energized our football team,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “We’ve got the greatest fans in the world, and I mean that. I’ve been in a bunch of arenas – college, pro, I played in ‘em and I coach in ‘em – and today was as fine as any that I’ve ever been in. They deserved to have that win and our kids did as well.”
The Florida players all felt the atmosphere as well.
“That was the Swamp that you hear about when you’re a recruit and we all grew up with,” Florida running back Trey Burton said. “It was great to see it, man.”
“Our fans were ready for this game,” linebacker Jon Bostic said. “When we were out there, you could see it. They (LSU’s players) couldn’t get the calls and checks they wanted. They couldn’t hear.”
“It was so loud, the loudest I’ve heard it since I’ve been here,” safety Josh Evans said. “It helped us so much. The more juice, the more energy, the more it motivated us to go out there and play harder for them.”
One of the other big stories from this past weekend was Arkansas finally getting a win … and Auburn’s pathetic performance against the Razorbacks in the 24-7 loss.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik apologized to the fans who came out and watched the game in his postgame interview.
“The bottom line is that the Auburn fans and the Auburn Family, they did not deserve this today, and I apologize to anybody who came to the game to watch it,” Chizik said. “We understand where we are at. We have won one game so there has been a sense of urgency in everything that we do. Again, that is why I felt like we had two weeks of practice, and I felt very good about our practices. What I saw out there today was very disappointing in terms of the quality of our practices versus the results of the game today.”
The Tigers players echoed the sentiment.
“Tough loss. Team loss. We’ve got to grow up and get rid of the little mistakes,” defensive back Jermaine Whitehead said.
Auburn tried quarterback Clint Moseley in the second half, but he only managed to generate one scoring drive. Afterward he spent a few moments talking with offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler.
“He said that we are sticking together. This is the time where you find out the type of character you have. This is the type of situation where it is really hard to be a man. It’s so easy to take the easy way out, but you can’t do that, especially as the quarterback. We’re not far off, it’s just a play here and there,” Moseley said.
While it was a dismal day for the Auburn Tigers, it was like a ray of sunshine for the Razorbacks, who have endured plenty of heartache this season.
“We came a heck of a long ways in a week. This team continues to stick together, despite everything that happens outside the walls and what’s being said, and I just commend that. I’m glad everybody in our locker room has continued to fight,” Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson said.
“This is a huge win for us. We would’ve liked it to be a win last week, but this is a big road win, and I’m excited. It’s a great feeling to be back on that winning side.”