Taking a look back at the top SEC story lines of the past weekend …
The expected offensive stars of the Southeastern Conference came up big — Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and Mississippi State QB Tyler Russell—as their teams posted big wins.
That was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the impact that two new players had in their opening games.
Georgia’s true freshman tailback Todd Gurley ignited the Bulldogs fans early when he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. He also had a 27-yard return, giving him 127 return yards. He also scored on a 10-yard run and added a 55-yard run late in the Bulldogs’ 45-23 win over Buffalo. …
Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, a junior college transfer, stepped up big for in the Vols when he scored on a 41-yard reception on the second catch of his career. He then scored on a 67-yard run on his first carry, both coming in the first quarter of Tennessee’s 35-21 win over NC State. …
The Wolfpack came off a season in which they had 27 interceptions, but it was the Vols who played the interception role against NC State as Prentiss Waggner, Byron Moore, Eric Gordon and Marsalis Teague all came up with picks of Mike Glennon passes. …
Ole Miss opened the Hugh Freeze era with a 49-27 win over Central Arkansas behind quarterback Bo Wallace, who finally won the Rebels starting job. Wallace rewarded Freeze with a 20-for-24 effort for 264 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re thrilled to get a win,” Freeze said. “Wins are important, no matter who they’re against or when they occur. We’ve been in this long enough to know that, and the joy that’s in that locker room right now is special. The kids are having a blast in there, and it’s been a long while since they’ve been able to rejoice so I’m very excited for them.” …
Florida got a hard-fought win over scrappy Bowling Green despite getting hit with 14 penalties for 106 yards.
“It’s something we’ve worked on. Believe me, we’ve exhausted every measure I know and we’ll continue to do so,” Gator coach Will Muschamp said. “We’re going to look at the tape and obviously make some changes with guys who can’t stay on-sides.”
Muschamp’s indecision as to name a starting quarterback didn’t work out so well as Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett swapped time at the most important position on the field.
Both players started the game, with Brissett lining up at quarterback for the opening play and Driskel starting at a wideout. After one play, Driskel went to quarterback and the rotation began.
“As our competition heats up a little bit, we’ve got to be able to open up our offense, and we will. It’s a long season. You’ve got to understand that it’s not just about emptying your bullet here in Game 1. We’ve got to win the game, and do what we need to do to win the game, and that’s what we did,” Muschamp said.
The bouncing quarterback plan needs to be addressed before Florida plays at Texas A&M next Saturday. …
Marcus Murphy had a record-setting day in Missouri’s 62-10 win over SE Louisiana. Murphy scored on 70- and 72-yard punt returns and rushed for 32 yards on five carries. He is the first Missouri player to score two punt return touchdowns in the same game. He finished with 180 return yards on five returns. …
Auburn’s loss to defending ACC champion Clemson was disappointing in that the Tigers had a fourth-quarter lead and couldn’t hold it. But Auburn coach Gene Chizik saw some things to encourage him for the future, namely the play of quarterback Kiehl Frazier, running back Tre Mason, placekicker Cody Parkey, defensive end Cody Lemonier and the overall effort of his players.
“I am very proud of our guys. We had our chances to win the game, and we didn’t get it done. It is that simple,” Chizik said. “You can point to several factors in there. Defensively, we couldn’t get off the field. They are a very explosive offense and have very quick tempo. They have some very good players, and their quarterback is extremely talented.” …
Mississippi State improved to 4-0 in season openers under Dan Mullen, who was pleased with his team’s 56-9 win over Jackson State.
“At times, I thought the defense played great,” said Mullen. “There are still some areas we need to improve on, but we were able to shuffle a lot of people in and out.”
State takes a step up in competition next week when the Bulldogs play host to Auburn.