By Shane Shackleford
Week 8 in the SEC proved one very simple concept; don’t make the mistake that Alabama’s dynasty has come and gone.
After Tennessee jumped out to a 20-7 lead, something woke up the Tuscaloosa echoes as the Crimson Tide rattled off 27 consecutive points and shut down the hypersonic Tennessee offense to beat the Vols 34-20 Saturday afternoon in the annual installment of the Third Saturday in October.
Once again, if anyone has designs of winning the SEC West and facing Georgia (most likely) in the championship game in Atlanta in December, that road still runs through Alabama and probably will for some time.
In other developments in the SEC:
Mississippi State 7 Arkansas 3: It was painfully obvious that the Bulldogs 1) really miss senior signal caller Will Rogers and 2) have a very good defense. The Dawgs rode that defense and transfer quarterback Mike Wright did enough behind center to allow MSU to win in Fayetteville. Arkansas continues to struggle inside the SEC West. The Razorbacks are 0-5 in conference and five of six losses have been by a touchdown or less.
Missouri 34 South Carolina 12: The 20th-ranked Tigers continue to make a case to win the SEC East as they throttled the Gamecocks in Columbia. Cody Schrader ran for 159 yards and two scores and the Tiger defense sacked USC quarterback Spencer Rattler six times. It seems the luster has worn off USC head coach Shane Beamer as the Cocks drop to 2-5 and 1-4 in SEC play. After the rousing end-of-season win over Tennessee and their bowl victory, the Gamecocks have definitely come back to earth with a thud.
Ole Miss 28 Auburn 21: The 13th-ranked Rebels rode a great day by quarterback Jaxson Dart and held on late to defeat the Tigers on the Plains. Dart had 246 yards of total offense and three touchdowns for Ole Miss, and the defense contained the Auburn passing game. The Tigers hold one of the worst passing offenses in FBS and threw for a mere 45 yards.
LSU 62 Army 0: The 19th-ranked Tigers shutout the Black Knights in Baton Rouge Saturday night as the Bayou Bengals rolled up 500 yards total offense for the seventh straight week and quarterback Jayden Daniels continued to put his name in the Heisman discussion, throwing for 279 yards and accounting for four touchdowns before being pulled in the third quarter.
Coach Shack’s Weekly SEC Top 10
1. Georgia: Until someone proves me different, bet on red.
2. Alabama: The Tide is rising…
3. LSU: The Tigers can score, but can they defend?
4. Ole Miss: The Rebels continue to improve. Are they a dark horse?
5. Missouri: The Tigers are 7-1. Can they get to Atlanta?
6. Tennessee: The Vols fizzled out in Alabama. Next stop: a hyped-up Lexington.
7. Kentucky: The Cats need a bounce back in the worst way. Can they get it over UT?
8. Texas A&M: If the Aggie booster could afford that buyout, ol’ Jimbo might be gone.
9. Florida: The Gators are quietly improving at 5-2, but have a huge test coming with top-ranked Georgia.
10. Mississippi State: The Dawgs need Will Rogers. That defense can’t keep packing that heavy load.
Week 9 SEC Matchups
No. 21 Tennessee (5-2) at Kentucky (5-2): If the Cats can control the clock with the run game with star back Ray Davis and timely play-action passing, the defense can get off the field on third down, and the special teams can be solid, then there’s definitely an opportunity for UK to win. But all three aspects have to happen. Tennessee has to get the ball to their weapons and Joe Milton has to be the first-half in Alabama Joe and not the second-half Joe that went silent. Coach Shack’s Call: Tennessee by 7.
South Carolina (2-5) at Texas A&M (4-3): You would think the Aggies would be a significant favorite in College Station over USC, but something tells me they aren’t. I think there’s trouble in Aggieland. Carolina can sneak in there and steal a victory. Coach Shack’s Call: Carolina by 4.
No. 1 Georgia (7-0) at Florida (5-2): Billy Napier is slowly turning the tide in Gainesville but just doesn’t have the ammunition to beat the Dawgs in Jacksonville. I think the Dawgs roll big. The rebuild continues. Coach Shack’s Call: Georgia by 17.
Mississippi State (4-3) at Auburn (3-4): The MSU defense is very good, but the offense without Rogers is paltry. If Tiger coach Hugh Freeze can develop even a semblance of a passing attack to complement the running game, the Tigers win at home. Coach Shack’s Call: Auburn by 3.
Vanderbilt (2-6) at 13 Ole Miss (6-1): Vandy coach Clark Lea is one of my favorite coaches in college football. He’s a leader, he’s smart, and his teams are well-prepared. But right now he’s just missing talent. Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin aren’t. The Rebels are very good. Coach Shack’s Call: Ole Miss by 10.
Shane Shackleford is a regional sports columnist and podcast host from Speedwell, Tenn. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers of America. He has written and published his first book “Bounce: A Basketball Love Story” which can be found on Amazon currently and has another book project in the works. You can find Shane on KySportsStyle.com Magazine, A Sea of Blue, Go Big Blue Country, The Mountain Advocate, Harlan County Sports, Middlesboro News, Claiborne Progress, and The Mountain Eagle. Shane is also host of “Bluegrass College Extra” which can be found on the 13th Region Media Network on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Contact Shane by email at coachshack50@gmail.com and on Facebook, X , Instagram, and TikTok.
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