The Tigers won easily over Arkansas, but it’s time to really worry about Jarrett Stidham. He went 15 for 22 against a really soft Razorbacks defense for just 134 yards. That’s not the sort of performance Gus Malzahn is looking for.
If we’re honest, Malzahn should be feeling a little heat. He’s got a big-time reputation as an offensive genius, but his attack is stuck in the mud at the moment. Auburn needs Stidham and Malzahn to find some magic if they want to climb back into the SEC West title race.
The Tigers didn’t expect to give up 330 yards passing against the Bulldogs, but they still managed to win this game pretty easily. In some ways, this was a perfect illustration of what LSU is at the moment.
Ed Orgeron’s team is a group of players who do just enough to win the football game. They may never blow anyone away, but they’re always going to be an extremely tough out. That means they can beat anyone in the country, but it also makes them vulnerable to upsets. It’s going to be real high wire act for the Tigers as the season rolls along.
This wasn’t a dominant performance by Kirby Smart’s team, but they did more than enough to earn a solid road win over the Tigers. When you watch Georgia play, you can’t help but think they are just biding their time until they face an opponent worthy of their best effort.
Missouri was not that opponent. Jake Fromm was only required to throw the ball 23 times to make easy work of the Tigers. It was a balanced effort from the Bulldogs and that’s just how they like it. This team has a ton of talent and is a legitimate national title contender. They won this game comfortably and didn’t really need to exert themselves.
We’re sure Nick Saban can find plenty to criticize about his team’s play this week, but the truth is they were dominant once again. Texas A&M has to play a really good ballgame to stay in the same zip code with the Tide.
Tua Tagovailoa is the most talented passer Saban has had the opportunity to work with at Alabama. In all fairness, he might be better than his options during his NFL career as well. He threw for 387 yards in this game and he made it look simple. That’s a frightening thought for the rest of the SEC.
Simply put, it’s hard to imagine Alabama losing this season. They’ll face some serious tests, but this team is simply dominant.