It's Only SEC (but I like it...) : Week 4

It's Only SEC (but I like it....)

GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT

week 4

Well blink and we are at week four of SEC football already! The speed at which the SEC football season is racing away from us is frightening but, now that we are well into conference play, there is plenty to talk about!

Sparks are flying across the conference as teams are either on fire or in chaos – there seems to be no middle ground in SEC football!

Frankly there is way more going on in the conference than I have room for in this column so no doubt there is some news left out, like Oklahoma playing their first SEC game or Georgia losing NFL-bound guard, Tate Ratledge. Or, Arch Manning lighting up the Austin sky with an impressive performance against UTSA…

So, welcome y’all to our weekly round-up of life in the Southeastern Conference.

Here are this week’s headlines….let’s get started!

this weeks sec headlines

Second & 59!

Columbia, MO

Much is expected of Missouri football this season which is reflected in their #7 ranking in pre season polls. The Tigers are 3-0 heading into conference play this weekend against Vanderbilt.

However, Saturday’s win over Boston College was not without some challenges. Indiscipline reared its ugly head at various stages of the game. Noticeably so in the third quarter when four penalties in one play penalised the Tigers 48 yards, resulting in a 2nd & 59 call on the play.

Not a situation we are used to, in fact not a situation anyone is used to, including Mizzou head coach, Eli Drinkwitz

“First time I’ve ever seen second and 59 in the history of football. So you know, maybe we made history there” said Coach Drink when I asked him about the play during Wednesday’s head coaches teleconference.

“No, (we) don’t practice those situations we practice behind schedule plays”, continued Drinkwitz when I asked him about anticipating such a scenario in practice.

But what was going through the minds of the Mizzou coaches with 59 yards to cover?

“You know ultimately, what you’re trying to do is just execute a play, so you don’t give up any more yardage. I think we executed 2, 2 runs that that gained back about 35 yards. So you know, I thought our offensive staff and players did a nice job executing. But obviously we we can’t put ourselves in those situations with a dead ball foul and an active playing foul that that cost us 30 yards”.

Fascinating stuff but Coach Drink will not want a repeat of such record making!

Hail State got funds

Starkville, MS

Mississippi State football program is in transition. New head coach, Jeff Lebby is trying to turn the SEC football program around and it has not been plain sailing thus far.

A heavy and shock defeat to Toledo last Saturday certainly put the brakes on any positivity that the program had been building.

So this week there was much a needed boost in the form of a huge single donation to the Mississippi State Athletics fund which enhances the schools ability to compete in the NIL market.

“This thoughtful and generous investment in our program is critical to what we are building here in Starkville in this new era of college athletics,” Athletic Director, Zac Selmon said.

“To be an elite-level program, it takes elite-level resources. A gift of this magnitude shows the unwavering drive to establish Mississippi State Football as a premier college football destination for many years to come. I could not be more grateful for the commitment to championing our programs and players.” continued Selmon.

It is great news for head coach Lebby at a time when some positivity is much needed but also gives the program’s recruiting power a massive boost.

“This investment in our program shows that State fans are ‘all-in’ when it comes to helping provide the resources it takes to compete in the toughest conference in the country,” Lebby said. “Having their support and belief in what we’re building is crucial for us as we continue to move forward. There are truly no words that can describe how thankful I am for the commitment to the program I am blessed to lead.”

#HailState

Kiffin fires shots at demon deacons

Oxford, MS

The early season form of the Ole Miss Rebels continued with a convincing 40-6 victory on the road over Wake Forest.

But the victory came at a cost. Shortly after the game, the Demon Deacons administration announced that they were ducking out of next season’s return fixture in Oxford. While Wake Forest will have to financially compensate the Rebels for pulling out of the fixture, it leaves Kiffin and his Rebels scrambling to fill a hole in next seasons schedule. Kiffin did not hold back on his thoughts on the situation

“That’s rarely ever done,” Kiffin said Monday, the Associated Press. “I’ve never really heard of doing it, and it really puts us at a big disadvantage. It is what it is. It obviously wasn’t appreciated very much, them putting us in that situation.

“Now we’ve got to go find somebody and most people are all scheduled up. And even when you find somebody, you’ve got to go pay them. It’s kind of an unwritten rule not to do that, actually.”

Speaking midweek during the SEC head coaches teleconference, Kiffin expanded on his earlier comments

“Well, I think that’s kind of why I reacted the way that I did to it” said Kiffin when asked if he was directly involved in scheduling discussions.

“You know (AD) Keith (Carter) and I work together on this, and it’s really not things you want to want to be doing. You know. I had 3 different calls this week with Keith on it, and then a meeting later this week. (We are) trying to scramble and find an opponent. At this last minute.

Which is why, probably that came out. My frustration came out because it is not ideal”.

While there has been plenty of comment about there being no shortage of opposition for the Rebels from smaller schools looking for a payday, this is not really the point. Kiffin needs to think about the strength of schedule and is contractually obliged to play a Power 4 team in this slot. With schedules prearranged and booked years in advance it is going to be difficult for the Rebels to fill this space leaving them in a very difficult situation.

As Kiffin says, it is not ideal.

Tennessee tax on tix

Knoxville, TN

We live in the ever changing world of NIL. Just this week the State of Georgia passed legislation which will preclude the NCAA from taking action against educational establishments in the State over the distribution of NIL. And it is certain that there is more of this to come.

In Knoxville this week, the University of Tennessee announced that a portion of ticket sales from 2025 “will help fund the proposed revenue share for our student-athletes,” according to an email sent to season ticket holders this week.

To fund this the Tennessee administration advise in the communication issued that there will be a 10% increase in season tickets across all sports, described as a “talent fee”.

“As the collegiate model changes, we have to remain flexible,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a video included in the email to season ticket holders. “We have to continue leading the way. That connection between resource and competitiveness has never been tighter, only now we have the ability to share these resources with our student-athletes.”

Single game tickets will be subject to a 4.5% pricing increase.

Responses so far, albeit early, seem mixed. But I bet if the Vols have a winning team on the sports fields, the 10% will soon be forgotten about.

Shane beamer in the dark

Columbia, SC

Shane Beamer divides opinion, even amongst the Gamecocks fanbase. In defeat he can come across as petulant. However, Beamer is also charismatic, talking eloquently and passionately about Gamecock football. Beamer is an enigma.

But, despite what you might think of the Gamecocks head coach, you were either hugely surprised or perhaps had some sympathy for him on Wednesday when he opened up about the internal communication about Athletic Director, Ray Tanner transitioning away from his current role. A role that involves a close working relationship with all of his head coaches and especially the head football coach.

During this week’s SEC head coaches teleconference, Beamer was asked about the move.

“He and I have had some conversations…..I knew he wasn’t going to be the AD for probably 10 more years” said Beamer on the call.

However his next few lines were met with more than a few raised eyebrows and spoke volumes about what was, or more importantly. not said to the Gamecocks head coach.

“But I was certainly surprised with the timing a little bit when it came out on Friday, and how I found out? I got a I got a text message from someone

mid morning on Friday. So I think I found out about the same time time you guys did. In fact, I think Pete Thamel broke the news. He broke the news to me as well”.

The fact that Beamer chose to share this with the wider media cohort spoke volumes. Beamer is clearly not impressed with the lack of communication or perhaps even the transparency by the South Carolina administration.

Of course with a new AD, all of the head coaches around the Gamecocks campus will feel a little uneasy if their programs are not performing as expected. And Beamer will not be precluded from that.

GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.

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