Saturdays in Athens
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT
Saturday 15th october 2022
Saturdays seem to come round real quick these days; blink and half the season has come and gone. We spend almost all year eagerly anticipating the start of the SEC season and it’s scary how quickly Saturdays pass us by.
But the SEC never disappoints, and again this week there has been so much happening around the conference. The biggest game in college football dominates the headlines as Alabama travels into Neyland stadium to face the in form Tennessee Vols. But there is so much more happening! Let’s get to this weeks Saturdays in Athens headlines….
rocky tops the lot
knoxville, tn
There is no doubt where game of the day is in the SEC – or, for that matter, across the whole of college football. Having both the College Gameday and SEC Nation pre game shows on the same campus is as rare as hen’s teeth. But considering the magnitude of the game, both shows will set up in Knoxville ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide rolling into town to face the in-form Tennessee Vols.
Before we get onto some of the personnel issues that the teams have, it is worth a mention that Gameday’s guest picker has been confirmed as ex Vol Peyton Manning (and not Dolly Parton as had previously been mentioned), adding some extra punch to the pre game build up.
With Gameday now being on the Tennessee campus twice in six games, along with the expected return of Lee Corso and Manning on campus, there is sure to be a raucous atmosphere ahead of the game. It will be fantastic.
Which leads us to the game.
While much of the focus has been around the health of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, and whether he will be fit to play (as at the time of writing Young is practicing but is day to day), Tennessee is also sweating over two of its own players’ availability for Saturday’s titanic clash.
First up was the news that defensive back and four year starter Jaylen McCollough had been arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault during the Vols’ bye weekend. The assault is alleged to have occurred when an individual unknown to McCollough entered the Vols’ players house uninvited. An altercation ensued and McCollough was arrested. The aggravated assault charge carries a potential sentence of three to fifteen years.
McCollough is a key piece in the Vols defense – a defense which has been very impressive this year – and he will be badly missed if he is unable to participate in the game.
Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked about McCollough’s status midweek but had very little update to provide.
“No, we have not done that yet. Our administration is handling most of that. We’ll have conversations with them here as they continue to gather information and make a decision here on the back end of the week.”
On the injury front, as reported last week Cedric Tillman is still recovering from tightrope surgery on his ankle. There is no doubt that the Vols will desperately look to have Tillman back for the Bama clash. On Tillman’s progress from the surgery, Heupel had this to say,
“Do not have anything. We’ll continue to evaluate. Like I said early in the week, that’ll be a decision that our medical team and Cedric make, a decision here on the back end (of the week). If he’s playing, you want to make sure that he’s 100% and ready to go play the way that he does. He continues to progress, so we’ll make a decision here as we get closer to game day.”
Unless Heupel is being cute about the status of Tillman it appears that the wide receiver is still some way from playing. This should be no surprise given the typical timeframe to recovery from this type of surgery. No doubt that Vols Nation will be holding its collective breath on Saturday that both are available.
#Rockytop
"If you run, he he will throw it"
Starkvegas, MS
Mississippi State have scored 127 points in their last three matchups, and in doing so have won 3 successive games for the first time since Mike Leach became head coach in Starkville. At the centre of this success has been quarterback Will Rogers, who has now amassed 2,110 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in only 6 games.
If you listened to my guest appearance on the most recent Touchdown pod you will have heard me wax lyrical about Rogers, who I feel is being grossly overlooked.
Against the Aggies, Rogers set a new SEC record in completions. Not only did Rogers surpass Georgia’s Aaron Murray to set the new record, Rogers did it in 24 fewer games (Rogers’ 28 games vs Murray’s 52 games).
There is a tendency to say ‘well of course Rogers has surpassed other QB’s given the Air Raid offense that State employs.’ But that’s only half the story, as Rogers is proving to be a master in this offense.
Currently, State are 5-1 for the season. The Bulldogs welcome Kentucky into Stark-Vegas this weekend with a win taking them to 6 games and immediate bowl eligibility.
Mike Leach has been universally criticised at most schools he has coached at – although always from doubters outside the program. But the reality is that Leach’s Air Raid offense has worked at every school he has coached at. Those that said the Air Raid could never work in the SEC are being very quiet these days.
Leach talked about the success of the scheme midweek on the SEC coaches conference call,
“Number one is the receivers and their technique as far as running the route – Number two is the quarterback’s ability to throw it – Number three is then there’s this kind of this bridge you have to cross as far as the whole ‘field of dreams’ things they say. You know, ‘if you build it, they’ll come.’ Well, if you run it, he’ll throw it. If he throws it, he’ll catch it.”
#HailState
Parenthood
Columbia, MO
The life of a football head coach is a tough one with long hours. So it’s always interesting when a HC shares what he does during his down time. With Mizzou having a bye week, head coach Eli Drinkwitz was happy to share how he spent his non-playing days. Aside from some film review and recruiting, he also got time to go watch his daughter play softball. This provoked an interesting follow up from the media. Drinkwitz was asked if he was a good parent from the stands, or did Drinkwitz’s coaching background lead to him getting involved from the stands or find himself yelling at the umpire? Turns out Eli is pretty chilled,
“I sit in the outfield and I just enjoy watching my kids compete – I very rarely say anything. I encourage them when they do well – I encourage them to do anything that they are doing. But I don’t coach, I sure don’t get on to officials. I enjoy being present and I think it’s been really good for me”.
When the journalist made comment that it was good to set a good example to other parents, Drinkwitz admitted the folly of arguing with officials,
“Well I’ve learned that getting on to officials doesn’t help in any situation – it sure doesn’t help in the SEC and I’m sure it doesn’t help in little league either”
Coach never stops coaching
Tuscaloosa, AL
One of the great things about college football is it’s accessibility to its participants, and what the game gives back to the local community. The bigger picture in college athletics, aside from winning, is to teach – which means that coaches (by and large) are very open to sharing and helping others learn.
There is no better example of this than Nick Saban – a coach who has resurrected the careers of many that are now back coaching at the top of the game.
But Coach Saban gives back in smaller ways too, and here are a couple of examples of the time he takes out of his schedule to interact with the Alabama community.
First up is his weekly live radio show which he does in person at a well known restaurant in Tuscaloosa. Saban fields questions from the live audience, the radio audience and those who are tuning in online. It’s a relaxed environment in which the audience tends to see their Head Coach as relaxed as you will see.
This week a young lad approached the coach about playing at safety – he explained he played safety for his school team and wanted to know how Saban thought his defensive backs had done this season.
Coach Saban then gave a pretty comprehensive summary of how each player in his team had developed and how the system, whether that be the nickel or dime packages had suited each player. A pretty interesting insight for this young man.
But Saban continued, providing some invaluable advice for the young safety.
“when you play safety you have to do two things”,
said the Alabama head coach, who was now entering full coach mode on his night off.
“you have to be physical enough to fit the runs and tackle but you also need to be able to cover and play pass defense in the deep part of the field as well as man to man”
Saban continued into what was turning into quite a one on one lesson for the young man,
“So, you’re a safety? I’m going to tell you three critical factors for playing defensive back…
– you’ve got to judge the ball in the deep part of the field
– you’ve got to be able to tackle
– you’ve got to be able to play man to man
do those things and I’ll come and see you one of these days”….
Coach went on to talk about his passion for coaching, if the preceding five minutes or so hadn’t been enough.
“I love coaching, I love teaching…if I had a choice I would just as soon be the secondary coach as the Head coach – it just doesn’t pay as well and I can’t afford Ms Terry on a secondary coach’s salary”
But what about those starting out or even just the fans? Well Nick Saban has that covered also. Every week after the game has concluded, Nick Saban walks us though his “play of the game”.
It is a fascinating insight into what goes into the scheme, the plays and most importantly the head coach’s mind.
You will see in the video below that Saban talks us through Alabama’s final play of the game against Texas A&M last weekend. Enjoy and learn from the Master.
Coach Saban draws up the @AlabamaFTBL defense on tonight's final play.#RollTide | @CBSBank pic.twitter.com/TaQt2C1mnZ
— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) October 9, 2022
I won't back down
Gainesville, fl
To commemorate Tom’s life, the University of Florida in his hometown of Gainesville has designated this year’s UF x LSU game as the first inaugural Tom Petty Day on October 15.
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) October 2, 2022
UF plans to celebrate Tom Petty Day for years to come. pic.twitter.com/Khhisxqk4I
I am a huge Tom Petty fan. So no apologies for this last segment.
Tom Petty was from Gainesville, and while he did not attend school at Florida did work there for a short time. Nonetheless Petty was thought of as a Gainesville son and shortly after his death n 2017, the Florida Gators started playing his hit “I won’t back down” at the start of the 4th quarter in each game as a rallying cry to both team and students.
A tradition was born and has remained as such since then.
This Saturday as the Gators welcome LSU into the Swamp, the University has designated the game as the inaugural Tom Petty day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
In what is sure to be an intriguing game anyway between two teams in rebuilding mode, the atmosphere is going to be electric.
“Tom Petty and his music has become ingrained in the game day experience at The Swamp and serves as a community building rally cry for Gator fans,”
said Scott Stricklin, athletic director for the Florida Gators.
Limited edition Tom Petty/Gators merchandise will be available all week (the online store has since sold out) with all proceeds being donated to underpriviliged communities in the Gainesville area.
Awesome stuff.
#IWontBackDown
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
A GLASWEGIAN LIVING IN LONDON, GEORGE IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN WHO FOLLOWS THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. HE PROVIDES CFB CONTENT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN AND IS ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST.