The Monday morning meltdown (Sec mean tweets edition)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN SEC CORRESPONDENT
The SEC this season has been more chaotic and full of madness and mayhem than we could have ever hoped for—and it’s only week 8!
This week, the clash of behemoths Texas and Georgia in Austin did not disappoint. It also caused more than its fair share of controversy.
But the chaos didn’t stop there. It was the third week of October, which meant Alabama and Tennessee had their cigars at the ready.
A defeat for the Crimson Tide means that head coach Kalen DeBoer is under the spotlight and on the hot seat already! Sheesh!
So, onto the madness of the meltdown. Read on MacDuff…..
Atrocious alabama
The Alabama Crimson Tide is a two-loss team before the clocks change to signal the beginning of Winter. That hasn’t happened for a while. In fact, it hasn’t happened since the start of Nick Saban’s time in Tuscaloosa.
Worse still, both losses have come in the state of Tennessee. The loss to Vanderbilt has been well-documented and certainly grabbed headlines. However, the third Saturday in October holds a legendary place in the hearts of Alabama and Tennessee fans. Some might argue that it is THE date on the college football schedule.
This was the 96th consecutive meeting between these two old rivals. In recent years (let’s call this the Nick Saban era), Alabama has dominated the series, winning 16 of the last 17 contests. However, importantly, Josh Heupel’s Tennessee won again in Knoxville in 2022, halting Saban’s run.
Alabama won again last season in Tuscaloosa, but this year’s game held some extra significance. Firstly, it was the first game in a long time that Nick Saban had not been at the head of the Tide. Kalen DeBoer is now the new sheriff in town.
Secondly, with both teams already having one loss in the season, a win in this matchup pushes them ever closer to a college football playoff place. A loss leaves the unfortunate team on the precipice of missing the first 12-team play-off. Unthinkable, right?
This leads us to this Monday’s meltdown. Alabama fans’ heads are spinning off their shoulders. Wins against Georgia and what we now know as a really good South Carolina team exposed weaknesses, some of which we knew were there and some we didn’t. The Kane Wommack defense has been exposed not just in the secondary but also at the line of scrimmage. This was not expected and has not gone down well with the fans.
The offense has not clicked either, and on Saturday, quarterback Jalen Milroe did not have a good game. Both DeBoer and Milroe have taken the brunt of the fans’ criticism thus far.
And it is Alabama, where fans are crazier than most and expectations higher than almost anywhere. So, the criticism has been fierce. Both DeBoer and Milroe have faced the media, but it will take some days for the fans’ anger to calm. Losing to Tennessee, much like Auburn, does not look good on a CV.
Next up is Missouri, a team that DeBoer would not necessarily have chosen to face. It really does just mean more.
Chaos in Austin!
You would have expected fallout from the weekend’s clash of the titans between Texas and Georgia, regardless of the winner. Of course, there was a meltdown from fans, but it wasn’t directed at Kirby Smart, Carson Beck, or perhaps, for the first time this season, Mike Bobo.
No! The heat and flack were directed at the SEC officiating crew following Georgia’s defeat to Texas in Austin.
During the 3rd quarter of Saturday’s clash in Austin, a Texas interception was wiped out by a pass interference call. The call was egregious; however, that does not condone the hundreds of bottles and other objects thrown onto the field by the Texas students immediately after. This caused a stoppage as Longhorns head coach, Steve Sarkisian, tried to calm the student section, and staff cleared the end zone of the debris. The stoppage also allowed the officiating crew to come together to discuss the call. After this discussion, the officials overturned the call, adding to the controversy.
Afterwards, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was very critical of the call, although careful with his words,
“I will say now we have a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed.” said Smart in his post game conference.
He’s not wrong.
After the game, the SEC issued a statement advising that Texas had been fined for the actions of its students, along with other required remedies, including the identification and banning of supporters involved in the disturbance.
Still, none of this pacified the storm of criticism that the SEC and Texas received regarding the situation. Who would want to be a referee or conference commissioner?
As the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until a plastic bottle gets thrown!
#itjustmeansmore
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
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.