SEC Recap, Week 1: Biggest loss ever for Houston Nutt; LSU holds on

 

story by Chris Rushing, College Sports Matchups (CSM is a content partner with The City Wire)
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It’s hard not to lead with, presumably, one of the top wins in the history of a Football Championship Subdivison school.

Granted, this particular institution is no stranger to championship football, having acquired a national championship nearly two decades ago as well as being favored to win its conference on the NCAA’s championship division level. Yet, it’s still considered quite the shocker to know that Jacksonville State, true freshman quarterback and all, could go into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Saturday afternoon and come away with a victory over an Ole Miss squad giddy with rejuvenated expectations with Friday’s news of Jeremiah Masoli’s reinstatement.

The Rebels were picked to have one of the league’s top defenses in the preseason, with most pundits (including yours truly) figuring Tyrone Nix’s unit would hold the fort until the offense found its way. Masoli helps give an added playmaking ability to a quarterback position woefully short on experience, but Ole Miss shouldn’t have needed Masoli as much as they did Saturday afternoon.

And even with him taking every snap in two overtime periods, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Gamecocks, 49-48, in the season opener for both teams.

Houston Nutt admitted after the game that this was his worst loss as a head coach — a career that spans 13 seasons in the rugged Southeastern Conference. He defended his choice to play Masoli with the game on the line despite the transfer quarterback’s limited snaps and experience with the first-team offense. During a week that saw Masoli’s eligibility removed then re-awarded in the span of 72 hours, Nutt defended his decision by stating, “Jeremiah gave us the ability to run an option” against the Gamecocks defense.

Still, it was Jack Crowe’s bold call to go for two after getting a 4th and 15 miracle touchdown that proved to be the game’s gutsiest call. It was also the game’s most rewarding risk.

Will Ole Miss get better and win its share of games? Most rivals can bet on that answer being “yes,” but getting to a bowl game just got much tougher for Nutt and Co. There is no doubt that things aren’t going to get easier down the line with the remainder of the Rebels’ schedule, but I don’t see Nix’s defense giving up 49 points again to anyone left on the docket.

It was an uncharacteristic second half for his side of the ball, and Nix did not shy away from any criticism directed toward the defense during post-game interviews. He promised things would get better and soon. There is nothing in his past to not believe his sentiments.

Giving up a 21-point lead to a lesser opponent is not something that will easily be forgiven amongst alumni, students and fans. The Rebels better show drastic improvements this upcoming weekend, or Nutt may not be asked to come back with his next job flirtation in the 2011 offseason.

• LSU 30, North Carolina 24
The Mad Hatter almost struck again in Atlanta on Saturday night as Les Miles watched his team nearly disintegrate a 30-10 advantage at halftime in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. Ridley Scott’s fumble to give North Carolina possession just outside 60 yards from the end zone did not come back to haunt LSU as the Tigers held on 30-24 in by far the most entertaining of the three Chick-fil-A openers.

It was well-publicized that the Tar Heels were without 13 players, including the top six on one of the nation’s nastiest defenses from 2009, due to AgentGate and an ongoing NCAA investigation into academic fraud in Chapel Hill. However, Butch Davis’ team was never completely out of it. If it weren’t for a complete breakdown in special teams play (see Patrick Peterson’s 225 return yards), the Atlantic Coast Conference squad could have possibly won this contest going away.

Davis refused to acknowledge a moral victory for his program, but you have to think Miles will be treated like a losing coach for the next few days despite LSU’s 1-0 mark.

• South Carolina 41, Southern Miss 13
The Gamecocks got the SEC’s 2010 season off to a great start with a thorough 41-13 victory over Southern Miss on Thursday night in front of a national television audience. Stephen Garcia was efficient, though not overwhelming, in his third start in a USC season opener. Marcus Lattimore had a couple of first-half touchdowns on the ground to help put the Golden Eagles away early in the contest.

USC’s defense did not appear to miss any of the four top playmakers from a year ago, and it’s not out of the question for the Gamecocks to live up to heightened expectations for this fall with more performances like Saturday night’s. Then again, it could have been that Southern Miss is really, really bad.

We’ll know much more about South Carolina Saturday when it hosts Georgia.

• Florida 34, Miami (OH) 12
Well, John Brantley wasn’t lying when he told everyone who listened that he “wasn’t Tim Tebow.” Brantley and the Florida offense never seemed to get its feet on the ground Saturday afternoon in the Swamp and racked up just 212 yards of offense against a Miami (OH) team that won just once in 2009.

Safe to say, it was not the debut many were expecting (or hoping) for the “regular dude from Ocala.”

Urban Meyer and Steve Addazio are good friends and Meyer has all the respect in the world for his offensive coordinator, but if things don’t get better fast, Meyer may have even more turnover on his coaching staff in 2011 than UF experienced this offseason.

Mike Pouncey did not appear comfortable snapping the ball as he filled in for his brother’s absence from the 2010 depth chart, and the Gators still don’t appear to have a formidable running back to take over the ground attack. Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody don’t seem to want the job at all.

Florida’s another team that needs to find its identity and fast by the looks of South Carolina and Georgia in their respective season openers.

• Georgia 55, Louisiana-Lafayette 7
Aaron Murray’s debut, unlike Brantley’s, was smooth as silk as the freshman UGA signal caller went 17-for-26 with 160 yards and an interception off a tipped pass during the Bulldogs’ 55-7 rout of Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday afternoon.

There wasn’t much not to like for UGA supporters, and Todd Grantham’s 3-4 front did not show signs of newness in its unveiling. Many more afternoons like this one the rest of the fall, and Georgia will be able to punch its ticket to the Georgia Dome for Dec. 4.

• Kentucky 23, Louisville 16
I was close on my prediction of 21-17 in favor of the Wildcats in the dual-debut of new coaches in the Bluegrass rivalry battle. Joker Phillips bested his UL counterpart Charlie Strong in both coaches’ first game to guide their respective programs, and the contest featured enough twists and turns to support a healthy rivalry growing in future years for the two programs.

Kentucky has now won a school-record four-straight Governor’s Cup matchups, with the latest victory powered by 230 rushing yards. Do-it-all running back Derrick Locke sprinted to paydirt from 32 yards out on the game’s second play to set the tone for the run game early in the contest.

• Tennessee 50, UT-Martin 0
It seems like forever since Tennessee scored 50 points in a game, but the Vols were able to hang half-a-hundred on its in-state counterpart UT-Martin Saturday night in renovated Neyland Stadium.

Derek Dooley’s first game as the leader of the Vols could not have been scripted any better as plenty of backups saw action early and often against the Skyhawks. David Oku had a big day to power the UT offense, and the defense always has plenty to feel great about when it pitches a shutout.

The time for players to pat themselves on the back is over, however, with Oregon and its 720 yards of total offense outburst on New Mexico coming to town this weekend.

• Arkansas 44, Tennessee Tech 3
Ryan Mallett had as many touchdown passes (three) as he had incompletions (21-of-24 passing) to lead Arkansas’ 44-3 blowout of Tennessee Tech.

Junior Joe Adams was a favorite target of the Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback as Adams hauled in six grabs for 138 yards and two scores against the FCS opponent from Nashville.

• Alabama 48, San Jose State 3
It was ‘No Mark Ingram, No Problem’ for top-ranked Alabama Saturday night as the Tide rolled 48-3 in front of a record crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The defending national champions might have been missing Ingram’s presence in the starting lineup during warm-ups, but the Spartans never posed a threat in the blowout as third-string tailback Eddie Lacey racked up 111 yards when he spelled new UA starter Trent Richardson.

• Auburn 52, Arkansas State 26
Cam Newton had a big night in his Auburn debut as the junior transfer accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) and led an AU offense that garnered 608 yards of offense on the outmatched Sun Belt representative Arkansas State.

The Red Wolves took a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter after both teams stalled on their respective opening drives, but Newton found his groove during AU’s second series when he led the offense down the field before giving way to Fort Smith, Ark.-native native Kodi Burns near the goal line. Burns leaped in from three yards out to put the Tigers up 7-6 and AU never looked back.

The defense allowed just 10 points after the halftime break despite two turnovers by its counterparts on offense on consecutive drives, as many of the highly-touted freshman class saw major playing time in the third and fourth quarters on Ted Roof’s defensive group. While ASU had 26 points and 366 yards of offense, only 43 of those came via the run game.

AU has plenty to work on before Thursday night’s trip to Mississippi State, but the offense appeared much more in-sync than in the 2009 opener and the added threat of Newton’s ability to run (171 rushing yards) gives Auburn offensive guru Gus Malzahn more tricks to unveil as the season progresses.

• Mississippi State 49, Memphis 7
As bad as the season opened for in-state rival Ole Miss, the beginning of the 2010 campaign was transversely excellent for Dan Mullen and the MSU Bulldogs. Tyler Russell, in his first game as a collegiate QB, tossed four touchdown passes in the rout of the Tigers from Memphis Saturday evening at Davis-Wade Stadium.

Mullen has gotten things clicking for the MSU offense and spirits are continuing to soar around his program as a contest his team has had circled for nearly 10 months approaches Thursday night against Auburn.

• Northwestern 23, Vanderbilt 21
Northwestern jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead and then barely held on in Nashville Saturday night as the Wildcats earned a 23-21 victory over Vanderbilt.

Pat Fitzgerald’s team has now won 25 of its last 32 contests decided by seven points or less, but Northwestern’s mistakes are the only things that allowed the Commodores, playing in head coach Robbie Caldwell’s first game as the VU skipper, to remain in the ball game. A penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact with Northwestern QB Dan Persa gave the Wildcats an automatic first down with time winding in the fourth quarter to extend the game’s final drive and ensure an NU victory.