Here are a few things to watch in the sixth week of the Southeastern Conference football season: GAME OF THE WEEK: LSU at No. 21 Florida: Yes, top-ranked Alabama is going on the road this week to face a Texas
Here are a few things to watch in the sixth week of the Southeastern Conference football season:
GAME OF THE WEEK: LSU at No. 21 Florida: Yes, top-ranked Alabama is going on the road this week to face a Texas A&M team that has only lost once all year, but the Aggies are 26-point underdogs in that game. LSU and Florida should produce a much closer game that could answer some questions about both teams. LSU coach Ed Orgeron needs a win badly after losing 37-7 to Mississippi State and 24-21 to Troy . Florida is unbeaten in SEC play but hasn’t looked particularly impressive. When these teams met last year, Florida used a goal-line stand in the closing seconds to beat LSU 16-10 and clinch the SEC East title.
MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Alabama’s running game vs. Texas A&M’s run defense: Alabama is leading the SEC by a wide margin with 1,578 yards rushing and 6.7 yards per carry. The Tide use several different options — QB Jalen Hurts leads the team with 461 yards on the ground but RBs Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Najee Harris have all had success. Texas A&M’s rush defense has been among the best in the league and they’re giving up just 3.1 yards per carry.
NUMBERS GAME: No. 12 Auburn is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team that hasn’t allowed more than 14 points in a game this season. … No. 1 Alabama is outscoring teams by 37.6 points per game and is outrushing foes by 241.8 yards per game. … LSU’s loss to Troy ended the Tigers’ 49-game home nonconference winning streak. LSU’s last home loss to a nonconference foe had come in 2000 against UAB. … No. 5 Georgia (5-0) is off to its best start since 2005, when the Bulldogs won their first seven games. That 2005 season was the last time Georgia won the SEC title. … Tennessee’s 41-0 loss to Georgia last week marked the Volunteers’ most lopsided home loss since 1905. The Vols hadn’t been shut out since 1994. … South Carolina has lost its last seven meetings to SEC West opponents heading into its home game Saturday with Arkansas.
UPSET WATCH: Arkansas is a 2-point favorite on the road against South Carolina even though the Razorbacks haven’t beaten an opponent from a Power Five conference this season. The Razorbacks’ only wins are over Florida A&M and New Mexico State. … Georgia is a 17 ½-point favorite at Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs have looked really good so far this season, but the Commodores have split the past four meetings between the programs.
IMPACT PERFORMER: Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham: The Baylor transfer has spearheaded the resurgence of Auburn’s offense. Stidham has completed 82.8 percent of his pass attempts over Auburn’s last three games. He went 13 of 16 for 264 yards and two touchdowns last week in a 49-10 rout of Mississippi State . “I kind of hang my hat on that,” Stidham said of his efficiency. “That’s something I take pride in. I don’t just want to throw it up in double or triple coverage. That’s one of my goals every week is to have a perfect completion game.”
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AP Sports Writers Steve Megargee in Knoxville, Tennessee, and David Brandt in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this story.
