SEC Weekend Roundup: Week 1 Takeaways
With Week 1 of the College Football season in the books, some notable storylines have popped up around the SEC. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of power rankings (most of which are often based on program reputation), so I won’t rank each team. Instead, here are some takeaways, storylines, and emerging trends from around the SEC.
Statement road win for LSU Tigers
On Saturday night, LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly got one of his best regular season wins on the road against Clemson. LSU was able to withstand Clemson’s elite defensive line (the Tigers offensive line gave up just 1 sack) and get out of Memorial Stadium with a 17-10 win.
Garrett Nussmeier lived up to his top-tier billing with an efficient 28/38 for 230 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions against one of the best defenses in the ACC. After a rocky start to the regular season last year, LSU is in a much better position in 2025 heading into Week 2.
Sound the alarms in Tuscaloosa
Every SEC team in the conference had a better weekend than Alabama. The Crimson Tide suffered another program-questioning loss after Florida State pummeled them 31-17 in Tallahassee.
Alabama’s defense gave up 230 rushing yards, 3 sacks, and allowed 2 fourth down conversions in an absolutely forgettable day. Jalen DeBoer’s defense looks undisciplined, unprepared, and got mauled by Florida State’s offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, Alabama’s offense sputtered. Quarterback Ty Simpson did not do much to impress either. While he threw 2 passing touchdowns and had no turnovers, Simpson was an inefficient 23/43 for 254 yards. Alabama also generated a mere 87 rushing yards.
The calls have already begun for DeBoer’s job and one Alabama fan even suggested on a Sirius XM call-in show that the Crimson Tide should go get Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. Yes, I did not stutter. What a time to be alive. The barbarians are at the gates, the pressure is on, and DeBoer’s seat is white hot in Tuscaloosa.
Underwhelming debut for Arch Manning
One of the major storylines heading into Saturday’s Texas Ohio State matchup was whether the weekend would mark the ascension of Texas’ Quarterback Arch Manning. Arch’s season debut was disappointing and resulted in a 14-7 loss.
Manning went 17/30 for 170 yards and 1 touchdown to go with an interception against a Buckeye defense loaded with future NFL talent. Most concerning for Texas fans was that Manning missed several easy throws and appeared to be out of rhythm all day. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling did not generate much confidence either after two botched goal line rushes against Matt Patricia’s Buckeye defense.
The MEMM (Manning excuse making machine, a cartel of individuals who believe that any QB with the last name Manning can do no wrong in a win or loss) will point out, and correctly so, that Ohio State has one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the country. While that may be true, it doesn’t explain the easy throws Manning missed in Columbus. Big time quarterbacks make the easy plays and win on the road. Saturday could be a sign that Arch has a ways to go in his development.
Picked by many to win a national title this year, there is no question about the talent on this Longhorns team. Texas has a trio of cakewalk games coming up against San Jose State, UTEP, and Sam Houston State. The MEMM will surely salivate about Manning’s juiced passing numbers in those upcoming three games. We’ll learn a lot more about the Longhorns and Manning on October 4th when they take on Florida.
Big weekend for the “Gamer” QBs
As noted by TDR’s own Alex Kurbegov on Twitter, the weekend proved to be a successful one for the “Gamer” quarterbacks in the SEC. Specifically, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, and Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar all had extremely productive and impressive games.
Pavia went 20/25 with 3 touchdowns, 275 passing yards, no interceptions, and 44 rushing yards on 8 carries in a 45-3 beatdown over Charleston Southern.
Mateer put on a show on Saturday and went 30/37 for 392 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in a 35-3 victory over Illinois State. Mateer also had 7 runs for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Aguilar flashed his arm strength in a 45-26 win over Syracuse in Atlanta. The Volunteers new starting QB went 16/28 for 247 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Aguilar’s day was highlighted by a 73 yard bomb to Braylon Staley for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Despite Pavia, Mateer, and Aguilar not making the list of high-end NFL quarterback prospects heading into the season, all 3 looked much better than most of their conference counterparts over the weekend. As conference play approaches, it will be notable how Pavia, Mateer, and Aguilar fare against the so-called top-tier NFL quarterback prospects in the SEC.
The Gamecocks are a dangerous wounded animal
South Carolina emerged from Sunday’s “Beamer Bowl” with a 24-11 rock fight victory. Shane Beamer’s defense made Kyron Drones look like a high school quarterback with 2 interceptions and just 26 rushing yards. Gamecock quarterback LaNorris Sellers went 12/19 with 206 yards and rushed for 25 yards with a touchdown.
The Gamecocks may lack depth, but the top level talent they possess is dangerous and can strike at any time, especially Wide Receiver Nyck Harbor. Sellers’ Cam Newton esque escapability is always a concern even if he’s not having a great day throwing the football. And Defensive End Dylan Stewart is a menace in pass rushing situations, even with a shoulder injury.
This year South Carolina’s team looks like Shere Khan, the villain of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book. Flawed, gimpy, conniving, and ready to strike at any time, the Gamecocks are going to be a massive pain for any team who plays them this year.
Auburn a better fit for Jackson Arnold?
On Friday, Auburn beat Baylor 38-24. Key to that win was Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, who went 11/17 passing for 108 yards and rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries and 2 touchdowns. After struggling to find his rhythm last year, Arnold’s production raised some eyebrows for the Tigers, particularly with Arnold’s legs.
If Arnold can replicate Friday’s performance, Auburn could be a tough matchup for teams this season. However, if Auburn is forced to throw the ball some more, Auburn’s unique and questionable offensive play-calling system (where three coaches are reportedly calling separate plays on separate downs) could be exposed and exploited by opponents.
Wildcats a question mark
Heading into the 2025 season, there were little expectations around the Kentucky Wildcats. With Kentucky reportedly devoting substantial funds to basketball instead of football in revenue sharing, the future prospects for football in Lexington appear bleak. Prior to their Week 1 matchup against Toledo, many had the game as an upset pick.
On Saturday, the Wildcats held on against one of the best programs in the MAC with a 24-16 win. However, Kentucky did give up a safety at home and 14 fourth quarter points. It remains to be seen how competitive they will really be during the rest of the season.
Majority of conference takes care of business
In the games where SEC teams were heavily favored, the conference took care of business on Saturday. It’s never a bad thing when conference dominance is established in early “cakewalk” games and no doubt is left about the outcome. Below are the results from the heavy-favorite games from weekend.
Vanderbilt 45, Charleston Southern 3
Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26
Mississippi State 34, Southern Mississippi 17
Georgia 45, Marshall 7
Arkansas 52, Alabama A&M 7
Oklahoma 35, Illinois State 3
Florida 55, Liu 0
Texas A&M 42, UTSA 24
Ole Miss 62, Georgia State 7
Missouri 61, UCA 6
Any given Saturday, indeed
Overall, the SEC went 14-2 in Week 1. But the two losses came from two of the teams picked by most sports media pundits as CFP teams. If Week 1 is any indication, the 2025 season will have plenty of drama and intrigue and the field appears as open as it’s ever been. If you’re a football fan on West End, that is very good news.
Stay tuned for Week 2’s SEC Weekend Round Up next week!
