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The Kentucky Wildcats are off to a 1-0 start, but other members of the SEC East hit a wall right out of the gate. While in the SEC West, Alabama pulled away for a big win, and Auburn took down #11 Oregon in the final seconds in a wild finish.
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0, 0-0)
The Tide got off to the start we expected as they are looking to make a statement after the loss to the Clemson Tigers in the championship game.
Although the game was close at halftime, the second half was what we were expecting out of the Tide as they outscored the Duke Blue Devils 28-0 in the half on their way to a 42-3 victory.
Week 2: vs New Mexico State
#2 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0)
The Bulldogs are coming into 2019 looking to take the next step and claim the SEC in Atlanta. Well, that got off to a good start as they defeated Vanderbilt 30-6.
The Commodores had no answer for the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, as they rushed for 323 yards and 2 TDs.
Vandy put up a much better fight than the score suggests thanks to their defense. However, it’s the Bulldogs who get off to a good start in 2019.
Week 2: vs Murray State
#3 LSU Tigers (1-0, 0-0)
The Tigers have a lot of hype coming into the season and they didn’t waste anytime locking up a win in week 1.
The faced off against the Georgia Southern Eagles and quickly jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The swelled to a 42-3 halftime lead, and the Tigers went on to win it 55-3
The Tigers did their damage through the air as they passed for 350 yards and 5 TDs.
Could Alabama have a real test in the SEC West?
Week 2: @ Texas
#4 Texas A&M Aggies (1-0, 0-0)
The Aggies kicked off their season on Thursday night against the Texas State Bobcats, and it was in dominating fashion.
Junior QB Kellen Mond had a very good start to the year, and by halftime, had the Aggies up 28-0.
With 2 RBs going over 100-yards, this team can score in multiple ways and went on to take down the Bobcats 41-7.
However, next week will give us a better idea of just how good the Aggies are when they host Clemson in what’s arguably the biggest game of Week 2.
Week 2: @ Clemson
#5 Auburn Tigers (1-0,0-0)
The Tigers are viewed as a contender for the SEC West this season and they had a big nonconference test week 1.
They had to kick off the season against #11 Oregon Ducks, and the Ducks took it to the Tigers early, jumping out to a 21-6 lead.
True freshman QB Bo Nix looked like a true freshman for the Tigers, throwing 2 early INTs.
However, the Tigers settled down, started climbing back and cut it to 21-20. In the final seconds, Nix delivered a big TD pass to give Auburn the comeback 27-21 win.
Week 2: vs Tulane
#6 Florida Gators (1-0,0-0)
It wasn’t very pretty for the Gators in their opening game of 2019, but they managed to take down the Miami Hurricanes 24-20.
The Gators made mistake after mistake and were very lucky to come away with the win over a very talented Miami team. However, the strength on the Gators appears to be the defensive line, as they made life very hard for the Hurricane o-line.
Week 2: vs UT Martin
#7 Kentucky Wildcats (1-0,0-0)
The first game, like most was a little shaky for the Cats, especially in the first half when they went to the break tied at 14 with the Toledo Rockets.
However, the 2nd half was a lot better for the Cats on both sides of the ball, and they have a lot of positives to build on going forward.
After taking down the Rockets 38-24, the Cats will have to get stronger defensively before they open up SEC play in Week 3 vs. Florida. This week, they’ll face an Eastern Michigan team that took down Toledo and won at Purdue last season.
Week 2: vs Eastern Michigan
#8 Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0,0-0)
The Bulldogs were not very impressive in the opening week of the season, as they had a hard time putting the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns away. To be fair, they had several key defensive players sitting out due to suspension.
The Bulldogs’ rushing attack with Kylin Hill stood out, as he was 3-yards shy of a 200-yard game.
The game was a lot closer than expected, but in the end, the Bulldogs got the win 38-28.
Week 2: vs Southern Miss
#9 Missouri Tigers (0-1,0-0)
The Tigers opened the season in Laramie, Wyoming and found themselves in a battle with the Wyoming Cowboys.
Missouri had a ton of hype around them this season with new Clemson transfer QB Kelly Bryant.
However, that hype was quickly diminished, as the Cowboys ran all over the Tigers for 299 yards and 3 TDs on their way to a 37-31 upset win.
Not a good start to the season for the Tigers.
Week 2: vs West Virginia
#10 South Carolina Gamecocks (0-1,0-0)
The Gamecocks really struggled in their season opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels, as they fell 24-20.
Jake Bentley didn’t have his best game throwing two INTs on his way to a 142-yard performance. This came against a Tar Heel team that went 2-10 last year.
In the past, the Gamecocks have responded very well after a slow start to the season, so it will be interesting to see if that is the case this year.
However, their schedule is not one to have the USC fans optimistic going forward.
Week 2: vs Charleston Southern
#11 Vanderbilt Commodores (0-1,0-1)
Vanderbilt could be one of, if the not the most underrated team in the SEC this season. They had to take on #3 Georgia in a home stadium that was filled with mostly Georgia fans and still put up a good fight.
Vandy entered the 4th quarter only trailing 24-6 and is a team that could pull off a couple upsets this season if teams don’t come ready to play.
In the end, Georgia won the game 30-6, but don’t sleep on the Commodores this season, or else you could get upset.
Week 2: @ Purdue
#12 Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0,0-0)
The Razorbacks are coming off an abysmal season a year ago, and they struggled in the opener against the Portland State Vikings.
The Razorbacks ended up getting the win 20-13, but it never felt like they had it locked up and seemed like they were just trying to squeak by the Vikings.
I fully expect the Razorbacks to struggle again this season and stay around the bottom of the SEC.
Week 2: @ Ole Miss
#13 Ole Miss Rebels (0-1,0-0)
It was a very disappointing start to 2019 for Matt Luke and the Rebels, as they went on the road to face the Memphis Tigers and left with a 15-10 loss.
The passing game was nonexistent for the Rebels, as they only had 93 yards through the air. However, the ground game was even worse, as they only had 80 yards rushing.
Nothing went right for the Rebels in this one, and they will be looking to bounce back next week at home.
Week 2: vs Arkansas
#14 Tennessee Volunteers (0-1,0-0)
What a disastrous start to the season for the Vols, as they hosted the Georgia State Panthers and lost 38-30.
The Panthers are coming off a 2-10 season, but went into Knoxville and took it to the Vols. What was most shocking is the fact that the Panthers won in the trenches and honestly looked like the better team throughout.
The Vols’ defense looked confused and uninspired, as the Panthers rushed for 213 yards and threw for 139.
It is going to be a very long season for Vols fans unless they can put this behind them and bounce back.
Week 2: vs BYU