SEC Winners & Losers of September

by Brendan Paschal 

After over a full month of college football, the winners have separated themselves from the losers. Although there is a lot of football left to be played, it is obvious who the contenders are. Below are the biggest SEC Winners & Losers.

SEC Winner – Gus Malzahn

Prior to the season, many had Gus Malzahn on the hot seat. However, Malzahn took over the play calling on offense and has shredded defenses with a freshman quarterback. Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, Malzahn has proven that he is the right man for the job. They have a daunting schedule ahead of them – games at Florida and LSU while hosting Georgia and Alabama – but if Auburn continues to play under control on offense and physical defense, they will do great things.

The odds of Auburn making it to Atlanta and into the College Football Playoff are not high. Hypothetically they could go undefeated during the regular season. They will then have to face either Florida or Georgia again in the SEC Championship. Beating these two teams once will be hard enough, repeating that success in Atlanta is a whole different ball game. However, even if Auburn doesn’t make it to the SEC Championship, Malzahn shows that there is growth and opportunity for the Tigers in the future.

SEC Loser – Kellen Mond

After so much preseason hype and pro football analyst claiming he could be the next Kyler Murray, Mond has taken a step back from last year. This year Mond looks scared in the pocket. Instead of dropping back in the pocket and running through his progressions, he looks to move out of the pocket and throw on the run. Inaccurate passes and interceptions are expected when your quarterback is constantly scrambling out of the pocket.

To Mond’s credit he is the type of quarterback who keeps plays alive. However, in this attempt to make plays Mond often forces the ball into tight coverage with poor results. A&M fans are learning to take the bad with the good, but so far this season, there’s more bad than good.

SEC Winners & Losers

SEC Winner – Joe Burrow

Prior to the season there was a big question mark next to Burrow’s name. 2018 proved that he could be trusted at the quarterback position, and that he would not lose LSU games. Yet, for as long as I can remember, LSU has not had a quarterback who would be relied on to sling the rock. For years, the QB position had been LSU’s Achilles Heel. Every season the Tigers looked like a complete team full of NFL talent except at QB. In 2018, Burrow appeared to be a breath of fresh air because he could manage a game and make adequate passes that put the ball in the athletic receiver’s hands.

Fast forward to the 2019 offseason; head coach Ed Orgeron is saying they wanted to be much more aggressive in the passing game, and will lean on Burrow much more. But saying and doing are two different things. Not only is he controlling a new pass happy offense, but he is putting up ridiculous numbers. Burrow had such a fantastic month of September that he’s now in the Heisman talks. LSU has a tough road ahead, but one thing is for certain – Joe Burrow is the real deal.

SEC Loser – Jeremy Pruitt

This one is low hanging fruit, and it feels cheap to kick a man while he is down. However, it can’t be left unmentioned. In this article of SEC Winners and Losers, Pruitt seems to an exception. He’s the sacrificial lamb.

After the honeymoon period – where Tennessee fans were just happy to have someone on the sideline not named Butch Jones – Vols fans had high, if not unrealistic, expectations. But it doesn’t matter how much baggage you inherited. Losing to Georgia State and BYU is not acceptable. Getting blown out by Florida doesn’t help either.

A tough 1-3 start to the season with a much tougher October and November ahead is not encouraging either. Furthermore, Athletic Director and former Vols head coach, Phil Fulmer, seems to be open to the idea of coaching again. This is a horrible situation for Pruitt. Earlier this season I wrote an article stating that Fulmer needed to stand behind Pruitt to settle down fans and recruits. However, Fulmer has done just the opposite. The pressure is on for Pruitt.

SEC Winner – Freshmen Quarterbacks

It appears about a third of the SEC has a freshman at the QB position. Whether they won the spot or were thrust into the starting role due to injuries several teams are relying on 18-year-old kids to run their offense. Bo Nix at Auburn; Kyle Trask at Florida; Garrett Schrader at Mississippi State; and Ryan Hilinski at South Carolina.

All four quarterbacks have embraced the spotlight. While Nix and Trask are looking to make a push for the SEC Hilinski and Schrader give their fans high hopes for the programs future. These guys are ballers and deserve all the praise their receiving.