September Report Cards: SEC East

Introduction

Before entering October and more conference play, let’s take a look at how each team performed in September. Unlike the ACC, the SEC has exceeded expectations (for the most part). Top tier teams have taken care of business, the new coaches are making a name for themselves, and schools like Arkansas and Kentucky are pushing for supremacy in their division. But, how is each school really doing after the first month populated mostly with FCS opponents and ACC cupcakes? 

Below, we give our grade for each school in the SEC, including offensive and defensive grades. But their overall grades are heavily influenced by how each team has lived up to our expectations so far. We also cover North Carolina and Clemson in our newsletter as well, so we’ve included them in our post below.

You can find the SEC West Report Cards Here

Florida (3-1, 1-1) 

Offense: A- | Defense: A-|  Meeting Expectations: A | Overall: A-

Chris Paschal:  In my initial expectations writeup, I identified three areas to track in weeks one through four for the Gators. In summary, they were: the performance of new quarterback Emory Jones, the run-blocking performance of the offensive line, and the run-stopping performance of the Gator defense (specifically, the performance of the interior defensive line). The Gators are passing with flying colors in all three of those areas. Yes, Emory Jones struggled to begin the season, throwing five interceptions in five halves of football. But following a shaky start against Alabama, Jones rallied the Gator offense in the second half, leading Florida to a narrow, two-point loss. The following Saturday against Tennessee, Jones played a remarkable game, completing 67% of his passes, with zero interceptions. 

But it’s Jones’s rushing ability, and the run-blocking performance of this Gator offensive line, that boosts the offense’s score to an A-. Florida has rushed for over 245 yards in each one of its games thus far and leads the SEC with a whopping 323 yards per contest. Analyzing even further, the performance of this Gator offensive line against both SEC defensive lines it has faced — one being Alabama — has been truly remarkable. The interior offensive linemen for Florida took defensive tackles like Tennessee’s Matthew Butler and Alabama’s DJ Dale to the absolute woodshed. Yes, both defensive lines made plays against Florida, but for the most part, the Gator offensive line imposed its will. 

On the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, the Gators have recorded 12 sacks and possess a run defense ranked fifth in the SEC. They also passed the “eyeball test” in the second half against Alabama, repeatedly stifling what had previously looked to be an unstoppable offensive juggernaut.

Sounds like everything is going right for Florida, so why the A- overall grade? First, the pass defense has been good, but not great. The Gators, who pride themselves as Defensive Back University, have a mere single interception so far this season. SEC East foes like South Carolina (7 interceptions) and Georgia (7 interceptions) have done a much better job at forcing turnovers in pass defense. Second, significant blunders, namely the first half missed extra point against Alabama that ultimately cost the Gators the game, must be cut out if the Gators are able to record higher marks as the season progresses. In summary, this is a surprisingly great report card for Florida. Let’s see if they can keep it up. 

Georgia (4-0, 2-0)

Offense: A | Defense: A+ |  Meeting Expectations A+ | Overall: A+

John Lamm: To put it frankly, after one month of football, I believe Georgia is currently the best team in football.  Coming into the season, I expected Georgia to be a great team that would win the SEC East and contend with Alabama for the SEC Championship, but I did not expect for them to be as good as they’ve looked so far this season.  Georgia has yet to trail at any point and has won its four games by an average 36 points, which includes their opening-week 10-3 win over Clemson.  The offense only gets an A and not an A+ since it was unable to score an offensive touchdown against Clemson, but since then, this team is averaging 300 yards passing and 220 yards rushing per game. Quarterback JT Daniels has improved in every game he’s played so far this season and has posted the eighth best QBR in college football this season. Running back Zamir White has remained fresh this season, with only 37 carries in four games, but is averaging a career-high 5.6 yards per carry. Look for him to have some big games moving forward as he is needed more.  The most pleasant surprise of this offense has to be freshman tight end Brock Bowers who, in tight end Darnell Washington’s absence, has become one of the best tight end pass-catchers in the conference. Bowers already has five touchdowns this season and is on pace to rack up over 800 receiving yards. 

The Bulldog defense has been as good as anyone could have expected and receives an overall grade of 100 for their performance.  Led by Jordan Davis, the best defensive tackle in the nation, they have dominated the line of scrimmage in all four games, giving up less than 2.5 yards per carry in all but one game. Georgia’s most impressive performance came against Clemson, where they held Clemson to an insane two yards rushing and scored the game’s only touchdown with a pick-six from cornerback Christopher Smith.  In fact, Georgia’s defense has given up under six points per game and scored more touchdowns than they have allowed, with two pick-sixes and only one touchdown allowed so far.  I could not be more impressed with Georgia so far this season, as they have exceeded my already-high expectations.  If they can keep their focus, I don’t see them losing any time soon.

Kentucky (4-0, 2-0)

Offense: A- | Defense: A|  Meeting Expectations: A- | Overall: A-

Max McDougald: This Kentucky team is living the high life right now, after starting the season 4-0. (Spoiler alert, they may have received an A+ if it weren’t for one game.) Offensively, the Wildcats have been solid this season but had a poor showing in week 3 against UT Chattanooga. This game is holding them back from getting a better grade offensively. They abandoned the run game and quarterback Will Levis struggled through the air. However, in the other three games, they have dominated in the run game and Levis has been a game manager. Running backs Chris Rodriquez and Kavosiey Smoke have been a two-headed monster that has punished opposing defenses. Rodriguez has rushed for 513 yards and three touchdowns, while Smoke has added 142 yards as a complement. Wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson and Josh Ali are two of the best receivers in the conference. Robinson leads the SEC in receiving yards with 402, and Ali is averaging 14.6 yards per catch, with 233 yards off of 16 receptions. This offense has the playmakers to be dynamic and for three out of four games they have been just that. The main thing holding them back from an even better grade is the number of turnovers committed. Kentucky has turned the ball over 11 times in four games. Although their defense has bailed them out for the most part, Levis needs to cut down on his interceptions (he has five in the first four games), and the running backs and receivers desperately need to shore up their ball security – the Wildcats have put the ball on the ground 14 times, losing six. 

The Wildcat defense flies under the radar, but if things keep going the way they are, that should change. The offense gets all the talk, but Kentucky’s defense has been downright dominant at times. They are certainly why this team is undefeated through September. According to the NCAA’s official statistics page , Kentucky is currently ranked ninth in the country in total defense. In their most recent game against South Carolina they only gave up ten points and one touchdown. That’s a pretty good recipe for success. They have done so by getting to the quarterback and being tackling machines. Defensive end Josh Paschal has lived up to expectations so far and has made it tough on opposing quarterbacks with his constant pressure off the edge. Even when he doesn’t sack the quarterback, he is forcing them into quick decisions. On the back end of this defense, the secondary is stepping up and making plays in the air, but they’re also coming down to lay the boom on ball carriers. This secondary is led by Yusuf Corker, who is the backbone and emotional leader of this group. This defense is getting an A grade so far because they have earned it, and their average of 17.8 points allowed per game is proof of that. 

Overall, this Kentucky team is right where they should be. Kentucky and South Carolina are normally two evenly matched opponents in recent years, and the Wildcats survived a tough Williams Brice night crowd to remain undefeated. Through four weeks of the season, they have put a quality product on the field, but they need to work on ball security as they begin to face tougher opponents. Until then, they receive an overall A- grade. 

Missouri (2-2, 0-1) 

Offense: A- | Defense: C |  Meeting Expectations B- | Overall: B-

John: Missouri has looked great offensively to start the season, and quarterback Connor Bazelak looks to be the real deal.  I predicted in August that he would improve upon his seven-touchdown season from 2020, but I did not expect this much success for him four games into the season. As a sophomore, he has become the leader and best player on this offense, with 1,200 yards, ten passing touchdowns, and a completion percentage north of 67%.  He has been a big reason that this offense has averaged over 38 points per game and 483 yards per game.  Running back Tyler Badie has stepped up even more than expected in replacing departed running back Larry Roundtree, who is now in the NFL. Badie has rushed for 417 yards and 6.3 rushing yards per carry, to go along with 176 receiving yards per game.  This offense has shown us a lot to be impressed with in September. 

Unfortunately, the defense has not been impressive at all this season.  Their major highlight of the early season so far has to be the nine-sack performance in week one against Central Michigan, which was led by linebacker Blaze Alldredge’s 3.5 sacks in that game. Sadly, since that game, this defense has not looked at all good in stopping the running game.  They are allowing over 268 rushing yards a game and gave up an astonishing 332 yards to Kentucky and 275 rushing yards to Boston College in their two losses. Both Kentucky and Boston College did what teams in SEC play will do going forward, which is run the ball 40 to 50 times a game and keep doing so until Missouri proves that they can stop it.  Before the season, I predicted this team would win seven games to potentially nine games on the high end and assumed they would start 3-1. Unfortunately, with a 2-2 start and losses to the only two power-5 teams they have played so far, I do not see this defense being good enough for them to win any more than seven games, at best, this season.

South Carolina (2-2, 0-2) 

Offense: C | Defense: A |  Meeting Expectations: B | Overall: B

Max: This South Carolina team sits at .500 at the moment but has not shown a whole lot offensively. They have been all over the place and not been able to put it all together. A preseason injury to starting quarterback Luke Doty led to former grad assistant Zeb Noland starting the first three games before giving way back to Doty in game three against Georgia. This impacted the rhythm of the offense and presented some communication issues. Even more importantly, the offensive line play has been terrible and has especially held the Gamecocks back in the run game. This running back room was supposed to be a strength of this team, but the play of the offensive line has negatively impacted the rushing attack. When you have running backs like Kevin Harris, Marshawn Lloyd, ZaQuandre White, and Juju McDowell, you need to be better than the Gamecocks have played through four games. There have been some plays made through the air, as senior wide receiver Josh Vann has been a bright spot of this offense. In order to improve upon their C grade on offense, the Gamecocks will need better line play and more consistency throughout this offensive group. The talent is there to do better, which is why the September grade is low.

Defensively this Gamecock team looks like a totally different group than last year. They are making plays and forcing turnovers. They sit at 28th nationally in total defense, which is refreshing for Gamecock fans. Defensive end JJ Enagbare is getting to the quarterback while defensive linemen Zacch Pickens and Jabari Ellis are clogging the middle. This pressure up front has made things easier on the guys in the secondary. You have seen guys like safety Jaylen Foster and cornerbacks Cam Smith, Darius Rush, and Marcellus Dial make play after play. The consistent play of the Gamecock defense has exceeded expectations and given Gamecock fans hope for the future, resulting in an A.

The Gamecocks are about right where we thought they would be at Front Porch Football. They have had some great moments while they have also had some bad moments. The Gamecocks need to stick to the “process” and get better each week in order to improve their overall grade of a B. 

Tennessee (2-2, 0-1)

Offense: B+ | Defense: B |  Meeting Expectations: A- | Overall: B+

Chris: Tennessee is the perfect football team to illustrate how these report cards are being handed out. Tennessee is like me in middle school science. In middle school science, the teachers knew I was a moron. But because it was middle school and they didn’t want to explain to my parents why I was getting horrible grades, they did not grade me in a vacuum. I was not graded against others in the class. Instead, I was graded against what the teachers thought I was capable of.  Yes, Chris, you got a 9% on the human anatomy quiz, but we expected you to get a 9% on the human anatomy quiz. So we are going to give you a B-, which means we don’t have to talk to your mother about your stupidity. Here’s the good news for Tennessee: I am not even giving them a B-. I am giving the Volunteers a B+! Here’s why. When I wrote my preseason expectation report, I quoted Knoxville native and sports radio personality Matt Dixon. He told me, “Chris, the Vols just can’t be bad and boring.” Tennessee has, at times, been pretty dang bad. But they have not been boring. 

Despite a late-game injury against Florida last week, quarterback Hendon Hooker looks like the answer for this Josh Heupel offense. Against Tennessee’s two toughest opponents — Florida and Pittsburgh — Hooker threw for a combined 409 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception. And in those two games, he had an average 64% completion percentage. Couple Hooker’s performance with the emergence of running backs Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans, and Tennessee has orchestrated a pretty good one-two punch on offense. 

The Tennessee pass defense struggled at times against Pittsburgh and was abused on the ground against Florida (nothing to be ashamed of), but overall, I have been impressed by their moxie and fighting spirit. At times, this defense has played at a high, SEC caliber. Examples include holding Pittsburgh to a mere 2.2 yards per carry and recording four interceptions against Tennessee Tech. As I have discussed ad nauseam, Tennessee has talented players starting throughout this defense, but their questionable defensive depth has been, and will continue to be, their Achilles’ heel. That being said, despite losing at home to Pittsburgh, and despite losing by 24 points to Florida, and despite having a 2-2 record, Tennessee has met (and even exceeded) expectations when it comes to not being both bad and boring. Tennessee has a shot at six wins if they can stay healthy.

While most teams would scoff at the start Tennessee has had and would expect a poor grade, Tennessee is actually playing to their potential, if not slightly better. Because of that, Tennessee, your first quarter grade is a B+. Let’s see if it stays there.

Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-1)

Offense: C- | Defense: B |  Meeting Expectations: C+ | Overall: C+

Max: Simply stated, this Vanderbilt offense is below average. They were expected to be a strength of this team in 2021 but have not been. They have been extremely inconsistent at times, which is not a surprise from an inferior team talent-wise. However, first-year coach Clark Lea needs to find a way for his offense to improve now if he doesn’t want to get blown out of every SEC game this year. This offense got shut down by FCS opponent East Tennessee State. Vanderbilt is by no means a talented team but they have more talent than ETSU and certainly should have scored more than three points. The following week, the offense moved the ball efficiently and put up 342 yards of total offense against Colorado State. They looked like a different team. In week three against Stanford, they played tough and put up almost 400 yards of offense. Then the next week, the offense looked horrible, putting up 77 yards while scoring zero points. Granted, the opponent was Georgia, but you would expect even the Commodores to play a little better than that. If the offense  performs like it did against Stanford for the rest of the year, it could improve its grades moving forward, but at the moment, Vanderbilt has not done enough offensively to receive more than a C-. For a group that was supposed to lead this team, they have not done their best job.

Defensively, the Commodore’s are coming off a game where they gave up 62 points and were practically out of the game before it even started. However, week 4 doesn’t quite tell the whole story. This Commodore defense didn’t perform well against Georgia and gave up some points against ETSU but has done enough to keep Vandy in two of its four ball games. The Commodores’ pass defense has been adequate at times, but the same can’t be said for their run defense. They have given up 831 yards on the ground through four games and allowed nine touchdowns. That is not going to get it done, especially for a defensive-minded coach like Clark Lea. Nonetheless, Vanderbilt’s defense has performed relatively well given the low expectations at the beginning of the season, resulting in a B for the month of September.

This Vanderbilt team was not expected to be very good, which is what makes losing  a game to ETSU that they should have won all the more tragic. That said, there is a lot of football left, and they need to focus on the bigger picture. They need to get better week-by-week and prove that Lea is the right guy. 

Clemson (2-2, 1-1)

Offense: D | Defense: A+ |  Meeting Expectations D | Overall: C

Brendan Paschal: Unlike my friend John, I am not playing favorites (see below) when it comes to grades (a B- for a defense that gave up 45 points to Georgia Tech? That’s the same number of points KENNESAW STATE gave up to the Yellow Jackets!). However, unlike Chris and Max, I don’t actively cheer against Clemson. I thought long and hard before giving the Tigers these grades. If I had to use a Clint Eastwood movie to describe Clemson in September I would go with The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly. Let’s start with the good. This defense has been phenomenal. They didn’t allow a single touchdown in the first three weeks against Georgia, South Carolina State, and Georgia Tech (who put up 45 points against North Carolina), and only allowed 27 points against North Carolina State, 13 of which came in overtime. If I’m a coach and my defense holds a team to 14 points in regulation, I’m ecstatic. Unfortunately for Clemson fans, the Tiger offense has ranged from bad to ugly.

Out of 130 schools in the FBS, Clemson sits at No. 121 in total offense. They are 105 in scoring offense (and would be much lower if they didn’t blow out their FCS neighbor 49-3) and rank dead last in the ACC in passing efficiency. You read that correctly. Clemson is last in the ACC in passing efficiency, behind an 0-4 Florida State. I knew quarterback DJ Uiagalelei wasn’t going to be Trevor Lawrence reincarnated, but I thought he would be much more accurate than he is. It appears Uiagalelei is hesitant in the pocket, and when he does make up his mind, he fires the ball into tight spots. When he throws with proper mechanics, the kid has tremendous accuracy. Even then, though, he often lacks touch. In other words, Uiagalelei throws the ball just as hard in a five-yard slant as he would a fifty-yard bomb. Uiagalelei reminds me of post-MVP Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers in 2016. He has plenty of talent, but  bad decisions combined with inconsistent mechanics undermine his performance. It doesn’t help that Uiagalelei gets little support in the run game. Freshman running back Will Shipley has played as well as anyone in his position could, but he is receiving no help from a sluggish offensive line. After getting dominated against Ohio State in last year’s playoffs, all the linemen talked about was how they’ve improved their physicality. I have yet to see it. Shipley has consistently been forced to bounce runs outside because of zero openings inside. 

I wrote in our newsletter Monday morning, “[Clemson fans] see themselves as Alabama’s equals, when in reality, nobody is on the same field as Alabama. Sure, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Clemson can find themselves playing Alabama in late December or early January more often than not, but Alabama is there almost every time. This is a rebuilding year for Clemson…Clemson fans, take a deep breath, count your blessings, give thanks for your past success, and know there is hope for more future national championships.” They certainly have disappointed so far, and 2021 won’t be an exciting year. But Clemson has a strong foundation, and they will build national championship-contending teams sooner rather than later. Until then, this grade might continue to spiral downward. 

North Carolina (2-2, 1-2)

Offense: B- | Defense: B- |  Meeting Expectations D- | Overall: C-

John:  North Carolina needs to thank Clemson for looking so bad to start this season, or all eyes would be on how poorly they have not lived up to expectations from preseason top 10 to being unranked after four games.  To start with the positives, sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs looks like a star in the making; he has five touchdowns on the season and is on pace for over 1,300 receiving yards. Sam Howell has also shown the ability to be a dual-threat quarterback with over 250 rushing yards on the season, which is over 100 yards more than he rushed all of last season.  The Tar Heels have also won two blowout games over Georgia State and Virginia, scoring 59 points in each game. Unfortunately for the Heels, this is where most of the highlights end.  They have looked completely inept offensively in both road losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Before the season, I stated that the losses of running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter would hurt, but I thought that running back Ty Chandler would help pick up the slack and that the team could get another back going as well.  Chandler had one great game against Virginia, with 198 yards on the ground, but has failed to get more than 66 yards in any other game.  The way this offense plays when the running game is explosive versus when it is not is night-and-day.  Ultimately, in games against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, they did not run the ball well enough to take pressure off of Sam Howell, which has led to his turning the ball over six times in those two losses.  

The defense looked great early in the season but in the last two weeks has been underwhelming to say the least. They have given up an average of 42 points over that time and were killed in the passing game by quarterback Brennan Armstrong of Virginia, who racked up 554 passing yards. They then turned around and were killed by the running ability of Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims, who ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns.  I have been absolutely disappointed by the performance of North Carolina so far this season. I expected a ten-win season, an ACC Championship berth, and Sam Howell in the Heisman race. After one month, they are unranked and will most likely get seven or eight wins this season, with Sam Howell appearing to regress as his NFL draft stock plummets. Hopefully, the Tar Heels will begin to turn things around in October.