Week 8 Recap: Expectations Confirmed

by Brendan Paschal

Week 8 was all about fortifying teams’ expectations. Alabama beat Tennessee like they stole something, which was expected. LSU’s defense didn’t allow a single touchdown, expected. Arkansas fans were reminded what a win felt like against Tulsa, expected. Vanderbilt looked like they were about to pull off an upset, then didn’t, expected. Ole Miss seems to be auditioning for a spot in the Big 12, while Missouri’s Drew Lock returned from a mid season slump and looked like a NFL caliber quarterback – all expected. Let’s dive in for a closer look. 

Alabama at Tennessee

Final Score: 58-21

Game MVP: Jaylen Waddle (WR)

The MVP should really read “MVP other than Tua Tagovailoa”. But saying he’s the game MVP every single week not only gets annoying, but I’m running out of stuff to say. So this week I’m going with freshman highlight reel, Jaylen Waddle, who had four receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. Talk about speed.

Tua is special.

It's literally impossible to throw a football better than this. pic.twitter.com/pR6Jiwj37X

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 20, 2018

Furthermore, Alabama was up 28-0 after the first quarter. While Tennessee is light years ahead of where they were 365 days ago, they still have a long way to go to catch up with Alabama.

Auburn at Ole Miss

Final Score: 31-16

Game MVP: JaTarvious Whitlow (RB)

After an extremely disappointing loss to Tennessee last week and ignorant fans calling for Gus Malzahn to get fired, Auburn’s offense finally remembered how to score. Initially, I couldn’t decide if it is because the Tiger’s offense is actually good or the Rebel’s defense is that bad. However, when I dug a little deeper into the game I realized Ole Miss thinks they’re in the Big 12 where defense doesn’t matter. Auburn’s JaTarvious Whitlow, a redshirt freshman, carried the ball 19 times for 170 yards. Here was the main reason for the Tigers success this past Saturday.

JaTarvious Whitlow was Auburn’s go to guy against Ole Miss. Image from Auburn Athletics.

Auburn lives and dies by the run, which is something they have struggled to do this season. Jarrett Stidham is not the type of quarterback who can go out there and shred defenses with his arm. Instead he’s a game manager who will generally make the right reads and can get the ball into the hands of his athletes. That being said, when Auburn can’t establish the run, Stidham’s job goes from tough to nearly impossible. Junior Kam Martin was not producing the way fans were expecting and it seemed like Auburn was at a complete loss up front. You can’t win in the SEC without a great defense, but at the same time, you can’t win in the SEC with only a great defense. (I think Plato once said that.)

A negative – Whitlow had a shoulder injury earlier in the month only to hobble off the field late in the 3rd quarter. Running him 19 times might not be the smartest move. If Whitlow sits out yet again, then Auburn fans could expect another sluggish offensive performance when they face Texas A&M.

LSU vs Mississippi State

Final Score: 19-3

Game MVP: Grant Delpit (Safety)

This might be the best defense in the country… yes, Alabama also has a great defense, but I like LSU’s more. The Tigers intercepted the ball four times against Mississippi State with three different players. Sophomore safety, Grant Delpit, had himself a day against MSU. Recording ten tackles, two interceptions, and a sack – Delpit was all over the field. With star linebacker, Devin White, sitting out of the first half of the Alabama game due to a late targeting call, LSU needs their secondary to keep flying around forcing turnovers.

Michael Divinity Jr. (45) was one of three defenders with an interception. Image from USA Today.

Kentucky vs Vanderbilt

Final Score: 14-7

Game MVP: Benny Snell Jr.

This was an ugly game from start to finish. When fans didn’t think it could get much worse going into halftime with a whopping score of 7-7, both Kentucky and Vanderbilt said “hold my beer” and took turns looking like they were trying not to score in the second half. I’m not sure why Terry Wilson only attempted to throw the ball nine times the entire game. Maybe because he only completed three of those passes all of which were to Lynn Bowden Jr. I’m also not sure why Kentucky gave Benny Snell Jr. the ball 32 times either. Maybe it’s because he rushed for 169 yards and scored the game winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Now, I’m not offensive guru – ask my brother Chris who always kicked my butt in NCAA football – but handing the ball to your running back 32 times in a single game is not the smartest thing to do. This is a long season, and Kentucky still has to face SEC East opponents Missouri, Georgia, and Tennessee. Snell is one of the best running backs in the country, but using him 32 times against Vanderbilt seems to me like a mistake.

Benny Snell earned every inch the hard way against Vanderbilt. Image from Saturday Blitz.

Also, Kentucky linebacker, Josh Allen, forced a fumble late in the game to give Kentucky the win. Afterwards when asked what was going through his mind he responded, “big time players make big time plays in big time games.” Although you are a big time player who did in fact make a big time play, this should not have been a big time game whatsoever. Kentucky entered this game 5-1 and ranked in the Top 25. I know this whole winning thing is new to a lot of you guys up in Lexington, but c’mon man.

The Rest

Missouri vs Memphis

Nice bounce back from the handful of losses. Putting up 65 points was exactly what they needed, and more importantly what Drew Lock needed for his draft stock. Lock went 23-29 for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns. This goes to show that sometimes all you need is some R&R to get out of a slump.

Arkansas vs Tulsa

A win is a win. Even if that means beating a 1-5 Tulsa team 23-0. When you’re a rebuilding program you take what you can get.