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Southern Exposure: SEC Preview, Week 5

October 1, 2010  |  By Benjamin Miraski

Trey Burton, Florida Gators, SEC, college football

With a third of the season gone, it is time for a little quiz. Let’s see who has been paying attention so far this season in the SEC.

Ready? Here with go with question No. 1.

Who is the leading rusher in the conference?
A. Stevan Ridley, LSU
B. Trent Richardson, Alabama
C. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
D. None of the above

The answer: D. None of the above. The correct answer is actually Auburn’s Cameron Newton. That’s right, a quarterback leads the conference in rushing yards (485 total).

Now this would likely be Trent Richardson or Mark Ingram had they each been playing alone in the backfield for an entire season so far, but instead it falls to our do everything guy across the state.

Look for Newton to pad those numbers this weekend but more on that later.

Ok, so that one was a hard one. How about an easy one?

Who is the top scorer in the SEC?
A. Josh Jasper, LSU
B. Trent Richardson, Alabama
C. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
D. None of the above

The answer: D. None of the above. The correct answer is Florida’s Trey Burton, who has barely touched the ball through four games this season but has scored eight touchdowns, six coming last week against Kentucky. Burton ran for five touchdowns (the longest just 11 yards) and caught a pass for his sixth score of the day.

And this is a guy who touched the ball just 11 times in the game. Imagine if he were running the offense in Gainesville.

Actually it is probably better that Gators fan don’t think about that. We don’t want them to hate on their 4-0 team the way that LSU fans have been.

Plus, a trip to Alabama isn’t the best time to be bringing in the freshman but more on that later.

OK last question in our little game.

Who has the most interceptions in the conference?
A. Patrick Peterson, LSU
B. Ahmad Black, Florida
C. Maurice Langston, Mississippi State
D. None of the above

I hope you are catching on by now. That answer is of course D: None of the above. The leader is Robert Lester from Alabama, who picked off Ryan Mallett twice last week and helped secure the Tide’s No. 1 ranking and kill Mallett’s Heisman hopes.

Now, you can’t be blamed for thinking it was Patrick Peterson. For all the hype heaped on him by ESPN, you would think he had already returned three picks for touchdowns this year (Incidentally, Tennessee’s Prentiss Wagner has done it twice, the most in the SEC). Teams play away from Peterson enough to make his stats seem almost pedestrian compared to the rest of the leaders out there.

And with the way that Florida is generating turnovers on defense, it wouldn’t be tough to pick Black. But Florida has been spreading around the fun.

Will Lester be able to add to his conference leading total of four this coming week against Florida?

Well let’s find out right now as we go to the games.

Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn (-35) - If there is one thing we have learned about Auburn this year is that no game is a safe bet. Everything has been a battle for the 4-0 Tigers. Cameron Newton may be one of the most versatile players in college football, but he probably won’t be on the field for the whole game. And neither will the first team defense. That leads me to believe that this one just begging for a pick of ULM and the points.

Vanderbilt at Connecticut (-7.5) - It’s the Big East. It’s Connecticut. But, it is also Vandy. The Commodores had a whole week off to prepare for this one and that is following their shocking upset of Mississippi. While LSU had the defensive talent to keep Vandy off the board, Connecticut does not. I have to believe that the Commodores can score, especially enough to keep the game close should they not be able to pull this one off outright. I am taking Vandy and the points.

Kentucky at Mississippi (-3) - Here’s what gave Kentucky trouble against Florida: versatile players who can pass, run and generally cause your head to spin. Here is what Mississippi has at quarterback: a versatile player who can pretty much do that. The Rebel defense tends to give up a lot of points (100th nationally in that category), but in this case, I think they can outscore anything the Wildcats can throw at them. Maybe I have finally got Mississippi figured out. Take the Rebs and lay the three.

Tennessee at LSU (-16) - LSU has one of the most punishing defenses in the SEC, and probably the country, but for the first four weeks this season, they have also had one of the most pathetic offenses. We can be certain that Tennessee will be held in check for most of the game. The question is how many points LSU will actually be able to score. Without a passing game, the Tigers will be running, and running the clock on the Vols, which has limited their ability to run up the score so far. Last week the Tigers got just 20 points against West Virginia. I am going to say that Tennessee can hold them to under 25 and can score at least a touchdown, so I am going with the Vols and the points.

Georgia at Colorado (-4.5) - Georgia might have been the most surprising loss last week in the SEC. Here was a team that competed with everyone that they have played in conference so far, but they couldn’t shut down Mississippi and Jeremiah Massoli. It was clear that they played well above their heads against South Carolina and Auburn and possibly took Mississippi too lightly. Well, this week, count on the Bulldogs to set things right. A trip to Colorado has recently been the cure to a lot of ills. The Buffs shouldn’t challenge Georgia as the teams in the SEC have and possibly will take Georgia’s record as a sign that they don’t need to worry. I am taking the Bulldogs and the points.

Florida at Alabama (-8) - I have a gut feeling about this one, and then I have a reasoned opinion. My gut feeling is that Florida will be able to stop the running game of Alabama and force them to pass, essentially playing to the defense’s strength and encouraging a slew of turnovers that will turn the game the Gators way, at least enough to cover. My reasoned opinion is that the Gators haven’t seen a running game like Alabama’s this season and probably won’t for the rest of the year. Even with a speedy backfield, Florida will be lucky to hold Alabama to less than 5.0 yards per carry. With that going, the Tide will run all day. My gut tells me that we have finally seen Trey Burton emerge as the new Tim Tebow at Florida. My reasoned opinion is that even Urban Meyer isn’t crazy enough to put Burton in on the road against the Tide. My gut says that Florida’s offense may be shaky but can score. My reasoned opinion is that Alabama will jump all over early Florida mistakes and this won’t even be a game. I am going with my gut. Take the Gators and the points.

Patsy Party: Alcorn State at Mississippi State

Lazy Saturday: Arkansas, South Carolina

Southern Exposure went 4-3 last weekend to bring the season’s record to 18-13-1.

   

Posted October 1, 2010 12:00 PM