SEC Unfiltered: Bryce Young comes up big; Anthony Richardson falters; What's up with Aggies?

Welcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK's newsletter on SEC sports. Look for this newsletter in your inbox Monday through Friday. Today, Knoxville News Sentinel columnist John Adams takes over:

Alabama Heisman Trophy quarterback Bryce Young is an accurate passer and a running threat as well. But his greatest attribute is his uncanny, Tom Brady-like knack for raising his play under the most dire circumstances.

You saw that last November when the Tide were teetering toward defeat against Auburn. You saw it again in Alabama’s dramatic come-from-behind victory against Texas on Saturday.

The more chaotic the situation, the more relaxed Young becomes. He was unfazed by the noise at Texas Memorial Stadium and the inability of his receivers to get open – or, in some cases, hold on to the football – against the Longhorns secondary. And when his pass protection broke down, he ducked the rush and delivered a clutch play.

Texas was the better team – even with a limping backup quarterback – for most of the afternoon. But it couldn’t weather Young’s clutch play.

Few defenses can.

Slow the hype on Anthony Richardson

No one questions the athletic ability of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. And he’s a handful in the open field.

But how good of a quarterback is he?

He was awful in Florida’s 26-16 loss to Kentucky, completing only 14 of 35 passes, throwing two interceptions and gaining 4 yards on six carries.

A week earlier, Miami of Ohio quarterback Brett Gabbert completed 20 of 28 pass against Kentucky.

Has offense passed Jimbo Fisher by?

Remember when Jimbo Fisher was regarded as an offensive guru and a quarterback whisperer?

That reputation hasn’t survived his move from Florida State to Texas A&M. Fisher is now in his fifth season with the Aggies, and they’re no better off than they were with former coach Kevin Sumlin, whom Fisher replaced.

Texas A&M’s offense struggled again Saturday. It managed only nine first downs and 186 yards in a 17-14 loss to Appalachian State.

Fisher can replace quarterback Haynes King with LSU transfer Max Johnson, but that won’t solve the problems with his offensive line. In fact, he might want to rethink his entire offensive approach.

Vanderbilt's disappearing defense

Second-year coach Clark Lea’s reputation as a defensive coach is also taking a beating. But the former Notre Dame defensive coordinator doesn’t deserve most of the blame for Vanderbilt’s shortcomings.

Based on how the Commodores have performed in the past two games, you could question whether Bill Belichick could render their defense competent.

Elon scored 31 points and totaled 495 yards in an 11-point loss to the Commodores. Wake Forest gained 451 yards in a 45-25 victory Saturday.

KJ Jefferson is the new Tim Tebow

As much as Arkansas relies on quarterback KJ Jefferson, it’s understandable Razorbacks fans might worry about his health. But after watching Arkansas beat South Carolina, I’ve convinced that anyone trying to tackle Jefferson is more at risk for injury.

On one play against South Carolina, two defenders hit Jefferson at the same time behind the line. Mosquitoes would have had a greater impact. He busted through the would-be-tacklers and was hit again as he threw. He still almost completed the pass.

On another first-half play, Jefferson took a head-on hit that had to be reviewed for targeting (the defender was ruled not guilty), but Jefferson kept driving forward for an 11-yard gain.

Opponents have to focus so much on Jefferson’s running, running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is likely headed for a big season. He rushed for 156 yards against South Carolina.

Other Week 2 observations

After watching Kansas State manhandle Missouri, I'm about to change my mind on Vanderbilt going winless in the SEC again.

Not all LSU fans could celebrate a 65-17 victory over Southern, whose coach called a timeout to set up a last-second field goal, as the Jaguars beat the 49-point spread.

Few quarterbacks are as adept as Mississippi State's Will Rogers at keeping his receivers happy. Ten different Bulldogs caught passes, and six had five or more receptions in Mississippi State's 39-17 victory over Arizona.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SEC Unfiltered: Bryce Young strikes again, Jimbo Fisher stumbles again