SEC Unfiltered: Tide, Georgia play like champs; Anthony Richardson plays like Vince Young
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:
Preseason expectations are always high for SEC teams. But they should be even higher after the first full weekend of play.
Alabama great in openers
Is there a better bet in sports than Alabama in its first game?
Never mind the opponent or the point spread. Just take Alabama and give the points.
That again worked out great for anyone who bet on the No. 1 Tide, who dominated Utah State 55-0.
Utah State’s seven first downs and 136 yards indicate the Alabama defense has improved. You can better assess that when the Tide plays Texas on Saturday in Austin.
As for the Alabama offense, Georgia Tech transfer running back Jahmir Gibbs delivered as expected. He averaged better than 9.3 yards per carry, including a 58-yard run.
Georgia still looks like a champ
Given the competition, defending national champion Georgia was even more impressive than Alabama.
In a 49-3 victory over No. 11 Oregon, the third-ranked Bulldogs looked better in the offensive line and secondary than last season. And quarterback Stetson Bennett again showed his passing accuracy (25 of 31 for 368 yards) and outstanding field awareness.
Welcome Florida to the top 25
While Georgia and Alabama were again demonstrating their championship credentials, Florida produced the conference’s marquee win, a 29-26 upset of No. 7 Utah.
The Gators didn't resemble last season's model. And that’s a good thing.
First-year coach Billy Napier stressed becoming tougher and more physical. Florida showed its toughness with two goal-line stands and a surprisingly potent running game that produced 283 yards.
You saw the same qualities from Napier’s teams at Louisiana. But he never had a quarterback's as good as Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
Richardson's combination of size and speed reminds you of former Texas quarterback Vince Young. Richardson rushed for over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns, including one on a 45-yard run. He also completed 17 of 24 passes.
Spencer Rattler needs help
Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 23 of 37 passes for 227 yards, but his stats don’t reflect how well he played in South Carolina's 35-14 victory over Georgia State. Rattler was under constant pressure from Georgia’s State’s defense.
If the Gamecocks can’t provide Rattler with more protection, they will be hard-pressed to improve on their seven-win record last season.
Will Rogers keeps getting better
Could everyone please stop referring to Will Rogers as a "system quarterback?" He completed 38 of 49 passes for 450 yards and five touchdowns in Mississippi State's 49-23 over Memphis.
The Air Raid offense lends itself to plenty of completions. But Rogers' accuracy is exceptional regardless of the system.
More observations on big SEC Saturday
Arkansas doesn’t have a wide receiver to match the departed Treylon Burks but found a playmaker in tight end Trey Knox, who had six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-24 victory over Cincinnati.
Jaxson Dart, who started in Ole Miss’ victory over Troy, has yet to win the starting quarterback job, but his running (40 yards on four carries) could give him the edge over Luke Altmyer, who is expected to start Saturday against Central Arkansas.
Kentucky’s running game struggled without suspended running back Chris Rodriguez, but newcomers at wide receiver came up big.
Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson had six catches for 136 yards, freshman Dane Key had four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Barion Brown caught three passes for 45 yards. He also had a touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return.
Those stats are reassuring for Kentucky fans who have been wondering how the Wildcats would replace playmaking wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SEC Unfiltered: Anthony Richardson plays like Vince Young
