1. We knew it would happen - NIKKI
Special teams already played a big role in losing Arkansas some games but we all knew there would be a game decided by special teams. Nathan Bax was the culprit this week, but it could’ve been anyone given how poorly the unit has performed this season. It’s debatable whether the Razorbacks deserved to win that game after atrocious third down performance but they definitely deserved to fight it out in overtime after all the adversity they’d battled through during the week and during the game, playing with 55 scholarship players.
I hope Sam Pittman gives Coach Fountain and the ST performances a good long look when the season wraps up. Arkansas isn’t making SC not top 10 highlights but it feels like ST really has taken a step backwards, which is saying something.
2. Time to Overhaul the Targeting Rule - HUTCH
If what Jalen Catalon did Saturday afternoon is targeting, the rule needs to be ripped up and destroyed. He clearly turned his body and hit the receiver with his shoulder and the side of his body, with his helmet nowhere close to the receiver.
I understand why targeting is a rule and I think it’s actually good for the sport, because you don’t want guys flying around and spearing players with their helmets. That’s how you end up with serious injuries.
What needs to change, though, is how the rule is enforced. The automatic ejection - or “disqualification” as they’re calling it now, as players can stay on the sideline because the NCAA is so gracious and kind - needs to be eliminated.
The NFL already doesn’t have an automatic ejection with its targeting rule. A player CAN be ejected, but the foul has to meet certain standards. That might be a good model for college.
Another idea would be to take a page out of soccer’s playbook at essentially have a “yellow” and “red” card. Certain fouls could be an automatic red card - or ejection - while all others are a yellow card. Then if the player commits a second targeting foul in the same game, then the ejection could kick in.
Those would be much more fair and teams like Arkansas wouldn’t have to be without players like Catalon for a chunk of the game - or in this case - the first half of the next game.
3. Jonathan Marshall - NIKKI
I didn’t want to write a whole new story after Hutch had literally just written about how impressive Marshall has been all season long but he showed it again on Saturday. He played 88 of 92 defensive snaps and graded out fourth on the team. He had 4 of the 10 pressures. I don’t know how they’d get it to happen other than telling him he could get drafted even higher in 2022 but if they can find a way to get Marshall to stay, that’d be one of the biggest recruiting wins of the cycle.
As Hutch wrote in his story, Marshall leads the nation in pressures. Looking back at the guys who led the nation in that category in 2019, one is still in college, two were drafted (3rd and 6th round), two went to NFL teams as UDFA with one playing very significant snaps for the Jags.
4. Grant Morgan Appreciation Post - HUTCH
I’ve written it before, but I really should have taken my own advice when I said not to doubt a Morgan. Drew proved that a few years ago and Grant is proving it again this year.
When our preseason roundtable asked me to predict who would lead the team in tackles this season, I picked a safety (and Joe Foucha, not Catalon - so I was way wrong) because I didn’t have a ton of faith in Arkansas’ linebackers.
All Morgan has done this year is rack up 104 tackles in eight games. Not only does that lead the team, but that leads the country…by 17! If he keeps up his current pace of 13 tackles per game, he’ll finish the regular-season with 130 tackles.
That is an incredible number, especially considering it would be against a 10-game, conference-only schedule. He didn’t get to pad his stats against the likes of Nevada and Charleston Southern.
As y’all know, I’m a big proponent of tackles not always equaling success for a defensive player, but Morgan has done a little bit of everything. He’s also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (6.5) and pass breakups (5), plus he’s second on the team with two sacks and he has a pick-six.
Pro Football Focus has given Morgan a 74.5 grade this season, which ranks third among the 45 SEC linebackers who’ve played at least 60 snaps this season. There is no question he deserves to be in the first-team All-SEC conversation.
5. My no good, pretty bad betting week - NIKKI
Things got off to a rough start when Florida decided to saunter into Vanderbilt without a care in the world. The Gators neither covered at 31 or hit the over. Next, the Razorbacks didn’t pull off the upset so that’s -$300 through two games, though I did win on the over. I hit on Missouri, Alabama and Auburn on the spread but Georgia was nowhere close against Miss State and Tenn-Auburn didn’t hit the over. Overall, I lost $137, my worst week in terms of losses and my third negative week of the season. Going to finish strong though!
Week 10 Lines:
Kentucky at Florida (-23)
Arkansas at Missouri (-2)
Auburn at Alabama (-25)
Mississippi State at Ole Miss (-12)
LSU at Texas A&M (-12)
Georgia (-19) at South Carolina
Tennessee (-11) at Vanderbilt
Special teams already played a big role in losing Arkansas some games but we all knew there would be a game decided by special teams. Nathan Bax was the culprit this week, but it could’ve been anyone given how poorly the unit has performed this season. It’s debatable whether the Razorbacks deserved to win that game after atrocious third down performance but they definitely deserved to fight it out in overtime after all the adversity they’d battled through during the week and during the game, playing with 55 scholarship players.
I hope Sam Pittman gives Coach Fountain and the ST performances a good long look when the season wraps up. Arkansas isn’t making SC not top 10 highlights but it feels like ST really has taken a step backwards, which is saying something.
2. Time to Overhaul the Targeting Rule - HUTCH
If what Jalen Catalon did Saturday afternoon is targeting, the rule needs to be ripped up and destroyed. He clearly turned his body and hit the receiver with his shoulder and the side of his body, with his helmet nowhere close to the receiver.
I understand why targeting is a rule and I think it’s actually good for the sport, because you don’t want guys flying around and spearing players with their helmets. That’s how you end up with serious injuries.
What needs to change, though, is how the rule is enforced. The automatic ejection - or “disqualification” as they’re calling it now, as players can stay on the sideline because the NCAA is so gracious and kind - needs to be eliminated.
The NFL already doesn’t have an automatic ejection with its targeting rule. A player CAN be ejected, but the foul has to meet certain standards. That might be a good model for college.
Another idea would be to take a page out of soccer’s playbook at essentially have a “yellow” and “red” card. Certain fouls could be an automatic red card - or ejection - while all others are a yellow card. Then if the player commits a second targeting foul in the same game, then the ejection could kick in.
Those would be much more fair and teams like Arkansas wouldn’t have to be without players like Catalon for a chunk of the game - or in this case - the first half of the next game.
3. Jonathan Marshall - NIKKI
I didn’t want to write a whole new story after Hutch had literally just written about how impressive Marshall has been all season long but he showed it again on Saturday. He played 88 of 92 defensive snaps and graded out fourth on the team. He had 4 of the 10 pressures. I don’t know how they’d get it to happen other than telling him he could get drafted even higher in 2022 but if they can find a way to get Marshall to stay, that’d be one of the biggest recruiting wins of the cycle.
As Hutch wrote in his story, Marshall leads the nation in pressures. Looking back at the guys who led the nation in that category in 2019, one is still in college, two were drafted (3rd and 6th round), two went to NFL teams as UDFA with one playing very significant snaps for the Jags.
4. Grant Morgan Appreciation Post - HUTCH
I’ve written it before, but I really should have taken my own advice when I said not to doubt a Morgan. Drew proved that a few years ago and Grant is proving it again this year.
When our preseason roundtable asked me to predict who would lead the team in tackles this season, I picked a safety (and Joe Foucha, not Catalon - so I was way wrong) because I didn’t have a ton of faith in Arkansas’ linebackers.
All Morgan has done this year is rack up 104 tackles in eight games. Not only does that lead the team, but that leads the country…by 17! If he keeps up his current pace of 13 tackles per game, he’ll finish the regular-season with 130 tackles.
That is an incredible number, especially considering it would be against a 10-game, conference-only schedule. He didn’t get to pad his stats against the likes of Nevada and Charleston Southern.
As y’all know, I’m a big proponent of tackles not always equaling success for a defensive player, but Morgan has done a little bit of everything. He’s also tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (6.5) and pass breakups (5), plus he’s second on the team with two sacks and he has a pick-six.
Pro Football Focus has given Morgan a 74.5 grade this season, which ranks third among the 45 SEC linebackers who’ve played at least 60 snaps this season. There is no question he deserves to be in the first-team All-SEC conversation.
5. My no good, pretty bad betting week - NIKKI
Things got off to a rough start when Florida decided to saunter into Vanderbilt without a care in the world. The Gators neither covered at 31 or hit the over. Next, the Razorbacks didn’t pull off the upset so that’s -$300 through two games, though I did win on the over. I hit on Missouri, Alabama and Auburn on the spread but Georgia was nowhere close against Miss State and Tenn-Auburn didn’t hit the over. Overall, I lost $137, my worst week in terms of losses and my third negative week of the season. Going to finish strong though!
Week 10 Lines:
Kentucky at Florida (-23)
Arkansas at Missouri (-2)
Auburn at Alabama (-25)
Mississippi State at Ole Miss (-12)
LSU at Texas A&M (-12)
Georgia (-19) at South Carolina
Tennessee (-11) at Vanderbilt
