The SEC finally kicked off Saturday, adding a different degree of intrigue and legitimacy to the most unusual of seasons. After an appetizer of mostly one-sided pairings, the conference in which "it just means more" is serving up two very meaningful matchups.
Week 2 of SEC play features No. 2 Alabama hosting No. 13 Texas A&M, trying to break through in Year 3 under the $75 million man, Jimbo Fisher. If that's not enough, the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry resumes, as No. 7 Auburn and No. 4 Georgia meet between the hedges.
As an SEC assistant said to me, "You can't play an all-SEC schedule and go too long before you play someone."
Saturday provided the first glimpse at the four teams to be featured in Week 2 of the SEC season. All four teams won their openers, although Texas A&M made it interesting against Vanderbilt.
There's plenty to dissect about these two games after the SEC's opening weekend. Here's what coaches are saying about what to expect and who to watch in Tuscaloosa and Athens this Saturday.
No. 13 Texas A&M (1-0) at No. 2 Alabama (1-0), 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, CBS
The oddities of the 2020 season -- a delayed start, league-only schedules, constant COVID-19 roster concerns -- overshadow what actually is normal: Alabama has a really, really good team. Coaches think this could be one of Nick Saban's best squads in the College Football Playoff era, especially if potential issues in a new-look secondary are addressed.
Even though Alabama lost a transcendent quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, the Tide boast talent and depth throughout their offense. Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith, who combined for 16 receptions and 223 yards in Saturday's opener at Missouri, are both proven players. The running back room is loaded. Veteran ball carriers Najee Harris and Brian Robinson Jr. return, and Trey Sanders is healthy. Freshmen Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan didn't touch the ball at Missouri but should factor into the rotation as the season progresses. The offensive line returns four starters, including tackles Alex Leatherwood and Evan Neal.
"The O-line is the thing that not enough people are talking about," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "Very rarely does Alabama get to bring back that many O-linemen. Usually, there's a sprinkling of some juniors who are about to leave, and then the new five-stars who just got there. They actually are going to have four returning starters. They rarely get old on the O-line."
Mac Jones, who put up solid numbers in relief of Tagovailoa last season, has benefited from a full offseason as Alabama's QB1, especially with dynamic freshman Bryce Young right behind him. Jones was very efficient in his debut (18-of-24 passing, 249 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions).
"When you've got a young guy breathing down your neck, you step up," an SEC assistant said. "Mac has watched this play out before, where [Jalen Hurts is] the starter, Tua comes in, he's nipping at his heels the entire time, and Tua ends up being the starter. Mac's seen this before. He's like, 'That's not going to be me.'"
Saban referred to Young as "the backup" after the Missouri game, noting that the freshman benefited from some game experience. But Jones should lead the offense throughout the Texas A&M game unless the score gets out of hand.
"You would imagine they would avoid putting [Young] out there to be at risk of losing a game early," an SEC defensive assistant said.
Jones faced virtually no pressure against Missouri, but that could change this week. Although Texas A&M wasn't a great pressure defense in 2019, the unit recorded 10 tackles for loss Saturday against Vanderbilt and has talented front-seven players such as end DeMarvin Leal.
Coordinator Mike Elko's defense, good in spurts and in certain categories but still looking for collective consistency, shined in the Vanderbilt win while the Aggies' offense struggled with mistakes. Vanderbilt's offense scored just 10 points and averaged 3.8 yards per play. Leal and safety Demani Richardson are both considered elite players, and safety Leon O'Neal Jr. had two tackles for loss and an interception against Vanderbilt. There are high hopes for true freshman cornerback Jaylon Jones, who will be tested if matched up against Waddle or Smith.
The major concern for Texas A&M is an offense that should be much further along than what we saw against Vanderbilt. The Aggies ran the ball well with Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith, but they committed three turnovers and several untimely penalties. They also received average play from quarterback Kellen Mond.
Before facing Texas A&M, Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said of the Aggies' offense, "They have enough pieces that have been together where now, you're going to start seeing some of that experience start to pay off. They're a good football team, they're well-coached and it's Year 3."
But Texas A&M didn't look like an offense in Year 3 of the same playcaller (Fisher) and quarterback (Mond). The unit will need a much sharper performance against Alabama, which looked improved on defense for much of its opener.
Although Alabama's revamped secondary around star cornerback Patrick Surtain is worth monitoring, the front six is formidable, especially with Dylan Moses back from injury. Moses and linebacker Christian Harris each had two tackles for loss against Missouri, and true freshman outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. showed why he generated so much praise in the offseason. Nicknamed "The Terminator" by offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, Anderson looked disruptive throughout the opener, even though he was credited only with three tackles.
"If he can stay healthy, he'll eventually be a top-five [NFL] draft pick," a source said. "He's unbelievable."
Mond must attack downfield to free up Spiller and the run game, and Texas A&M can't afford the sloppiness it showed against Vanderbilt to keep pace with the Tide.
"Pre-snap penalties, penalties in general, turnovers, negative plays, you've got to eliminate them, you've got to clean them up bad," Fisher said. "We had one of the most penalty-free camps we've had. ... We've got to get them cleaned up, and the turnovers."
No. 7 Auburn (1-0) at No. 4 Georgia (1-0), 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN
Both teams are facing the same major question: Will a new offensive coordinator provide a jolt for an underperforming unit to complement an elite defense? Veteran playcallers Todd Monken (Georgia) and Chad Morris (Auburn) are central figures in determining whether their teams will challenge for the CFP or slip into the SEC's second tier this fall.
Heading into this week's clash, Monken appears to have the tougher task. Georgia's ever-evolving quarterback saga had another twist Saturday, as former walk-on Stetson Bennett replaced starter D'Wan Mathis in the second quarter at Arkansas after six possessions that resulted in five punts, an interception, 33 net yards and zero points. Bennett, who backed up Jake Fromm last year after transferring back to Georgia from Jones County Junior College, looked solid enough (211 pass yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) in a 37-10 win. Georgia also seemingly has more options in the passing game with wide receiver Kearis Jackson to complement George Pickens, and young tight ends John FitzPatrick and Darnell Washington to complement Florida State transfer Tre' McKitty.
But Georgia slogged through a weird and bad first half at Arkansas, holding the ball for more than 18 minutes, averaging 3.6 yards per play (2.4 yards per rush), converting 1 of 12 third-down attempts and not scoring until its 49th and final play.
"Felt like I was in an extra-innings baseball game because it went forever and we weren't scoring," coach Kirby Smart said.
Although Georgia eventually pulled away, it needed 39 minutes to score a touchdown against an Arkansas defense that, while clearly improved under coordinator Barry Odom, ranked 124th nationally in points allowed last season. The Bulldogs need their signature run game, which never truly surged against Arkansas, to get rolling this week against Auburn.
Smart said the offense's struggles Saturday went beyond Mathis, as penalties and missed assignments derailed early drives. Georgia shuffled a new-look line, as redshirt freshman Warren McClendon replaced Owen Condon at right tackle, Warren Ericson moved to center and Trey Hill moved from center to left guard.
"They got real issues," an SEC assistant said of Georgia. "Lost a lot up front. They'll struggle. They struggled last year with a bunch of great players."
Auburn's defense struggled on third down against Kentucky, which converted 12 of 20 chances and allowed 21 first downs and 384 yards. But the Tigers shined in the red zone, where they collected two of their three takeaways. Auburn, which ranked eighth nationally in red zone defense in 2019, allowed just one score on three red zone trips by Kentucky on Saturday. Although coaches still respect the physicality of Georgia's offensive line, which could have the edge against a new-look Auburn defensive front, Auburn counters with playmakers such as linebackers K.J. Britt and Owen Pappoe, and nickelback Christian Tutt.
Morris is the fourth man to hold Auburn's offensive coordinator title since 2016, following Kenny Dillingham, Chip Lindsey and Rhett Lashlee. But coaches have always wondered how much control or influence Auburn coach Gus Malzahn truly relinquishes when it comes to his specialty.
"You can watch the offense for eight years, and supposedly there's all these different playcallers, but they always run the same plays," an SEC defensive coordinator said. "This year, Gus isn't calling it. This year, Gus is calling it. But you put it all together in a cut-up, and they all look the same. And then when you put Chad in there, Chad's not completely different."
Heading into the opener, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops noted that Malzahn and Morris "think alike" in certain schematic areas, such as trick plays or when to take downfield shots.
"What could be different," Stoops said last week, "[is] what we're looking at is the pass game with Chad possibly changing some things up in that area."
Auburn's passing game looked different and better in Saturday's opener, in structure and in execution. Sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who completed only 57.6% of his passes last season, made more decisive throws from the pocket and found top targets Seth Williams, Eli Stove and Anthony Schwartz. Nix threw three second-half touchdowns, had no interceptions and averaged 14.6 yards per completion.
Malzahn noted several "outstanding throws" from Nix, including an 11-yard touchdown to Williams in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal -- "That was the only place the ball could be," Malzahn said -- and later, a 21-yard score that found Stove in stride on an out-and-up route.
Morris' use of Williams against Georgia's talented secondary will be a fascinating subplot of this week's game. A Power 5 defensive coordinator told me before the season that he thought Morris, whose fingerprints on Clemson's offense remain to this day, would use Williams like Clemson had used Tee Higgins, who led the team with 1,159 receiving yards in 2019 and recorded 118 receptions and 25 touchdowns the past two seasons. Williams also made 59 catches last season but could be featured even more in Morris' passing game. He'll likely be matched up against Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes.
Auburn's offense had a clean opener with no turnovers and only three penalties.
"Very smooth," Malzahn said of the offense's operation under Morris. "We had a bad snap or two. Take those two plays away, we could have done even better. His communication and how he got our guys ready and then adjusted, too, there were some great adjustments."
Auburn will need a stronger start at Georgia, though, after logging only 24 plays in the first half against the ball-control Kentucky offense. After a 70-yard touchdown drive with big plays, creative calls and tempo, Auburn had only two more possessions before halftime. The Tigers also need to establish a run outside of Nix, as backs Shaun Shivers, D.J. Williams and Tank Bigsby never really got going against Kentucky.
Georgia's defense allowed a 91-yard scoring drive on Arkansas' second possession Saturday, but then surrendered just three points and 183 yards the rest of the way, as star safety Richard LeCounte had two interceptions and Stokes had another.
"They're damn good on defense," an SEC offensive assistant said.
Nix called Kentucky "a great game to prepare us to move forward."
But he knows the road ahead won't be easy.
"With the big SEC schedule, it's going to be tough," Nix said. "It's going to be gruesome for everybody."