THE SEC REPORT
The SEC Report: A&M goes to Baton Rouge and The Iron Bowl is back
Nov 26, 2019, 6:27 am
THE SEC REPORT
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
LSU hurt Arkansas real bad last weekend winning 56-20 and getting some monster offensive production out of some key guys. A&M fell a little short of their goal of ruining Georgia's season but they played a close game and didn't let Swift get crazy on them as other teams had. Alabama crushed poor Western Carolina and now sits patiently in fifth place nationally, if they take care of business this week and then Georgia plays LSU and loses in a conference championship, it's likely Alabama jumps right back into the playoff picture. How cruel would that be to the rest of College Football?
Joe Burrow, Quarterback of LSU. So who exactly is supposed to be his competition for The Heisman at this point? He padded the resume in a blow out throwing for three more touchdowns and putting a mere 327 yards up while completing a mere 82% of his passes.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Runningback of LSU. He must have had a forcefield on or something he was wearing the cleanest jersey I've ever seen a runningback have after a game although I suppose it helped that he only had six carries, but scored three touchdowns and ran for 188 yards. You almost wonder if Arkansas just wanted off the field on some drives.
Mac Jones, Quarterback of Alabama. it isn't so much for the fact that he beat up a cupcake of an opponent, but it's the efficiency and confidence with which he did it. 10-12 for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mac's played a little bit already this year but it was important for the nation and for him to see him come out and perform well this week. Help reassure a certain selection committee they won't make a mistake by putting Alabama back in the dance.
A little Thanksgiving SEC football is always nice, so Thursday night feel free to turn on Ole Miss at Mississippi State. This coming weekend while you're buried in leftovers there are some great games to check out including both South Carolina and Texas A&M taking another shot at upsetting two great seasons as Clemson comes to South Carolina, who earlier upset Georgia (who obviously has recovered) and A&M goes to Baton Rouge and plays LSU, where a loss could derail everything The Tigers have built this year. Alabama goes to Auburn and a win could be rank-busting. If Alabama wins and Clemson loses then Alabama is in the top four without an SEC championship game potentially. If LSU loses and Alabama wins then suddenly, LSU still goes to the SEC championship game and plays Georgia but Alabama may somehow be ranked into all of this at that point, they can't sit still if they beat #15 Auburn and either #1 LSU, #3 Clemson or #4 Georgia loses. The polls would be forced to slide Alabama up somewhere.
Kyle Trask, Quarterback of Florida. This is the game he needs to shine in. Playing their in-state rival Florida State at home, a win hopefully puts them into the Top Ten for the season, which would be a great finish for a team that lost a starting quarterback very early and therefore played a lot of ugly football early in the season.
Mac Jones, Quarterback of Alabama. We've talked about it all over this piece today but this is a big game, he's the back up and The Crimson Tide has no margin for error. They need this win like a fish needs water, there's just no getting around the fact that at this instant they are on the outside looking in on the four team playoff potentially.
Bryan Edwards, Wide Receiver of South Carolina. For the Gamecocks to have a chance they need explosive plays and they need to be able to threaten the secondary and have a guy they can go to on long third downs, so a wide out who can get it done. This is the big game for Edwards.
The Houston Astros wrapped up yet another series win this week, this time taking two of three from the struggling Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Despite missing several key players and a bullpen that wasn’t fully available, the Astros continued their recent run of success, pushing their record to 52-35.
Manager Joe Espada appeared to be playing the long game in the rubber match on Thursday. After Houston rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, Espada stuck with reliever Jordan Weems instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. That decision, while frustrating to some fans hoping for the sweep, underscored the team’s cautious approach to workload management as they navigate a long season.
One bright spot continues to be rookie Cam Smith, who delivered again in the clutch with a two-run triple in the seventh inning on Thursday. Smith has been Houston’s most dependable bat with runners on base and is quickly settling into the cleanup role—a rarity for a first-year player but one he’s earned with his poise and production.
Astros cleanup hitter RBIs this season:
Cam Smith: 10 RBIs in 7 games
All others: 28 RBIs in 80 games
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) July 3, 2025
Off the field, the biggest storyline continues to be Yordan Alvarez’s injury. After reports surfaced that the slugger had experienced a setback in his return from a fractured hand, the team clarified that the issue is inflammation, not the fracture itself. Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez received injections to address the irritation and is expected to rest for now. Encouragingly, the Astros say the fracture is no longer a concern, and while there’s still no definitive timeline for his return, the overall tone from the club was optimistic.
The transparency around Alvarez’s situation is part of a larger shift. After being criticized in recent seasons for vague injury updates, the Astros have begun issuing daily availability reports. It’s a move that signals the front office is trying to regain some trust with the media and fans after a stretch of frustrating ambiguity around player health.
Now, the Astros head to Los Angeles for a marquee matchup with the defending champion Dodgers. Friday’s opener will feature Lance McCullers Jr. making just his second start since returning from the injured list. McCullers gave up eight runs in his return against the Cubs and will be under the spotlight as he looks to settle back into form. Control will be the key, as walks have long been McCullers’ Achilles’ heel.
Saturday sets the stage for one of the most anticipated pitching matchups of the season: Framber Valdez versus Shohei Ohtani. With both teams fighting for positioning in their respective divisions, this weekend in LA should serve as a measuring stick—and perhaps a postseason preview.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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