THE SEC REPORT

The SEC Report: LSU emerged victorious; Georgia and Florida are lurking

Cory De La Guardia
Nov 13, 2019, 6:41 am

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!

LAST WEEKEND

Obviously the biggest story out of the SEC last weekend is the outcome of the LSU vs Alabama game. LSU winning in such decisive fashion is not only impressive for Joe Burrows but for LSU as a whole. It's important for Burrows because it does help elevate his Heisman hopes and increases his profile nationally and all while Tua was opposite him, which is even better. LSU now sits No. 1 in the country and after their wins Georgia and Florida are hoping for a little more chaos.

THREE STARS OF LAST WEEKEND

Joe Burrows, quarterback of LSU, threw for 393 yards and 3 touchdowns. This is the exact game he needed to play and the exact stage it had to happen on to give him his Heisman moment and now this kid is cruising as the front runner on the highest ranked team in the country.

Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback of Alabama, who in a big game in a big moment, stepped up and had a hell of a game coming off an injury where people were wondering about him and his ability. He answered all of those questions and yes it's a losing effort but honestly its 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, most NFL quarterbacks would kill to lose that bad.

Rakeem Boyd, running back of Arkansas, whose season is over essentially, especially after dropping a terrible game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (yikes) but Rakeem had himself a monster of a day putting on 185 yards and two touchdowns. It's important to recognize who is still trying to win when things go bad.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

Honestly there are lots of games to watch this weekend. Texas A&M hosts South Carolina, Alabama travels to Mississippi State to try and regain some control over their season. Georgia travels to Auburn, Florida is at Missouri and LSU travels to Ole Miss. While there isn't a bigger game than last week's headliner there are tons of solid games and with LSU beating Alabama last week, it feels like lots of things are up for grabs and all the weekend's games contribute to the story in some ways.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

D'Andre Swift, runningback of Georgia, Alabama losing doesn't happen often and it feels like an opportunity for Georgia to maybe gain ground and score a big win but all of that starts with Swift doing better than he did last week.

Kyle Trask, quarterback of Florida, somehow Florida's season isn't over and they are a top ten team playing a game of national relevance. Trask has work to do.

Bo Nix, quarterback of Auburn, the season hasn't gone as planned for these guys but Nix might still have some magic in him yet and this is Auburn's last big chance to move up and score love nationally.

Feel free to check out my brand-new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.

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Houston is back in the win column

McCullers Jr. spins a gem as Astros get a much-needed win over Giants

Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

After getting swept by the A's in Oakland to end a road trip with a five-game losing streak, the Astros returned to Houston to try and get back on track. To do so, they'd need a win against the Giants on Monday night. Here is a quick recap of the series opener:

Final Score: Astros 6, Giants 4.

Record: 7-9, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 6.10 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Logan Webb (1-1, 2.81 ERA).

Houston builds up an early lead

The early goings of Monday's game went very similar to the last time Lance McCullers Jr. took the mound. He would have a terrific first three innings while his offense gave him an early lead. The first run came in the bottom of the second, with Yuli Gurriel reaching base on a one-out double, moving to third on a wild pitch, then scoring on an RBI-single by Carlos Correa.

Correa would take part in a four-run inning in the third, as Houston would score two on a two-RBI ground-rule double by Michael Brantley, another on an error, then Correa's second RBI of the night, a groundout to bring in a run and make it 5-0. Unlike the last start in Arizona, where the roof opened and McCullers Jr. fell apart in the fourth, he was able to make quick work of his opponent for a 1-2-3 frame. As he kept recording scoreless innings, Martin Maldonado added another run to the lead with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, making it 6-0.

McCullers Jr. takes a no-hitter into the seventh

While the Astros were building their lead, McCullers Jr. was spinning a gem on the mound. He allowed just one baserunner through the first six innings, which came on a hit-by-pitch. He entered the seventh with a no-hitter in progress, but the Giants would get their first hit of the night to end the no-hit bid.

Regardless, the start was precisely what McCullers Jr. needed to restore his confidence after the disastrous inning he had in his last appearance. He would go on to complete the seventh inning before Houston would go to the bullpen with the large lead in the eighth. His final line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K 0 HR, 1 HPB.

Houston gets back in the win column despite more struggles by Josh James

Josh James entered out of the bullpen for the top of the eighth but allowed the first run of the night for San Francisco via a solo home run with one out to make it 6-1. He would complete the inning and then return for the top of the ninth. He would have another rocky inning, issuing a leadoff walk before a single and double would make it a four-run game at 6-2, still with no outs in the inning and runners on second and third, prompting another call to the bullpen.

Dusty Baker would bring in his current closer, Ryan Pressly, to try and finish the game, now in a save situation. Pressly would retire the first two batters he faced before allowing a two-RBI single to make it 6-4, but would eventually get the final out to get Houston the much-needed win. With the victory, the Astros moved back into second place in the AL West standings.

Up Next: The middle game of this three-game set will start Tuesday at 8:10 PM Central. The Giants, working with a fluid rotation, have not yet fully decided on their starter, while the Astros will get another start from Brandon Bielak (2-0, 0.87 ERA) who will look to repeat the success of his five-inning, no-run start in Arizona last week.

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