THE SEC REPORT
The SEC Report: LSU emerged victorious; Georgia and Florida are lurking
Nov 13, 2019, 5:41 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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The Houston Astros have looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks, riding a hot streak fueled by dominant starting pitching and a red-hot offense that’s erupted for double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. But behind the current success, there are fair questions about whether this pace is truly sustainable as the grind of the season continues.
Yes, the Astros are winning — and winning big — but context matters. Many of their recent victories have come against struggling clubs like the White Sox and Athletics. Even matchups against the Twins and Guardians, while respectable, don’t exactly represent championship-caliber tests. That soft stretch of the schedule has certainly helped Houston pad its win column, but it may not be the best predictor of long-term performance. Houston will be tested in the upcoming series against the Phillies and Cubs.
On the pitching side, the numbers have been impressive, but how repeatable is it? With Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, the Astros are relying on a patchwork rotation that includes unproven arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter. While each has shown flashes, asking them to shoulder the load deep into the summer may be a tall order.
Offensively, Houston is firing on all cylinders. But scoring 10 or more runs every other game simply isn’t sustainable over a 162-game season. Regression is inevitable; the question is how the team responds when the bats cool down or the bullpen is asked to carry more weight.
Amid all this, rookie third baseman Cam Smith continues to shine. Just a few months into his major league career, Smith is producing at a level that suggests he’s not just a key piece of the future — he’s already one of the team’s most valuable players. His batting average sits just a point behind Jose Altuve’s, and his OPS is even higher. If the Astros were forced to choose two players to build around long-term, factoring in youth and contract status, the logical duo might be Smith and breakout pitcher Hunter Brown.
So what about the big picture? Is this team a true World Series contender?
Oddsmakers currently have Houston with the seventh-best odds to win it all, and only the Yankees and Tigers rank higher among American League teams. The core is still there, the experience is undeniable, and if the pitching continues to hold — especially with the anticipated return of Spencer Arrighetti and a healthy McCullers — the Astros have every reason to believe they’ll be in the mix deep into October.
But that’s a big “if.” The ceiling is still high, and with Cam Smith emerging as a star in real time, this team might just have another gear. Whether they can reach it when the competition stiffens, that remains to be seen.
There's so much more to cover! 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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