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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Cam Smith brought three dozen Shipley's glazed donuts to his Houston Astros teammates Thursday morning before his major league debut.
Then he really delivered, with an opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to help Houston to a 3-1 win over the New York Mets.
“They all liked it, so that’s a good thing," Smith said of the donuts, a sentiment that could also apply to his second-inning hit that set up the first run of the game.
The 22-year-old prospect reached the majors after playing just 32 minor league games. Batting seventh and starting in right field, he became the second-youngest Astros position player to make his MLB debut as a starter on opening day and the youngest since Rusty Staub was 19 in 1963.
With one out in the second, Smith grounded a single to right field on a sinker from Clay Holmes to get his first big league hit in his initial plate appearance. Jeremy Peña dashed from first to third on the play and later scored on a groundout.
“I was just looking for a pitch and I wanted to ambush it and I got lucky with that base hit,” Smith said.
The poise he showed in his debut impressed his coaches and teammates.
“He's amazing," Jose Altuve said. “He went the other way on a tough pitch and he set the tone to score the first run. I know he's going to help this team a lot. He's going to be out there getting better and better. He's just so talented.”
Most believed that Smith, the 14th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, would need more time in the minors when he was acquired in December from the Chicago Cubs along with Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski as part of the Kyle Tucker trade.
Instead, Smith hit .342 with a triple, four homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.130 OPS this spring to earn a spot on the major league roster.
The Astros announced he’d make the big league roster earlier this week, with manager Joe Espada inviting Smith's mother into the clubhouse to deliver the news. Video of the moment shared by the Astros captured the touching exchange.
After the trade, Smith moved from third base, where Paredes is starting, to right field, where he replaced Tucker.
Still wearing his dirt-stained uniform long after the last pitch Thursday, the kid who was playing college ball at Florida State at this time last year said he hadn’t had time to reflect on his whirlwind journey to the big leagues.
“I have not,” Smith said. “I was just out there with my family on the field appreciating this day and ... good thing we got done early so I can go home and get my feet under myself and think about it.”
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