Week 6: The One Where Reality Hurts

Auburn

• Well, that was more like what I expected when October started. Wow was it ugly. 
• Don't blame the defense. For the third week in a row, the defense put on a very solid effort. Even without Stephen Garcia, the Tigers still played strong. Tyler Wilson had one phenomenal quarter (2nd, 13-13 passing), but Auburn did as well as can be anticipated against such a good offense for the rest of the game.
• Eltoro Freeman played out of his mind! Best game that The Bull has played so far in his Auburn career. Linebacker play has been a weakness this season, but with RaRa White, Freeman, and Jonathan Evans coming on, things might be looking up. Daren Bates still isn't tackling well, and Jake Holland still needs to get better, but it's progress.
• Tough to win when you have 11 penalties for 105 yards and three turnovers.
• Saturday was DeAngelo Benton's shot to prove that he belongs on the field. With Emory Blake and Trovon Reed out with injuries, Benton proved just the opposite. In addition to a special teams gaff that should have cost Auburn another turnover, Benton dropped a critical third down pass and had another pass go through his hands, turning into an interception credited to Barrett Trotter. Trotter wasn't good, but that one was on Benton.
• On the quarterback debate: 1)We now know why Auburn went after Russell Wilson this offseason. In addition to Wilson being phenomenal for Wisconsin, Auburn was rightfully concerned about its options. 2) Swapping to Clint Moseley at this point will not do Auburn any good. Trotter beat out Moseley for a reason. 3) Kiehl Frazier is the future, but it was evident Saturday why he isn't the present. Frazier needs to be slowly eased into the quarterback position, and unfortunately for the Tigers, that means the interceptions and growing pains that we saw this weekend.
• Auburn really missed guard Jared Cooper after he left with an injury in the first half. Cooper has been one of the more consistent linemen, and an asset in the pulling guard plays that Mike Dyer has broken big in several games. With Cooper out, the line's consistency was again fractured, a theme throughout the season. 
• For all the pub and hype T'Sharvan Bell has gotten as being Auburn's defensive leader, both in terms of skill and emotion, he has gotten burned a good bit this season. Auburn will be really good in the secondary next season, but the growing pains are a bit difficult to watch at times.
• Stephen Clark shanked his first punt of the season against the Hogs and still managed to average 40 yards per punt. That's pretty amazing. 

SEC

• This says about all you need to know about LSU right now. Impressive performance for the Tigers.
•  South Carolina finally realized that they can't win games with Stephen Garcia at quarterback. The result? Connor Shaw throws 4 touchdowns and the Cocks win 54-3.
• If you thought the Auburn quarterback situation was bad, be glad you aren't a Kentucky fan. Kentucky passers combined to go 4/26 with 4 interceptions. Ouch. Oh, and the Wildcats failed to eclipse 100 total yards for the game.
• Georgia stayed hot (although every time I turned to glance at their game on TV they were getting a penalty). The Bulldogs won their 4th straight, knocking off Tennessee 20-12. A victory against Florida in two weeks could solidify Mark Richt's job for another year.
• Bama continues to maul opponents, and Mississippi State might as well have gotten a week off. Surely UAB can't retain Neil Calloway for another year with Conference USA so wide open for any team to rise to prominence.

Around the Nation

• Texas, meet reality. We all knew you weren't an elite team, and Oklahoma didn't deliver the message kindly. 55-17? Wow Mack Brown. 
• Clemson OC Chad Morris says he expects Tajh Boyd to play this week, after injuring his hip on Saturday. Call me skeptical. If nothing else, Boyd's mobility will be limited. Other than that, Clemson continues to roll.
• Florida State continues to implode. I expected good things. I suppose Wake Forest (4-1, 3-0 ACC) could actually be good. We'll see. For now, though, the Seminoles are a disappointment.
• Don't expect Mike Stoops to make it through the season as the Arizona head coach. A loss to previously winless Oregon State certainly didn't help.
• Arizona State has been pretty impressive so far this season. The Sun Devils took care of Utah pretty handily on Saturday. A matchup with Oregon in Eugene this weekend will give us a better idea of what Dennis Erickson's crew is made of.
• Unbeaten teams who still have yet to win any impressive games: Michigan, Kansas State, Houston, Georgia Tech, and Illinois. Houston may run the table without beating a decent team.

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