Saturday Blitz
Fansided

SEC football power rankings for 2022’s week two

By Kathryn Rose

Georgia tight end Darnell Washington (0) leaps over Oregon defensive back Bryan Addison (13) during the first half of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff NCAA college football game between Oregon and Georgia in Atlanta, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.News Joshua L Jones
Georgia tight end Darnell Washington (0) leaps over Oregon defensive back Bryan Addison (13) during the first half of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff NCAA college football game between Oregon and Georgia in Atlanta, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.News Joshua L Jones /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Sep 3, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) makes a pass against the Memphis Tigers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2022; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) makes a pass against the Memphis Tigers during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

There’s nothing bad to say about Vanderbilt given where they have been. Already, they have posted the same amount of victories they did last season, going to 2-0 with a 42-31 win over Elon. Vanderbilt was able to jump out to a 21-0 lead and cruised the rest of the way.

The competition gets stiffer for the Commodores, however, when the Wake Forest Demon Deacons come to town. They may be Sam Hartman-less, but they’re still a ranked foe that opened their season with a 44-10 win against VMI.

Louisiana Tech came in with a new coach and a new system, and the predictable result followed. Missouri won by a score of 52-24, with the Tigers outgaining the Bulldogs by a 558-347 margin. On offense, Stanford transfer Nathaniel Peat led the way on the ground for the Tigers, gaining nine yards per carry with 72 yards to show for it.

However, the Missouri defense was the star of the show in the first half. They picked off three passes during said half and got out to a 24-14 lead at the break. From there, Missouri became the inevitable victor.

It was an exactly-as-predicted win against Mercer for Auburn, as they downed the Bears 42-16. TJ Finley and Robby Ashford both got time at the quarterback position, while Tank Bigsby ran for 147 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. Overall, the Auburn offense gained 497 yards against Mercer.

On defense, Cam Riley showed up in his first-ever start, getting 15 tackles against the Bears.

Auburn will likely continue this momentum next week, as San Jose State comes to town.

Georgia State came into Columbia and put a scare on the Gamecocks, at least for the first 40 minutes of the game. While the score ended up being 35-14 in favor of the South Carolina side, the game itself was much closer.

The Panthers had a 14-12 lead at one point in the third quarter and ended up outgaining the Gamecocks 311-306 in the end. If not for some good special teams play, and a second-half rally, Carolina would have been in serious danger.

Unfortunately, Carolina’s schedule does them no favors, as they travel to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks.

Although lightning delayed this game for hours, Mississippi State maintained a workman-like attitude and downed the Memphis Tigers 49-23. The Bulldogs racked up 547 yards of total offense and held the ball for over 41 minutes in this affair.

The Tigers of Memphis may have questions about head man Ryan Silverfield after this contest, but Mississippi State has no questions at all. Will Rogers is still a touchdown-throwing machine, and the defense is still a very capable unit.

Home/SEC