It’s that time again folks. Welcome to another edition of The Junkie Awards. This is where we reward some of the better performances of the weekend, but mostly it’s the place where we mock some of the worst ones, as well as some of the downright idiotic things that took place. And as always, remember that this isn’t something to be taken to seriously. It’s just our way of reliving the weekend, while having a little fun. Even if it is mostly at the expense of others.
Best Performance Award
SMU
19th ranked SMU hosted one loss Temple last weekend and came away with a pretty impressive 45-21 win. The Mustangs moved to 7-0 for the first time since 1982, as QB Shane Buechele set career marks with 6 TD passes and 457 yards through the air. The former Texas Longhorn QB hit on 30 of his 53 pass attempts, with Reggie Robertson Jr hauling in 8 of those passes for 250 yards and 3 TD’s. The Mustangs came in ranked 99th in the FBS in pass defense, allowing 259.3 yards per game, but gave up just 204 to the Owls. Against the run they were stout, allowing just 69 rushing yards. Next up is a Thursday night road game in Houston, where they have lost 6 straight times.
Lost In a Win Award
Alabama
The top ranked Crimson Tide might have remained perfect with their 35-13 win over Tennessee, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t losers. The Tide watched as superstar QB Tua Tagovailoa went down with a high ankle sprain, and now can only sit back and wait to see if he is ready for what is looking like a 1 vs 2 matchup against LSU in Tuscaloosa on November 9. Originally, head coach Nick Saban said it was no problem, that Tua would be out one to two weeks. Now, that is looking a little iffy, as the timetable for his return is a little less clear. Bama has Arkansas next, and as we all know, the Razorbacks are terrible. They should have no issues getting by them with backup QB Mac Jones. Then comes a bye week, and then LSU. That gives Tua 3 weeks to recover from the injury as well as the procedure that was done to speed up the recovery time. Tua had the same injury and procedure done on the other ankle last year, and it took more than two weeks before he was able to fully return to practice. We shall see.
Most Overrated Team Award
Texas
Suddenly that LSU win over Texas isn’t quite as impressive. If the Big 12’s worst offensive team in Kansas can roll into Austin and light up the scoreboard to the tune of 48 points, anyone can. That Longhorn defense is bad. There is just no other way to say it. The tackling is abysmal. They surrendered 569 yards of offense, and watched Kansas go 10-19 on 3rd down. 259 of those yards came on the ground, as the Jayhawks averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Let’s all remember that we are talking about a Les Miles offense. An offense that was the Big 12’s worst, and Texas made them look like the greatest show on earth.
Fraud of the Week Award
Georgia
For the second consecutive week, this award goes to the Dawgs. A week after getting knocked off at home by an unranked UofSC team, Georgia was supposed to head to Kentucky and “get well” against the rebuilding Wildcats. They did get back on the winning track with the 21-0 win, but it was not pretty. Yes, it was raining, but that is no excuse for Jake Fromm throwing for just 35 yards and less than 3 yards per attempt. Every week, the fact that Georgia has no true number one receiver becomes more evident. Fromm is having serious issues getting anything going down the field. Even if it isn’t raining. It is worth noting that Kentucky was playing a WR at QB and attempted just two passes the entire game.
Jeckyll and Hyde Award
Missouri
Is there a more schizophrenic team in the country? Sitting in the drivers seat as far the SEC East race is concerned, the Tigers went into Nashville and got blindsided by a bad Vanderbilt team 21-14. Mizzou came in with the nations 17th best scoring offense at 38.8 PPG, but the Commodores held them to their lowest point total of the season. They sacked Kelly Bryant 3 times and forced him into throwing a pick in the end zone. Mizzou had less than 300 yards of offense and were just 3-15 on 3rd down. They drop to 5-2, with wins over W Va, UofSC, and Ole Miss. They’re two losses? Wyoming and Vandy. Ouch.
Most Disappointing Performance
Wisconsin
Wisconsin came in ranked 6th and was one of a handful of teams that were still unbeaten. Not anymore, as Illinois knocked them off 24-23, with a last second FG. Wisky had been relying on that defense, getting shutouts against 4 of their first 6 opponents. That is impressive, regardless of opponent. However, this is the Badgers. They seem to suck us in every year, only to let us down, and they let folks down in a big way this time. Wisconsin was more than a 30 point favorite over Rutgers at home, but instead of taking care of business, got caught looking ahead to next weekends matchup with Ohio State. It was supposed to be a battle of undefeated teams. More proof that you can never take things for granted in this sport. The loss takes a lot of the shine off of that matchup with the Bucknuts. The Badgers now head to the Horseshoe as a 2 touchdown underdog and in danger of losing two straight.
Wal Marter of the Week Award
SEC Officials
Talk about a bad day at the office. The officiating that was on display in the Florida/UofSC and Tennessee/Bama games was downright inexcusable. Something has to be done to address the issue because the officiating seems to get worse each and every year, and it isn’t resigned to just the SEC. There has to be some kind of consequences when the crews are this bad. Fines, suspensions, termination. Whatever it takes. On this particular day though, it was SEC officials who were responsible for some of the most egregious calls (or non calls) I have ever seen. It was almost as if the SEC decided Friday night that the Gators nor the Tide were going to lose, and put a plan in place to ensure they didn’t. These were calls that had major impacts on these games, and when that happens it’s a disservice to the other team, it’s fans, and it’s a black eye for the entire sport.
Check out this play as the Gator offensive player is blatantly holding for about FORTY YARDS as they go down the field. Oh, and they just happened to also miss a false start on the same play. And this was the touchdown that extended the Florida lead to 14 points.
Now check out some of the terrible officiating that went on in Tuscaloosa
That’s all we have this week. If you see something during the coming weekend that you’d like to nominate for a Junkie Award next week, shoot us an email at clemsonjunkies@gmail.com and let us know who you think should get the award, why, and what the name of the award should be!
