SEC Round-Up: Kentucky harboring improbable SEC East title hopes

Kentucky will vie for the Southeastern Conference championship.

That sentence is frequently written in early November, though typically in a basketball preview.

Yet, this has been an atypical year for SEC football. In fact, it’s been so atypical that Kentucky, a traditional East Division doormat, has a good chance to advance to Atlanta for the conference championship game as the East winner.

Sure, a few dominoes to fall to make that happen, but none are farfetched.

Kentucky (5-3, 4-2 in the SEC) is right behind Florida (6-1, 4-1) in the East Division standings.

But the Wildcats can advance with a combination of wins over Georgia and Tennessee and two more Florida loses.

Florida still has road games at Arkansas and LSU and a home game against South Carolina.

A month ago, the notion of Kentucky beating Georgia and Tennessee would have seemed highly unlikely, if not impossible.

But Georgia is a shell of its usual self and has lost four of its last five, including a defeat at the hands of lowly Vanderbilt.

Tennessee, meanwhile, has lost three straight and appears to be on the verge of a total collapse because of injuries, suspensions and desertions.

Add to that the fact that Kentucky is actually playing decent football, and there is a distinct possibility the Wildcats could win the East.

Not bad, considering Kentucky opened the season with losses to Southern Miss and Florida.

“I think it says a lot about our team and the character that our players have,” coach Mark Stoops said. “I don’t think one thing changed in the past five or six weeks. I think part of this turnaround has been going on for a long time.

“Our coaches have been working very hard many years to keep on building and doing the right thing and developing our players and putting them in a position to win. It is very gratifying to see us playing better football.”

Kentucky faces Georgia on the strength of a three-game winning streak in which the Wildcats knocked off Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Missouri.

That recent surge has been boosted by a running attack that has averaged 299 rushing yards per game during the three-game stretch.

But for all its problems, Georgia (4-4, 2-3) remains solid against the run. The Bulldogs are allowing fewer than 110 rushing yards per game and are ranked 13th nationally against the run.

That defense will make winning difficult for Kentucky.

But Kentucky hasn’t posted five conference wins since 1977. The Wildcats haven’t been bowl eligible since 2010. They haven’t beaten Georgia since 2009.

So, they’re not expecting anything to come easy.

Around the SEC…

Who’s hot: Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway is making a strong case for All-SEC honors. He could even be Offensive Player of the Year. Pettway has rushed for 169 yards or more in each of the past three games. That includes a 236-yard outburst against Ole Miss. He leads the SEC with 933 rushing yards.

Who’s not: The Land Shark defense of Ole Miss has run aground. The Rebels have allowed at least 429 yards and 34 points in three consecutive games – all losses. Ole Miss has allowed 200 yards or more against both the run and the pass in each of those games. The run defense has been especially vulnerable. Arkansas’ Rawleigh Williams rushed for 180 against Ole Miss, while LSU’s Leonard Fournette had 283 and Pettway had 236.

Keep an eye on: Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is a strong runner who has notched four 100-yard rushing performances. That’s the second most in the country among quarterbacks behind Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, who has five. He’ll test the Texas A&M defense, which is ranked 74th in the nation in run defense and has had particular trouble against running quarterbacks.

Best matchup: When healthy, LSU’s Leonard Fournette is the best running back in the country. His backup, Derrius Guice, could be a starter almost anywhere else. That duo faces the fast and physical Alabama defense, which is the best in the nation against the run. No opposing player has rushed for more than 62 yards against Alabama. If Fournette can’t get 100 on the Tide, it cannot be done.

Worst mismatch: Florida’s defensive line has been extremely productive. The Gators are ninth the nation in run defense and have produced 21 sacks. The Florida front poses a major challenge for the maligned Arkansas offensive line, which has struggled mightily against good defensive fronts. Arkansas rushed for a combined 98 yards in games against Alabama and Auburn. The Hogs figure to struggle similarly against Florida.

This week’s games: Texas A&M at Mississippi State; Alabama at LSU; Vanderbilt at Auburn; Florida at Arkansas; Georgia Southern at Ole Miss; Georgia at Kentucky; Missouri at South Carolina; Tennessee Tech at Tennessee