Texas A&M coach Mike Elko had a colorful way of describing the SEC’s clash with LSU after the conference briefly floated the idea of removing the Tigers.
Elko framed the situation as a parent stepping in after a child pushes too far. “This is a little bit like the son figuring out where the limits are until Dad comes home and raises his voice, and then the son goes, ‘I was just kidding; I didn’t mean any of that.’”
Elko said, via On3's CarterKarels. “I think that’s what you’re seeing.
LSU will be in the SEC... This is just a little bit of parenting going on right now.”
The tension grew after the SEC threatened to kick LSU out of the conference for a “lack of institutional control over the athletics program.” That threat was tied to the ongoing courthouse chaos in Baton Rouge, where opinions had been flying about Lane Kiffin’s controversial decision to add NFL players to an already loaded roster.
Kiffin kept pressing forward with the move, with the former pros attending practice and hoping to play in the season’s first games. The SEC had already taken a hard line, voting against NFL players in the NCAA and handing down strict punishments. But the situation shifted after a Baton Rouge judge issued a temporary restraining order for the class of 2022 athletes, giving them another year of eligibility and allowing them to return to the NCAA and transfer in during the window.
That made the move legal for anyone, and Kiffin was simply the first to act. Once the SEC responded with the threat of serious consequences, including the possibility of removing LSU from the conference, Kiffin backed off.
He did not put the two former pros, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, on the roster for the season opener vs. Clemson.
With no vote scheduled to take place on Thursday, the situation appears to be easing for now. But in Elko’s telling, it only got there after the SEC laid down the law.
In Other News...
South Carolina May Have Found A Backfield Weapon Fans Werent Expecting
South Carolinas backfield got an unexpected spark in its Week 1 win over Kent State, and it came from a player who had yet to take an offensive snap in a Gamecocks uniform. Jabree Coleman, the Penn State transfer who redshirted last season, made his collegiate offensive debut look easy, piling up 77 yards on just four carries while finding the end zone twice in a game where the ground attack set the tone.
Coleman said the moment was everything he had hoped for, and he was quick to point to the offensive line for making the night possible. It also fit neatly into a dominant team performance on the ground, with South Carolinas running backs combining for 278 rushing yards and four touchdowns, a reminder that the Gamecocks may already have more depth in the backfield than many expected. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Pass Rush Finally Gets A Very Different Week 2 Test
Kent States passing game last week offered a very different kind of challenge for a pass rush, with Dru DeShields getting the ball out in 2.4 seconds on 23 dropbacks. The Golden Flashes kept things compact, leaning on short passes with an average depth of target of 2.5 yards and only four throws that traveled more than nine yards downfield, the sort of script that can take a defenses sacks out of the equation.
Towson should ask more questions of South Carolina in Week 2, though, because Andrew Indorf has been willing to push the ball deeper and his profile comes with a much higher average depth of target. For a Gamecocks front trying to build on its early work, that creates a different kind of test: less about beating a rapid-fire release and more about staying disciplined when the ball starts traveling farther downfield. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Faces An Early Depth Test In First Night Game
South Carolina gets its first night game of the season Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium, and the matchup with Towson arrives with the Gamecocks carrying real momentum from a 57-0 rout of Kent State. They are favored again against a Towson team that is 0-2, but the bigger early-season question for Shane Beamers group is less about the opponent and more about how the roster holds up under another game.
The injury picture adds some intrigue to what should be a comfortable home date. Dylan Stewart and Jacarrius Peak are both doubtful to play, which puts a little more pressure on the depth chart as South Carolina looks to keep its start on track under the lights. Fans who want to follow along will need the streaming option, since the game is set for SEC Network Plus. [Read more 🡒]