SEC Network's Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic talk A&M/SC before calling game

Cubelic: I don’t know much this season about college football. We don’t know a lot about these teams. I think we’re going to learn a lot this week. Of all the teams in the SEC that are at a fork in the road and have a chance to exceed expectations or go in a positive direction is this A&M team. They are young and I’ve seen growth over the last few weeks.

Hart: How do you avoid the quarterback pit falls that A&M is prone too? Cole sees the growth every week, but how to you sustain that and not take a step back? I’m excited about Christian Kirk and think he’s one of the top players in the league. I’m interested how creative the coaches will be to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers.

Cubelic: Last year Trevor [Knight] was 60% of the teams run game. Noel Mazzone has built this offense for that. A lot of the tooling that needs to take for Kellen [Mond] to be successful is already in place. You bring that back in and have it fresh in your playbook. 

Cubelic: I don’t like the in game substitutions on the offensive line. That’s the group in football that has to work as one. You’re never going to be successful with only one or two guys playing well. You need all five guys gelling and playing as one.

Hart: How can you expect your offensive line to work in unison when they haven’t had those reps? Offensive line needs those repetitions. As we watch we the game unfold we are going to be critiquing how Mond is doing. How does he look in the first quarter, the second vs. the fourth. He’s a great storyline to watch.

Cubelic: The reality with some of these teams in the SEC is if they’re winning they’re scoring points. If you go look at the defense and they’re gassed, the team should be built to score thirty plus points a game. That’s how you’re wining games. 

Cubelic: John Chavis is a fundamentally sound defensive coach. Most times his defenses have been as good as the talent on the field. He understands how to get them lined up and play football the right way. He hasn’t had the talent here that he’s had at other places.

Cubelic: Right now Alabama is still at the head of the pack and the standard in this league. Georgia is a team that if they continue to grow could challenge Alabama in the SEC title game. Kentucky will be better than what people think. Tennessee has a lot of problems. Ole Miss’s offense hasn’t been able to get going along with Auburn. Arkansas can’t protect their quarterback. This A&M team could grow.

Cubelic: If you’re going to beat Alabama this year you have to be stout up front to match the run game. You need to challenge their secondary. Teams will be able to find some success there, but who has the balance to attack those things? I think Georgia has that. It could be an interesting game.

Hart: I’m not as big on Georgia as Cole is because their offensive line was so bad last year. Overall in the league, Kentucky is better than most people think. I think we’ll see a quarterback change at LSU in the coming weeks. I still think LSU is a good team despite what they showed a few weeks ago.

Cubelic: Vanderbilt by far has the worst offensive line in the league. Florida’s defensive line is not getting enough credit. Florida will have no problem causing issues for Vanderbilt. They are finding players on offense and will be comfortable.

Hart: Luke Del Rio is a better quarterback for Florida right now. His playmakers seem to be more comfortable with him on the field.

Cubelic: Georgia makes a living on perimeter runs. Tennessee defense is struggling at line backer and defensive end. I don’t think Georgia has any problem taking care of business.

Hart: Tennessee fans are contemplating if they would rather upset Georgia or get blown out and get a new coach. That’s there conflict and shows you where that program is right now.

Cubelic: I want to see Auburn’s offensive line figure things out. They can get this offense into what looks like a well oiled machine. Being at home and a better defense I think Auburn figures out a way to win. 

Hart: I don’t think Nick Fitzgerald is an elite play maker. I think he’s an elite runner. He’s not as well rounded as you need to be for this team to play from behind. 

Cubelic: Ole Miss will hit a few plays in this game. By no stretch of the imagination will they slow down Alabama’s offense at any point in this game. 

Hart: Alabama hasn’t turned the ball over in 27 consecutive quarters. From the other perspective this is danger zone for Ole Miss. If they get beat like the Vegas guys think they’re going to, this could be a game that’s tough to recover from as a program.

Cubelic: South Carolina is more of a bend but don’t break defense. The key for A&M is don’t get greedy on offense. South Carolina is going to sit back and wait. They are going to make A&M chip, scratch, and claw - earn your yards. Most coaches and quarterbacks don’t have the patience to do that. If A&M can be patient they’ll be ok. 

Hart: I don’t see anyone throwing for over 300 yards against South Carolina. South Carolina does have guys that will gamble and have mis assignments. Big plays could be there. I think A&M wins this comfortably.