SEC week 6 recap: Top 10 SEC teams take care of business
Georgia struggled but handled Kentucky, while Alabama, A&M, and Florida put together convincing wins. Auburn shocked college football, and Ole Miss gets a W.
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Photo: Brad McClenny, The Gainesville Sun
Week 6 is in the books, and we learned plenty more about what the conference looks like this year. The Jimbo Fisher mentality seems to be taking hold in College Station, as Texas A&M put together a solid win against Arkansas. The Aggies have an outside shot to run the table and be in the discussion for the 4th College Football Playoff spot. Plus: Georgia needs to get it together on offense, Auburn throttles LSU in a shocker, and Florida gets a big win over a pesky Mizzou team.
Let’s dig in.
Early Game
#5 Georgia 14 - Kentucky 3
Tombstone Bennett didn’t play up to snuff…but don’t worry pardner, he’ll be ready for a Gator hunt.
A barn burner if we’ve ever seen one. Not a whole lot for either team to be excited about. #5 Georgia only scored 14 points on an inferior opponent and allowed them to hang around. For Kentucky, the defense again played well, while the offense decided to compliment their performance by pissing away another golden opportunity.
Stetson “Tombstone” Bennett (we refuse to call him The Mailman; we like ours better) detractors will likely only get louder, as the QB had another mediocre day. His statline is unimpressive, 9/13 for 131 yards, one rushing TD. His QBR was a dismal 38.9. Kirby Smart is unlikely to switch QBs heading into a top 10 showdown with Florida, but the hook might be quick if Bennett can’t get things going next week against the Gators. Georgia’s defense is good, but the Bama game showed there are cracks in the foundation. The Dawgs will have to score points to keep up with UF.
Joey Gatewood decided he wanted to be the worst quarterback on the field Saturday, however. He was held under 100 yards passing, going 15/25 for 91 yards and 0 TDs. In fairness, this is a mean Georgia defense who has only been torched by one team, a team who has arguably the best offense in the country. I’m not sure the United States military could stop the bombs Mac Daddy Jones is dropping. But the Kentucky offense needed a spark, and Gatewood couldn’t provide it.
Kentucky was able to get something going on the ground, as Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a bright spot, rushing for 108 yards. The Wildcats were unable to translate that into points. Georgia followed the Missouri model and chose to run it down Missouri’s throat, as we expected. The team rushed for a total of 215 yards and two TDs, with Zamir White going for 136 yards on 28 carries.
Georgia has a massive game that likely determines the SEC East next weekend against top 10 Florida in Jacksonville. That game is the Game of the Week on CBS at 3:30 ET. Kentucky has a bye week before hosting instate “rival” Vanderbilt.
Midday Games
Auburn 48 - LSU 11
I’m sorry, did you say Auburn beat LSU by 37?
Yeah, we had no idea where this one was gonna go. These two teams have been enigmas all year. Vegas didn’t even have a clue, setting the line at LSU by 3.
But Auburn blowing out the Tigers by 37 and getting their biggest win against the other Tigers in their history? We weren’t buying that stock. But that’s exactly what happened. Auburn was up 48-3 in the fourth quarter until LSU scored a TD in blowout garbage time. You read that right - 48-3. It was total annihilation from Gus Malzahn and crew, who controlled this game in all three facets.
Auburn’s defense brought TJ Finley back to earth, making him look like a true freshman, forcing him to throw two INTs before getting yanked for Max Johnson. I think we can now put any QB controversy to rest. Myles Brennan is the starter for LSU, and they need him to get healthy, fast. This game is not 48-11 if Myles Brennan plays.
Bo Nix finally played the game Auburn fans have been expecting to see. He passed for 300 yards and 3 TDs for a 92.8 QBR. Nix also added a touchdown on the ground and was the Tigers leading rusher with 81 yards. That’s what we’re talking about! We love to see this young man figuring things out - the SEC is more interesting when Nix is playing well and Auburn is relevant.
For LSU, this is a punch in the mouth. This program is too proud to lose like this. They are nowhere close to where they need to be, and the championship slump is taking hold of this team. Overcoming all the losses from the 2019 dream team are proving to be too much - it’s about time for Tigers fans to start looking ahead to 2021. To put it bluntly, this is a rebuilding year for Coach O.
Auburn has a bye week before taking on a weaaaak Mississippi State team on November 14. LSU is also off next week before getting Alabama on November 14...that one should be ugly too. Bama is going to torch this confused LSU secondary.
Ole Miss 54 - Vanderbilt 21
We had this one pinned, picking our new buddy Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team 41-17.
It followed the script we thought it would. Kiffin’s offense is too potent and Vanderbilt should be up for relegation to the Sunbelt. Matt Corral got back on track in a game akin to playing an early season warm up game against a cupcake. Corral torched Vandy for 412 yards and six touchdowns. One bright spot for Vandy: freshman QB Ken Seals played well, throwing for 319 yards, 2 TDs and one interception.
Ole Miss is on bye next week before taking on South Carolina, which should be a great matchup. Vandy has Mississippi State next Saturday at 4 ET on SEC Network in a game the entire nation is waiting for with bated breath.
Bossman Slim
Late Games
#2 Alabama 41 - Mississippi State 0
Photo: via @AlabamaFTBL
“Trick or treat” - Mac Daddy
Snooze. We knew this one was a mismatch and it delivered. A total beatdown from whistle to whistle. Alabama did whatever they wanted offensively, totaling 499 total yards. Najee Harris ran for 121 yards and added 36 yards receiving. Mac “Daddy” Jones continues his complete destruction of SEC defenses with cool 24/31, 291 yard, four touchdown performance. DeVonta Smith decided to single handedly eat up all of the targets that the injured Jaylen Waddle previously got. Smith was unguardable yesterday as he hauled in 11 catches for 203 yards and four touchdowns.
Both Will “Wild Bill” Rogers and KJ “Why Did I Transfer Here” Costello saw time under center for the Bulldogs, but neither could do anything. After Costello went down with an injury, Rogers saw the bulk of the snaps and went 24/37 for 147 yards and two interceptions. Mississippi State was held to 200 yards of total offense and for the first time in his career, Mike Leach was shut out.
This team is going nowhere fast and much like Hal Ketchum, is past the point of rescue. We knew Leach had a tall task in front of him taking over in Starkville, but I didn't think it would be this bad. I don’t see this team winning another game, outside of maybe Vanderbilt. Maybe.
Mississippi State’s 2020 season as a Hal Ketchum tune.
Speaking of Vandy, that’s who Mississippi State plays next week. No one is excited to watch that game, which is at 4:00 ET on SEC Network. Meanwhile, Alabama gets a week off before traveling to Baton Rouge to take on struggling LSU. I guarantee you the Tide is ready to take LSU to the woodshed after Joe Burrow and the Tigers beat them last year. It’s fitting that the Alabama mascot is an elephant because they don’t forget anything, including this video of Coach O after the win last year with his now famous “Roll Tide what? F*ck you” quote.
Good luck, LSU.
The Hammer
#8 Texas A&M 42 - Arkansas 31
As surprising as it may sound, this weekend Kellen Mond passed Johnny Manziel for most total yards in A&M history. You read that right, a Heisman trophy winner was surpassed by Kellen Mond for most total yards. In fairness, it took Johnny Football just 2 years to do what it took Mond to accomplish in 3.5. Still, as irrational as it may sound, Mond has been playing some of his best football this season. We are not seeing the same mistakes Aggie fans have grown accustomed to over the past four years. This quarterback has been standing tall in the pocket, with confidence, and firing lasers to a young receiving corp that has had their drops and fair share of mistakes. Yet, Kellen continues to have confidence in these underclassmen and distributes the ball with an understanding of where the defense is and may be at the time of his release.
Photo: via @AggieFootball
The improvements we have seen from him and the continued success of running backs Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith, has led to an A&M offense that can score with the best of them. Mond threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns while Spiller and Smith combined for a total of 184 yards and 3 total touchdowns. Oh, and who could forget sophomore spectacle Jalen Wydermyer? Arkansas could not even pretend to have an answer for Wydermyer, who scored twice on 92 yards receiving. Texas A&M put the Razorbacks away in the third quarter, just as predicted, but the Hogs were able to score at least one trash time touchdown to make a lopsided score seem a little more even, ending the game with a 42-31 Aggie victory. Arkansas has the pieces needed to be a great team. Franks has settled in at quarterback, Boyd is back to the running back Arkansas fans became accustomed to seeing, and Treylon Burks continues to make the argument on why he should be considered as an elite receiver. The Hogs just need to put more points on the board earlier and not allow opponents to gain leads that they are unable to catch up with.
Both teams have promising outlooks going forward. This Saturday Arkansas will host Tennessee at 7:30 ET on the SEC Network, while #7 Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. Arkansas has the offensive firepower to outscore the Vols, and the Razorback defense should have a pick city party with quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Texas A&M will have to play an East rival in South Carolina, but the Gamecocks have begun their descent and the Aggies have the potential to end that freefall in a burial. Tune into ESPN, Saturday night at 7 ET to see the A&M follow their hog roast with a chicken roast.
#10 Florida 41 - Missouri 17
The most excitement we saw from the Missouri Tigers was during a melee going into halftime, instigated by Darth Vader himself. After what seemed to be a bit of a late hit against Florida quarterback Jake Trask to end the second quarter, Dan Mullen ran to the middle of the field yelling at the refs about the missed call. Whether the sith lord wants to admit it or not, it seems he may have instigated the brawl that ensued. Haymakers and slaps were being thrown left and right, because everyone knows the real way to hurt someone is to punch their helmet as hard as possible. The altercation resulted in three players being ejected from the game; Missouri linebacker Tre Williams and Florida defensive linemen Zach Carter and Antwuan Powell all saw their days end early. Don’t get me wrong it made for great television, but at what cost? Was anything resolved? No. The only winner in this scuffle were the helmets of the players who were punched, they seemed to knock out the hands of the attackers with ease.
As far as the game goes, it went pretty much as expected. Missouri struggled offensively, scoring only once on a Larry Rountree 5 yard run. The Tiger defensive unit was able to force an interception which they then took to the house, so you can take that as a positive from the game. But, overall Mizzou put on an underwhelming performance after two straight wins against SEC opponents. There’s no need to be down about a loss to a top 10 team, Eli Drinkwitz has his team competing in games that the past few years would have been write off wins for opponents.
The Gators’ Trask, Pitts, and Toney are putting on performances the likes of which the state of Florida has not seen since another trio in South Beach dominated the NBA from 2010-2014. I am not saying we are talking about championships, but this year would be as opportune as ever for Mullen’s squad. Kyle Trask threw for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of which were to Kadarius Toney and Kyle Pitts added another 81 yards receiving to his already impressive resume. Florida’s defense improved dramatically this week by only allowing the Tigers to score 10 points offensively, the first three games the defense gave up an average of 33 points. Florida seems to be clicking on offense and defense but they will have to keep improving to survive the weeks to come.
Mizzou has a bye week before having to face UGA. I think we can all agree on how that one will turn out. This weekend, Florida plays a #5 Georgia Bulldogs team that looks to bring a tenacious defense, coupled with an offense I cannot quite figure out. If the Dawgs’ offense plays the way they did against Kentucky, the Gators just might have a chance to pull off the upset.
We saw the first preview of this game during the match-up between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. Ex-Dawg Javon Wims decided it was in his college team’s best interest to send a message to Dan Mullen by cold clocking former Gator CJ Gardner-Johnson after a play during the Sunday afternoon NFL game. Because this was so absurd and uncalled for, one can only assume Wims was trying to intimidate University of Florida players on national television ahead of his alma mater’s rivalry weekend. Wims will most certainly be suspended for his actions, so Florida players beware, this former Bulldog will have nothing better to do this upcoming weekend and might just show up to punch you in the helmet. You can catch the disgraced Bear’s receiver incognito on the Georgia sideline, this Saturday, at 3:30 ET on CBS.
The Waco Kid
Thanks for reading - we’ll see you back here for our week 7 in-depth recaps next week.