B&S week 10 game by game recaps
A wild weekend in SEC country as the Aggies, Razorbacks and Vols picked up massive wins.
By: Bossman Slim, The Hammer, The Waco Kid
Aggie defensive end Micheal Clemons scoops the Bo Nix fumble and takes it the house in the most pivotal moment in the marquee game of the weekend. Photo via @AggieFootball
What a dang Saturday of college football. There’s already a shakeup in the college football playoff rankings as Michigan State fell to Purdue, and Wake Forest lost in a thriller to North Carolina. The year of chaos REIGNS. Buckle up folks, the next few weeks are going to be a fun race to the finish.
Before we hit the previews, here’s how the crew fared on Saturday:
The Hammer: 5-2; 68-16 overall
Bossman Slim: 6-1; 66-18 overall
The Waco Kid: 3-4; 64-20 overall
Bossman Slim overtakes The Waco Kid in the standings, while The Hammer continues to lead the pack like War Admiral.
Let’s dive into some recaps.
Early Games
Highlight of the weekend was seeing Mark Richt honored by Georgia. What a special moment.
#1 Georgia 43 - Missouri 6
Bossman Slim: I almost nailed two scores this week (I picked UGA 45-7). I did get one, which we’ll get to later. This one went as I expected. Mizzou had no chance already, but without Connor Bazelak, Mizzou was outmanned and outgunned by a long shot. Tombstone Bennett put up another solid performance, slinging two TDs and putting up 255 yards and a 94.7 QB rating. The running game had their way was well as the Dawgs went for 168 yards and two TDs between James Cook and Zeus. Georgia keeps marching to the SEC title game.
The Hammer: Alright we have a lot of great games to get to after this wild weekend, and this isn't one. After a competitive first quarter, the Dawgs pulled away as we’ve grown accustomed to with 19 second quarter points. Surprising, Georgia only ran for 166 yards on 33 carries, but it looked to me like Kirby wanted to get his QBs some practice airing it out. We know the Dawgs could have run the ball 95% of the snaps and won, but Kirby wanted to get Bennett and Daniels some reps. It's nice when your defense is so good, you can mess around on offense and get your QBs some stress free in game reps.
The Waco Kid: Well color me surprised. All of us here at Biscuits and SEC were pretty close to nailing this one. But then again who really thought that Mizzou had a chance against the top team in the nation? Georgia’s offense continues to keep pace with no sign of slowing down. Now Stetson Bennett has been named a Davey O’Brien award semi finalist, as a backup quarterback, that is how good this team is. UGA scored three through the air and two on the ground against a porous Tiger defense. The defense from Athens, well, they continue to dominate. Tennessee believes they have a real shot next week against the Dawgs. They have a decent argument with the way Hendon Hooker has been playing but it’s still quite a long stretch for a team that beat Kentucky by only 3. Still Neyland should be rocking and a great college football atmosphere will be engulfing the crisp Rocky Mountain air.
#16 Ole Miss 27 - Liberty 14
The Ole Miss social media team went scorched earth on Hugh Freeze after the win Saturday. They have since apologized LOL.
Bossman Slim: I thought Liberty would be able to score more on this Ole Miss defense, but credit to Chris Partridge and DJ Durkin’s unit who tallied 9 sacks and held Liberty to just 14 points. A good win for Ole Miss to avoid the embarrassment of losing to their old head ball coach in Oxford. GameDay will be in Oxford next week for the showdown with Texas A&M...CANNOT WAIT for this one folks. Strap up because it will be a helluva game.
The Hammer: The Hugh Freeze return to Oxford ended up being pretty lowkey. This was a really weird game. Liberty ran for 284 yards on Ole Miss and totaled 457 yards of total offense, but Malik Willis threw three interceptions, and that was the difference. Statistically, the game was pretty even and Liberty dominated time of possession nearly 40 minutes to just 20 for Ole Miss. But if you can’t take care of the football, you won’t win and Ole Miss did not turn it over. Corral was very efficient through the air, going over 300 yards and tossing one TD on the afternoon, but he’s clearly still banged up, evidenced by his 6 carries on the day. Solid win for the Rebs but it doesn't get any easier with A&M coming into town next weekend.
The Waco Kid: Well Mississippi’s defense actually showed up in this one causing Flames’ quarterback Malik Willis to turn the ball over three times in the passing game. The offense did Rebel offense things. Corral threw for over 300 yards and a score while Jerrion Ealy couldn’t be stopped in the ground attack, rushing for 115 and 2 touchdowns. Liberty goes back to being irrelevant to SEC faithful next week and Hugh Freeze’s return to Oxford was short lived. Lane Kiffin will look to host the red hot, fightin’ Texas Aggies in a showdown that could have huge implications for the West. A&M’s defense looks second to none, while Zach Calzada seems to have found his groove in the pocket. If they can defend their home turf Ole Miss could find themselves in a three way tie for the conference second best. This one will be a barn burner and a surefire explosive contest that may go down as one of the best this year. Or Jimbo’s defense will be too much to handle, either way you won’t want to miss it.
Midday Games
#13 Auburn 3 - #14 Texas A&M 20
Bossman Slim: After scoring 30+ in their last two games, Auburn got a wake up call in College Station as the Aggie defense stifled the Tiger attack all day. The Aggie defense was in Bo Nix’s grill all day, tallying 4 sacks, 6 TFLs and 5 QB hurries en route to holding Auburn to just 226 total yards. This Aggie defense has made it’s mark this season and we can say it now: this group is elite. Auburn gave up 409 yards but held the Aggies without an offensive TD on the day, something they can hang their hat on moving forward. This is a big win for Jimbo Fisher, who get a tough Ole Miss team next week. Auburn no longer controls their destiny in the West, but still has much to play for in a tough stretch to end the season with Mississippi State, South Carolina and Alabama.
The Hammer: If these teams were ranked higher, we might be calling this one the “Game of the Century” similar to the LSU vs Alabama 9-6 game from 2011. But both of these schools have lost two games already so the hype wasn't quite there, but it felt a lot like that game because both defenses played outstanding. A&M was the better team all afternoon though and the 109,000+ fans packed into Kyle Field saw an awesome game. The Aggies outgained Auburn 409 to 226, but they couldn't punch it in when they got into the red zone and had to settle for five field goals, and Seth Small converted on four of them. Huge props to the A&M defense for absolutely dominating Auburn and scoring the only touchdown on the day with the Micheal Clemons scoop and score. Bo Nix was sacked 4 times and under pressure all day, and the Tigers run game was stuffed, only tallying 73 yards rushing on 29 carries. The Texas A&M front seven was unblockable and outside of Georgia, I think it is playing like the best front seven in the country. And we can’t write this recap without giving Zach Calzada a shoutout for separating his shoulder and coming back to finish the game! The dude got his shoulder popped back into the place on the sidelines and trotted back out to finish the game. What a warrior.
The Waco Kid: Bo Nix reverted back to the Nix of last year and A&M’s defense punished every single member of the offense play after play after play. Demarvin Leal, Michael Clemons, Tyree Johnson, and Mckinley Jackson made the Tiger backfield very uncomfortable all game. The Wrecking Crew scored once and held “one of the best backs in the SEC” to under 70 yards rushing, while turning in an interception as well. While the actual best backs in the SEC combined for 210 yards rushing. Auburn takes on Leach and his seesaw program next week while Jimbo leads the charge into the Grove. All I have to say is the Rebels better figure out a way to play consistent defense very quickly or it will be a hot one in Oxford Saturday night.
Arkansas 31 - #17 Mississippi State 28
Bossman Slim: BOOM. What can I say other than…called it! I co-founded this blog so I could dunk when I was right and to ignore when I was wrong. The tradition is going strong.
The Hogs got a much needed win over the Bulldogs after a three game SEC slide. The Arkansas rushing attack came alive going for 202 yards and 2 TDs behind the performance of Dominique Johnson who went off for 107 yards and found paydirt twice. Mississippi State could have won this game and left points out there, missing three FGs on the day. After the game, the Pirate threw his kicker under the bus and said they may have an open tryout for kicker. I love Leach, but that’s not the way to treat your kicker. Big stretches coming up for both teams to finish the year.
The Hammer: This game played out exactly how I thought it would. A hard fought, back and forth game that came down to the final couple of minutes. And when the game was on the line, KJ Jefferson marched the Razorbacks down the field, and the Hogs scored the winning TD and converted on a two point conversion with 21 seconds remaining. Surprisingly, Cowboy Will Rogers took the Bulldogs back down the field in those 21 seconds and they had a 40 yards field goal attempt to tie the game that was duck hooked left. Mississippi State went 0-3 on field goal attempts in this game, and Mike Leach said they are ready to have open tryouts in Starkville for a new kicker after that performance. Another crushing loss for Mississippi State where they outgained the opponent and did seemingly everything needed to win, other than actually win the game. Give credit to the Hogs for making the plays late to pull out a hard fought win, and the Razorbacks are going to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. Hell of a job by Sam Pittman.
The Waco Kid: Sam Pittman and the Hogs made it very evident last Saturday that they have not given up on the season. In a game destined for twists and turns, Arkansas took care of business and became the consistent team we had gotten used to watching at the beginning of the season. KJ Jefferson went 19/23 for 191 and a TD. Dominique Johnson took the reins in this one and rushed for over 100 and two scores. The Razorbacks made no mistakes and played sound fundamental football which was ultimately the difference between these two teams. Mississippi State was once again consistently inconsistent. Will Rogers lit up the secondary throwing for 417 and 4 touchdowns but turned the ball over once and special teams missed 3 field goals which ultimately kept the Bulldogs from another win. Leach did state they have been one play away from multiple wins this season, but isn’t that the way a lot of college games play out. If you cannot capitalize you will always be one play away. And close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Late Games
#2 Alabama 20 - LSU 14
Bossman Slim: Paging Bill O’Brien. What the hell was that. LSU’s coach is a lame duck and this team is the walking dead with all those injuries. How did LSU have a chance to win this game? The Alabama defense earned their stripes as expected, but Bill O’Brien didn’t earn his paycheck last night, and I’m sure he’s going to hear about that from Nick Saban all week. How in the hell does Alabama only rush for 6 freaking yards against this depleted LSU defense? The Tide have a ton to work on over the next week ahead of a “get right” game against hapless New Mexico State. If the Tide get to the SEC Championship game, they’ll need to play much better than they have to beat the Bulldogs.
The Hammer: Uh, what? We almost had the upset of the season in Bryant Denney Saturday night, which sounded like a morgue by the way. Weak display from the Alabama fans all night as that stadium was DEAD in a close game. LSU is basically playing with their scout team given all the injuries they have suffered, their coach has already been fired, and they have absolutely nothing to play for. Alabama on the other hand, has everything to play for, yet they very nearly lost this one. Nothing in this game made sense. LSU’s defense has stunk all year, yet somehow they held the Tide to 308 total yards and just SIX YARDS RUSHING (including sacks). How did this happen?? College football continues to baffle me and I absolutely love it. You never know what is going to happen on a given Saturday. Ultimately, the Tide did make enough plays to escape with the win and still have everything in front of them. But I think it’s clear now this is not a vintage Alabama team. They have been more vulnerable on a consistent basis, not some one off game, this year than most years under Saban. Doesn’t mean they won't win out and go to the playoff, just means they are beatable. Give the LSU players a ton of credit for fighting their guts out and playing hard despite not having much other than pride to play for.
The Waco Kid: Alabama did not make a good case for their #2 ranking after that performance. There is no way they can take on a top Georgia defense while being put in check by an injured LSU one. Now this is a rivalry so things always shake out a little differently but you can better believe Saban will be on someone, if not everyone’s ass, this upcoming week. Bryce Young was decent through the air but when you rush for -22 yards that is the only statistic that stands out on paper. LSU was blah on offense which was expected but the fact Coach O kept them in the game was something else. Either way Saban was leaving the contest with a win one way or the other, it just happened to come at his expense not the Tigers.
Tennessee 45 - #18 Kentucky 42
Bossman Slim: Did I call the score? No. Did I call the upset? Yes. Did it give me another game to gain on The Waco Kid? YES. Sucker. This Tennessee offense is for real. Putting up 45 points on this Kentucky defense is no small feat. Their defense however, is another story. Kentucky’s offense has been hit or miss all year, only surpassing the 40 point mark twice (one coming against ULM), and only going over 30 points in 3 games. This is not a scary offense, yet they put up 42 on this Vols defense. This was a great game all the way to the end as Kentucky had a chance to win it, and a missed facemask call that would have gone against Tennessee will give Kentucky fans heartburn. Tennessee continues their ascent as Kentucky continues falling back to earth - hard.
The Hammer: Folks, we had a real humdinger on our hands in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday night. Open up that bottle of firewater and strap in for a rip roaring good time, unless you like good defensive football. In that case, I hope you avoided this game. Kentucky did everything they needed to win this game except stop big plays. The Wildcats outgained Tennessee 612 to 461, possessed the ball for over 46 MINUTES to just 13+ for Tennessee, and they ran 99 plays to the Vol’s 47. Absurd! Will Levis played a great game, but he made one costly mistake and threw a pick six that really ended up being the difference. And look, when you let your opponent score 38 points (not including the Vols defensive TD) on 47 plays and just 13 minutes of possession, you are getting absolutely gashed defensively. Hendon Hooker and this Tennessee offense continue to impress, and this game was downright silly with how many big plays they ripped off on Kentucky. The shine is officially off the Wildcats as they drop to 6-3 and have lost three straight.
The Waco Kid: Kentucky by no means was an overwhelming favorite but I cannot say that I saw an upset coming, even at a -1 line. Tennessee proved their offense has taken leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season. On his way to a Davey O’Brien award semi finalist nod, Hendon Hooker threw for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Vol defense did nothing impressive, allowing Will Levis to score 5 total times on the night but the Knoxville kids would not be denied and were able to win in a Big 12 esque shootout. The Wildcats go on to play Vanderbilt next weekend for their 7th win of the season. Unfortunately this UT squad pulls UGA Saturday and the Dawg defense is no UK defense. Heupel has done a phenomenal job in his first year but not even a Jeremy Pruitt McDonald’s bribe could cement a home win for Rocky Top against the number 1 team in the nation.
Florida 17 - South Carolina 40
Bossman Slim: I think everyone in America got blindsided by this one, including South Carolina fans. Yes, Florida has been playing bad football and the negativity has been swirling around Dan Mullen. But did anyone think they would get blown out by this skeleton Gamecocks team? Not I, that’s for sure. Credit to Shane Beamer’s team who played their guts out and to QB Jason Brown for his first start where he tallied 2 TDs through the air. This is a great win for the Gamecocks to build on and to recruit off of - something Dan Mullen seems uninterested in doing. The Mullen detractors club is growing in Gainesville, and they have a point. This isn’t acceptable for a proud Gators program, and this program is in obvious regression now. Will Mullen get one more year to right the ship? Or will Florida brass show him the door just one year removed from an appearance in the SEC Championship game? We shall see.
The Hammer: Another prime example of why we love college football. No one saw this coming. South Carolina has been terrible this year, they are on the 3rd quarterback but they went out and DOMINATED Florida in front of their home crowd. The Gamecocks racked up 459 yards offensively, including 284 yards rushing...and they haven't been able to run the ball all year! This same South Carolina team had 15 yards of total offense through three quarters two weeks ago against A&M before the Aggies pulled their starters and called off the dogs. What is happening at Florida? How is their defense this bad all of the sudden? And offensively, the Gators stunk. They ran for just 82 yards and averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Every decent team has been able to run on South Carolina except Dan Mullen and Florida. Hopefully Mullen can admit he was outcoached here because they were dominated from whistle to whistle, and yes, they were outgunned by the Gamecocks so you can hold onto that stat, Danny boy. Huge win for Shane Beamer who clearly is establishing a good culture in Columbia, as we’ve been saying all year. It was good to see him get this one. As for Mullen and Florida, I’m not sure what to say. The team has given up, Todd Grantham cannot coach a defense and the Gators are being out coached, out effeforted (is that a word?) and the entire fanbase has turned on the staff. Tough times in the swamp.
The Waco Kid: Well the Swamp froze over while Williams-Brice caught fire. Who in the nation could have seen this coming? I mean Florida has had a down year, sure, but South Carolina has no quality wins including a one point victory over perennial bottom tier program Vanderbilt. I guess that didn’t matter to Shane Beamer who led his team to their 5th win over what was thought to be a top tier school. SC quarterback, Jason Brown opened some eyes with two touchdowns but there is still more to be desired on offense. We all know now that Dan Mullen has been masking the state of the Gators with close games and decent wins. No more, Gainesville has a real problem and it always starts from the top down. UF may be in the hot seat but no butt is burning more than that of their head coach. If they have another season like this Mullen could be out mid year 2022. Both teams will end up making a bowl game due to their upcoming opponents but this shown a light on two programs, one negatively and one with promise.