B&S Week 8 game-by-game recaps 2023
Arkansas blows it at home, Alabama keeps the momentum up, and Mizzou is 7-1.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
Another fun weekend in the SEC is in the books. Outside of Missouri wiping the floor with South Carolina, we had close games across the league. Fireworks came on Sunday in Fayetteville with the Dan Enos dismissal but unfortunately for the Hogs, there were no fireworks on gameday as they only managed three points.
Things stood pat this week as Bossman and Hammer tied, keeping Hammer with a two game cushion above the pack. We’ll see if Bossman and Waco Kid can make up some ground next week.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman Slim: What on earth was that? I was able to catch the first half of this game and man was it ugly to watch. Botched snaps, penalties, three-and-outs, you name a bad football play, you saw it. Ahead of this game, Mississippi State’s defense had given up an average of 439 total yards per game (273 passing and 166 rushing). Arkansas was only able to muster 200 total yards, and had under 100 yards passing (97). YIKES. No wonder Dan Enos got the slip on Sunday. The Hogs defense absolutely did enough to win this game, but the Arkansas offense was inept all day, and even with all of that the Hogs would have won this game had a scoop-n-score not been called back due to a pre-snap Mississippi State penalty. It’s starting to unravel for Sam Pittman in Fayetteville, and he needs wins in the worst way to cool his seat heading into 2024. For Mississippi State, hard to say they did much right, but a win is a win, and getting a W on the road with your backup QB is always welcome. Still much to work on for the Bulldogs.
Hammer: What the hell happened in Fayetteville, Arkansas this past weekend? Since this abomination of a football game, Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos has been fired and understandably so. The Arkansas offense has been abysmal this year, despite KJ Jefferson being one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. Sam Pittman deserves a good amount of the blame for hiring a bad fit for an offensive coordinator but he at least cut bait quickly. And buddy, it was time to cut bait after only managing to score three points at home to Mississippi State. The same Bulldog defense that gave up 41 to LSU, 37 to South Carolina, 40 to Alabama, and 28 to Western Michigan is the last four weeks. On the Mississippi State side, this was a great win on the road but I don’t feel much differently about this team. They won an SEC road game without Will Rogers, which is commendable. Don’t apologize for wins in this league. But they still only managed 205 total yards and went 1/10 on third downs. Until they figure out who they are on offense, I expect the bulldogs to continue to struggle moving forward.
Next up for Arkansas: BYE
Next up for Mississippi State: @ Auburn
Bossman Slim: Just a few weeks ago, Tide fans were on the edge just waiting to jump, cursing Nick Saban and thinking his best days might be behind him, the dynasty crumbling. Now, the likes of Paul Finebaum and others are saying that this might be Saban’s best coaching job to date. I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Since their Week 2 loss to Texas, Alabama just keeps winning, and they’re doing it in multiple different ways. Against Texas A&M, the Tide needed a solid stellar passing attack and a great second half to win. Last week, the Tide burst out to a big lead and needed help from the run game while they held on for dear life in the last two frames. Against Tennessee, the Tide needed a second half explosion and the defense had to put the clamps on to plug to Vols attack. It’s certainly impressive, even if it’s not the domination we’re used to seeing from Bama. Tennessee raced out to a 20-7 lead that they took into halftime, only to not score another point and only gain 109 total yards in the second half. The Vols had scoring drives of 75, 79, 15 and 80 yards in the first half. In the second half they had four drives that gained less than 10 yards, and only two drives that went over 30 yards, both coming late in the fourth quarter in desperation time. Ouch. The scoop-n-score by Jihaad Campbell with 7:26 to play was a the back breaker. Big win for Bama, but team.
Hammer: Well, another week, another Alabama win. And another second half comeback. A big second half comeback at that as Alabama outscored Tennessee 27-0 after halftime. Despite their perceived struggles and shortcomings compared to former Alabama teams, the Tide continue winning games. To Tennessee’s credit, they started out hot and Joe Milton played a great first half. He was making throws and running hard as well. That all changed in the second half. Tennessee really struggled to get the run game going (3.5 ypc) and got out classed by Alabama’s defense. The sack fumble forced by Chris Braswell and returned for a touchdown by Jihaad Campbell all but ended the game midway through the 4th quarter. Teams that find ways to score on defense or special teams tend to be really good, and no one has done that better than the Tide since Nick Saban arrived. That’s how you win games despite gaining 50 less yards than your opponent. The Alabama offense still has struggles, but they are doing just enough to win these games thanks to an incredible defense. I counted this team out after the South Florida game and picked Texas A&M to beat them. Since then, Bama has shut me and every other critic up and is looking like a team that’s going to win the SEC West. For the Vols, its tough to suffer your second loss like this but they got outplayed. Made too many costly mistakes in a hostile SEC road game. Happens to everyone.
Next up for Alabama: BYE
Next up for Tennessee: @ Kentucky
Bossman Slim: Mmmmm that Kool-Aid is GOOD. I picked Mizzou to roll to a comfortable win, and them boys got it done. The Tigers handled the Gamecocks in the Columbia with bragging rights for the fifth straight year. Cody Schraeder ran wild on South Carolina, putting up 159 yards and two TDs, averaging six YPC. Have a day, kid! Brady Cook was steady, protecting the ball like he’s done all year and throwing a TD to Luther Burden, who had four receptions for 90 yards. The Tigers defense was even more impressive, holding the Gamecocks to under 300 yards on the day, shutting down their rushing attack, holding Spencer Rattler without a TD and bottling up Xavier Legette for just one catch for 20 yards. Shane Beamer and the squad are still searching for answers along the offensive line, as Mizzou tallied six sacks and eight TFLs. Hard to win games when you can’t block. This thing has the potential to spiral for South Carolina, who travel to Texas A&M next week and still have Kentucky and Clemson to go, not to mention an improving Vanderbilt team.
Hammer: How about this Tigers team?!? They keep winning and are exciting to watch. I mean, this is the exact kind of game prior Mizzou teams would either inexplicably lose outright or barely win. Not this team. They pounded South Carolina and never let the Gamecocks think they had a chance. And although South Carolina has one the worst pass defenses in the entire country and the Tigers can throw the ball as well as anyone, Missouri opted to run over South Carolina on the ground. They can win in multiple ways, folks! Led by Cody Schrader’s 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Mizzou ran for 213 yards as a team on 40 carries. The Gamecocks only managed 69 yards on the ground on 29 carries. What Eli Drinkwitz is doing there continues to impress. They are a really good football team right now and I wasn’t sure if he and this team had that in them. On the Gamecock side, this team had already shown us who they are so this was not a surprise. Sure they play hard but they aren’t a good team right and are going to miss a bowl game barring a miracle.
Next up for Missouri: BYE
Next up for South Carolina: @ Texas A&M
Bossman Slim: Told you this one might be close! Auburn is just a different team in Jordan-Hare as they feed off the energy from the War Eagle faithful. It didn’t matter in the end though as the better team pulled away in the second half. Jaxson Dart accounted for 246 total yards of offense and three TDs for a stellar night. Ole Miss threw the ball just 18 times (for 202 yards) and instead decided to pound Auburn into oblivion, rushing 56 times for 223 yards. Quinshon Judkins went over 100 yards for just the second time this season, posting 124 yards on 21 carries. Auburn did do some nice things in this one, including eight TFLs and getting Jarquez Hunter going for 91 yards and two TDs, but there’s still work to be done on the Plains.
Hammer: I’m going to toot my own horn here because I predicted a 28-20 Ole Miss win and just missed by one point. Anyone who was surprised this game was close hasn't seen enough football games at Jordan-Hare. Auburn plays well there dang near every time, even when they are outmanned, which they were in this one. I never felt like Ole Miss was going to actually lose this game, but Auburn kept hanging around. Quinshon Judkins finally got rolling in this one, rushing for 124 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. The Rebels were determined to run the football in this game and ran it 56 times for 223 yards compared to just 17 pass attempts. Jaxson Dart was not spectacular but he did more than enough to win yet again, making efficient throws and hitting big shots downfield. Very good win for Lane Kiffin and this Rebel football team. Until Auburn has a competent QB, which will not be in 2023, they aren't going to win much. Yet again, their passing game looked like a middle school football team. Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford combined for 122 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 12/17 attempts. It’s not close to good enough and while their defense will keep them in games, don’t expect them to actually win much until the QB play drastically improves.
Next up for Ole Miss: vs. Vanderbilt
Next up for Auburn: vs. Mississippi State
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