Biscuits & SEC Week 8 game-by-game recaps 2024
Vols roll the Tide, Georgia smashes Texas, and LSU puts down the Hogs.
By: Bossman, Hammer, Waco Kid
Another week, another can’t-miss day of football. The day started off with a down-to-the-wire game in Columbia, Missouri, followed by a nail-biter in Knoxville and a smash mouth win for Georgia in Austin in the nightcap. We learned a lot this week as we get deeper into the second half of the season.
Let’s check in on how the B&S Crew fared in Week 8:
Bossman picked up a game by picking Tennessee over Alabama, so he won the week in both the straight-up and ATS columns, but Hammer kept pace. He remains a game up on the season in the straight-up column, while Bossman and Waco Kid are dead even in the gambler’s corner.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: You’ve got to be kidding me. I pick the upset here, finally believing Auburn will put together one - just one - decent game where they’ll jump up and surprise someone. How stupid am I? So stupid that Auburn led for almost the entire second half before Mizzou scored a TD with 43 seconds to go. I HAD IT! Hugh Freeze kept me from a 6-1 clip this week. I can’t be as mad at him as Auburn fans are, but I’m close. The kicker here? Auburn won the turnover battle, got a muffed punt TD, and still lost, so now they’re just finding new ways to lose games. Hugh Freeze’s seat in Auburn is really warming up, Tigers fans won’t take this for long. His record continues to be worse than Bryan Harsin’s through the same amount of games, and at this point in Harsin’s tenure, the Auburn brass were scheming on how to send him back to Idaho. As for Mizzou, good on them for getting the win, but this football team is middling in the SEC - not what they expected at the beginning of the year. They are who they are at this point.
Hammer: Good lord, Auburn. I truly feel bad for the fanbase now. I’m not an Auburn fan, so I laughed when they fired Malzahn and Harsin stunk it up before being fired. I laughed when they hired Hugh Freeze, but I thought it would work out better than this. Freeze has been a disaster, and actually worse than Brian Harsin through his first 20 games. Harsin went 9-11 while Freeze is 8-12 since arriving on The Plains. Harsin was fired after his 21st game, and we all know that won’t be Freeze’s fate. But when is enough actually enough? Freeze already came to Auburn with a shaky reputation, he constantly throws his players under the bus, and he whines about not being left any talent from Harsin. News flash, the transfer portal exists, Hugh. Plenty of coaches can muster a better record than that in two years, regardless of what was left from the prior staff. His offense is terrible, they constantly shoot themselves in the foot and find ways to lose close games, and it’s never Freeze’s fault. I know he is recruiting well, but that does not look like a staff that is fun to play for. I don’t know how much longer recruits and fans can keep buying into the crappy snake oil that Freeze is selling. Okay, Auburn rant over. Credit to Missouri for finding a way to win this game. I’ve said it all year, something is off with this Mizzou team. They aren’t what they were a year ago, especially on offense despite all the returning production. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something is off. However, the Tigers fought like hell in this game and overcame a 17-6 fourth quarter deficit to win this ballgame. Eli Drinkwitz has this team at 6-1, even though they haven't been playing great football because he has built a strong culture and his team’s fight. That’s more than I can say about Auburn and Hugh Freeze.
Waco Kid: Brady Cook pulled off some SEC-scripted Hollywood magic, hobbling out of the hospital table to lead Mizzou to a stunning late comeback. Down 17-6, Cook sparked the Tigers with a clutch 78-yard bomb, followed by a game-winning drive capped off with Jamal Roberts’ go-ahead touchdown. Auburn’s offense looked lost in the second half, and Hugh Freeze now has the Tigers 0-4 in the SEC for the second straight year—No bueno, kimosabe. Mizzou’s still dreaming of the College Football Playoff, while Auburn keeps searching for answers.
Bossman: BEAMER ME UP SCOTTIE! How about those Gamecocks? Shane Beamer returned to Norman in his homecoming and torched the Sooners. The OU offense is seriously bad, and the solid Carolina defense made them pay – dearly. South Carolina forced four turnovers, two of those going for defensive touchdowns in the first quarter, and the defensive front was in the Sooner backfield all day long. Not only did the Cocks have NINE sacks, but those sacks came from nine different players. Yes, you read that right. They also had 13 TFLs. Absolutely ridiculous. The OU defense did its part, holding the Gamecocks to 17 points and 256 total yards, but this offense couldn’t score against Allen High School right now. Serious questions are starting to come up about Brent Venables, though his buyout is $44 million, quite prohibitive to make a change. At this point, Oklahoma is very unlikely to make a bowl game. Dark times in Norman.
Hammer: Wow. I thought the Gamecocks would win, but this big of a blowout was surprising. Shane Beamer returned to his former stomping grounds and opened up an old-fashioned can of whoop ass on the Sooners. Oklahoma is completely lost. A rudderless ship getting pummeled by the SEC seas every weekend. As usual, South Carolina found a way to score points without their offense, scoring two defensive touchdowns in the first half. The Gamecock offense looked like it normally does and only totaled 256 total yards, but they did everything else right. They scored two defensive touchdowns, forced four total turnovers, and had nine sacks and 13 TFLs. Simply another dominant defensive performance from South Carolina, especially their front seven. Oklahoma fired their offensive coordinator Seth Litrell on Sunday after another dismal performance, but their problems go much further than that OC. Venables is treading water right now and this team likely won’t even make a bowl in their first SEC season.
Waco Kid:The Gamecocks turned around, used their spurs, and kicked down the door, blowing Oklahoma off their own field, fueled by nine sacks and two defensive touchdowns before fans even got comfortable in their seats. Shane Beamer’s boys turned four Sooner turnovers into 22 points, reminding everyone they can hang with the best of the SEC. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is still searching for that Boomer magic, as turnovers and quarterback struggles have them reeling. South Carolina’s defense stole the show, proving they can go toe to toe with any team in the nation on that side of the ball. Impressive stuff from the Carolina defensive front.
Bossman: Good ole Rocky Top, they got me a win. Most pundits were on the Tide, but neither one of these teams has been impressive of late or separated themselves to justify their sky-high rankings. It was another slog for both of these offenses, who trudged through the game and got just a couple big plays. That’s how I felt this game would go – these teams live and die by the big play, so whoever could make one more play would win. Tennessee did that, even after four punts, three turnovers, and a missed FG. Jalen Milroe seems to be regressing, missing wide-open receivers throughout the game. Nico Iamaleava wasn’t much better, but he did just enough to get the Vols their second victory over the tide in three seasons. The last time Tennessee beat Alabama 2/3 years was 2004-2006, right before Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa. Good win for the Vols, while Alabama is left picking up the pieces. I still don’t trust either one of these teams going forward. A lot left to prove for both of them.
Hammer: Well, the Kalen DeBoer era is officially starting off on the wrong foot. Sure, the Vandy loss was bad. But coming into this game, Bama still only had one loss and all their goals were in front of them. They controlled their own destiny. Not anymore. Tennessee took down the Tide, and most surprising was how they did it. The Vols were the more physical team, and completely dominated Alabama’s offense. Jalen Milroe was never comfortable and played one of his worst games in Crimson. Milroe finished just 24/45 for 239 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and he only managed 11 yards rushing on 14 carries. I thought Milroe’s legs would be the difference here, but he was totally bottled up on the ground by the Vols defense. On offense, Tennessee struggled yet again, failing to score a point in the first half for the third consecutive game. Unfortunately for Alabama, they failed to capitalize on the Vols slow start and only led 7-0 at the half. The Vols found something in the second half, scoring 24 points to earn this victory and most of the credit goes to the Vol running game. Like I said before, they were way more physical than Alabama and it showed in the second half. For the game, Tennessee ran for 220 yards on 41 carries and were led by stud tailback Dylan Sampson who finished with 139 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Sampson nearly doubled the Tide’s team rushing total on his own as Alabama only managed 75 yards rushing. Extremely impressive win for Tennessee as they continue to lean on their defense and running game while Nico is figuring things out.
Waco Kid: Rocky Top is rocking again after Tennessee toppled Alabama, with Dylan Sampson powering the Vols to victory behind 139 yards and two scores. Chris Brazzell’s diving touchdown grab sealed the deal, and fans didn’t waste time ripping down goalposts and lighting cigars. For the Tide, it was another frustrating outing for Jalen Milroe, as Alabama’s playoff hopes took a major hit. Tennessee’s still in the hunt, but Kalen DaBoer’s crew has to regroup fast. T-Town faithful won’t take kindly to anymore losses, and it won’t be easy to get to 10-wins.
Bossman: I talked myself into the Aggies covering here, against my better judgment. Conner Weigman still seems like he’s got some fog to shake off, as he threw two bad interceptions that kept Mississippi State in the game. Every time A&M had a chance to put the Bulldogs away, they let them hang around and could never fully put the game out of reach until late. The positives for the Aggies are that Le’Veon Moss is a DOG, the defense is solid and bails the offense out at times, and this isn’t the old A&M. The Aggies are learning how to win games, even when they’re not playing their best football. That’s what great teams do. Are the Aggies great? I’m not ready to say that, but Elko has them heading in the right direction and the culture change seems to be taking hold. Mississippi State drops to 1-6 on the year, but this team is not to be overlooked. They’ve found something with Michael Van Buren at QB, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this team upset an SEC team before the season is out.
Hammer: Solid win of the road for Texas A&M. I know it wasn’t pretty, and the Aggies failed to cover. But, lest we forget before Mike Elko took over, the Aggies had not won a road game since 2021. So the fact that they went into Starkville and won the game by 10 points, despite not playing their best game shows progress. Conner Weigman came back to earth here, throwing two bad interceptions and looking pretty average overall. Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels carried the load for A&M’s offense, as this team continues to run the ball effectively. Not their best, but no one apologizes for SEC road wins and Texas A&M sits at 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the SEC. Hell of a start for Mike Elko. Okay, now onto Mississippi State. This game was so odd that I wanted to divide up the recap into two parts because Mississippi State might have something. Michael Van Buren Jr. is good. The true freshman QB is getting more and more comfortable in Lebby’s system and the team is much better with Van Buren than they were with Blake Shapen. I like what I am seeing from this team in recent weeks, hanging tough with Texas, Georgia and now Texas A&M. Do not be surprised if Mississippi State pulls an upset before the end of the season. They are feisty.
Waco Kid: Le’Veon Moss carried the Aggies to a gritty win on the road, and he would have had an even bigger day if it weren’t for a few big runs called back for suspect penalties. The Aggie defense also bullied the Bulldogs up front and made plays when they needed to. Conner Weigman wasn’t great in his second start back from injury, but his defense and running game bailed him out. This seems like a different Aggie squad, though, as they’re figuring out how to win even when they aren’t playing up to snuff. Aggies to their sixth straight win. Mississippi State’s freshman QB Michael Van Buren showed flashes but couldn’t avoid the costly mistakes that have defined the Bulldogs’ season. A&M moves forward as a serious contender, while Mississippi State’s slide continues against brutal competition.
Bossman: This was one I totally whiffed on. I thought Arkansas would show more fight against LSU at night in Fayetteville, especially coming off a bye. Had I known LSU was going to be wearing the all-whites, I would have picked the Tigers. This one was a reversion back to the gun-wielding Hogs, the ones that use their weapon to fire it into their own foot. A missed FG and a fumble gave LSU six points to go up 13-0, and a Taylen Green interception in the third quarter to Whit Weeks inside the Arkansas five-yard line gifted the Tigers another seven points. With three total turnovers and a missed field goal, you’re not going to beat this LSU team. Garrett Nussmeier was efficient throwing for 233 yards, but the story was Caden Durham, who rushed for over 100 yards and three TDs. LSU has had difficulty this season getting the running game going, but against Arkansas, who normally boasts a stiff rushing defense, the Tigers were able to find holes. Another big win for the Tigers, who take home the Golden Boot for the third straight season. A showdown with Texas A&M in College Station awaits next week.
Hammer: Sheesh. Swing and miss here. I bought into the Arkansas hype after their win over Tennessee and that’s on me. It was one good game and they came crashing back to earth in this one. I also wasn't fully bought in on LSU, but I might be now. This was a very impressive win here. Going into Fayetteville at night after the thrilling overtime win against Ole Miss, while Arkansas is coming off a bye, and winning by 24 points is not easy at all. And don’t look now, but it would appear Blake Baker is figuring things out with this LSU defense. They held a good Arkansas offense to 277 total yards, forced three turnovers, and only gave up 38 yards rushing. That is a damn good defensive performance and not something I thought LSU was capable of yet.
Waco Kid: LSU kept the Golden Boot firmly in Baton Rouge with a dominant win over the Razorbacks. Caden Durham’s three touchdowns and Damian Ramos' four field goals propelled a feisty Tigers squad that was obviously hearing the “trap game” talk all week and decided to do something about it. Whit Weeks was everywhere, grabbing an interception and adding a sack to stifle Arkansas’ offense. The Hogs couldn’t run the ball to save their lives, totaling just 38 yards, as LSU’s defense clamped down. Brian Kelly’s crew is peaking at the right time, and Arkansas still needs two wins to secure bowl eligibility. With what’s left on their schedule they’re likely to get there, but it’s not a given.
Bossman: We all know what the lede is here: Welcome to the SEC, Longhorns. After Texas two-stepped through their early season schedule, they finally met a team that could match their talent, intensity, and scheme. Georgia came in with a chip on their shoulder and played like it all night. The defense was suffocating for much of the game, looking the the Dawgs defenses we’ve become accustomed to seeing under Kirby Smart. It was smashmouth football from whistle to whistle. Even with three Carson Beck interceptions and having to play against the refs as well as the Longhorns, the Dawgs still found a way to come out with a 15-point win on the road. That’s some f***ing Dawgs, man. There is much to discuss about this game, but I don’t have much space. Hate to harp on the refs, but it was so bad in Austin that Kirby Smart called it out twice in the post-game, and Georiga’s AD released a statement about the officiating, particularly the call in the third quarter where a pass interference was overturned after Texas crowed bullied the zebra’s into submission. The other interesting move to note was Steve Sarkisian going full panic mode and inserting Arch Manning into the game after Quinn Ewers struggled early in the game. Arch came in for two series in the second quarter and looked even worse than Ewers. Bad move from Sark, even though Ewers was playing terribly at the time. Gotta trust your starter. Georgia might just be back, and it’s completely baffling at this point how they lost to Alabama.
Hammer: “Our intent was not to take pictures. It was not to do all the superstar stuff. Our intent was to eat. Our intent was to come eat and be hungry. I’m not interested in all the bells and whistles.” –Kirby Smart, after giving Texas a well-deserved ass whipping. And I don’t mean a normal ass whipping, I’m talking belt-to-ass. And that was all thanks to the Georgia defense. They dominated the high-flying Texas offense in every way. The Dawg front seven bulldozed the Longhorn’s highly touted offensive line to the tune of seven sacks and 10 TFLs. They also held Texas to 29 rushing yards on 27 carries (1.1 YPC). As Mike Tyson famously said, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. Georgia punched Texas in the face and the Longhorns had no plan. This was grown-man football, and Texas ended up looking like a little boy. What really stood out to me in this one, and why I am harping so much on Georgia’s physicality is because their offense was not good. Carson Beck played badly, throwing three picks on just 23/41 attempts for 175 yards. Yet, despite Beck’s awful play, Georgia won by two scores and never trailed. Moving forward, Georgia reminded everyone who doubted them who they are. They are one of the very best programs in the country and they left no doubt about that on Saturday night. As for Texas, they’ll be fine. As I said in the preview, this was the first top-tier competition that Texas had faced. They were not ready for it, but it’s hard to be ready for a team like that when you haven't seen one like it all season. Next time they face a team like that, I do not expect them to be so shellshocked. You take your pounding, move on, and be better off for it.
Waco Kid: Well Well Well…looks like the Horns got their first rude awakening into what it’s like to be in the SEC. After playing a soft early season schedule, Georgia reminded everyone why they’ve been the SEC’s gold standard, taking down top-ranked Texas in Austin. The Dawgs running game finally had a day as Trevor Etienne tallied three touchdowns and the defense looked like the Georgia defenses that produced national championships. Daylen Everette’s takeaways set the tone, and Georgia’s physicality kept the Longhorns from finding any rhythm. Sarkisian’s crew had its moments, but the Bulldogs were just too much—winning big in Austin for the first time since 1958. With Texas humbled and Georgia rolling, the Bulldogs are back in the playoff conversation.
Bossman: What is going on in Lexington? This Kentucky team is hard to figure out. Maybe Ole Miss just isn’t that good, or maybe they had the perfect game plan for that game, or maybe both. But after upsetting then #6 Ole Miss in Oxford, the Wildcats have lost back-to-back games to Vanderbilt and Florida – and they didn’t just lose to Florida, they got whipped. DJ Lagway threw for 259 yards, but only threw the ball 14 times. The big story was Jadan Baugh, who pounded the rock down Kentucky’s throat for 106 yards and five TDs. The offense for Kentucky is anemic right now, but the defense is supposed to be their calling card and they just got smoked by a true freshman in his first start at QB. A lot of questions now in Lexington as Billy Napier keeps hanging on for another week.
Hammer: Something has gone haywire in Lexington, KY. The Ole Miss upset was a total fluke and we now have mounting evidence of what Kentucky really is, and it’s a bad football team. Brock Vandagriff is a below-average QB and he has been all year. The Wildcat offense has no identity and they are not playing at a level congruent with winning football games. Their defense is decent but they get hung out to dry by a bad offense and they are inconsistent. Case and point from this game: Florida completed 8 passes as a team for 279 yards. For you math wizards, that is 34.9 yards per reception. That’s a pitiful defensive effort by Kentucky. Now for Florida, Billy Napier has been labeled a dead man walking for weeks. I’m guilty of it as well, but this team is improving. I’m not saying Napier is the right guy for the job long-term, but it’s undeniable that this Gator team is getting better each week. With DJ Lagway running the show, Florida could surprise some people down the stretch, and they will need to because their remaining schedule is brutal. Given the rest of the schedule, this was a must-win for Florida, and they played like it. Napier and this team deserve credit for handling the pressure and completely dismantling Kentucky.
Waco Kid: Well, folks, the Gators finally stopped playing nice with Kentucky and served up a 48-20 swamp-stomping to snap a losing streak that had been festering since 2020. Jadan Baugh ran wild with five touchdowns, tying legends like Tebow and Burton, while freshman QB DJ Lagway went bombs-away for 259 yards, throwing more deep passes in one game than Graham Mertz did all season. Kentucky's Barion Brown tried to keep it interesting with a 99-yard kickoff return and a flea flicker score, but it was too little, too late against a Florida team that pushed the Wildcats around like they owed'em rent. Coach Stoops summed it up best—'pretty good butt-whipping'—and that’s exactly what it was. This cools Napier’s seat for a hot second, and AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE – Mark Stoops might need to watch his back. This isn’t what the Wildcats had in mind when they signed him to an extension.
