Biscuits & SEC Week 11 game-by-game recaps 2024
Lane Kiffin delivers, and Alabama ain’t dead yet. What a weekend.
By: Bossman, Hammer
As we come down the home stretch of the regular season, things are beginning to take shape. Alabama dealt a death blow to LSU in Death Valley, Ole Miss is a legit contender and South Carolina is the team no one wants to play. The top of the SEC is crowded but should work itself out. At least, I keep telling myself that so I don’t have to read through the expansive list of tiebreakers. I’ll read that if it comes to it.
The race in our weekly picks is jam-packed too. Hammer outsmarted the rest of the crew this week, taking one game edge in the straight-up department while gaining a game against the spread as well. Both races are too close to call at this point.
Let’s break down what we saw in Week 11.
Bossman: As I mentioned in my preview, a lot hinged on whether or not DJ Lagway played. He did not, and Florida was quickly put down like an old dog. The Gators had three turnovers in the game and Aidan Warner accounted for two of those. Texas was up 35-0 at the half and Florida couldn’t get anything going. Credit to the Horns, who took care of business in Austin. In the famous words of Forrest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Hammer: Well, I ate the cheese Billy Napier put in the trap and got burned. DJ Lagway practiced and was a gametime decision but ultimately did not play. I made my pick with the idea that Lagway would go, and that was stupid. He got carted off the field the week before. I’m glad the injury isn’t that serious, but with Npaier getting the vote of confidence from the AD earlier, I should’ve seen through the smoke screen and realized it was just Napier trying to play games. Everyone knew they had no chance if Aidan Warner started, and unfortunately for the Gators he did. Texas is good and starting your third string transfer from an Ivy League school ain’t gonna get it done. Quinn Ewers looked good and Sark was in his bag all day, and Texas dominated.
Bossman: Imagine for a second if Ole Miss hadn’t completely blown it against Kentucky. Even if they still lose to LSU, this team is in the driver's seat for an SEC title berth and would be considered a favorite to win the natty. Still, this team is squarely in the conversation for both of those and they’re starting to get hot down the stretch run, the exact time of year you want to be playing your best football. In a sopping-wet Oxford, Ole Miss still managed to put up 263 total passing yards and just under 400 yards of total offense. Impressive stuff, considering the conditions. Carson Beck struggled yet again, throwing zero TDs and had an INT. The Ole Miss defense bottled up the UGA running game and the entire day the Rebels looked like the more complete team. Ole Miss tallied five sacks and nine TFLs, with Jared Ivey and Princely Umanmielen combining for four sacks and four TFLs. Dominant stuff. Ole Miss is legit and with Florida and Mississippi State the only two teams left on their schedule, the Rebels should be on the cusp of a playoff spot after rivalry weekend. A lot of credit is due to Lane Kiffin, who kept this team together after two disappointing losses earlier this season.
Hammer: Well, well, well Lane Kiffin finally got the big one. All the signs coming into this pointed towards Ole Miss winning or at least being right in this game. I just couldn’t bet against Kirby in a big game that wasn’t against Alabama. But that streak has come to an end as Ole Miss emphatically took down Georgia and left no doubt in a rainy Oxford who the better team was. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart threw a pick on the first drive and then left the game with an injury. Georgia quickly capitalized on a 21 play TD drive to take the lead, and things looked bleak for Ole Miss. Here we go again, many thought. Well, not so fast my friend. Dart returned and Ole Miss proceeded to ourscore Georgia 28-3 from that point forward. Honestly, if this game wasn’t a rainy, muddy mess, Ole Miss likely wins by more. Georgia’s offense is completely lost. Carson Beck has regressed so far from what we saw last year and Georgia can’t run the ball either. All the portal and NIL investment from Ole Miss on defense was front and center in this game as the Rebels held Georgia to 59 yards rushing on 1.8 YPC and sacked Beck five times and tallied 9 TFLs. They steamrolled the Dawgs offensive line and left no doubt who the better team up front was. Doing that to Georgia is so rare, but Ole Miss of all teams got it done. Lane Kiffin, his staff and his team deserve a ton of credit for this win. Georgia isn’t quite dead yet but they look lost to me and have another big one this weekend against Tennessee. Things are looking WAY up in Oxford.
Bossman: Called it. I know Vanderbilt has played almost everyone close this year, but I felt like South Carolina gained a ton of confidence and momentum after the Texas A&M game, and would be hungry to prove that wasn’t a fluke. Sure enough, it wasn’t. LaNorris Sellers is improving every week, and he posted 238 yards passing and two TDs to go along with 38 yards rushing. The Gamecocks defense kept Diego Stones in check, holding him to just one rushing TD and 166 yards passing. Carolina is seriously a good team this year, and if they had clipped Alabama and LSU, which were real possibilities, this team would be sitting at 8-1. Mizzou and Clemson are the two P4 teams left on their schedule. If I’m either one of them, I don’t want any part of Sir Big Spur.
Hammer: South Carolina is quickly becoming the team no one wants to play in the SEC. Shane Beamer’s squad is mashing people. They are the best 6-3 team in the country. Since their bye week, the Gamecock offense has found something. After totaling over 500 yards against Texas A&M, they followed that up with 452 yards of total offense against Vandy this week. LaNorris Sellers looks confident and Rocket Sanders is playing like a man possessed. Sanders finished with 126 yards and a TD on the ground on just 15 carries and added 52 yards and TD receiving. After a sluggish start offensively, the Gamecocks are figuring it out on offense, and there has never been any question about their defense. For Vandy, they were just overmatched here. Diego Pavia’s magic can only get you so far and they got pounded by a better team this weekend.
Bossman: The Vols did what they had to do here, thanks to Dylan Sampson and the lockdown Orange defense. Sampson was a workhorse, carrying the ball 30 times for 149 yards and a TD, an average of five yards per carry. Nico Iamaleava also had a solid day, throwing for two TDs on just thirteen attempts. Dont’e Thornton Jr. was the beneficiary of Nico’s performance, tallying three receptions for 104 yards and a TD. Mississippi State was able to run the ball, posting 179 rushing yards for 4.7 yards per carry, but couldn’t get anything going through the air. Solid, expected win for Tennessee, who has a big one coming up this Saturday against Georgia. That will be an elimination game for a possible SEC title spot.
Hammer: Another week, another Vol victory. And I predicted a 35-14 win, so I have to toot my own horn. Yet again, the offense sputtered a bit out of the gates, but they did finish the first half with 30 points. After Nico went down with an injury (he should be fine for the UGA game this weekend) it was clear that Tennessee was simply trying to get this game done. They knew they had the better team and if they just played sound football, they would get out with a win. That’s why the Vols ran the ball 57 times and only threw 21 passes. They didn’t need to throw the ball or risk extending the game by stopping the clock with incompletions, so they went full boa constrictor mode and squeezed the life out of Mississippi State. The Vol’s defense went to work in what was a tough night for Michael Van Buren. He finished 10/26 for 92 yards and one pick on the night. Tennessee’s front seven simply suffocated Van Buren and got four sacks and nine tackles for loss. The Bulldogs did find some success on the ground, rushing for 179 yards on 38 carries but were too far behind to mount any sort of serious comeback. Tennessee has a massive showdown in Athens, GA this coming weekend. Get your popcorn ready.
Bossman: Vegas didn’t see this coming and neither did I. Shame on me picking the Tigers in a night game in Baton Rouge, I forgot their head coach is Brian Kelly, who loses big games like it’s his job. Is Alabama really 29 points better than LSU? I don’t think they are, but on Saturday night they left no doubt as to who the better team was. Garrett Nussmeier continued his shaky play, throwing two picks and the Tide bottled up the LSU rushing attack, holding them to just 104 yards. Granted, they were playing from behind for much of the game, which is why Nussmeier attempted 42 passes. Jalen Milroe looked like his old self, driving a knife in the Tigers Achilles heel against running QBs, blowing past LSU with 185 yards on 12 carries for FOUR TDs on the ground. Ridiculous. Blake Baker just can’t figure it out against running QBs, but in his defense, LSU doesn’t have the personnel on that side of the ball to play hard-nosed LSU defense. Big changes need to be made and an overhaul of the defense needs to happen in the offseason or LSU fans will turn on Brian Kelly and never look back.
Hammer: Glad I came to my senses after flip flopping on this pick all week. I bet on the fact that Alabama has Jalen Milroe, and he can run. LSU had shown no ability to stop the QB run game up to that point, and I wasn’t convinced a bye week would magically fix that, and oh buddy it did not. Jalen Milroe nuclear on LSU in this one, rushing for 185 yards and FOUR touchdowns on just 12 CARRIES. He only threw the ball 18 times for 109 yards because they didn’t need to throw the ball. As a team, Bama totaled 311 yards rushing on 48 yards. A complete bloodbath in the run game and total indictment on LSU’s run defense and that staff for allowing it to get this bad. It’s simply inexcusable to be LSU and to be that bad defending the run. On offense, LSU looked lost all night as well. While getting no help from their defense, the Tiger offense was not up to the task to keep pace. Nussmeier was never comfortable and he turned the ball over three times. The turnovers from Nuss are becoming a trend, and the lack of emphasis on the run game from LSU is still mind boggling. Yes, I realize this game got out of hand quickly and LSU needed to throw to try and get back into the game, but they still abandoned the run far too early, especially when it was somewhat working. The Tiger faithful for Brian Kelly is wearing thin. He has a ton of work to do. For Kalen DeBoer, this was a statement win. For all the crap he has taken this year, and rightfully so, his team went into Baton Rouge for a night game in what was essentially a playoff elimination game and beat LSU into a pulp. The Tide ain’t dead yet!
Bossman: This game was like Arkham Asylum on all sides. You had the psych patients who watched it, and then the game itself which was a fun house. Here are the last seven drives:
So, in the last two minutes of the game, you had both of these teams have a scoop-n-score defensive touchdown. The final one was for Mizzou with 30 seconds left which ended up being the game-winning score. A ton of credit should go to Drew Pyne, who was left for dead after his dismal performance against Alabama. He went 14/27 for 143 yards and three TDs through the air and helped the Tigers gut out another hard-fought victory. It’s kind of crazy to say, but Mizzou is somehow 7-2 and in the playoff hunt. At least that’s what Eli Drinkwitz would have you believe – but hey, if they keep winning, who’s to say? For Oklahoma, that may just seal the fate of their hopes of making a bowl game with Alabama and LSU being the last two games on the schedule.
Hammer: Well, shame on me for betting on OU to win an SEC game. I hated to do it, but I truly thought Mizzou without Brady Cook was that bad. I didn’t think Drew Pyne had anything in his bag, and he made me eat crow. It was far from a Heisman performance, but Pyne went 14/27 for 143 yards and three TDs. Good for Pyne for shutting the haters like me up. Oklahoma’s offense is still lost. I thought they were figuring a few things out with Arnold back at QB and the change at OC, but I was wrong. They stunk yet again, even with Deion Burks back. Despite getting dominated in both of their conference road games, Missouri is sitting here at 7-2 which is impressive. With games against South Carolina, Mississippi State and Arkansas remaining, don’t count Drinkwitz’s team out just yet. But you can count Oklahoma out. They are a bad football team and will miss a bowl in their inaugural SEC season. No way they beat LSU or Alabama.
