B&S Week 5 game-by-game recaps 2023
We had a barn burner in Oxford, a near Jordan-Hare miracle, the Aggies hammered the Hogs, Tennessee enacted revenge and Kentucky sent a message.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
@biscuitsandsec
If you weren’t in the stadium for one of these wild games, I hope you were glued to your TV like I was. The A&M-Arkansas game was full of wild plays, while at the same time Kentucky RB Ray Davis was running the Florida’s defense ragged. Then we were blessed with a nail biter in Jordan-Hare and a barn burner of a game between Ole Miss and LSU in a game that will have big implications in the SEC West race. It was an awesome Saturday of SEC football.
Let’s check in on how the crew fared:
Hammer went a blistering 7-0 Straight Up this week to overtake Bossman. Waco Kid is hanging around Straight Up but should be left for dead against the spread. I’m not even sure it’s statistically possible for him to make a comeback against the spread. Time to break out your tiny violins.
Waco Kid will be back next week.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman Slim: I hereby rescind my praise of the Gators defense and formally apologize to Mark Stoops for picking against him. Through four games it looked like this Florida defense had found something. Then they ran into Ray Davis, who churned up the Kroger Field turf all dang day, marching the Wildcats up and down and around the field on their way to a blowout win. Great win for Kentucky and they showed they’re coming into their own on both sides of the ball. Shoutout to the Big Blue Wall who blocked well all day and to the UK defense who had nine TFLs, three sacks and a pick. The Wildcats real test comes next week when they meet the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Florida finds themselves on the mat again after another gut punch, but they get to take out some frustration next week against Vanderbilt - just don’t sleepwalk through that one like they did last year.
Hammer: Rumor has it, Ray Davis is still running. I had Kentucky winning and covering but this result was far more lopsided than I expected. How we arrived at the result is perhaps even more surprising. Kentucky BULLIED the Gators in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats ran for 328 yards as a team, 280 of which came from Sweet Baby Ray Davis. Davis also scored four touchdowns in this game as Florida had no clue how to stop the man. Devin Leary was a total bus driver in this one because Kentucky didn't need him to do anything. Ray Davis and this offensive line put the team on their back and Leary threw for 69 yards and one touchdown on 9/19 pass attempts. If you had told me that Leary stat line before the game, I’d have said Florida was going to win. Problem of course was the Gators run defense, but also their offensive line and rushing attack. Kentucky totaled nine TFLs, three sacks, and only allowed Florida’s talented running backs to gain 69 yards on 29 attempts. Florida got straight-up punked in Lexington. I’m not off the Billy Napier train yet, but I understand why Florida fans are not impressed. They have looked terrible in both road games so far this year. On Saturday, the Gators had 10 penalties which is an ongoing issue. They don’t look particularly well-coached. This team has the talent to win 7-8 games easily, but I’m not sure they will get there in 2023.
Next up for Kentucky: @ #1 Georgia
Next up for Florida: vs. Vanderbilt
Bossman Slim: Objects on the scoreboard are closer than they appear. A&M manhandled Arkansas even though the Aggies had two missed field goals, threw a pick-six, lost two fumbles, and saw zero penalties called on Arkansas. The Aggie offense was unstoppable in the first half, scoring on 3/4 drives, but the second half was shaky. The A&M defense was the story in this one, holding the Arkansas offense to 15 total points, which is thoroughly impressive considering the Hogs were averaging over 35 PPG coming into the contest. With seven sacks and 15 TFLs on the day, KJ Jefferson was under duress all day and Rocket Sanders was never able to get going as the Hog offense could only muster 174 yards of total offense. Arkansas fans were particularly frustrated with Dan Enos going from the shotgun on 4th-and-short situations when you have a 230-pound QB. Sam Pittman's seat is getting warmer by the day. The Aggies have a massive matchup next weekend in College Station that will give us more clarity of the picture in the SEC West.
Hammer: This game always delivers in the dramatic and theatrical sense. Despite A&M controlling this game and the result not being in doubt much, it still delivered drama with three non-offensive touchdowns. Arkansas had a pick-six to begin the second half, A&M returned serve with their own pick-six later in the 3rd quarter and then Ainias Smith took a punt to the house in the 4th quarter to ice the game. The story of this game was yet again the Aggie defense. Since getting torched in week two against Miami, A&M’s defense has been playing out of their minds. On Saturday, they held the Arkansas offense to 174 total yards. The Razorbacks running game was stuffed from the jump, only managing 42 yards on 39 carries. Helping that low-rushing stat line were the 15 TFLs and seven SACKS from the A&M defense. DJ Durkin is finally dialing up pressure and all those five stars on the Aggie defensive line are living up to their billing. Those guys have been the best front seven in the country the last two weeks and A&M has already eclipsed their entire season sack total from 2022 through just five games in 2023. Offensively, A&M looked decent but made too many mistakes. Max Johnson uncharacteristically threw a terrible pick-six and fumbled twice. Le’Veon Moss broke through in this one and hit 107 yards on 17 carries. On the day, A&M’s offensive line finally opened up some holes and the Aggies ran for 204 yards as a team, averaging 5.2 YPC. Johnson will need to clean up those mistakes against Alabama next week, but if the Aggie defense can keep up this kind of play, they just might be the favorite to win the SEC West.
Next up for Texas A&M: vs. #11 Alabama
Next up for Arkansas: @ #16 Ole Miss
Bossman Slim: Check out them Tigers! After a dismal showing against Texas A&M in Week 4, Auburn bounced back at home in the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare - but still lost. There are no moral victories, as so many like to say now, but Tigers fans have to be encouraged by the fight and improvement their team showed against the #1 team in the country. They hired Hugh Freeze to win these types of games, and in due time, they are going to be toppling giants in games like this. But they let this one slip away. Georgia started slow once again but kept feeding the hot connection of Beck-to-Bowers, riding it to a win. Auburn still has trouble throwing the rock, with only 88 yards passing on the day, but they may have figured something out with the running game, amassing 219 yards on this vaunted Bulldogs front. It’s Georgia’s 22nd straight win, but if they keep messing around, they’re going to fall in the regular season this year - and it could happen next week with a solid Kentucky team coming to town.
Hammer: Hugh Freeze took back play calling after the Texas A&M debacle, and he was in his bag in this game. Auburn still cannot throw the football (they only managed 56 yards passing in this one), but they were able to manufacture yards on the ground against the Dawgs. It wasn’t pretty, and they only gained 200 total yards total, but the Tigers stuck with the run game and finished with 144 yards on 41 attempts as a team. The Auburn defense is pretty darn good too. They aren't good enough to win games with how poor this offense is but they can keep them around, which is exactly what they did here. The Tigers limited Georgia to just 107 yards rushing and made Carson Beck beat them. Beck was far from perfect but his 313 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 23/33 attempts was enough to win this one in a tough road environment. Beck has been solid this year but far from spectacular. That said, he just won his first SEC road start and should continue improving. Don’t panic Georgia. The Dawgs schedule is still soft and they should win every game remaining. They certainly look more vulnerable than they have in the last two years but they still have Brock Bowers and they still have more talent than everyone they line up against. Would it surprise me if they slip up and lose one? No, but I’m not going to predict a Georgia loss until I see one.
Next up for Georgia: vs. #20 Kentucky
Next up for Auburn: BYE
Bossman Slim: Hot dang man, my Cinderella Missouri Tigers are still hot. Brady Cook is on fire right now, throwing for 395 yards and four TDs with an 87.9 QBR. He’s thrown for over 1,092 yards in his last three games and posted an average of 364 YPG and an 81 QBR. The Mizzou rushing attack was also steady all day, averaging four YPC and putting up 137 yards and a TD. The Tigers will want to shore up the pass defense, which allowed 259 yards to Vandy backup Ken Seals. The Commodores still have a long way to go to being seriously competitive in the SEC. Mizzou has a huge matchup against LSU in Columbia next week in a lynchpin game.
Hammer: Mizzou has emerged from the first month of the season unbeaten. What a start to the year for Eli Dirnkwitz and this Mizzou Tigers team. Brady Cook continues his renaissance season by absolutely lighting up Vandy’s secondary to the tune of 395 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers on 33/41 attempts. He’s playing like one of the best QBs in the SEC, if not the best right now. Massive step forward for Cook and this Tiger offense. A big reason Cook is balling out is Luther Burden, who hauled in 11 catches for 140 yards and two TDs in this one. Burden is electric in the open field and Drinkwitz and his staff are doing a phenomenal job of moving Burden around and scheming ways to get him the ball in space. Vandy didn't give up and played hard, but yet again they showed why they are the worst team in the SEC. They just don’t have the dudes to compete right now. When you are getting outgained by Mizzou 532 to 300 at home, things are not going well.
Next up for Missouri: vs. #23 LSU
Next up for Vanderbilt: @ Florida
Bossman Slim: Goodness gracious, what an awesome game to witness. I predicted this game would be a track meet, but even I underestimated how many points would be scored. Neither LSU and Ole Miss plays any defense, as SEC Shorts alluded to in their “How The West Was Won” video. Jayden Daniels played lights out per usual, but Jaxson Dart matched him punch for punch and the Rebels notched one more score than the Tigers. I thought LSU was going to score again on their final drive that started with 39 seconds left on the clock, especially after a dumb personal foul penalty on Ole Miss put LSU in striking distance at the Rebels 16-yard line. But two costly false start penalties pushed the Tigers back 10 yards and effectively ended the game. This was a major win for Ole Miss, one the fanbase has been clamoring for. You have to credit Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bently IV as well, who posted a combined 267 yards and two TDs. Bentley averaged TEN YARDS PER CARRY. Absolutely insane game. Things are getting rocky over in Baton Rouge as the LSU fanbase is growing restless. Kelly has a long leash with a 10-year contract, but the murmurs are growing louder that this championship-level offense is being wasted by an inept defense. Also, don’t miss the Rebel social media team’s petty dunk on LSU.
Hammer: How about that! I doubled down on Lane Kiffin, picking the Rebs to win last week against Bama and getting burned. Not to be deterred, I picked the Rebels to win again this past weekend and they finally came through. Lane Kiffin finally won a big game so that narrative can stop for the time being. This game was unbelievable. A track meet from start to finish and super fun to watch if you like watching receivers run wide ass open all over the field. If you like defensive football, burn this game film cause neither team knew how to stop the other. The stats from this one are video game-esque. LSU had 637 yards of offense and Ole Miss had 706. You might think it was just the passing defenses that got gashed, but you’d be sorely mistaken. Ole Miss ran for 317 yards and averaged 6.5 YPC while LSU ran for 223 yards and averaged 6 YPC. The offenses might as well have been going against air in this one. Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels both put up career stat lines of course and these offenses showcased why they are tough to stop. That said, both defenses showed why these teams are capable of losing to just about anyone as well. I don’t think either defense is quite as bad as this game made them look and they will improve. However, there are serious weaknesses for both teams on the defensive side of the ball and it's clear that the offenses will need to do their best to cover up that weakness. Great win for Ole Miss and yet another big game loss for Brian Kelly. I tried to tell y’all preseason that LSU was not the juggernaut they were being made out to be but the hype train had already left the station. Well, the Tigers are now 3-2 and out of the CFP conversation by the end of September.
Next up for Ole Miss: vs. Arkansas
Next up for LSU: #21 Missouri
Bossman Slim: Revenge achieved. Vols fans got to dance on the Cocky grave on Saturday night, just as they’ve wanted to since the final whistle sounded on November 19, 2022. I predicted on our Biscuits & SEC Week 5 Preview Show that this Tennessee defense would dominate this Gamecocks offensive line, and that’s exactly what happened. Credit to me. Tennessee notched eight TFLs and six sacks, making Spencer Rattler uncomfortable all night and holding him to his lowest passing total and QBR of the season to date. Also have to mention how the Vols shut down Xavier Legette, who has been putting up video game numbers, to just one catch for seven yards. Tennessee also dominated South Carolina on the ground, running up 238 yards rushing and three TDs. Joe Milton played well but there’s still room for improvement there. Congrats to the Vols for winning their “Super Bowl.” South Carolina must regroup in their bye week before a winnable game against Florida in Williams-Brice.
Hammer: This one went about how I expected. Tennessee is the better team and they took care of business at home. South Carolina, although pesky and capable of jumping up and being just about anyone, has too many holes to win a game like this on the road right now. The Vols didn’t gash South Carolina through the air as Joe Milton continued to be average at best, finishing with 239 yards, one TD, and two interceptions on 21/32 attempts. Luckily for Milton, the Vols have a good running game this season and they pushed the Gamecocks around. Both Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright were effective on the ground and the Vols finished with 238 yards rushing on 40 attempts (6 YPC). Spencer Rattler has been playing really high-level football so far in 2023, but he had a bad one on Saturday. Rattler only managed 169 yards and no touchdowns in this one and he threw a pick-six that almost sealed the game, even though it was just late in the second quarter. You just knew after that pick that South Carolina did not have the horses to make a comeback. As usual, the Gamecock offensive line struggled, surrendering eight TFLs and six sacks. Hard to win when you can’t protect the QB. The Vols remain a work in progress compared to fan expectations but that’s nothing new in Knoxville.
Next up for Tennessee: BYE
Next up for South Carolina: BYE
Bossman Slim: Ain’t nothing but a G-thang. Alabama celebrated the news of Tupac Shakur’s suspected murderer being caught by murdering Mississippi State. It was the Tide’s 16th straight win against the Bulldogs, who haven’t beaten Alabama since Nick Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa. This one was never in doubt as the Tide raced out to a 17-3 lead and took a comfortable 31-10 lead into halftime. Jalen Milroe barely threw the ball at all in this one, attempting just 12 passes, but it didn’t matter. He was efficient when he did throw the ball and the Tide just handed it off to Jase McClellan and Roydell Willams, and let Milroe do the work with his legs. The Alabama defense was also stifling once again, holding the State offense to 261 total yards on the night and Will Rogers to just 107 yards passing just a week after he hung 400+ on South Carolina. Solid win for the Tide who have a major test coming up next week against Texas A&M in Kyle Field. It looks like this year Mississippi State will easily be in the SEC West basement.
Hammer: Death, taxes and Alabama beating Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide have now won 16 straight against the Bulldogs. Their last loss came in 2007, Nick Saban’s first year in Tuscaloosa. Despite dominating this game on the scoreboard, Alabama still doesn't look like the Alabama of old. Jalen Milroe is clearly the best option at QB, but he still leaves a lot to be desired. On the day, Milroe went 10/12 for 165 yards and no TDs or turnovers. Perhaps even more problematic, Milroe was Alabama’s leading rusher with 69 yards and two TDs on 11 carries. As a team, the Tide ran for 193 yards with an average of 4.5 YPC. Milroe was also sacked four times and the Tide surrendered 7 tackles for loss. That shows the offensive line is still a major work in progress and they need to get right quick with a road trip to Texas A&M coming this week. I don’t mean to harp on the negative here. It was a solid win on the road against an SEC West team. The Alabama defense picked off Cowboy Will Rogers three times and still looks like one the best units in the country. The Tide are still capable of winning every game they have remaining, but it's not going to come easy. They have work to do. On the Mississippi State side, they just aren’t a good football team. The staff turnover and new offensive system are proving to be more than they can handle. The offense is poor and the defense is average at best. Zach Arnett was thrust into a tough situation, but early returns are not good for Arnett in Starkville.
Next up for Alabama: @ Texas A&M
Next up for Mississippi State: Western Michigan
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