B&S Week 4 game-by-game recaps
Week 4 was wild as expected. College football always delivers, but do we deliver with our picks?
By: The Waco Kid, The Hammer, Bossman Slim
Texas A&M claims their 10th Southwest Classic Trophy in the last 11 years. Photo via @Aggiefootball
Well, here we are. A quarter of the way through the season and thank goodness we don’t have a gambling sponsor this year, because they would drop us like a hot potato. Other than the gambling, we can pick some dang games…but it’s about to get real as we enter the meat of the SEC schedule.
What an incredible Saturday of college football. We had another miracle at Jordan-Hare, except many Auburn fans didn’t really want this one (yikes). We saw a thriller in Neyland Stadium and the “Oink Doink” in Dallas, and a couple of heavily favored teams struggled against inferior competition.
Let’s check out how the crew fared:
B&S Results through Week 4
Straight up, we’re dang good. Against the spread? Not so much. Bossman’s strategy of picking all overs failed as he was sub .500 for the weekend. The Hammer took a more measured approach and was one game over .500 for the weekend, but I wouldn’t play those odds in Vegas. The Waco Kid brought up the rear, going 2-8 against the spread…so avoid his picks like the plague.
Overall, Waco picked up two games on Hammer to get even in the straight-up competition. Bossman and Waco went 10-0 straight up, while Hammer was 9-1. How bout them apples?
Now…the recaps.
#1 Georgia 39 - Kent State 22
Bossman Slim: I picked this game 52-6. What the hell, Georgia? Kent State has given a few P5 teams a little trouble over the last few years, but dang, what was that Dawgs? Y’all are supposed to be a machine. This game was 12-10 in the 2nd quarter and 32-22 early in the 4th! The Bulldogs were sleepwalking through this one, but sometimes these games are exactly what a coach like Kirby Smart needs to drive a message home. I expect Georgia to bounce back in a big way over the next few weeks. Stop reading your own press, Dawgs!
The Hammer: Not really sure what happened here as Georgia letting Kent State hang around was not on my bingo card this week. Fear not though Dawg fans, this doesn't mean anything. It’s hard to continue getting up to play inferior opponents. Georgia slept through this game but I don’t see it impacting them at all moving forward. Dawgs will be fine.
Auburn 17 - Missouri 14
Bossman Slim: Auburn tried to lose this game, and they just couldn’t do it. That, or Eli Drinkwitz wanted to save his old boss's job for another week as a thank you for giving him an opportunity. I knew this was going to be an ugly football game as both of these teams are sitting squarely in the bottom half of the SEC. But this ugly? Not even I thought it would be this bad. 14-14…and it goes to OT? Sheesh. Bryan Harsin is not long for this program as the sharks are circling. Drinkwitz's seat is starting to warm in Columbia as Mizzou is going in the wrong direction. Mizzou fans won’t stand by long as they watch other teams rise in the East.
The Hammer: I thought this game would be ugly, which is why I picked a 16-10 final score, but I didn't realize it would be this ugly. Neither team wanted to win this game. They kept trying to hand it back to one another until finally in overtime, Mizzou fumbled the ball at the goalline and it was recovered by Auburn for a touchback, all but sealing the game. At the end of regulation, Eli Drinkwitz opted to run the clock out and kick a game-winning field goal rather than trying to score a TD, which obviously came back to bite him in the ass when his All-American kicker missed from 26 yards away. To add to this horrific display of football at Jordan-Hare, it was reported pregame that if Auburn lost, Harsin would be fired. Well, they won but do any Auburn fans or boosters feel better about Harsin or this team? No way. Just get rid of the guy if that’s your plan. Auburn has handled this situation about as poorly as they possibly could from the beginning, and they continue to look ridiculous.
Mississippi State 45 - Bowling Green 14
Bossman Slim: First off, can Mississippi State wear those uniforms for every home game? Those throwbacks were a thing of beauty. @RivsHughey can you help a brother out a sneak Bossman one of those beauties? I’ll take a Cowboy Will Rogers #2 special. This one was all in a day’s work for the Bulldogs. I expected Rogers to get back on track this week and he did in a big way, going 39-50 for 409 yards and - count’em - SIX TDs. A big test awaits next week as State heads to Texas A&M.
The Hammer: Mississippi State took care of business after a few tough weeks, including the strange loss in Baton Rouge. Bowling Green was just what the doctor ordered as a tune-up before Texas A&M comes to Starkville this Saturday. Cowboy Will Rogers unloaded his six-shooter on the Falcon’s defense, throwing for 6 touchdowns and over 400 yards. If the Bulldogs can maintain consistency on offense, they are dangerous.
#11 Tennessee 38 - #20 Florida 33
Bossman Slim: Welcome back Anthony Richardson. The Florida QB threw for 453 yards and 2 TDs and added 62 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He played a heck of a game as Florida threw their best haymakers at Tennessee. Problem for the Gators was that the Vols have Hendon Hooker who is playing at an elite level game in and game out. Hooker had 349 yards and 2 TDs through the air and added 112 yards and 1 TD rushing. And that was without his top target Cedric Tillman, who was out with an injury. Bru McCoy stepped up in a big way, hauling in 5 receptions for 102 yards and a TD. Tennessee is the real deal, and man was it awesome to see Neyland rocking like that again for a huge matchup. Another big test awaits the Vols next week as they head to Death Valley for a noon ET kickoff (the TV execs who made this a noon kick…curse you!). Florida gets a cupcake in Eastern Washington next week before getting Mizzou in The Swamp in Week 6.
The Hammer: Good win for the Vols. Yes, they were favored by double digits and did not cover, but anyone who has followed this rivalry knows how big this was for Tennessee. They exercised the Florida demons. Hendon Hooker continues to play lights out and should be getting real consideration for the Heisman. He was unstoppable on Saturday night, going 22/28 for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, along with 112 yards and another TD rushing. Florida had no answer for Hooker. Coincidentally, the Vols also had no answer for Anthony Richardson. AR15 was finally cutting it loose from the pocket and threw for 453 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one pick that came on the last play of the game. He also ran for 62 yards and 2 TDs. Florida fans should be optimistic based on this showing in a hostile environment. Hopefully, Richardson and this offense have figured some things out. Tennessee fans might be a little nervous about how the secondary looked, but until someone can stop Hendon Hooker I think the Vols will be fine.
#16 Ole Miss 35 - Tulsa 27
Bossman Slim: We knew Tulsa’s offense could give Ole Miss some trouble, and they did. I just thought the Rebels offense would put up more points. The Rebels were shut out in the second half after taking a 35-14 lead into the break. The Ole Miss rushing attack was stellar again, as Jaxson Dart, Quinshon Judkins, and Zach Evans combined for 308 yards and 3 TDs. Judkins had 27 carries to Evans 10, so it seems like Judkins may be taking the lead in the backfield. Judkins did lose a fumble and this one was too close for comfort. Tulsa closed the gap to 35-27 early in the 4th but the Rebels defense shut down the Golden Hurricane on their next three drives to close out the game and get the W. Much to work on for Lane Kiffin and the Rebs before they host top 10 Kentucky next week.
The Hammer: This was a really weird game. Tulsa came into the game leading the country in passing but they only threw for 195 yards in this one. Advantage Ole Miss right? Not so fast, as Tulsa turned to the ground and pound and ran for 242 yards on 42 carries (6.1 ypc). That concerns me if I am an Ole Miss fan. Very odd defensive performance but Tulsa has shown they can score, just wasn't expecting it to be with the run game. Not to be outdone though, the Rebels ran the ball all day yet again. Quinshon Judkins led the way with 140 yards rushing and two TDs on 27 carries. Dart showed off his athleticism as well, running for 116 yards on 13 carries. Altogether, Ole Miss ran for 308 yards on the day, further cementing this rushing attack as one of the best in the nation. Ole Miss hosts Kentucky this week, so we’re about to find out how potent that running game is against a stout Kentucky defense.
#8 Kentucky 31 - Northern Illinois 23
Bossman Slim: Another one here that was too close for comfort. Kentucky was favored by 26.5 and won by 8. That doesn’t exactly give you the utmost confidence in a team that’s supposed to be in the top 10, but I wouldn’t read too much into it. Teams sleep walk through games, just like Georgia and Ole Miss did this week. College football is week to week, but you want to see your team pummel inferior opponents. Kentucky was unable to do that this week, but there were bright spots. Will Levis did what he was supposed to do: throw for over 300 yards and notch 4 TDs. Tayvion Robinson and Barion Brown are emerging as real weapons for this Kentucky offense. The Wildcats need Chris Rodriguez back to jumpstart the rushing attack, and lucky for them he’s back next week just in time for Ole Miss. Kavosiey Smoke fumbled twice and lost one of them. But a win is a win. Also, a few things to work on for the defense, which needs to get some pressure on the QB. Just 2 QB hurries and 0 sacks aren’t going to cut it as the schedule gets tough.
The Hammer: I think we are starting to see who Kentucky is. They are a good team, but their offense is not quite good enough to really put away opponents, even less talented opponents. The return of Chris Rodriguez this week should help the Wildcat run game, but how much is the question, because it stinks right now. Kentucky ran the ball 35 times against Northern Illinois and only managed 103 yards. Just a week ago Vanderbilt ran for 173 yards on this same defense. Luckily for the Wildcats, Levis bailed them out by throwing for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kentucky is a good team but they have flaws that really good teams will expose. A massive test looms this weekend for Big Blue Nation as they go on the road to Ole Miss.
#23 Texas A&M 23 - #10 Arkansas 21
Bossman Slim: If you didn’t watch this game, I implore you to go watch the highlights because it was a wild one from start to finish. Arkansas raced out to a 14-0 lead and was about to punch another one in go to up 20-7, but KJ Jefferson fumbled inside the 5 and watched A&M return it 82 yards for a TD, a 13-point swing right before our eyes (A&M missed the ensuing PAT). For 3 more quarters, this was a dog fight and a great game to watch. Arkansas had a chance to kick a go-ahead field goal with 1:30 left in the 4th but it hit the TOP of the upright and bounced back into the field of play - no good. The Aggies then ran out the clock. Incredible. A&M has now won 10/11 against the Hogs since joining the SEC, salt in an open wound for Razorback fans. A&M still has much to improve on offense, and they lost top wideout Ainias Smith to a season-ending injury. For Arkansas, it was a day of coulda-woulda-shoulda. Arkansas is still a solid team and needs to put this one behind them quickly as they have #2 Alabama coming to Fayetteville this week.
The Hammer: This game was total bananas from start to finish. Arkansas jumps out to an early 14-0 lead, and it looks like A&M is dead. The struggling Aggie offense looks terrible and Arkansas is moving the ball with relative ease. Suddenly, A&M found some offense and reeled off 23 straight points to take the lead 23-14. Mixed into that 23-point run was one of the wildest plays we’ve seen all year as KJ Jefferson leaped toward the end zone from WAY too far out and the ball was punched out by Aggie linebacker Chris Russell. Once the ball left Jefferson’s arms it landed in A&M defensive back Tyreek Chappell’s arms and he took off the other way. Rocket Sanders grabbed Chappell and had him dead to rights when A&M safety Demani Richardson took the ball from Chappell before he went down and returned it all the way for a TD. Just when it looked like Arkansas would take a 21-7 lead, the Aggie defense came up with a miraculous play that flipped the entire game. Devon Achane was the offensive MVP for A&M as he ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The game was finally sealed when the Razorback kicker doinked a kick off the top of the upright with just over a minute and a half remaining, giving the Aggies the ball to run out the clock. Both teams made tons of mistakes in this game and at the end of the day, A&M made enough plays to win. Survive and advance.
#2 Alabama 55 - Vanderbilt 3
Bossman Slim: This one went as expected. Alabama was indeed next and gave Vanderbilt the expected pounding. Tide Roll as they gear up for Arkansas.
The Hammer: Not much to see here. Alabama sent a message with their SEC opener that they are not messing around anymore. Meanwhile, Vandy is improved but going on the road with a true freshman QB against Bama will never go well. Bama will take on a pissed-off Arkansas team in Fayetteville next weekend.
LSU 38 - New Mexico 0
Bossman Slim: This is exactly what you are supposed to do to inferior opponents. Show no mercy, get a shut-out, and cover. LSU did just that as it seems the Tigers are improving week to week under Brian Kelly. LSU gets Auburn this Saturday in a night game at Jordan-Hare. A big win for the Bayou Bengals could spell the end of the line for Bryan Harsin.
The Hammer: LSU took care of business here. The Lobos are a perennial punching bag of various SEC teams. Hard to take much away from this one but give credit to LSU for taking care of business against a bad opponent.
South Carolina 56 - Charlotte 20
Bossman Slim: A much-needed jolt of energy for the Gamecocks as they smoke a hapless Charlotte team. Carolina put up 545 yards of total offense behind an upstart rushing attack that notched 295 yards on the ground. Much to work on in the passing game, and allowing 20 points to Charlotte should give plenty for Shane Beamer to complain about to his team in the film room this week. USC gets another cupcake in South Carolina State on Thursday before heading to Kentucky on October 8.
The Hammer: Good for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks! They needed this win after several tough weeks in a row and some random bad pub about Shane Beamer. For the record, I’m on team Beamer here and all the people getting mad at him need to relax. South Carolina FINALLY found some running room, totaling 295 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns as a team. Charlotte is really bad, but maybe this will help the offensive line gain some confidence heading back into conference play.