B&S Week 10 game-by-game recaps 2023
Ole Miss tops A&M late, Georgia suffocates Mizzou, and Alabama posts a decisive win against arch-rival LSU in Week 10.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
We’re at the point in the season where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve got just three weeks to go and our crystal ball is clearing up considerably. It was another fantastic week of SEC football with great games from the early window all the way through the late window with Alabama vs. LSU. How can you not love this sport?
Here’s how the crew fared in Week 10:
Bossman had another scorching week straight up, as he’s now 11-0 in the last two weeks and 14-1 over the last three weeks. Picking Arkansas over Florida allowed him to tie it up with Hammer, so it’s going to go down to the wire to end the season to see who comes out on top. Against the spread, Bossman remained on top as well, holding a four-game lead over Hammer. Waco Kid still brings up the rear ATS, but he’s made progress in recent weeks, aided by his 5-0 mark last week.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman Slim: Another year of Lane Kiffin and the Rebs backing up the trash talk. Kiffin took some not-so-veiled shots at Jimbo Fisher leading up to the game, and A&M players returned the favor by commenting the strong arm emoji on Ole Miss player's Instagram posts. Since Kiffin arrived in Oxford, there’s been no shortage of love lost between these two programs, and Kiffin’s gotten the best of Fisher now three times in a row. Ole Miss looked like they might feast on this wounded A&M team early in the game, with a chance to go up 17-0 before the Aggies flipped the script on a blocked FG attempt that Jacoby Mathews took back for a touchdown, swinging the game 10 points and keeping A&M in the game. Still, Ole Miss would go up by 14 again midway through the third quarter at 28-14, but the Aggies would not go away, ultimately taking the lead 35-31 with four and a half minutes to go in the fourth. That’s just too much time for Jaxson Dart, who marched the Rebs 75 yards on nine plays to retake the lead. A&M had one more chance and marched down the field to set up a game-tying field goal attempt that was blocked after the play developed slower than molasses in winter. This one was full of heroic efforts on both sides. Jaxson Dart was exceptional tossing two TDs for nearly 400 yards, Tre Harris was Superman making circus catches all day and totaling over 200 yards receiving. Quinshon Judkins got his too, totaling three TDs and 102 yards rushing. Max Johnson was under fire the whole game, yet still threw for over 300 yards and kept A&M in the game, even after a critical interception in the end zone on the Aggies' first drive of the second half. This was a solid win for Ole Miss that sets up a massive showdown against Georgia next weekend. As for A&M, it’s another disappointing loss that leaves everyone searching for answers.
Hammer: Aside from both teams scoring more than I thought they would, this game played out like I expected. The Aggies would play hard, keep it close and competitive, but come up just short. That’s exactly what happened. Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and looked to be cruising to a big win before a blocked field goal that A&M defensive back Jacoby Mathews returned for a touchdown flipped the momentum. From that point forward, it was a back-and-forth slugfest that included the Aggies coming back from a 14-point second-half deficit to take a 35-31 lead with just over four minutes to go in the game. That was too much time for Jaxson Dart on Saturday though as the Rebel QB had an incredible day throwing for 387 yards and two touchdowns, and he led the Rebels right down the field for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:40 to go in the game. Max Johnson got the Aggies back into field goal range but the potential game-tying field goal was blocked by Ole Miss, sealing the win. Ole Miss continues winning close games and will head to Athens, GA next week at 8-1 to take on Georgia. Meanwhile, Jimbo and the Aggies continue finding excruciating ways to lose close games, making critical mistakes and awful times. It’s Groundhog Day in Aggieland and how Jimbo still has a job is beyond me.
Next up for Ole Miss: @ Georgia
Next up for Texas A&M: vs. Mississippi State
Bossman Slim: Called it, baby! What an awesome game. This one was a punch-for-punch, down to the last play, knock-out SEC fight. Arkansas has had a very disappointing year that put Sam Pittman squarely on the hot seat, but this win should cool that seat a bit. It was Arkansas’s first win in The Swamp as a program, and they took it in impressive fashion, scoring 39 points, a feat the Hogs had not come close to achieving against Power 5 competition all season. Credit to Arkansas interim OC Kenny Guiton, who called a great game and put players in a position to be successful. Florida played step-for-step with the Hogs, but couldn’t get it done in the end. That’ll turn the volume up on Billy Napier again, especially as they stare down the barrel of a daunting three-game stretch to finish the season, which could land them at 5-7 and in danger of missing a bowl game. As for the Razorbacks, they’ve got three straight home games to get bowl-eligible, and they have a real shot to win out. Auburn will be a tough out next week, and Mizzou to end the year is their toughest test remaining.
Hammer: Upset alert! The Hogs have found a pulse! A bye week and firing Dan Enos appears to be just what the doctor ordered for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks as they went on the road and hung 39 on Florida to get their first win in SEC play this season. KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders looked like different players under new offensive coordinator Kenny Guiton. Jefferson got rolling on the ground and through the air, running for 92 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sanders ran for 103 yards on 18 carries in his first game of the year going over 100 yards. The Gators offense played well in their own right and did enough to win the game, tallying 394 yards. Florida also won the turnover battle 2-1 but even that wasn't enough to stop the revived Hogs in Gainesville. Give Sam Pittman and this team a ton of credit for continuing to fight and play hard despite how poorly their season has gone. No quit in Arkansas yet. For Billy Napier and Florida, this was a crushing loss. The Gators need one more win to get to bowl eligibility but they close the regular season at LSU, at Missouri, and at home against Florida State. Good luck, Gators.
Next up for Arkansas: vs. Auburn
Next up for Florida: @ LSU
Bossman Slim: I thought this one would be a dog fight for three quarters, and it was…but Mizzou outperformed my expectations and fought to the bitter end. This only solidified my feelings about Missouri: this is the strongest Tiger team in years and they can hang with anyone in the country. It also solidified my opinion on Georgia: this team is gritty and good enough to win a national title. The game was tied at half, which gave Mizzou belief that they could come out and finish off the Dawgs. Unfortunately, that’s a tall task in Athens, and Georgia employed the boa-constrictor method in the second half, methodically squeezing the life out of the Tigers. UGA scored on their first four possessions of the second half, going on long drives and protecting the football, and late in the game, turning over Brady Cook twice to seal the deal. Carson Beck performed well again and his connection with Ladd McConkey (7 catches, 95 yards) is heating up, while the combo of Dajiun Edwards and Kendall Milton went over 100 yards and added a TD. I still have a lot of belief in this Mizzou team, but the next three weeks will define their season with three tough SEC games left. Georgia also can’t rest with Ole Miss and Tennessee still to go.
Hammer: The Tigers fought valiantly and losing Luther Burden hurt. But this game went about as expected. Yes, Mizzou covered and kept it tighter than some thought, but they never really seemed like they were going to win right? Georgia is just too good and they do not beat themselves. They rarely turn the ball over and to beat them you have to be extremely sharp. The Tigers played a solid game, but the two turnovers were killer and Brady Cook never got comfortable. Cook was just 14/30 for 212 yards, one touchdown, and two costly late picks. Cody Schrader and Missouri ran the ball effectively (4.4 ypc) but without a consistent passing game, you aren’t going to beat Georgia in Athens. Carson Beck continues to play really good football, going 21/32 for 354 yards and two touchdowns. At this point, you can almost set your clock to that kind of stat line from Beck. He’s just good, he spreads the ball around and he doesn't make many mistakes. With Beck playing this way, Georgia will be so tough to beat.
Next up for Georgia: vs. Ole Miss
Next up for Mizzou: vs. Tennessee
Bossman Slim: I picked this one 31-14, so I almost nailed it on the head. Two early Jarquez Hunter touchdowns put the Tigers in front 14-0 and Auburn would never relinquish the lead, though it got a bit shaky early in the second quarter after a Payton Thorne pick-six to Vandy linebacker Bryce Cowan that cut the lead to 14-7. After that, though, Auburn would settle down and score 24 unanswered points to go up 31-7 and put the game out of reach. Vandy never quit, however, putting up a TD late in the third quarter and then going on a 16-play, 79-yard, nine-minute drive that ended after the Commodores went for it on fourth and goal and couldn’t convert. It’s another disappointing season in Nashville, but there are still some glimpses of hope. Auburn gets a nice win to put them over .500 on the season, but there are still many mistakes that need to be cleaned up, namely at QB. A pick-six like that against Vandy to keep them in the game early just can’t happen.
Hammer: Not much to say about this SEC bottom dweller matchup, but I'll give Auburn some flowers. The Tigers had one of the worst passing offenses I have ever seen up until the last two weeks. Playing Mississippi State and Vanderbilt certainly helps, but Payton Thorne has looked competent the last two weeks. Thorne went 17/27 for 194 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. Those are very average numbers but compared to how he had been playing, it's a massive improvement. Jarquez Hunter has also gotten things rolling as of late, rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns in this one. Like I said, playing Vandy and Mississippi State certainly helps but give Hugh Freeze and Auburn some credit for at least looking competent on offense. Not much to say about Vandy. Another week, another loss. Better luck next year.
Next up for Auburn: @ Arkansas
Next up for Vanderbilt: @ South Carolina
Bossman Slim: No sweat for Big Blue. Kentucky controlled this one from the jump, taking a 21-3 lead into halftime and never looking back. The Wildcats defense did what they were supposed to do and kept the Bulldogs offense in check for most of the day. You would like to see Kentucky score more points against this State team, but anyone will take a win by 21 points. As for Mississippi State…yikes. It’s been a dismal season in Starkville, so much so that the chatter around Zach Arnett’s job status is already growing loud. Many thought before the season that State’s transition to a new offense would come with growing pains. Those fears have been realized as it’s obvious that the Bulldogs don’t have the personnel to run Kevin Barbay’s offense effectively. It doesn’t help that veteran QB Will Rogers has been out of the lineup since the Western Michigan game. It likely won’t get much better for State, who is an -18.5 point dog to a 5-4 Texas A&M team for next Saturday’s game. Kentucky also has their work cut out for them to end the year, but at least they’ll make a bowl.
Hammer: Great bounce-back win for Kentucky. Mississippi State is not good, but coming off a tough home loss to Tennessee and going to Starkville at night is no easy game. The Wildcats made it look easy though. The Kentucky defense dominated this game, not letting Mike Wright run the ball effectively and taking advantage of him in the passing game with an interception returned for a touchdown. The Wildcat offense was decent but had trouble finding much rhythm on the ground or through the air, but they did enough and they took care of the ball. Given how poorly Mississippi State has looked, that was all it took. If you force the Bulldogs to beat you without turning over the ball, they probably can’t. Kentucky moves to 6-3 and is now bowl-eligible.
Next up for Kentucky: vs. Alabama
Next up for Mississippi State: @ Texas A&M
Bossman Slim: I guess the right word here is “wow.” After all the articles and bluster about the Alabama dynasty being on its last gasp early in the season, all the Tide have done is reel off seven straight wins. Their latest victim was Brian Kelly’s spy-less LSU Tigers, who stalled on offense in the second half while Jalen Milroe carved up the Tigers weak defense, leading Bama to a convincing win. Jayden Daniels was special per usual until he was knocked out of the game on a controversial Dallas Turner hit that put him on the sidelines with a possible concussion. He did throw an INT to start the fourth quarter that Alabama turned into a TD three plays later. I thought Alabama would hit some big plays through the air and they did, but the story in this one was Jalen Milroe running roughshod on the LSU defense for 155 yards and FOUR TDs. Ridiculous. This kid is really growing up and turning out to be special. Texas is lucky they caught Alabama in Week 2. Great win for the Tide while LSU is back to searching for answers on defense, with calls for Matt House’s job at an all-time decibel level.
Hammer: Shame on anyone who doubted Alabama earlier this year, myself included. They aren’t perfect, but Nick Saban is getting the most he can out of this team. Despite their deficiencies, they continue winning games and beating good teams. Even though LSU’s defense is awful, I did not see Jalen Milroe and the Tide’s offense being that effective so hats off to those coaches and players. Over 500 yards and no turnovers is spectacular compared to what they looked like earlier this year. I expected this game to be closer, and maybe it would have been if Jayden Daniels didn't get injured, but Alabama was clearly the better team. Jalen Milroe absolutely balled out by throwing for 219 yards, running for 153 yards and four touchdowns. On the LSU side, Daniels was running wild as well, totaling 163 yards rushing, 219 yards passing and three total TDs. Not many teams can beat Alabama in back-to-back seasons and Brian Kelly and LSU found that out the hard way on Saturday night. I’m interested to see if Kelly can keep the train on the tracks heading into the final three games as that team and the fans/media expected more than a 9-3 season at best. For Alabama, they continue to improve, have the best defense in the country, and look extremely confident as a team. The sky is the limit for that group.
Next up for Alabama: @ Kentucky
Next up for LSU: vs. Florida
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