Biscuits & SEC Week 12 game-by-game previews 2024
Georgia keeps playoff hopes alive while South Carolina steamrolls ahead.
By: Bossman, Hammer
Every week in the SEC, we get wild results. Upsets, close games, and impressive wins week in and week out. We’re now through 12 weeks and seeing close games and great football is simply par for the course. None of the crew saw the Florida upset of LSU coming, but at some point, we need to expect the unexpected.
Tough week for the crew as Hammer and Bossman both went 1-3 ATS. Waco Kid, on the other hand, went 3-1 and extended his lead to four games in that department. Hammer also slightly extended his lead in the straight-up column, now clinging to a two-game lead heading into the last two weeks.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: The “welcome to the SEC” game was a few weeks ago against Georgia when Texas got punched in the mouth even though they forced three turnovers. While the Horns pulled out a win in Fayetteville, it was another “welcome to the SEC moment.” Nothing is given in the SEC, it’s all taken, even against teams in the middle of the pack. Arkansas was coming off a 63-31 drubbing by Ole Miss, but it didn’t matter. The Hogs were in this game until the bitter end and their defense kept Texas on their heels much of the day. If you told me before this one that Texas scores just 20 points, I would have told you Arkansas has a very good chance to win. And they did if only they could have figured anything out on offense and avoided turnovers. Neither of those things happened. It was survive and advance for the Longhorns, while for Arkansas it seems like the hour may be getting late for Sam Pittman’s time in Fayetteville.
Hammer: Go on the road in the SEC, and things are just harder. Luckily for Texas, this was only their second SEC road game of the year and they have failed to cover the spread both times. I knew Arkansas pulling off the upset would be very difficult, but this was always too many points. Texas is far too inconsistent and has not been tested on the road enough to trust they can cover a spread that big. This game was right there for Arkansas to take, but unfortunately for Hog fans, they failed to make the plays they needed to. The Razorbacks turnover issues continue to plague them as they turned the ball over twice and failed to force a turnover. The Hog defense played very well, limiting Texas to 315 total yards and notching nine TFLs. Unfortunately, the Texas defense was even more dominant as Taylen Green and Arkansas never had anything going. The Longhorns sacked Green six times and also tallied nine TFLs in a dominant performance. I remain skeptical of how good Texas actually is, seeing as the only top team they have played beat them handily in Austin, but they keep winning. In years gone by, it’s quite possible this is a game that Texas would have lost. But in the last two seasons under Steve Sarkisian, Texas has been winning these kinds of sloppy games.
Bossman: Earth to Brian Kelly, where you at man? First off, it’s quite obvious now that this Florida team is completely different with DJ Lagway under center. But Lagway doesn’t play on defense, and this Gator defense gave up 49 to Texas a week ago. LSU is supposed to have a prolific offense, yet they were only able to muster 16 points against the Gators. What the hell is that? The Tigers made serious mistakes again, giving up two critical fumbles in the second half as well. It’s wild to look at the stat sheet, as the Tigers beat Florida in nearly every statistical category and had 23 more minutes of possession than the Gators. But they lost the game. Insane. LSU fans are starting to get restless about where things are in year three of Kelly’s tenure. 6-4 at this point in the season is not where Tiger fans expect their team to be any season, but especially in the third season under their highly paid coach.
Hammer: Like both of these fanbases often are, this game was drunk. And I don’t mean that disparagingly, I mean it lovingly. Just look at this game’s box score and you will understand what I mean. It makes no sense. For example, LSU dominated time of possession 41:43 to just 18:17 for Florida. LSU also ran 92 plays to Florida’s 43. They more than doubled up Florida! Yet, LSU only outgained Florida 382 to 339 and only managed 16 points. Simply a horrendous offensive performance from LSU. They weren’t efficient at all and just looked like they were in quicksand all game long. It was truly bizarre. I’ve been calling for LSU to try and run the ball all year, and they tried today, rushing for 130 yards on 44 carries but even that didn't matter. Florida just bottled them up all day and LSU couldn’t get it done. The Tigers have lost three games in a row and we are at the low point of the Brian Kelly era. He has no answers for how bad LSU is playing and they just look dead. They looked dead in this game, and Florida took it to‘em. Give Billy Napier and this Gator team credit here. DJ Lagway played but is still not 100%. He didn't even attempt a rush all game, and yet, Florida still ran for 113 yards on just 17 carries. Florida just crushed LSU with explosive plays and they got into the end zone, something LSU couldn’t figure out. Keep an eye on LSU because I am worried they are quitting on Kelly and this staff. With games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma remaining, they should win both but if they don’t show some effort, they could lose and the wheels could really come loose in Baton Rouge. Oh, and Florida’s social media team has some fun with Kelly to twist the knife:
Bossman: Yeeeeah buddy! Shane Beamer has these Gamecocks rolling and totally bought in. It’s fun to see what he’s been cooking in Columbia this season, and it’s hard not to play the “what if” game of if they had beaten LSU and Alabama, both of whom they had on the ropes. If they win those two games or even one of them, the Gamecocks would be hearing their name in the playoff conversation. Even still, it’s turning out to be a nice season for the Gamecocks who now have 9-3 clearly in their sights. They were also able to shut down Eli Drinkwitz’s playoff talk once and for all in 2024, but it wasn’t easy. Carolina led for the majority of this game and found themselves up 22-6 at halftime, only to blow that lead and see Mizzou take the lead 30-27 with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. Too much time! LaNorris Sellers and the ‘Cocks offense never blinked, marching right back down the field on a six-play, 70-yard drive to deliver the counterpunch that dealt Mizzou the final blow. I’ve said it for a few weeks now, but it seems that the A&M game was a turning point in LaNorris Sellers' career. The game has slowed down for him and he looks like a bonafide 2025 Heisman contender. In his last five games, Sellers has improved in every major statistical category, throwing thirteen TDs to just two interceptions and 249 yards per game. Don’t mess with the Gamecocks.
Hammer: I have to give a ton of credit to Missouri here because I did not see this coming. I was beating the drum as loud as anyone that Mizzou stinks. I thought they would get blown out again on the road, even if Brady Cook played. And Cook did play, so he deserves a shoutout as well. That dude is tough as hell and he played a super gutsy game on the road. Coach Drinkwitz and his staff deserve a shoutout for this one. But enough about the team that lost because this was a huge win for South Carolina. Despite the fact I expected them to win this with ease, they still got a win and had to make a ton of plays down the stretch to get it done. The evolution of LaNorris Sellers continues to impress as he won this ballgame for South Carolina with his arm, something he has yet to do. Mizzou had a great defensive plan here and held South Carolina to 109 rushing yards on 36 carries. They forced Sellers to beat them with his arm, and he did exactly that, throwing for 351 yards and 5 TDs on 21/30 attempts. He also showed the ability to lead a game-winning drive with just over a minute remaining. Hell of a win for Shane Beamer and South Carolina. The Gamecocks are playing great football right now and have a very good chance to finish with nine regular-season wins for the first time since 2013.
Bossman: 10-0, and you blow it! The Vols started fast, but couldn’t sustain the momentum. With what we’ve seen over the course of this year from Georgia, I felt good about the Tennessee defense bottling up the Dawgs and forcing a few Carson Beck turnovers. Nah, fam. Beck heard my slander and took it personally, playing his best game of the season, carving up the Volunteer secondary for 347 yards and two TDs for a 98 QBR. He must have stayed off TikTok this week because that’s what we expected out of him all year. And while I thought the Vols defensive front would be in the Georgia backfield much of the night after what we witnessed against Ole Miss, it was actually the Dawgs who were camped out in the Tennessee backfield all night, tallying six TFLs and five sacks. Big win for the Dawgs and it keeps their playoff hopes alive, while Tennessee’s CFP hopes are still alive…but they’re on life support with a jumbled mess at the top of the SEC all looking for a spot in the dance.
Hammer: I did not see this one coming but that shouldn't surprise anyone. I have been stunned by so many SEC results this fall and this is just the latest. I picked UGA to win, so obviously I wasn't surprised at the general outcome, but where did this Carson Beck come from? Beck looked like his former self, throwing for 347 yards and two TDs on 25/40 attempts and, most importantly, no interceptions. It appears the Tennessee secondary, which many tabbed as the team’s biggest weakness coming into the year, finally came back to bite them. Mike Bobo and Georgia had a great game plan coming into this and took advantage of the Vol’s defensive vulnerability. I didn’t trust Beck to figure it out, but he did on this night at least. On the other side of the ball, this played out exactly how I expected it would since I predicted the Vols would only score 17. Georgia’s defense did a solid job against the run, limited Tennessee to 152 yards on 3.9 yards per carry, and Nico and the Vol wideouts couldn't get it done downfield. I sound like a broken record here because Nico did not play badly. He simply didn’t play good enough to win a game on the road in Athens. He finished 20/33 for 167 yards with no TDs or picks. A pedestrian game that will not win you games against a team the caliber of Georgia on the road. Ultimately, this game was a reflection on these two programs. Tennessee is still a really good team and program, but they are not yet on Georgia’s level. For Georgia, they are still one of the best programs in the country and two losses doesn’t change that. The Vols still have more improvements to make before they compete at that level consistently, and Georgia is still who we thought they were.