Biscuits & SEC Week 2 game-by-game recaps 2024
Saturday gave us absolute chaos, with multiple teams getting toppled unexpectedly and other giants escaping certain death.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer, Waco Kid
We thought week one went back for our picks and previews but sadly week two wasn't much better. Across the board, we all found a little more success but overall still some pretty terrible picks, especially against Vegas. Reminder: fade our picks all season if you want to make money.
This week, even outside the SEC, was full of chaos. It happens every single year and yet we always forget the golden rule: do not overreact to weekly results. Early in the college football season, madness is around every corner. Teams are still figuring out who they are and they are playing teams out of conference that they don’t typically play. Throw in the amount of coaching and player movement across the sport now, and half the time these teams have absolutely no idea what to expect from one another until the game kicks off. It’s beautiful and why we love the sport.
Through two weeks, the Waco Kid is dragging up the rear again. He needs to find his way out of this hole quickly before he digs himself to China. The Hammer found something in the straight-up column this week but remains abysmal against the spread rocking a 3-9 record through two weeks. Bossman is at the top of both categories but a .500 record straight up but below .500 against the spread ain’t gonna cut it. I swear we are experts. Just kidding, we are not experts, just fans who love to watch and talk SEC ball.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: I thought Texas would win by a comfortable margin, but this was a certified beatdown. The Horns led 24-3 at halftime and the only TD Michigan scored all game was in garbage time after the game was well out of hand. With Michigan only returning six starters in total and still trying to figure out who is going to be the quarterback, I knew they might have issues with a Texas team that is primed for a playoff run…and they did. This isn’t the Michigan team from last year and the Longhorns are for real.
Hammer: I won’t spend much time on this cause it’s one of the few picks this week that I nailed. I thought Texas had too much firepower for Michigan to hang with them, and I was right. The Wolverines are a decent team, but anytime they face an opponent with a good offensive line and real speed at playmaker, they are going to struggle. You can’t lose all the players and coaches they lost and continue to win games by bullying your opponent. It won’t work, and it definitely won’t work with a QB like Davis Warren. Meanwhile, Quinn Ewers looked like a Heisman candidate. Walking into The Big House and going 24/36 for 284 yards and three touchdowns. The Longhorns beat Michigan up in the trenches too. Their defense held Michigan to 82 yards rushing, and Quinn Ewers was never sacked. So long, Wolverines, your time dominating at the point of attack is over for now.
The Waco Kid: I nailed it against the spread but thought the Wolverines would put up a little bit more of a fight. Instead, they rolled over and died, this one was over at halftime. Michigan looked horrible like they did against Fresno State and Texas ate it up. Ewers might be the real deal but only SEC play will tell. Luckily they may have the easiest schedule in the southeast. Their only competition is Georgia and A&M, outside of that you are looking at Mississippi State, Vandy, Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas. I think if you’re Texas it doesn’t get better than that as an intro into the SEC. Another year, another overrated team that plays no one. They’ll win but I’m not impressed.
Bossman: I have to start out by calling out Waco Kid, who inexplicably picked Arkansas to put up 56 points against Okie State. What was he smoking? I can’t say too much because I picked the Hogs, but…I almost called this one. I picked the upset and had Arkansas winning by a point, 35-34…but the Hogs completely let me down and fumbled the game away. Up 21-7 at halftime after Ja’Quinden Jackson went hog wild in the first half with 14 carries for 90 yards, I thought my vindication was coming. And then the second half started. It still looked good for Arkansas into early in the fourth quarter, until Isaiah Sategna muffed a punt that gave the Pokes new life. Oklahoma State capitalized on the mistake and punched it in two plays later to tie the game at 21-21, and from there, it was a dogfight to the bitter end. You look at the boxscore and Arkansas dominated up and down the sheet, but three turnovers killed them, and Oklahoma State converted those turnovers into 17 points. That’s how you blow a 14-point lead while nearly doubling your opponent's total yardage. This one is going to be tough to swallow for Arkansas fans.
Hammer: This game was bananas. I thought Arkansas would give Oklahoma State a good game, hence why I picked them to cover but they really should have won this game. The fact that this game went to overtime and Arkansas failed to cover a 7.5-point spread is exhibit A of why gambling is a bad idea. The Razorbacks played better than Oklahoma State in just about every aspect of the game, outside of making idiotic mental errors that resulted in three turnovers and seven penalties. They outgained the Cowboys 648 to 385 and lost for (pistol) Pete’s sake! Sam Pittman could not afford to lose that game the way he did. It’s one thing to lose a game on the road when you are a touchdown underdog. But when you are clearly playing better football but continue to shoot yourself in the foot, fans really turn on you. It is inexcusable to lose a game like that. Just sloppy play all around for Arkansas, including two missed field goals. They lost the turnover battle to Oklahoma State 3-0 and still took the game to overtime because they were going up and down the field on the Cowboys defense all game. Bobby Petrino was in his bag all day and in the end, it didn't matter. Brutal loss for the Hawgs.
The Waco Kid: Alright, alright maybe I was a little over-ambitious with the 56 but c’mon, the Razorbacks had 21 early in the second quarter. I couldn’t predict the complete meltdown that followed. They were on track to rack it up against OK State but couldn’t get the job done. Instead, they choked and let the Cowboys come back and take it into overtime. Saying that, Arkansas looked good on the field. They haven’t figured out how to finish a game but they sure as hell know how to start one. Sam Pittman has it going in the right direction in Fayetteville he just has to get these guys to buy in and want it.
Bossman: ????????? Well, that escalated quickly. Both of these teams had Jekyll and Hyde days compared to Week 1. Both of them played cupcakes in Week 1, but Kentucky looked the part while South Carolina nearly lost at home to Dominoes. I mean Dominion? Old Flamingos? I don’t know. Whoever they are, they had no business putting the Gamecocks on the ropes in Williams Brice. So after those performances, seems obvious who the pick is, right? I expected South Carolina to play better, but they dominated Kentucky. The Wildcats didn’t even manage 200 total yards on the day. That is insane. Kentucky passed for 44 total yards. Uncle Rico could have racked that up on the first drive against South Carolina. They gave up 288 total yards to ODU last week, for crying out loud. Brock Vandagriff was a big disappointment, which made Georgia fans creep out of the woodwork on social media to say “This is why Kirby let him walk.” Big ups to the Gamecocks defensive front, who was disruptive all day, totaling five sacks and 11 TFLs. The ‘Cats have zero time to figure it out, as Georgia comes to Lexington next week. The Gamecocks also have a big test at home against LSU.
Hammer: I’m speechless about this game. I was really excited for the first SEC game of the year and it turned out to be a complete and utter disaster. First, let me give South Carolina some flowers. I thought Kentucky was going to pound the Gamecocks, and that couldn't have been further from what occurred. South Carolina's defense dominated Kentucky, and the Gamecock offense did enough to win. Despite the big win, I’m still not very bullish on South Carolina cause their offense Saturday seemed like fool's gold. They only managed 252 total yards and you’re not going to score 24 offensive points on 252 yards very often. It worked today, and it was a big win so congrats on being 2-0. Kentucky, on the other hand, put out one of the worst offensive performances I can recall. Brock Vandagriff, who I was high on, finished 3/10 for 30 yards and threw a pick-six before getting benched. Woof. In his defense, the Gamecock defensive line WORKED the Wildcat’s offensive line to the tune of five sacks and 11 TFLs. the Wildcats only managed 183 yards of total offense. They looked like a middle school team out there. Just a complete catastrophe on all fronts for Kentucky to lose a home game 31-6 when they were favored by 10.
The Waco Kid: What in the actual eff happened? South Carolina looked piss poor in their season opener and somehow came out and whooped that bluegrass ass all over the field. I mean how do you hold a former UGA QB to 30 passing yards on the day? Vandagriff was 3 of 10 with a pick-six!!! How awful can you be in one game? Well the UK starting quarterback answered that and apparently, it is bad. I could have gone out there with no pads, jockstrap up my ass, and completed three passes. Goodness, someone get Pat McAfee out to Lexington so he can pay a kid 50k to play better than that. Mark Stoops thanks for staying in Kentucky and not bringing that sorry brand of football to College Station.
Bossman: Yo, what are we doing? I pointed out on the SEC After Dark show (Live Wednesdays, 9 ET/8 CT on YouTube) that Cal has only had three winning seasons in the last 10 years. I know Auburn has had some tough years too, but CAL!? IN JORDAN-HARE? Embarrassing. Bryan Harsin did enjoy the game, however. Good for him. This was a sloppy, sloppy game. Punts galore, missed FGs, five turnovers…awful. Payton Thorne had an abysmal day, throwing four interceptions that frankly cost the Tigers the game. Jarquez Hunter also had a fumble that was recovered by the Golden Bears. Cal cashed in on 14-points off turnovers, and Auburn couldn’t get a damn thing going on offense. Credit to Cal, they were much better than expected and Justin Wilcox outcoached Brother Hugh on Saturday.
Hammer: Speaking of catastrophes, what the hell was this Auburn? Vibes seemed good on the Plains, Hugh Freeze was pumping up second-year QB Payton Thorne all offseason and y’all lose to CAL? At Jordan-Hare? Disastrous. The Auburn offense stunk, and Thorne is at the center of that. Thorne threw four interceptions in a 14/27, 165 yards and one TD performance. Abysmal. The Tigers offense also only managed 121 rushing yards and four yards per carry. It was a pathetic showing by the Auburn offense. The Auburn defense played decently. The front seven was in the Cal backfield a good amount, but they simply couldn't get off the field. They allowed Cal to go 10/19 on third down conversions, which proved to be backbreaking as they couldn't stunt the Golden Bears march when they needed to most. I said in the preview that Cal doesn't care about football as a fanbase and administration, and I stand by that. But dammit if Justin Wilcox and the Cal Bears didn't go into Jordan Hare and take down Hugh Freeze and Auburn, who absolutely care about and allocate resources to football. Not a good time in Auburn, AL.
The Waco Kid: Seems like a year where the SEC is top-heavy and the rest suck. Not saying there aren’t middle-tier teams, take Texas A&M or Oklahoma for instance. Both will end up with probably 3-5 losses but could compete with any team in the top 25 on any given Saturday. But goodness Auburn losing to Cal is a slap in the face to the conference. Hugh Freeze has got to get it going down in Alabama or there may be toilet paper lining the trees outside his house. We will chalk this up as a bad day but if they keep losing, the Tigers will find themselves on the brink of inconsequential for the foreseeable future.
Bossman: Time to add more coal onto the hype train fire. The Vols dismantled the Wolfpack limb from limb on Saturday night in Charlotte. Tennessee’s offense put up 460 total yards to State’s 143. If the Vols defense can keep playing at that level, this team has a serious shot to make the playoffs. Nico had a decent game, tossing two TDs and going over 200 yards, but he needs to clean up the turnovers (two INTs). We’ll see how this win really looks as we get more into the season, because the Wolfpack may actually not be that good, but for now, it’s a solid top-25 win. GBO gets Kent State next week to tune up for a showdown in Norman with Oklahoma in Week 4.
Hammer: Like the Texas game, I’ll keep this recap fairly short. I thought Tennessee would be too much for NC State and wear them down over four quarters. In reality, this game was never close. The Vols simply have another level of athlete on their team and NC State got steamrolled. Tennessee out gained NC State on the ground 249 to 39. Tennessee also had thirteen tackles for loss and three sacks. They absolutely bullied the Wolfpack in the trenches so badly that it didn't even matter when Nico threw two interceptions. Nico wasn’t bad in this game, but he also wasn’t that sharp. The NC State defense gave him some trouble, which isn't surprising given it was his first regular-season start against a decent team. But thanks to how physical the Vols were up front on both sides of the ball, it didn't matter at all. I am interested to see how Nico develops and improves over the course of the season because a time will come when Tennesee can’t simply bully its opponent into submission, but that time was not this past weekend in Charlotte. NC State got a heaping helping of humble pie on just how far away their team is from being able to compete with the best of the best.
The Waco Kid: 49-17, I wasn’t too far off in this one. Tennessee has a playoff-caliber team. There was no way this was going to be close. NC State came in ranked but Clemson and FSU were also ranked to start the season and DJ Ukelele may be the oldest and worst QB in the history of the NCAA. I take that back Brandon Weeden was the oldest but at least he was good as a geriatric player. I digress, Nico wasn’t as sharp but had two scores through the air and one rushing. Even on a bad day, he is better than most QBs throughout the nation. Watch this team, they’re sneakily good and may find a way to Atlanta and then the playoffs. I’m all aboard the Rocky Top train.
Bossman: I picked Oklahoma 41-10. Hilarious. OU only had ONE TD drive the entire game. Their other nine points came from a TD that was gifted to them when Houston muffed a punt at their own 10-yard line and with 1:42 left in the fourth quarter when Houston was taken down in the endzone for a safety. Not at all what I expected out of the Oklahoma offense. The turnover bug came back to Jackson Arnold as well, when a threw an INT on a promising drive early in the third quarter. Make no mistake, Houston is not good. OU just played down to their competition. The Sooners don’t have time to figure things out either. They have Tulane next week who is no slouch (they were +360 to win the AAC pre-season) before they get into the meat of a difficult SEC schedule, starting with Tennessee on September 21.
Hammer: Another game I was completely off on. Week 1 deceived me so badly here. Oklahoma looked terrible against a Houston team that lost 27-7 to UNLV a week ago. Sooner fans have to be concerned with the offensive line in this one, especially with the SEC gauntlet coming their way later this season. Oklahoma totaled 78 yards rushing and averaged 2.8 yards per carry. That same defense surrendered 195 yards on the ground to UNLV! The worries about Jackson Arnold being ready returned as well. He was just 19/32 for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, which was only good enough for a 37.5 QBR. He just didn't look good, and the entire offense was out of sync all night. Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for getting up off the mat after their blowout week one loss and nearly beating Oklahoma in Norman. At the end of the day, that shows up as a win and that is all that matters, but I know Sooner fans are concerned about how that game went. Plenty to work on ahead of their game next week against a solid Tulane team. If they roll out that performance again, I think Tulane beats them.
The Waco Kid: My fiancé went to Oklahoma so I’ll be nice. They weren’t the worst team in the SEC this past weekend but they made a case for being close. This is why we hated the Big 12. Overrated and when they play any competition they almost lose and make a bad name for the conference. Hell, why don’t we allow Houston into the SEC next year too? If they can compete with the Sooners surely that means they are good, right? At least when they had General Booty it was something to be entertained by, now nothing is being brought to the table.
Bossman: I hit this one right on the head. I picked ASU by seven and that’s exactly where this one ended up. Both of these teams are astonishingly mediocre. The Bulldogs got punched in the mouth and put on their heels early in this one, as it looked like the Sun Devils were going to embarrass Jeff Lebby’s maroon and white squad, but the Bulldogs fought back from a 30-3 deficit they faced midway through the third quarter. State got the game to within seven with five minutes to go in the game, but weren’t able to get a stop when they needed it most as ASU controlled the ball and bled out the clock on their final drive. It’s pretty incredible ASU was able to win with just 69 passing yards, but then you see they ran for 359 yards and it all makes sense. If Mississippi State can’t figure out how to stop the run, quickly, they are going to get steamrolled in SEC play.
Hammer: The scoreboard is lying a bit in this one. While the Bulldogs scraped and clawed their way back to only lose by a touchdown, this game was 30-3 at halftime and then it felt like ASU just took their foot off the gas. The Mississippi State offense looked awful in the first half and then came alive in the second half, but again, most of it felt like empty yards. What is concerning to me is how the Sun Devils ran all over Mississippi State. They had 359 yards rushing and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. If that doesn't improve, the Bulldogs will get exploited in SEC play. In the same vein, Lebby’s offense only managed 30 rushing yards of their own. They got no push on either side of the line of scrimmage against Arizona State. I don’t mean to disparage Arizona State but Mississippi State will face much better offensive and defensive lines as the season goes on so they need to say some prayers and hope they can figure that out. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long season in Starkville.
The Waco Kid: Uggghh disgusting. STD U beat an SEC team and did it pretty easily regardless of the end score. How does an SEC team let Arizona State rack up almost 400 on the ground? We are a conference known for defense if I’m not mistaken. Starkville should be ashamed. I mean outside of being Starkville and a boring horrible city they are putting up some terrible numbers football-wise. Jeff Lebby needs to go. Mike Leach was the best thing to happen in Mississippi and I miss those days every time I watch them play.
Other games on the slate:
Texas A&M 52 - McNeese 10
#1 Georgia 48 - Tennessee Tech 3
#6 Ole Miss 52 - Middle Tennessee 3
Florida 45 - Samford 7
#4 Alabama 42 - South Florida 16
#9 Missouri 38 - Buffalo 0
Vanderbilt 55 - Alcorn State 0
#18 LSU 44 - Nichols St 21