SEC Snapshot: Favorites Roll on Cupcake Saturday while Florida Hits Rock Bottom
The only ranked vs. ranked matchup in the SEC, Arkansas at Alabama, proved to be one of the best games of the college football weekend while the battle for bowl eligibility between Florida and Missouri became the most telling.
Bryce Young set a program record with 591 yards passing for the Crimson Tide while Eli Drinkwitz mocked Dan Mullen's Star Wars gaffe from 2020 after leading the Tigers to their biggest home win of 2021.
It was a busy weekend in the SEC.
Charleston Southern 7, No. 1 Georgia 56
Nobody needed to tune in very long to see what was going to materialize in Athens. The UGA offense did what it wanted and the defense didn't hold back on the FCS program in town. Carson Beck and JT Daniels both got reps behind Stetson Bennett at quarterback, perhaps a needed development as the program heads into rivalry weekend and then postseason play. And good on the program trying to help Jordan Davis muster up some Heisman Trophy momentum in letting the big man tote the rock. It won't matter, but sure is fun to see.
No. 21 Arkansas 35, No. 2 Alabama 42
Nick Saban tried to use the media to provide evidence of Arkansas being a formidable opponent and per usual, he was right. The Hogs offense looked explosive in the passing game and the experienced duo of KJ Jefferson and Treylon Burks was tough to handle. The only problem for Arkansas was that Young and the Alabama offense was even better in the passing game as the duo of Jameson Williams and John Metchie III combined for 18 catches for 363 yards and four touchdowns. Young continues to showcase an overall talent in his Heisman campaign, not only distributing the ball to all levels but escaping sacks and making enough plays with his legs in the process.
Vanderbilt 17, No. 12 Ole Miss 31
One has to commend Vanderbilt for its fight. It's clear Clark Lea's program has a strong mental foundation to stay in the mix until the final whistle. It was reflected on quarterback Mike Wright throughout the evening, who just came back after getting tattered by an aggressive Rebel defense. The Ole Miss offense wasn't consistent in this one, but Matt Corral and company were productive through the air to the tune of 326 yards and a couple of scores. Similar effort won't suffice against rival Mississippi State on Thanksgiving, but closing out the regular season undefeated at home is quite the feat in Lane Kiffin's second year.
Prairie View A&M 3, No. 16 Texas A&M 52
The Aggies took out their frustrations following the Ole Miss loss on PVAMU and it was as bad as most expected. The A&M defense made a statement early and even got in on the scoring as a strip-sack on a pretty blitz from Antonio Johnson led to a 17-yard scoop and score by Aaron Hansford. A 10-win season remains in the realm of possibility for Jimbo Fisher's Aggie squad, something he has yet to accomplish in College Station.
Tennessee State 10, No. 25 Mississippi State 55
The air raid versus an FCS opponent yielded the result many would have anticipated in Starkville. Will Rogers and that offense is hitting its full stride late in the season, scoring above 30 in four of the last five games. Rogers broke two more Dak Prescott records on this day, setting the mark for single-season passing yards and touchdowns in front of the home crowd. He's already above the 4,00-yard mark in 2021, one of three quarterbacks nationally above that mark. The Egg Bowl will not be boring or void of intriguing QB play.
New Mexico State 16, Kentucky 56
The Wildcats put up a season-high 56 points with a lesser opponent in town, led by Will Levis and his 419 yards, four touchdowns through the air. The running game worked well with the Chris Rodriguez-led unit, too, in what was a gaudy offensive performance. The defense got in on the scoring to take the lead for good in the first quarter as Quandre Mosely registered a pick-six.
Florida 23, Missouri 24 (OT)
This is rock bottom for Florida in 2021. Last week against Samford, in a win, folks thought it was the worst showing for the program given it allowed 52 points to an FCS school. Saturday was batter on defense but the Mullen-led offense looked elementary at times. If anything, UF was lucky to be in overtime in the first place, as Mizzou missed a field goal in the final minute that would have won it.
There is an inconsistency in Gainesville at the moment, not only between units as the offense and defense often fail to perform to potential on the same game day -- but also from coach to quarterback. Mullen's specialty looked like anything but on Saturday as Emory Jones couldn't work the vertical passing game against a defense that ranks 118th nationally in scoring defense.
Auburn 17, South Carolina 21
Controversy dotted this USC comeback attempt, but credit goes to the Gamecock defense in allowing just a field goal in the second half. The group bottled up TJ Finley in his first start of the 2021 season though it had an issue slowing down Tank Bigsby and the AU rushing attack. Jason Brown was efficient and made plays when it counted most, reminiscent of his effort against Florida. Tiger fans won't remember any of that, instead focused on the case of 'did he touch it?' On the heels of a USC punt in the final minutes, the ball came very close to touching Jaylin Simpson on the return unit, as the home team recovered just in case. On the field it was not called a muff but was over-turned on replay thereafter.
South Alabama 14, Tennessee 60
Tennessee's offense continues to explode with Hendon Hooker at the helm and his three scores were just the beginning of this rout. The running game nearly matched the passing output on its own and even the special teams touched the end zone as Velus Jones supplemented a 100-yard receiving effort against his home town team with a 96-yard kick return for a score. With Vandy coming to town to close out the regular season, there is potential for an 8-win campaign for Josh Heupel in his first season, something every Vol fan would have been pleased with before the year began.
UL Monroe 14, LSU 27
It's rarely pretty for LSU in 2021, even against an inferior opponent, but the job was done on Saturday night for the fifth win of the season. Max Johnson worked the ball well while the running game was again slow to develop, eclipsing 300 yards and totaling three touchdowns on a night the Tigers would need all of it. Freshman wide receiver Malik Nabers had his breakout moment, registering 143 yards and a score on just four catches.
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