Around the SEC: Week 6
Even though the Missouri Tigers were on a bye, the rest of the SEC was full of action. Here is a look at the five games from Saturday’s conference slate.
All rankings will be from before Sunday’s update.
Florida 29, No. 9 Texas 21
Texas’ run of not winning a Power-4 game has reached five games.
Florida jumped ahead early when Jadan Baugh finished the game-opening drive with a 5-yard touchdown, then Trey Smack kicked a 34-yard field goal to send Florida into the first break leading 10-0.
Texas cut the lead when Arch Manning found Quintrevion Wisner on a 6-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter. But DJ Lagway answered with a 13-yard touchdown to Dallas Wilson to create a 17-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, Florida blocked a punt that went out the back of the end zone for a safety to create a 19-7 lead at the break.
The Gators got a 38-yard field goal from Smack with 5:37 left in the third to build a 22-7 lead, but Manning found Ryan Wingo on a 38-yard touchdown to cut the lead to one score with 2:43 left before the final break.
Lagway didn’t take long to answer, hitting Wilson on a 55-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left to take a 29-14 lead into the fourth.
The lone score of the fourth came on a Wisner 1-yard run with 3:20 left to play.
Manning threw interceptions on consecutive drives early in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns were forced to punt before finally breaking through on the late score.
Florida held a 457-341 lead in total yards, led 298-289 in passing yards and held a 159-52 advantage in rushing yards.
Manning went 16-of-29 for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lagway was 21-of-28 for 298 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Florida.
Manning led Texas in rushing at 37 yards, while Baugh led Florida with 107.
DeAndre Moore led Texas’ receivers with 75 yards on three catches, while Wingo had four catches for 73.
Wilson led Florida with 111 receiving yards and two scores, while Vernell Brown had three catches for 72 yards.
No. 9 Texas (3-2, 0-1 SEC) will play No. 5 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0) for the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Florida (2-3, 1-1) will play at No. 6 Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday.
No. 10 Alabama 30, No. 16 Vanderbilt 14
After coming back in the second quarter to send the game to halftime tied, the Crimson Tide dominated the second half to run away with a revenge-filled win against the Commodores.
Vanderbilt went up in the first quarter when Sedrick Alexander broke free for a 65-yard touchdown.
But Alabama tied it at 7 when Ty Simpson found Ryan Wiliams on a 14-yard touchdown midway through the second. Vanderbilt retook the lead when Diego Pavia connected with Alexander on a 4-yard touchdown with 1:33 left before the break, but Alabama put together a six-play, 78-yard drive in just 1:11 to tie it before the break. Simpson hit Germie Bernard on a 27-yard touchdown to end the half.
Then it was all Bama after the break.
Connor Talty hit two field goals in the third, then another to start the fourth to build a 23-14 lead. Jamarion Miller then ran in the dagger with a 20-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Vanderbilt only reached Alabama territory on one drive after the break, and that one ended in a red zone interception.
Alabama led Vanderbilt 486-333 in total yards, 340-198 in passing yards and 146-135 in rushing yards.
Pavia went 21-of-36 passing for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Simpson was 23-of-31 passing for 340 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Alexander led Vanderbilt with 76 rushing yards, while Miller had 136 to lead Alabama.
Junior Sherrill had six catches for 49 yards to lead the Commodores, while Williams had six catches for 98 and Bernard added five catches for 82 for Alabama.
No. 10 Alabama (4-1, 2-0) will come to Columbia to play No. 19 Missouri (5-0, 1-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
No. 16 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1) will be on a bye Saturday.
No. 12 Georgia 35, Kentucky 14
Georgia steamrolled the Wildcats on Saturday, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to pull away.
The Bulldogs started the scoring when Gunner Stockton ran in a 7-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, then Stockton ran in a 6-yarder with 1:02 left in the first to build a 14-0 lead.
Cutter Boley cut the lead when he hit Josh Kattus on a 29-yard pass with 14:26 left in the second quarter, but then Georgia’s run began.
Dillon Bell ran in a 3-yard score with 2:48 left in the half to send the game to the break with Georgia leading 21-7. In the third, Bell ran in a 3-yard score with 10:59 left, then Stockton hit Cash Jones on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 4:23 left to build a 35-7 advantage.
Kentucky cut the score to the final margin with 1:51 left to play when Boley hit Kendrick Law on a 5-yard touchdown.
Georgia led 425-270 in total yards, 245-225 in passing yards and 180-45 in rushing yards.
Stockton was 15-of-23 passing for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Georgia put in Ryan Puglisi at the end of the game, he went 3-of-4 for 49 yards and an interception.
Boley went 25-of-41 for 225 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Seth McGowan led Kentucky with 44 rushing yards, while Chauncey Bowens led Georgia at 70 rushing yards.
Law was Kentucky’s leading receiver with six catches for 64 yards, while Bell led Georgia with four catches for 68 yards.
No. 12 Georgia (4-1, 2-1) will go on the road to play Auburn (3-2, 0-2) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kentucky (2-3, 0-3) will be on a bye Saturday.
No. 6 Texas A&M 31, Mississippi State 9
The final conference matchup on the slate had a little intrigued when Mississippi State took the initial lead with a first-quarter field goal.
But Texas A&M scored the game’s next 28 points to take the lead for good.
Marcel Reed tossed a 34-yard touchdown to KC Concepcion in the second quarter, then connected with Concepcion on a 2-yard score in the third.
Reed ran in a 7-yard touchdown early in the fourth. Then Mario Craver put the Aggies up 28-3 with 9:13 left to play on a 7-yard touchdown.
Blake Shapen broke the run when he found Brenen Thompson on a 44-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs. But a Texas A&M field goal created the final margin with 4:41 left.
Texas A&M led 479-219 in total yards, 180-142 in passing yards and 299-77 in rushing yards.
Shapen went 15-of-20 for 142 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Reed went 13-of-23 passing for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Fluff Bothwell led the Bulldogs with 60 rushing yards, while Rueben Owens led Texas A&M with 142.
Thompson had two catches for 54 yards to lead the Bulldogs. Craver led Texas A&M with six catches for 80 yards.
No. 6 Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0) will host Florida (2-3, 1-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2) will be on a bye Saturday.
No. 5 Oklahoma 44, Kent State 0
Missing John Mateer didn’t make much of a difference in the lone non-conference matchup of Saturday’s SEC slate.
Oklahoma scored 10 points in the first quarter, 13 in the second and 21 in the third to build a dominant win.
Michael Hawkins hit Isaiah Sategna with a 30-yard scoring strike in the first quarter. Then Hawkins completed a 3-yard touchdown to Kaden Helms in the second.
In the third, the Sooners scored on a R Mason Thomas strip sack that Gracen Halton recovered and returned for a touchdown. Then Hawkins ran in a 7-yard score and completed a 9-yard touchdown to Sategna for the final score.
Oklahoma led 355-135 in total yards, 170-118 in passing yards and 185-17 in rushing yards.
Hawkins went 14-of-24 for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Oklahoma brought in Whitt Newbauer at the end and he went 1-for-3 for 8 yards.
Tory Blaylock led Oklahoma with 78 rushing yards, while Jayden Ott had 49 yards.
Sategna led the Sooners with four catches for 75 yards.
No. 5 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0) will play No. 9 Texas (3-2, 0-1) for the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.