Around the SEC: Week 9
While Mizzou was taking on Vanderbilt, the rest of the SEC was full of action. Here is a glance across Saturday’s conference slate for those who didn’t have time to watch six other games.
All rankings will be from before Sunday’s update.
No. 8 Ole Miss 34, No. 13 Oklahoma 26
Oklahoma was on the verge of completing a comeback after a Xavier Robinson 9-yard rushing touchdown with 1:04 left in the third quarter. That made it 26-25 Sooners going to the fourth quarter.
But in the final 15 minutes, it was all Ole Miss as the Rebels got an 8-yard touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to Trace Bruckler, then added a 37-yard field goal to create an eight-point win.
Ole Miss took a 10-3 lead into the first break after a Kewan Lacy rushing touchdown, but Oklahoma tied at 10 when John Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna for a 76-yard touchdown.
The Rebels got back in front with a safety, then added a field goal and a 2-yard Lacy touchdown to take a 22-10 lead into halftime.
Oklahoma stormed back in the third with a field goal, a 65-yard Robinson touchdown run and the 9-yard Robinson score to go in front.
Ole Miss led Oklahoma 431-359 in total yards and 315-223 in passing yards. Oklahoma led 136-116 in rushing yards.
Chambliss was 24-of-44 passing for 315 yards and a touchdown. Austin Simmons came in and threw two incomplete passes.
Mateer was 17-of-31 for 223 yards and a score.
Lacy led Ole Miss with 27 carries for 78 yards and two scores. Chambliss added 12 attempts for 53 yards. They were the only two Rebels to attempt a run.
Robinson led Oklahoma with nine carries for 109 yards and two scores.
Winston Watkins led Ole Miss with four catches for 111 yards, while Sategna led OU with six catches for 131 yards and a score.
No. 8 Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1) will host South Carolina (3-4, 1-4) at ___ next Saturday.
No. 13 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2) will be on a bye next week.
Auburn 33, Arkansas 24
In a battle of teams looking for their first SEC win, Auburn came out on top thanks to a 17-point fourth quarter.
The Tigers went ahead when Jackson Arnold tossed a 23-yard touchdown to Cam Coleman in the first quarter. Then Auburn kicked a field goal to go up 10-0 in the early second quarter.
But Arkansas stormed back with a 58-yard touchdown from Taylen Green to Raylen Sharpe, a 2-yard Braylen Russell rushing touchdown and a pick-6 returned 89 yards by Kani Walker on an Arnold interception.
In the final 8:36 of the second quarter, the Razorbacks put up 21 unanswered points to take a 21-10 lead into halftime.
Auburn kicked two field goals, while Arkansas had one in the third to send the game to the fourth with the Razorbacks leading 24-16.
In the fourth, Auburn hit a 26-yard field goal to get within 5 points, then Green threw an interception that Rayshawn Pleasant returned 49 yards for a touchdown to put the Tigers in front with 9:15 left to play.
Alex McPherson added field goals of 47 and 37 yards in the final minutes to create the final margin.
Auburn led 380-331 in total yards and 230-63 in rushing yards. Arkansas led 268-150 in passing yards.
Arnold was 7-of-12 for 73 yards, a touchdown and an interception. After the pick 6, Arnold was benched for Ashton Daniels, who went 6-of-8 for 77 yards.
Green was 14-of-22 for 268 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for Arkansas.
Jeremiah Cobb led the ground game with 153 yards for Auburn. No Arkansas rusher reached 50 yards.
Eric Singleton led Auburn with two catches for 56 yards. Rohan Jones led Arkansas with three catches for 127 yards.
Arkansas (2-6, 0-4) will host Mississippi State (4-4, 0-4) in another battle of teams looking for their first conference win at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Auburn (4-4, 1-4) will host Kentucky (2-5, 0-5) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
No. 4 Alabama 29, South Carolina 22
No. 4 Alabama survived South Carolina thanks to a 15-point fourth quarter.
The Gamecocks took the initial lead, but a LaNorris Sellers pass ended in the hands of Alabama’s DaShawn Jones for an 18-yard pick-6 to put Alabama in front 7-3.
In the second quarter, Ty Simpson hit Josh Cuevas for a 3-yard touchdown to send Alabama into halftime leading 14-6.
Sellers hit Nyck Harbor on a 54-yard touchdown early in the third to cut the lead to 14-12, then South Carolina connected on a 47-yard field goal to take a 15-14 lead to the fourth.
Sellers ran in a 10-yard touchdown early in the fourth to give the Gamecocks 16 unanswered points and a 22-14 lead, but Alabama stormed back as Simpson hit Germie Bernard on a 4-yard score with 2:16 left. The Tide went for 2 and Cuevas threw the conversion to tie the game.
Then Bernard ran in a 25-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give Alabama a road win.
South Carolina led 333-325 in total yards and 111-72 in rushing yards. Alabama led 253-222 in passing yards.
Simpson was 24-of-43 for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Sellers went 18-of-32 for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
No Alabama rusher reached 30 yards Sellers led South Carolina on the ground with 67 yards.
Daniel Hill led Alabama with four catches for 76 yards, while Harbor led South Carolina with one catch for 54 yards.
South Carolina (3-4, 1-4) will play at No. 8 Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1) at ___ next Saturday.
No. 4 Alabama (7-1, 5-0) will be on a bye next week.
No. 22 Texas 45, Mississippi State 38
It took overtime, but No. 22 Texas kept the Bulldogs winless in conference play in Starkville.
After each team scored a touchdown in the first, Texas scored 17 second-quarter points.
Arch Manning hit Parker Livingstone on a 1-yard touchdown to go up 14-7. But Kamario Taylor hit Seydou Traore on a 1-yard touchdown to tie.
Mississippi State connected on a 24-yard field goal with 2:30 left before halftime, then Blake Shapen hit Brenen Thompson on a 23-yard touchdown to complete a 17-point run and take a 24-14 lead into halftime.
The run continued out of the break when Shapen hit Thompson on a 4-yard touchdown with 26 seconds left in the third to take a 31-14 lead into the fourth.
But Texas stormed back as Manning connected with Livingstone on a 6-yard touchdown. But Mississippi State responded with a 62-yard pass from Shapen to Davon Booth to create a 38-21 lead with 12:29 left.
Manning hit Emmett Mosley on a 21-yard touchdown with 9:34 left, then Mason Shipley hit a 26-yard field goal to make it a one-score game with 4:14 left.
With 1:47 left to play, Ryan Niblett returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 38 and send it to overtime.
In overtime, Matthew Caldwell hit Mosley on a 10-yard touchdown.
Caldwell came in after Manning left the game in overtime with a concussion.
Mississippi State led Texas 445-428 in total yards and 382-356 in passing yards. Texas led 72-63 in rushing yards.
Manning was 29-of-46 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Caldwell was 1-of-1 for 10 yards and a touchdown.
Shapen was 26-of-42 for 381 yards and four touchdowns for Mississippi State, while Taylor was 1-of-1 for 1 yard and a touchdown.
No Texas rusher reached 50 yards. Booth led Mississippi State with 99 yards on the ground.
Ryan Wingo led Texas with five catches for 184 yards, while Booth led Mississippi State with three catches for 85 yards.
Mississippi State (4-4, 0-4) will hit the road to play Arkansas (2-6, 0-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
No. 22 Texas (6-2, 3-1) will host No. 10 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
No. 3 Texas A&M 49, No. 20 LSU 25
The No. 3 Aggies dominated the second half with 35 points after the break to run away with a big win against LSU in Baton Rouge.
Marcel Reed ran in a 41-yard touchdown to start the day’s scoring, but Garrett Nussmeier hit Trey’Dez Green with a 5-yard touchdown to tie the game in the first quarter.
Reed then connected with KC Concepcion on a 15-yard touchdown to put Texas A&M up 14-7 going into the second.
LSU turned a blocked punt into a safety at the start of the second quarter, then Harlem Berry ran in a 7-yard touchdown and Damian Ramos kicked a 30-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 18-14 going to halftime.
Then it was all Aggies.
Reed ran in a 5-yard touchdown, then Concepcion returned a punt for a 79-yard touchdown. Reed added a 24-yard touchdown to Jamarion Morrow to create a 35-18 lead going to the fourth.
The run continued with a Nate Boerkircher 1-yard touchdown and an 11-yard Morrow touchdown.
Texas A&M scored 35 consecutive points.
Michael Van Buren broke the run with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Parker with 59 seconds left.
Texas A&M led 426-278 in total yards and 224-60 in rushing yards. LSU led 218-202 in passing yards.
Reed was 12-of-21 for 202 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Nussmeier was 22-of-35 for 168 yards and a touchdown, then Van Buren was 3-of-4 for 50 yards and a score.
Reed led Texas A&M with 108 rushing yards and two scores. Berry led LSU with 59 rushing yards.
No Aggie receivers reached 50 yards. Barion Brown led 60 with 60 receiving yards.
Both No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0) and No. 20 LSU (5-3, 2-3) will be on a bye Saturday.
No. 17 Tennessee 56, Kentucky 34
The No. 17 Volunteers started fast and never trailed.
Joey Aguilar hit Chris Brazzell for a 35-yard touchdown to open the game, then Edrees Farooq intercepted a Cutter Boley pass and returned it 45 yards to put the Volunteers up 14-0.
Boley hit Kendrick Law for a 71-yard touchdown quickly after to cut the lead, but Star Thomas gave Tennessee a 21-7 advantage with a 1-yard touchdown run.
The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter.
DeSean Bishop ran in a 1-yard score for Tennessee. Boley hit DJ Miller for a 56-yard touchdown.
Boley then connected with J.J. Hester for a 3-yard score to cut the lead to 28-21 with 1:37 left, but Aguilar hit Ethan Davis for a 13-yard score with 5 seconds left to take a 35-21 lead into halftime.
Tennessee extended with a 62-yard pass from Aguilar to Mike Matthews to open the third, then Peyton Lewis ran in a 2-yard score to make it 49-21.
Boley hit Miller for a 28-yard touchdown to make it 49-27 going to the fourth.
Bishop ran in a 5-yard touchdown to start the fourth. Boley hit Hester for a 7-yard touchdown to create the final margin.
Tennessee led 504-476 in total yards and 396-330 in passing yards. Kentucky led 146-108 in rushing yards.
Aguilar was 20-of-26 for 396 yards and three touchdowns for Tennessee.
Boley was 26-of-35 for 330 yards, five touchdowns and an interception.
Thomas led Tennessee with 64 rushing yards, while Dante Dowdell led Kentucky with 52 yards on the ground.
Brazzell was Tennessee’s leading receiver with four catches for 138 yards. Miller led Kentucky with 120 yards on five catches, while Law had 103 yards on two receptions.
No. 17 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2) will host No. 10 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Kentucky (2-5, 0-5) will play at Auburn (4-4, 1-4) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.