SEC Week 8 Round Up: Texas Escapes, Alabama Dominates, Billy Napier Fired, Thriller in Jordan-Hare
Week 8 of the College Football season resulted in more shuffling of the SEC’s best teams. The hunt for spots in the College Football Playoff remains as open as it’s ever been. 2025 is the year of parity in the SEC. Below are some takeaways from another eventful weekend in the SEC.
Death, taxes, and a host of ranked SEC teams
Stop if you’ve heard this before. There are currently ten SEC teams ranked, more than any other conference. Over halfway through the 2025 season, the SEC continues to dominate the AP Top 25 poll. Fans of the Big Ten remain in shambles as the SEC continues to demonstrate its depth. Here are the currently ranked SEC teams:
Texas A&M (7-0), No. 3
Alabama (6-1), No. 4
Georgia (6-1), No. 5
Ole Miss (6-1), No. 8
Vanderbilt (6-1), No. 10
Oklahoma (6-1), No. 13
Missouri (6-1), No. 15
Tennessee (5-2), No. 17
LSU (5-2), No. 20
Texas (5-2), No. 22
Texas A&M holds off Arkansas to stay undefeated
This season, Texas A&M has had one of the SEC’s best defenses. On Saturday, offense was the story as the Aggies stayed undefeated after beating Arkansas 45-42 in a shootout. On the night, Arkansas had 527 yards of total offense while Texas A&M had 497 yards of total offense. The Razorbacks were able to cut it to 3 with a touchdown pass from quarterback Taylen Green with 10 seconds to go, but Arkansas’ onside kick attempt was unsuccessful to end the game.
Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed was a maestro. Reed finished the game 23/32 passing for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also burned the Razorbacks on the ground with 6 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. When Reed is throwing the ball well, the Aggies are a really difficult team to stop. On the day, the Aggies went 5/11 on third down attempts and 3/3 on fourth down attempts.
Aggies running back Reuben Owens was efficient on the ground with 14 carries for 69 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game, Reed spread the ball around to Ashton Bethel-Roman, KC Concepcion, and Nate Boerkircher. Bethel-Roman had 4 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, Concepcion had 5 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, and Boerkircher had 4 catches for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Despite giving up 42 points and over 500 yards of total offense, the Aggies’ defense was still able to generate 4 sacks and hold Arkansas to 4/10 on third down attempts. Good teams are able to get to the quarterback, and A&M did just enough to hold off the Razorbacks and their dynamic offense.
While Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green did everything he could to keep Arkansas in the game with 19/32 passing for 256 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, and 11 carries for 86 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, the Razorbacks’ defense could not stop the Aggies. Arkansas running back Mike Washington had a dominant performance of 147 yards in 16 carries, and receiver O’Mega Blake had 7 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Arkansas has yet to win a conference game this season despite a few close calls. The Razorbacks take on Auburn at home on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Aggies face a tough road test against LSU on Saturday night.
Alabama throttles Tennessee
On Saturday night, Joey Aguilar had his worst performance of the year in Tuscaloosa in a 37-20 loss. Aguilar completed 28/44 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, but had two killer turnovers, a safety with 7:44 remaining in the second quarter, and a red zone interception that was returned for a 99-yard pick-six right before halftime. Those two costly plays combined for 9 points for Alabama, which took control of the game with a dominant 16-point second quarter.
As good as Aguilar has been for the Volunteers this season, Aguilar’s intentional grounding in the end zone and horrible read on the pick-six cost Tennessee the game. In addition to the two miscues in the second quarter, Aguilar botched a two-point attempt in the third quarter with a throw to the end zone that was intercepted. Tennessee’s offense is predicated on timing, and Aguilar’s ball security issues have been glaring in SEC play ( 5 of his 6 interceptions this season have come against SEC opponents).
Offensively, Tennessee got great production from running back Dean Bishop, who had 14 carries for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the passing game, Braylon Staley had 10 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. However, Tennessee’s offensive line gave up 4 sacks, and the Volunteers went just 5/13 on third-down attempts. Although the Vols went 4/5 on fourth down attempts, Tennessee’s turnovers proved deadly and destroyed any chance it had of stealing a win on the road.
For Alabama, quarterback Ty Simpson had another clean game with 19/29 passing for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Simpson’s ability to sense pressure, move within the pocket, and find the open receiver is special. On Saturday, Simpson hit eight different receivers for completions against a Volunteers defense that was throwing all sorts of pressure at him. Simpson continues to be a Heisman front-runner after his performance against the Vols.
For the Crimson Tide, receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard led the way with 87 yards and 60 yards, respectively. Bernard was also dynamic in the run game with 4 carries for 49 yards. Alabama’s four offensive touchdowns came on a two-yard grab from Isaiah Horton, a one-yard run from Jam Miller, an 11-yard grab from Rico Scott, and a 4-yard run from Daniel Hill.
After the win, Alabama looks primed for a College Football Playoff spot, while Tennessee will need to win out to make the Playoff. Tennessee takes on Kentucky this Saturday before taking on Oklahoma at home on November 1st. Alabama takes on South Carolina this weekend and then faces LSU at home on November 1st.
Georgia hands Ole Miss its first loss
The Georgia Bulldogs got the performance they were waiting for from Gunner Stockton on Saturday with a 43-35 win over Ole Miss. Stockton completed 26/31 passes for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Eight different Bulldogs receivers had catches on the day. Stockton also impacted the game with his legs and had 10 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs finished the game with a balanced offensive attack for 510 total yards, 289 in the passing game and 221 rushing yards. In the passing game, tight end Lawson Luckie was efficient for 5 catches, 43 yards, and 3 touchdowns, and receiver Zachariah Branch had 8 receptions for 71 yards. The Bulldogs were 6/11 on third down and 1/1 on fourth downs.
The Bulldogs were able to hold the Rebels to just 88 total rushing yards, but Ole Miss still made Georgia’s defense pay through the ground game on the scoreboard. Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had 9 carries for 42 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, and Kewan Lacy had 12 carries for just 31 yards but pounded in 2 rushing touchdowns. The passing game for Ole Miss was less effective in finding the end zone, with Chambliss completing 19/36 pass attempts for 263 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, Ole Miss could not stop the Bulldogs’ balanced offensive attack, which scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss travels to Oklahoma this weekend, while Georgia heads into a bye week before traveling to Florida on November 1.
Oklahoma dominates South Carolina
With quarterback John Mateer still on the mend, Oklahoma’s defense came up huge in a 26-7 smothering of South Carolina. Oklahoma sacked Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers 6 times and held the Gamecocks to just 54 rushing yards and 170 passing yards. A desperate Gamecocks team used two separate quarterbacks. Sellers completed 17/25 passes for 1 touchdown and 124 yards, and Cutter Woods completed 4/6 passes for 46 yards and 1 interception. South Carolina also tried to execute a fake on special teams, and Mason Love’s pass attempt was intercepted. South Carolina’s lone score of the day came on a catch from Nyck Harbor, who finished with 22 yards on 4 catches.
For Oklahoma, defense and the run game won the day. South Carolina has just 3/15 on third down. The Sooners’ defense was constantly in the backfield and completely shut down the Gamecocks’ offense in the second half (South Carolina’s only points came in the second quarter). On offense, Mateer completed 18/26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. Sooners running back Tory Blaylock had 19 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, and backup running back Xavier Robinson had 11 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Although Oklahoma came away with the win, Mateer does not look like the player he was before his hand surgery. Oklahoma’s defense faces a tough test against Ole Miss this Saturday. Meanwhile, South Carolina has yet to win a conference game and faces Alabama at home in its next game.
Florida beats Mississippi State, fires Billy Napier
Despite a 23-21 win over Mississippi State on Saturday, Florida elected to fire Head Coach Billy Napier. During his time at Florida, Napier was 22-23 and compiled more home losses than Urban Meyer’s entire coaching tenure.
Saturday’s game was not much to write home about overall. Gators quarterback completed 20/34 passes for 280 yards and 2 interceptions. Running back Jadan Baugh was a bright spot for Florida and had 23 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown. The Gators won in spite of going just 4/11 on third-down attempts. Defensively, Florida sacked Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen 4 times and forced an interception.
For Mississippi State, despite completing 24/36 passes for 324 yards, quarterback Blake Shapen threw a costly interception. And while the Bulldogs converted 8/15 third-down attempts and went 1/2 on fourth down, they could not land a knockout punch. State’s offensive touchdowns came from running back Davon Booth, who finished with 105 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns, the second coming with two minutes remaining. This loss has to hurt for Mississippi State, as it was one of the most winnable games remaining on the schedule.
Now that Napier is gone, Florida will be one of the hottest job openings in college football. Expect the Gator boosters to throw a Scrooge McDuck-sized heap of cash at their next hire.
Texas escapes Kentucky
Texas needed an overtime field goal to escape Kroger Field with a 16-13 win on Saturday against Kentucky. Yes, that is not a typo. After a Quintrevion Wisner rushing touchdown in the first quarter, Texas needed three field goals in order to secure a victory and could not find the end zone again. Quarterback Arch Manning completed just 12/27 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. While Kentucky rallied in the fourth quarter for 10 points, including a 16-yard Cutter Boley touchdown, the Wildcats could not convert in overtime. With its remaining conference games against Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, and Vanderbilt, Kentucky may not win an SEC game this season. Texas has a tune-up game against Mississippi State before facing Vanderbilt at home on November 1.
Missouri wins in overtime against Auburn
Missouri earned a tough road double-overtime win on Saturday night against the Auburn Tigers, 23-17. Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula ran in the game-winning three-yard touchdown in the second overtime, and Missouri secured the win despite a failed two-point attempt afterward. Missouri’s win may be one of the last games Hugh Freeze coaches in Auburn. Freeze has gone 9-10 at home in three seasons at Auburn and has a 5-15 record in SEC play while coaching at the Plains.
Missouri’s win did not come easily. Auburn went out to a 7-0 lead after a 1-yard run from quarterback Jasckson Arnold in the first quarter. Missouri was able to get a field goal with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter, but struggled to move the ball early otherwise. In the second quarter, Missouri took a 10-7 lead after a 2-yard run by star running back Ahmad Hardy. After a sloppy third quarter, Missouri found itself trailing after a 1 1-yard run by running back Omar Mabson with 35 seconds remaining in the third frame. With both teams trading blows in the fourth quarter to leave the score knotted at 17 (Auburn had a field goal with 10:32 remaining and Hardy had a 3-yard touchdown with 5:07 remaining), Auburn had a golden opportunity to win the game in overtime thanks to a Pribula red zone interception with 24 seconds remaining.
Given new life in overtime, Auburn completely sputtered. Jackson Arnold failed to complete a single pass in the first overtime period, and Auburn’s kicker Alex McPherson missed a 50-yard field goal. In the second overtime, Auburn had a chance to win the game with a touchdown and an extra point after Missouri’s two-point attempt failed. On fourth down and 8 at the Missouri 23, Arnold’s completion was gobbled up for no gain well behind the sticks.
Missouri may have come away with a win, but one has to wonder about Beau Pribula’s ball security. In his last two games, Pribula has 4 interceptions. Against Auburn, Pribula had 252 passing yards, but completed just 23/40 attempts. As good as Pribula is with his legs, his accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. Pribula and Missouri face another big road matchup against the Commodores with ESPN College Gameday in town. Auburn has two winnable games against Arkansas and Kentucky before coming to Nashville on November 8th.
Stay tuned for next week’s edition of SEC Round Up following Week 9!
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