SEC Roundup: Week 5 brings upsets
Happy Sunday, BBN — and what a Saturday night it was. While the ‘Cats were whooping some Gator butt last night, there was lots of other SEC drama unfolding elsewhere. Let’s talk about it.
No. 8 Arkansas at No. 2 Georgia
Georgia is legit, y’all. Last night, they absolutely destroyed No. 8 Arkansas 37-0 in Athens to improve to 5-0 on the season.
The Bulldogs led by 21 points in the first quarter despite the absence of starting quarterback JT Daniels. Senior Stetson Bennett filled in for Daniels. Bennett passed for only 72 yards, but the ‘Dawgs got it done on the ground. They racked up 273 rushing yards in the game and possessed the ball for 36 minutes.
Arkansas struggled from the beginning. They had just 156 yards on the game and only 10 first downs.
Tennessee at Missouri
This one was another beatdown, as Tennessee dominated Mizzou 62-24 in Columbia last night. The Vols racked up 683 total yards of offense in the match, 225 of those in the air from quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker completed 15 of 19 passes, three for touchdowns. He got 80 yards and another touchdown on the ground as well.
Tennessee running back Tiyon Evans had himself a night, too. Evans carried 15 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns. A highlight of the night came when he found a hole on the right side and took advantage with a 92-yard touchdown run. It was the third-longest touchdown run in Tennessee history.
No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 1 Alabama
Even Nick Saban has to be happy with this one. ‘Bama crushed No. 12 Ole Miss 42-21 last night to shut down any speculation about their dominance.
Senior Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. had a career-high night with 171 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Bryce Young passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns himself, giving ‘Bama a solid offensive front. The Crimson Tide defense might be the real story here, though.
Alabama limited Ole Miss to 291 total yards, as opposed to the 647 the Rebels racked up against them last year. Ole Miss entered the game leading the nation in offense with 635 yards and 53 points per game.
Troy at South Carolina
This one was a little closer, with the Gamecocks beating Troy 23-14 at home. Gamecock quarterback Luke Doty threw for 255 yards and one touchdown — the only offensive score of the game for South Carolina.
Where the offense struggled, the defense picked up the slack. Defensive back David Spaulding returned an interception for 74 yards and a score before halftime, giving his team a 17-7 lead. Kicker Parker White went on to knock in two field goals in the second half to make it a two-possession game.
Mississippi State at No. 15 Texas A&M
Upset alert! The unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs got a huge win last night in College Station over the No. 15 Aggies.
Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers played a critical role in the win. He threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns in the game, while the team rushed for only 30 yards. Makai Polk received two of those touchdown passes from Rogers.
The Aggies had a chance to win it at the end, but backup quarterback Zach Calzada was taken down in the Aggie end zone for a safety to extend Mississippi State’s lead to four.
UConn at Vanderbilt
This one should have been called the Toilet Bowl. Two really, really bad teams in a really, really ugly game. Regardless, Vandy found their second win of the season with a close 30-28 win over UConn in Nashville last night.
Commodore quarterback Ken Seals went 27 of 40 for 333 yards in the air, along with two touchdowns and an interception. Vandy piled up 106 yards on the ground as well, giving them 439 total yards of offense.
Vandy drove 47 yards with a little over a minute left in the game to set up a 31-yard field goal for Joseph Bulovas. Bulovas sank the kick as time ran out, giving the Commodores the win.
No. 22 Auburn at LSU
LSU has fallen to 3-2 on the season after a 24-19 loss to No. 22 Auburn in Baton Rouge last night. It was the first Auburn win in Death Valley in more than 20 years.
Starting Auburn quarterback Bo Nix threw for 255 yards and one touchdown in the air, as well as one on foot. Freshman running back Jarquez Hunter added one of his own with just over three minutes left to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. An interception by Bydarrius Knighten with 1:09 left in the game sealed the deal.
Saturday night showed the most recent saga in LSU’s running struggles. They rushed for only 11 yards, making it difficult to form a real offensive front. Quarterback Max Johnson threw for 325 yards, but it wasn’t quite enough.
No. 10 Florida at Kentucky
Still crying over this one. Our University of Kentucky Wildcats is now 5-0 on the season after a HUGE upset over the No. 10 Florida Gators last night — the first win over Florida in Lexington since 1986.
The Wildcats only had 224 total yards of offense last night, but they sure made them count. Quarterback Will Levis found Wan’Dale Robinson for a 41-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to tie the game at seven. The Gators netted a 51-yard field goal before halftime to take a 10-7 lead going into the break.
Enter Trevin Wallace. Wallace returned a blocked field goal 76 yards for a touchdown to give Kentucky a 13-10 lead after a missed extra point. A 9-yard touchdown run from Chris Rodriguez in the fourth quarter sealed the deal. Florida’s field goal wasn’t enough to overcome the gritty ‘Cats play. Kentucky finished the game with an incredible defensive stand and a 20-13 win to go along with it.
Kentucky’s defense was nothing short of awesome last night. Josh Paschal racked up four solo tackles and tipped the field goal attempt that was returned for a touchdown. JJ Weaver intercepted the ball at the Gator 29 to set up the Rodriguez touchdown.
Want to give a huge shoutout to the Big Blue Nation as well. The atmosphere was absolutely insane last night. Eight false starts for 115 yards for the Gators — that makes a hell of a difference. Even the Kentucky football Twitter account got in on the trolling.
See y’all again next weekend?
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