It was another incredible week of football in the SEC. From comebacks to reversed comebacks to a 10-touchdown performance, the SEC provided yet another week of outstanding football and heart-pounding finishes.
Here are the top 10 performances by SEC teams for the week:
1. NO. 14 TENNESSEE 38, NO. 19 FLORIDA 28
Star Player: QB Joshua Dobbs
Key Stat: Dobbs accounted for five second-half touchdowns to rally the Vols.
Why: Trailing 21-0, Tennessee came back in the second half. The Vols reeled off 38 unanswered points to break an 11-game losing streak to Florida.
2. NO. 23 OLE MISS 45, NO. 12 GEORGIA 14
Star Player: QB Chad Kelly
Key Stat: Halftime score: Ole Miss 31, Georgia 0
Why: Unlike with their two losses, the Rebels did not blow a large early lead. Instead, Ole Miss broke a 10-game losing streak to Georgia by keeping its foot on the gas pedal, adding a pair of second-half touchdowns to win going away.
3. NO. 10 TEXAS A&M 45, NO. 17 ARKANSAS 24
Star Player: QB Trevor Knight
Key Stat: Texas A&M: 366 yards rushing
Why: The Aggies remain undefeated with a big win over a ranked Arkansas team. They used a 28-7 second-half advantage to pull away from a 17-17 tie at halftime.
4. AUBURN 18, NO. 18 LSU 13
Star Player: K Daniel Carlson
Key Stat: Carlson was 6-for-6 on field goal attempts.
Why: Auburn moved the ball up and down the field but never got into the end zone. It didn’t matter, because Carlson was good on all six FG tries, including a long of 51 yards. But the game wasn’t won until LSU’s apparent last-second touchdown pass was ruled to have taken place after time expired.
5. KENTUCKY 17, SOUTH CAROLINA 10
Star Player: RB Stanley “Boom” Williams
Key Stat: Williams rushed for 123 yards and 1 touchdown.
Why: The Wildcats held South Carolina to 91 yards rushing and rallied from a 7-3 halftime deficit to win for the first time this season in SEC play and even their overall mark at 2-2.
6. MISSOURI 79, DELAWARE STATE 0
Star Player: QB Drew Lock
Key Stat: Missouri set a school record for points scored in a game.
Why: The Tigers surpassed the old mark of 69 points, which was last done in 2011 against Western Illinois. Lock threw for 402 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns as the Tigers built a 58-0 lead at halftime and cruised.
7. NO. 1 ALABAMA 48, KENT STATE 0
Star Player: RB Joshua Jacobs
Key Stat: First downs: Alabama 26, Kent State 5
Why: Jacobs rushed for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns, and QB Jalen Hurts threw for 164 yards and a touchdown while the Tide defense smothered head coach Nick Saban’s alma mater.
8. VANDERBILT 31, WESTERN KENTUCKY 30
Star Player: QB Kyle Shurmur
Key Stat: Shurmur threw for 279 yards, 155 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Why: The Commodores rallied from 14-0 down on the road, tying the game on the last play of regulation, and then held off a 2-point conversion try in overtime to even their record at 2-2.
9. MISSISSIPPI STATE 47, UMASS 35
Star Player: QB Nick Fitzgerald
Key Stat: Fitzgerald accounted for 409 yards of offense and 3 touchdowns.
Why: The Bulldogs used a 28-point, third-quarter explosion to overcome a 14-13 deficit at halftime and even their record at 2-2.
10. AUBURN 18, NO. 18 LSU 13
Star Player: Danny Etling
Key Stat: Potential game-winning TD was negated as review determined that time expired
Why: LSU barely cracks the list in a losing effort. Football is said to be a game of inches. It’s also a game of seconds. LSU ran out of them, scoring the apparent game-winning touchdown after the last second ticked off the clock.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
