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In the final full slate of SEC action before bye weeks being, six of the conference’s ranked teams went head-to-head and shaped the division races. Here’s some of the most surprising SEC story lines from this last weekend:
5. QB suspension might save Missouri’s season: Junior QB Maty Mauk’s suspension for the South Carolina game on Saturday might help the Tigers in the long run. Freshman QB Drew Lock, Mauk’s backup, posted better numbers against USC than Mauk’s average in multiple categories: passing yards (361 to 163.5), completion percentage (67 percent to 51.8 percent), yards per attempt (6.8 to 6.0) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (3:1 to 3:2).
4. Eastern Michigan-LSU was more competitive than expected: Eastern Michigan went into Death Valley a 45-point underdog but hung with No. 8 LSU into the second half, trailing only 30-22 in the fourth quarter. The Tigers finally killed the upset bid and pulled away to a 44-22 victory. It’s surprising that LSU needed to use RB Leonard Fournette in the fourth quarter of a game that should have been put away by halftime.
3. Kentucky needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Eastern Kentucky at home: One week after the Wildcats looked like an SEC East contender with a 21-13 win over Missouri, they nearly lose to Eastern Kentucky – as in the FCS team from the Ohio Valley Conference. EKU led UK, 27-13, at Commonwealth Stadium in the fourth quarter. UK rallied with two late touchdowns to tie and eventually won 34-27 in overtime. Just when you think you have Kentucky figured out, it plays a game like this one.
2. Alabama blew out Georgia in Athens: Alabama vs. Georgia was supposed to be a battle between two of the SEC’s best running games. UGA learned the hard way that without a strong passing attack, the ground game will suffer. The final box score shows the Bulldogs outrushed the Crimson Tide (193-189 yards on the ground), but Nick Chubb’s 83-yard touchdown run, the longest run of the game, came in the third quarter when Alabama led 38-3. UGA starting QB Greyson Lambert struggled to pass on the UA defense (10-of-24, 86 yards, interception) and was eventually benched in favor of Brice Ramsey. A one-dimensional Georgia offense stood no chance against the Alabama defense.
1. The Gators didn’t just upset the Rebels, they dominated: Florida entered Saturday’s game about a 7-point underdog to Ole Miss at home. No one expected then-No. 25 UF to jump out to a 25-0 lead in the first half against the then-No. 3 Rebels en route to a 38-10 victory. UF’s offensive line, an area of concern since spring practice, deserves credit for providing QB Will Grier the protection to have a breakout game (24-of-29, 271 yards, 4 TDs). Florida’s defense allowed the only Rebels touchdown when the game was out of hand 38-3 in the fourth quarter. Whether this was a case of the Gators being underrated or the Rebels being overrated, or both, will play out over the next few weeks.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
