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SEC Recap: What we learned about every SEC West team in Week 11
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Here’s what we learned about every SEC West team following Week 11 action.
RELATED: AP Poll | Coaches’ Poll
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Week 11 result: Defeated LSU 20-13 (in OT)
What we learned: We should have learned this lesson a long time ago, but Saturday’s come-from-behind win taught us to never count a Nick Saban-coached team out of a game until the clock reads 0:00. The Tide appeared dead in the water when T.J. Yeldon fumbled deep in his own territory in the final minutes of the game, but Alabama found a way to hold LSU to a field goal and drive for a tying field goal of its own with a quarterback completing well below 50 percent of his throws. Alabama eventually won in overtime to keep its playoff hopes alive, and although the win was ugly there’s no reason to believe Alabama isn’t still a dangerous contender to win the national championship.
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Week 11 result: Bye
What we learned: The Razorbacks were on a bye last week, so there was nothing new to learn about Bret Bielema’s team. We’ll learn more about Arkansas in its final three games of the year against LSU, Ole Miss and Missouri as it aims to earn its first SEC win since 2012.
AUBURN TIGERS
Week 11 result: Lost to Texas A&M 41-38
What we learned: Auburn taught us the better team doesn’t always win in the wild and crazy SEC. The Tigers offense flexed its muscles in Week 11, rushing for 363 yards and scoring 41 points in Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. However, three costly fumbles and an overmatched defense cost the Tigers a victory and a chance at a playoff berth this winter. Auburn has been the better team in 2014 and did what it does best against Texas A&M, but A&M made a handful of plays when they mattered most to steal a victory from Auburn on the Plains.
LSU TIGERS
Week 11 results: Lost to Alabama 20-13 (in OT)
What we learned: LSU exemplified just how difficult life in the SEC West can be in its loss at home to Alabama Saturday night in Death Valley. The Tigers appeared to be on their way to victory before Alabama spoiled the party in Baton Rouge, and they now have three losses on the season. Those three losses all came against teams currently ranked in the top 10 of Sunday’s AP Poll, which is why LSU is the only three-loss team in the top 20 of this week’s rankings. The history books will represent this year’s LSU team as just an average team in the Les Miles era, but the Bayou Bengals are actually one of the best teams in the nation, falling victim to one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Week 11 results: Defeated UT Martin 45-16
What we learned: Mississippi State defeated UT Martin of the FCS on Saturday, but while the win itself wasn’t impressive we still learned a lot about the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs. Most notably, we learned Mississippi State has more weapons on offense than just Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson, who only accounted for 56 percent of the MSU offense Saturday (that percentage is normally much higher). Ashton Shumpert led the team with 82 yards rushing, and Joe Morrow and Gabe Myles led MSU with 55 and 54 yards receiving, respectively. The Bulldogs hope these complementary pieces can continue making an impact as they aim to close the season with their undefeated record still in tact. Saturday’s win was certainly a step in the right direction, albeit against an overmatched opponent.
OLE MISS REBELS
Week 11 results: Defeated Presbyterian 48-0
What we learned: The Rebels proved they’ve got their swagger back following a 48-0 whitewash of Presbyterian on Saturday. The Landshark defense posted its first shutout of 2014 in the win, and Bo Wallace looked sharp in command of the offense, completing 73 percent of his passes to go along with a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Wilkins and Mark Dodson combined to rush for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries, and a number of backups received valuable reps in the second half of the rout. Coming off back to back frustrating losses to LSU and Auburn, there was no guaranteeing Ole Miss would be able to turn its season back in a positive direction, even against an FCS foe. However, Ole Miss did just that, teaching us it has more resiliency than most expected.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Week 11 results: Defeated Auburn 41-38
What we learned: The Aggies taught us they haven’t given up on this season, even if most had given up on them prior to Saturday’s win over Auburn. Texas A&M had already clinched bowl eligibility, and had also been eliminated from playoff contention, leaving them little to play for between Week 11 and their bowl game this winter. However, after dropping three straight SEC games, making a change at quarterback and narrowly escaping past Louisiana-Monroe, they showed a tremendous amount of confidence and pride in taking down Auburn. Most believed it was impossible, but A&M never stopped believing it could score the upset, and that’s exactly what it did. We still don’t know what the future holds for this up-and-down team, but the Aggies taught us they’re still playing with pride in 2014.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
