In a week where victory was claimed by an SEC team in every game in which they participated, it wasn’t difficult to find superlatives. Some teams rolled up big numbers on the scoreboard while another defeated a ranked team.
Here are the top 10 performances by SEC teams for the week:
1. ARKANSAS 41, NO. 15 TCU 38, 2 OT
Star Player: QB Austin Allen
Key Stat: Allen, 3 passing TDs
Why: Allen threw for 223 yards and then scored the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime on a 5-yard run. Allen drove the team down the field for a late touchdown, then caught the tying 2-point conversion trick pass to send the game into overtime. Arkansas let a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead slip away before rallying back to tie it in regulation.
2. FLORIDA 45, KENTUCKY 7
Star Player: QB Luke Del Rio
Key Stat: Rio, 320 yards passing and 4 touchdowns
Why: The Gators scored in five of their first seven possessions and never looked back as they won for the 30th consecutive time in this series. Del Rio became Florida’s first 300-yard passer since Tyler Murphy in a 2013 game against Vanderbilt. It was also the first time the Gators had reached 30 points since a 38-10 victory over Ole Miss last October.
3. MISSISSIPPI STATE 27, SOUTH CAROLINA 14
Star Player: QB Nick Fitzgerald
Key Stat: Fitzgerald, 195 rushing yards
Why: In his second start, Fitzgerald broke the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He smashed the old mark of 163 yards set in 1980 by John Bond. They were the most rushing yards in a game by any Mississippi State player since Josh Robinson ran for 198 yards against Kentucky in 2014, but no Bulldog had hit that mark previous to that since James Johnson in 1997. Fitzgerald also threw for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns.
4. TENNESSEE 45, VIRGINIA TECH 24
Star Player: QB Joshua Dobbs
Key Stat: The Vols scored 31 unanswered points to pull away after spotting Virginia Tech an early 14-0 lead.
Why: Dobbs accounted for 197 yards and 5 touchdowns in the Vols’ victory. He threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers and ran for two more as he rallied the troops from an early deficit. Jalen Reeves-Maybin led the defensive charge with 13 tackles, and after two late first-quarter touchdowns, the Vols kept the Hokies out of the end zone until a late fourth-quarter score.
5. TEXAS A&M 67, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 0
Star Player: QB Trevor Knight
Key Stat: Prairie View, 32 total rushing yards
Why: The Aggies dominated in all facets of the game. Quarterback Trevor Knight threw for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns (21-for-37) and rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown. Texas A&M rolled up a total of 672 yards of offense and 35 first downs. It also got a fourth-quarter, 73-yard punt return TD by Nick Harvey.
6. VANDERBILT 47, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 24
Star Player: RB Ralph Webb
Key Stat: Webb, career-high 211 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns
Why: Webb helped the Commodores break the game open in the second quarter. He scored two touchdowns in a 28-point explosion, and Vanderbilt was able to take a 33-17 lead at halftime. Despite a 495-344 disadvantage in total yardage, Vanderbilt was still able to win easily thanks to a ball-control offense led by Webb.
7. ALABAMA 38, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10
Star Player: QB Jalen Hurts
Key Stat: Hurts threw for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was the most by an Alabama quarterback in a starting debut.
Why: Hurts broke the school record set by Brodie Croyle (285) vs. Arkansas in 2002. It was also the most yards thrown by an Alabama freshman quarterback since Vince Sutton (167) vs. Tennessee in 1984. The Tide methodically dismantled the Hilltoppers, holding them out of the end zone until the final minute of the game. Five different Alabama players scored touchdowns, including Eddie Jackson, whose 55-yard interception return for a touchdown broke the backs of Western Kentucky.
8. MISSOURI 61, E. MICHIGAN 21
Star Player: QB Drew Lock
Key Stat: Five different players caught touchdown passes for the first time in school history.
Why: Lock threw for a career-high 450 yards and his 5 touchdown passes tied a school record. It also set the school record for most yards thrown for in a victory. Only Blaine Gabbert (468 yards vs. Baylor in 2005) and Jeff Handy (480 yards vs. Oklahoma State in 1992) have thrown for more yards in school history. It was the first victory as head coach for Barry Odom.
9. AUBURN 51, ARKANSAS STATE 14
Star Player: RB tandem of Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson
Key Stat: The 706 yards of total offense were the second-most in school history.
Why: The Tigers moved the football at will. Only once has Auburn ever amassed more yardage, and that was 712 total yards in a 2013 game vs. Western Carolina. Both Pettway (152 yards) and Johnson (124 yards) rushed for more than 100 yards. The 38 points scored in the first half were the most by the Tigers since piling up 38 in the first half of a 2014 game with San Jose State.
10. OLE MISS 38, WOFFORD 13
Star Player: QB Chad Kelly
Key Stat: The school-record crowd of 64,232 was also the largest crowd to ever watch a college football game in the state of Mississippi.
Why: Kelly was efficient under center, completing 20-of-27 passes with no interceptions for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Rebels took a 31-3 lead into the fourth quarter. Nine different Ole Miss players caught passes, and five different players scored touchdowns in the lopsided victory.
Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.
