There wasn’t a ton of action in the SEC this week, but one long-suffering team moved into select company following a come-from-behind win.
Four conference teams had byes, and Georgia may be wishing it had one following its loss to Tennessee at Neyland. Florida also impressed with a defensive masterpiece at Missouri.
Here are the updated Top 10 team performances of 2015:
10. NO. 11 FLORIDA 21, MISSOURI 3
Date: Oct. 10
Star Player: RB Kelvin Taylor
Key Stat: First time all season Missouri hadn’t scored a touchdown at home
Why: The Gators took total control of the SEC East with this win and moved to 6-0 on the season. Florida’s pass rush made Missouri QB Drew Lock look like the true freshman that he is, and Florida coach Jim McElwain’s offensive play calling spread out a Tigers defense that was among the staunchest in the SEC. Florida returned one of Lock’s 2 interceptions for a touchdown.
9. NO. 7 GEORGIA 52, SOUTH CAROLINA 20
Date: Sept. 19
Star Player: QB Greyson Lambert
Key Stat: Lambert completed 20 straight passes
Why: Lambert proved this Georgia team has more than just a stacked ground game, breaking a Georgia record for consecutive completions while terrorizing South Carolina’s defense for 330 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Running back Nick Chubb eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the 11th straight game, taking what started out as a relatively close game out of reach in Athens. Georgia’s performance solidified the Bulldogs as the class of the SEC East, if not the entire conference.
8. KENTUCKY 21, NO. 25 MISSOURI 13
Date: Sept. 26
Star Player: QB Patrick Towles
Key Stat: Towles’ 183.4 QBR
Why: Kentucky beat Missouri for the first time as conference rivals, snapping the Tigers’ 11-game road winning streak in the process. Towles looked fantastic a week after laying an egg against Florida and didn’t throw any costly interceptions. The Wildcats were able to own the middle of the field against a defense that prides itself in not giving up the big play. This one had the feeling of a momentum shift in the SEC East.
7. NO. 13 LSU 45, NO. 18 AUBURN 21
Date: Sept. 19
Star Player: RB Leonard Fournette
Key Stat: Fournette’s 12 yards per carry
Why: LSU dominated Auburn in every facet of this game, raising the profile of the Bayou Bengals while pushing Auburn from College Football Playoff contender to SEC West also-ran. Fournette’s then-career-high 228 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns were the story of this contest, but LSU quarterback Brandon Harris outperforming Auburn counterpart Jeremy Johnson was also an important factor in LSU’s win. The Tigers sacked Johnson 5 times.
6. NO. 3 ALABAMA 35, NO. 20 WISCONSIN 17
Date: Sept. 5
Star Player: RB Derrick Henry
Key Stat: Held Wisconsin to 40 rushing yards
Why: Henry showed he’s more than capable of being the feature back, rushing for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Crimson Tide’s Big Ten opponent. Nick Saban still wasn’t naming a starting quarterback, but both Jake Coker (15 of 21) and Cooper Bateman (7 of 8) were efficient when they weren’t handing the ball off to Henry. Alabama’s defense performed how everyone expected.
5. TENNESSEE 38, NO. 19 GEORGIA 31
Date: Oct. 10
Star Player: QB Joshua Dobbs
Key Stat: Vols trailed by 21 points in the first half
Why: By the shear value of their comeback, the Vols could argue being higher on this list. Butch Jones finally got his program-defining win at Tennessee, and handed Georgia back-to-back losses for the first time since 2013. But the Bulldogs were without star RB Nick Chubb, who suffered a terrible knee injury on the first play from scrimmage. Dobbs was the star of this game, passing for 312 yards while running for another 118, but credit Vols DB Brian Randolph, who broke up a Greyson Lambert pass in the end zone when Georgia was driving to end the game.
4. NO. 13 ALABAMA 38, NO. 8 GEORGIA 10
Date: Oct. 3
Star Player: WR Calvin Ridley
Key Stat: Alabama’s 21-point halftime lead
Why: Ridley hauled in 120 receiving yards, Jake Coker continued to show why he is Alabama’s starting quarterback and the Crimson Tide spanked Georgia in Athens despite not being favored by many oddsmakers. The defense made Georgia QB Greyson Lambert look terrible before he was yanked for his backup. Alabama owned this game, and showed it is still SEC royalty.
3. TEXAS A&M 38, NO. 15 ARIZONA STATE 17
Date: Sept. 5
Star Player: DE Myles Garrett
Key Stat: 14 tackles for loss
Why: There’s just something about the Aggies and early-season games against ranked foes. A year after winning a big game at South Carolina, a new-look Texas A&M limited star Arizona State QB Mike Bercovici to just 199 yards and 1 touchdown. Texas A&M rotated QBs Kyle Allen (198 passing yards) and Kyler Murray (49 passing yards, 69 rushing) throughout the game, making the team’s convincing win all the more impressive.
2. NO. 15 OLE MISS 43, NO. 2 ALABAMA 37
Date: Sept. 19
Star Player: QB Chad Kelly
Key Stat: Two touchdown receptions of 60+ yards
Why: This win was one for the ages. Ole Miss hadn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 1988 and hadn’t beaten Alabama in consecutive years in the program’s history. Behind Kelly’s 341 passing yards and Quincy Adeboyejo’s miracle 66-yard deflection touchdown, the Rebels did enough to upset the Crimson Tide in a back-and-forth contest. The Ole Miss victory snapped Alabama’s FBS-long 17-game home winning streak.
1. NO. 25 FLORIDA 38, NO. 3 OLE MISS 10
Date: Oct. 3
Star Player: QB Will Grier
Key Stat: Four touchdowns in the first half by Grier
Why: Grier supposedly had the flu entering Florida’s eventual upset of the Rebels, but he sure didn’t play like it. He was close to perfect (24 of 29 for 271 yards) while cutting up the Ole Miss defense. The Florida offensive line did a great job of handling the Ole Miss defensive front, and Florida’s defense forced 4 turnovers in The Swamp. This game was even more lopsided than the score indicated, and Florida made its case as a legitimate SEC contender.
Mike Shaw is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arkansas. Follow Mike on Twitter @michaelvshaw
