On Halloween weekend, there were some scary scenarios facing SEC teams.

Could Georgia respond without Brock Bowers? After all, Florida entered the week with the potential to take control of the East coming off a monumental win at South Carolina.

Could Ole Miss avoid a disaster against Vanderbilt? After all, Ole Miss trailed by 10 late in the first half of the game last year.

OK, maybe that wasn’t really a question. And by day’s end, we got our answer to the Georgia question, too.

Here was 1 thing I learned from every SEC team in Week 9:

Auburn — The passing game does exist!

I wrote earlier in the week about the 10 things I’d rather do instead of watching Auburn attempt a forward pass, and honestly, the list could’ve been 100. In my defense, this was an Auburn team that was on pace to have the worst passing yardage average against SEC competition in the past 15 seasons. But on Saturday, Payton Thorne looked like Peyton Manning. OK, maybe not, but he completed 77% of his passes for 230 passing yards and a season-high 3 touchdowns, all of which were in the first half. For someone who had just 5 passing touchdowns all season with an average of 121 passing yards — 102 was his game-high vs. FBS competition this year — that was a long overdue showing.

There was more reliance on tempo, which appeared to be a welcome sight. It makes sense that Thorne, who transferred to Auburn post-spring, wouldn’t be tasked with running that from the jump. Hugh Freeze also deviated from the 2-quarterback system, which he admitted afterward might’ve held the offense back at times. Auburn, with a passing game that appears to be figuring things out, has a much better shot of reaching the postseason with upcoming games against Vanderbilt and Arkansas, AKA the last 2 remaining SEC teams without a conference win.

Florida — The UGA measuring stick told us that this team still has a long way to go

If you just watched the first drive, you probably thought that the Gators were set to make it a 60-minute game and feel excellent about the direction of the program. If you watched the rest of the game, you were reminded that competing with the Dawgs for 60 minutes is still no small feat. The good news? Tre Wilson said a Florida freshman record with 11 catches, 4 of which came on that opening drive. The not-so-good news? Austin Armstrong’s defense couldn’t dial up and pressure and it was dominated in the trenches. It’s telling that Billy Napier thought to call that failed trick play with Trevor Etienne passing on 4th down.

Georgia is the measuring stick game, but it’s not like the schedule lights up very much for the Gators. Having to travel to LSU and Mizzou will push a Florida team that’s been far too inconsistent to assume anything.

Georgia — The Brock Bowers-less offense was … dynamic

I wondered not “if” Georgia players would step up, but rather “which” Georgia players would step up. Our answer? Ladd McConkey tied a career-high with 135 receiving yards, Mizzou transfer Dominic Lovett had his best game in a Georgia uniform and Oscar Delp had a highlight-reel grab along with a block that freed Daijun Edwards for his first touchdown of the day. Oh, and after allowing a touchdown on the opening drive, Kirby Smart’s defense held Florida without a point for the following 43 minutes and 50 seconds.

But offensively, Carson Beck’s poise was the star of the show. He was phenomenal in a homecoming game. His poise was on full display. He wasn’t sacked, and that Georgia offensive line surrendered just 3 hurries. Beck didn’t look like someone without a safety blanket. Instead, we saw someone continue to emerge as a star in a prolific, versatile offense. There’s no guarantee that Beck leads the Dawgs to a 12-0 start, but Saturday’s test was aced.

Kentucky — Devin Leary hasn’t forgotten how to play the quarterback position

It was the 2021 version of Leary. Finally. It’s too bad for Kentucky that it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. The good news is that the practice reports from Leary finally lined up with a Saturday showing. He was crisp, and a Kentucky offense that’s had issues dropping passes was much more reliable. Leary had the 2nd-best game of his career in terms of passing yards (372) and he didn’t turn the ball over. His connection with the previously struggling Dane Key was on full display. Key finished with a game-high 113 yards on 7 catches.

That’s not really a moral victory for a Kentucky team that watched a 5-0 start fade in a hurry. But Leary’s performance should have Kentucky fans at least a little more hopeful that he’ll keep the Cats competitive in this daunting stretch to close the season.

Mississippi State — Those defensive issues weren’t in the rearview mirror

Going into Arkansas and holding the Hogs without a touchdown didn’t mean that the Bulldogs had turned the corner. But allowing that Auburn passing attack to get whatever it wanted in the first half was a major setback. Those pass-defense issues that surfaced in the first part of SEC play were still a problem. Auburn felt comfortable attacking 1-on-1 matchups on the outside, and without the ability to get to Payton Thorne — he wasn’t sacked once — Mississippi State dug itself a massive hole. That wasn’t the type of script that Zach Arnett wanted to follow with Mike Wright once again starting for the injured Will Rogers. Without RB Woody Marks, that task was even greater.

The fact that Thorne had 11 receivers catch a pass said a lot about the weaknesses in Arnett’s defense. There are too many holes, and when you get time like Thorne did, it’s a chunk play waiting to happen. Next up for Mississippi State’s struggling secondary? A Kentucky passing offense that just had its best day of the season.

Ole Miss — Lane Kiffin’s squad wants to dunk on everyone

No. Literally.

Notice the Vanderbilt logo on the backboard. I imagine that’ll be a thing every week? Hey, if YouTube sensation Dude Perfect can travel across the country with basketball hoops, why can’t a 1-loss Power 5 team like Ole Miss? The phrase “dunking on the competition” has some car dealership vibes, but actually busting out the hoop takes it to a different level. You’ve gotta respect the creativity for that.

The question is whether Ole Miss will keep dunking in the home stretch of the regular season. As Jordan Rodgers brought up on the broadcast, this team is now healthier than it was earlier in the year. Quinshon Judkins looks like his 2022 self and this offensive line continues to make strides. Assuming all parties avoid any dunking-related injuries, Lane Kiffin’s squad will be a tough out the rest of the way.

South Carolina — Xavier Legette wasn’t himself, so that meant a whole lot of Nyck Harbor

Legette was banged up in the Florida game and questionable to play on Saturday, so the expectations for the star South Carolina receiver should’ve been low. It was obvious that Legette didn’t have his usual burst. He was limited to 3 catches for 20 yards. On the bright side? We saw a full dose of Harbor, AKA the No. 1 freak in Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List.” Harbor’s day started with a bad drop on a play that would’ve moved the chains. After Spencer Rattler gave him some encouragement on the sideline, Harbor was excellent. He finished the day with a team-high 6 catches for 59 yards, which marked the 3rd consecutive week that he hit at least 45 receiving yards.

Harbor’s emergence is one of the few reasons that Gamecock fans can watch this team and still feel a sense of hope for the future. At the same time, that was the last road game of the season. If an emerging Harbor can be paired with a healthy Legette and/or Juice Wells, this passing game will have plenty of big-play ability in the next month.

Tennessee — Road woes be gone

The Vols were 1-4 in their previous 5 road games dating to last season, so yes, there was legitimate concern about how they’d show up in Lexington … even as the favorite. Tennessee atypically struggled defensively to get pressure and Devin Leary had his best game of the season, but the Vols did enough to win on the road. The ground game that was bottled up in the second half against Alabama was the star of the show. Jaylen Wright had 120 of the Vols’ 238 rushing yards, and Joe Milton continued to assert himself with his legs while taking advantage of what the defense gave him in the passing game. That included a 39-yard throw and catch to freshman Chas Nimrod after the corner fell.

Still, though. Tennessee kept converting first downs and after forcing a field goal, the defense didn’t give Kentucky a chance at a go-ahead drive. That was the type of effort that Josh Heupel hoped to see coming off the second-half collapse at Alabama. A New Year’s 6 bowl is still on the table.

Texas A&M — Edgerrin Cooper is plenty healthy

He’s absolutely in the running for SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and if you’re leaving Cooper out of your All-American conversation, well, I don’t think you’re having a conversation that I’d like to be a part of. The bye week looked like it helped Cooper, who left the Tennessee game after taking punishment on a run from Vols QB Joe Milton. Not only did Cooper return to the lineup, but he was everywhere. He lived in the backfield with 6 solo stops, 4 quarterback hurries, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack and he also had the game-sealing forced fumble that prevented any last-ditch effort from the Gamecocks.

For all the inconsistency we’ve seen from the Aggies this year, Cooper’s been the steadying force. He’s worthy of national praise.

Vanderbilt — Walter Taylor III is now getting run

With AJ Swann injured and Ken Seals off to an ineffective start, Clark Lea’s rotating cast of quarterbacks continued spinning. Taylor came in when it was 26-0 in the middle of the 2nd quarter and he instantly trucked a dude. I mean, the dude is 6-7, 235 pounds. He hit 20 MPH on the GPS. Not bad for a kid who only got 1 Power 5 offer. Unfortunately for Taylor, you can see why he’s been more of a project than an underclassman starter. He stares down receivers, the ball doesn’t come out of his hand particularly confident and he lacks pocket presence at this point of his career as a redshirt freshman.

Lea seems to always be trying out new quarterbacks in hopes that one will pop. So far, that strategy hasn’t gotten him to a bowl berth, which is officially off the table for the Dores.