Week 6: What Happened To You On Saturday?
Our weekly SEC football recap article where we celebrate the highlights and have some fun with the lowlights…
With Oregon getting knocked off on Thursday night and a number of high-profile SEC games listed for Saturday, we knew the weekend had promise. Throw in ESPN College GameDay at the Grove and we knew Saturday might be special. Well, it was. As you can see in the above photo, Fowler, Corso, Herbstreit and friends had a blast in the grove, and the SDS decal on set (see above) certainly provided an extra boost to the festivities. Note: If you are one of the few SEC fans without a decal, get one now!
College GameDay did not disappoint. The entire scene at Ole Miss was celebrated wildly throughout the broadcast with amazing shots of the crowds in the Grove, the ESPN hosts sporting killer bow ties and of course Katy Perry’s antics at the end of the show. While fans scoffed at the announcement of Katy Perry as this week’s celebrity picker, she was great. The entertainment level was quite high and she made no attempt to be a football analyst. She successfully trolled LSU fans and made some comments that made Herbstriet blush.
The focus of the college football world was on the state of Mississippi on Saturday. Not just due to the broadcasting of College GameDay from Oxford, but because the two most talked about games featured Ole Miss and Mississippi State. In previous years, on a day which featured both Florida-Tennessee and Auburn-LSU, the Mississippi games would have been the afterthought. Instead, it was the opposite. The opportunity was big for the state of Mississippi and boy, did they deliver. Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State Bulldogs throttled a hot Texas A&M team, and Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss took it to the Crimson Tide in front of their home crowd.
A Perfect Day in Oxford
You can’t buy this kind of marketing.
The day started off with one of the better College GameDay broadcasts in recent memory, showcasing everything amazing about Ole Miss football. While the day began with imagery of tailgating and GameDay signs (my favorite being “Katherine Webb is an Ole Miss 6”), the day ended with a scene of pandemonium on the field tearing down goal posts and Katy Perry crowdsurfing in Oxford bars.
This is why college football reigns supreme. Words are not sufficient. The imagery brings it home.
Midday on Saturday, I told a few folks that regardless of what happens in the Alabama game, this Saturday was a win for Ole Miss as the exposure that ESPN College GameDay brought the program was huge. With the game result and follow up celebration, the day was epic for Ole Miss. What kids in Mississippi are watching that and don’t want to goto Oxford and be a part of what happened today?
Burn these images into your mind, Ole Miss fans. This will be a day you remember.
Oh, want more? Here are more images of jubilation:
The couple in the background took the celebration to another level:
[H/T @ChipBrooker]
Bo Wallace and Hugh Freeze shared a moment:
Katy Perry did her thing in Oxford:
Dak & Dan Roll Over The Aggies
Mississippi State steamrolled Texas A&M at home in what can be considered a major statement for both the program and Dak Prescott. The Dak Attack gained 259 yards on 19 of 25 throwing with two touchdowns. Add another 3 touchdowns on the ground via 77 rush yards and you’ve got a very efficient, Tebowesque performance by Dak. In case you forgot, Dan Mullen coached Tim Tebow to his Heisman in 2007. Dan’s other #15, Dak Prescott, is firmly in the Heisman race.
On the A&M side, the Aggies wore some pretty slick chrome helmets with white unis, so the day started off encouraging. However, Sumlin and his offense were fighting destiny on this day. Mississippi destiny. Kenny Hill looked average at times due to the pressure, and the Texas A&M OL may not be as stout as we thought earlier in the season. Overall, the Aggies are good, but with the defense and mishaps on offense, they look more like an 8-4 team rather than a 10-2 team.
Speedy Noil is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch. He had several filthy catches in the game. And, backup QB Kyle Allen looks like he is quite the ladies man… even during the games. It wasn’t fun and games for everyone, however. One of the refs in the game had quite a moment of rage where he let out some bad words with his mic still on.
With Auburn winning, Auburn vs Mississippi State will be a top ten (maybe top five) matchup next week. Will ESPN GameDay stay in Mississippi and head down the road to Starkville? Why not? Will Katy Perry party all week in Oxford and pick the games next week too? We can only hope.
Treon Harris Buys Muschamp Time, Butch Jones Fails To Break Florida Losing Streak
Florida and Tennessee lived up to its billing on Saturday – the billing of course meaning anemic, mistake prone offense and pretty good defense. After a 3-0 first half, the second half kicked off with two passes and two interceptions. 2014 Florida-Tennessee ladies and gentleman. After the Vols went up 9-0, Muschamp benched Jeff Driskel for true freshman Treon Harris who led the Gators on two straight scoring drives – he didn’t do much, but what he did do was more than Driskel has been able to do. Florida’s defense held on as the Gators escaped with a 10-9 win. Florida has now beaten Tennessee ten straight times – quite remarkable.
For the second time this season, Florida had a game winning scoring play as the play clock hit double zero when Florida’s kicker Austin Hardin hit the field goal to go up 10-9. After the play against Kentucky a few weeks ago, it’s quite a trend the Gators have going. You can watch the video here and decide for yourself if the play should have counted.
The Tennessee crowd looked great in its orange and white checkered pattern, but Will Muschamp had words for them after the game when he joyfully pointed at the stands and exclaimed “It’s great to see all these people out here getting disappointed. I love it.” Watch the video here. We love it too Will, because we love when coaches mouth off. Classless? Oh stop, this league is better when a few coaches are mouthing off and showing emotion.
If you’re a Tennessee fan, when do you start to get upset about the lack of results? This is a game that the Vols should have won and one that Butch Jones needs in order to back up his rebuilding process. The Brick by Brick mantra and the players sprinting around is great, but all of it becomes pretty meaningless without the W’s to back it up. Good news is that it appears Lil Jon still supports the team… for now.
Muschamp needed the win more than Butch, but the spotlight will be on Jones soon.
Auburn, Georgia and Kentucky get conference wins
Georgia handled Vandy and Auburn pounded the LSU Tigers. Is it possible that Auburn is actually being overlooked? Auburn will be in the national spotlight next week against Mississippi State. How ’bout that SEC West?
Kentucky secured a big win at home which gives them consecutive SEC wins for the first time since 2009. The South Carolina season has gone from bad to worse for the Ol’ Ball Coach. Is Kentucky in contention to win the East?
Key Plays
Speedy Noil is my favorite Speedy. Check out this amazing TD catch:
Todd Gurley can do it all. In this clip, he completed the longest pass for Georgia this season:
Here’s the end zone interception that sealed the upset win for Ole Miss:
Florida-Tennessee showcased some ugly offense. The first two passes in the 2nd half were caught by the wrong team:
What they meant to say
“Sure we lost a game against a very average team that can’t score points, but did you see my guys sprinting around the field? Did you see them sprint to the locker room at the half? We’re going to sprint ourselves to a 4-8 season and I’m proud of these boys.” -Butch Jones, stickler for the little things
“You’re fired. All of you.” -Nick Saban
“Let’s make a baby. Let’s call him Dak.” -Half of the state of Mississippi
“Let’s make a baby while listening to Katy Perry. Let’s call him Bo.” -The other half of the state of Mississippi
“I love Ole Miss Football!!!!!” -Katy Perry, mayor of Oxford
“I’m going to Ole Miss” -Any high school football player with an internet connection
“Katy Perry and Ole Miss ruined my moment.” -Dan Mullen, can’t remember if he won a game on Saturday or not
