The SEC’s Week 7 report card:

OFFENSE

LSU: A-

The Tigers had one of their best performances of the season, going up against the toughest defense they’ve faced so far. Brandon Harris completed 13 of 19 for 202 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Leonard Fournette ran for 180 yards and two scores on 31 carries. The offense slowed in the second half, but was nonetheless impressive against a stout Florida team.

Missouri: F

Oh, brother. Tough times for the Tigers offense. They failed to reach the end zone on Saturday and lost in a field-goal kicking contest at Georgia, 9-6. Growing pains are expected with a true freshman at quarterback, but Missouri’s issues run deeper than Drew Lock. The problems start up front; a Georgia defense that had given up 38 points in each of the last two games racked up four sacks and nine tackles for loss while yielding just 164 yards of offense against the Tigers.

DEFENSE

Alabama: A

The Crimson Tide’s secondary scored two more touchdowns on Saturday than did the Texas A&M offense. A trio of pick sixes made all the highlight reels, but there was plenty of grit to go with the sizzle. Kyle Allen, who came in leading the SEC in passing efficiency was harassed and inaccurate all day, and completed just half of his passes. When Kyler Murray was called on, he fared no better, and on the ground, the Aggies managed just 32 yards on 25 carries.

Ole Miss: D-

Only the Rebels’ ability to limit the Memphis running game saves Ole Miss from an abject failure. But in the aftermath of the Rebels’ upset loss, failure isn’t the worst word that could be used to describe Saturday’s effort. To be sure, Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch played an excellent football game; some of those throws were indefensible. But there’s no excusing the Rebels’ lackluster tackling or repeated inability to get the Tigers off the field on third downs.

SPECIAL TEAMS

LSU: D

For as good as the Tigers were on offense and defending the run against Florida, the special teams continue to be a glaring weakness. LSU has been gashed by big returns all season and have given up a special teams score in each of the last two weeks. Punt returner Tre’Davious White also set up a Gators touchdown in the first quarter when he failed to secure a bouncing punt and Florida recovered the muff on the Tigers’ 13-yard line.

That fake field goal was nice, though.

COACHING

South Carolina: A

Score one for Shawn Elliott. The Gamecocks interim coach picked up a win and South Carolina moves to 1-0 in the post-Spurrier era. The Gamecocks were far from flawless; they reached the end zone only once in a 19-10 win over Vanderbilt. But they moved the ball well against a pretty solid Commodore defense, finishing with 424 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks defense forced five turnovers and held Vanderbilt to a 6-of-15 third down conversion rate.

Auburn: B

It’s been a less-than-vintage first half of the season for Gus Malzahn & Co., but the Tigers deserve some credit for holding off a determined Kentucky team Thursday night. Auburn is not the squad we expected to see in the offseason, but the Tigers seem to be finding an identity, fronted by the hard running of Peyton Barber, who has seven rushing touchdowns in the last two games. According to ESPN, Auburn is 17-2 under Gus Malzahn when rushing for three or more touchdowns in a game, and just 7-7 otherwise.

OVERALL

As we enter the second half of the season, LSU is the only undefeated team left in the conference, and both divisions remain up for grabs. All three one-loss teams in the SEC West still get a crack at the Tigers, and the East could hang in the balance of the Georgia-Florida game on Halloween.

Subjectively, Alabama and LSU look like the best bets to represent the conference in the playoff, but there’s still six more weeks of football to be played, and the biggest games of the season are yet to come.