Week 10 was another upside down, unpredictable week in the SEC. If anyone had said it would be props to LSU and South Carolina and criticism for Alabama and Florida, well, it would have at least been a solid surprise. But as usual, here’s our weekly round up of the highs and lows of the week in the SEC.

Winners

Jason Brown

No, not that Jason Brown. Though before Saturday, anybody except a South Carolina fan probably thought of the profane, stogie-loving JUCO coach and not the Gamecocks quarterback of the same name. Then the third-string QB took the field and promptly led a 40-17 beatdown of Florida, passing for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Credit is due to coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks as a whole, but especially to Brown. Wherever there’s a third-stringer working his butt off in practice hoping to someday get his chance, there’s a Jason Brown. And how wonderful — and mildly insane — it is when his story works out.

LSU football

Look, it has been a rough season in Baton Rouge. But of everything that one can say about Ed Orgeron and his soon-to-end era at LSU, nobody can say that the Tigers quit. Not only did LSU throttle Alabama’s running game on Saturday, they held the Tide to 20 points and nearly pulled off the upset of the SEC season. One thing is sure: Considering how badly LSU played with a full roster versus how hard they’re playing now without a ton of players, there’s more in play in that situation that just the Xs and Os. Credit to the guys who are still fighting it out every Saturday.

Hendon Hooker

Tennessee’s “backup” quarterback has gotten sharper and sharper each week. As much as some folks trash the transfer portal, Hooker is a perfect example of a win-win situation. He escaped a dumpster fire at Virginia Tech and, since winning the job from Joe Milton, he has led a resurgence of Tennessee football. His ability to get the ball to his receivers in space is superb, and it was the difference in UT’s win over Kentucky.

Arkansas finding a way

After falling behind Mississippi State with just over 2 minutes left, Arkansas just did Arkansas things. The Razorbacks found a way to get the ball in the end zone, drawing a key 4th down penalty and then plunging ahead in the final seconds. MSU drove downfield for a potential tying field goal, which of course the Bulldogs missed. The Razorbacks bent — giving up 417 passing yards to Will Rogers — but with the game on the line, they refused to break. It was a gutty win that highlights an equally gutty season.

Texas A&M’s defense

Admittedly, Auburn’s offense is spotty. Bo Nix has had more ups and downs than a wooden roller coaster. But the Aggies held Auburn to under 4 yards per pass and 2.5 yards per rush. The Tigers couldn’t run, couldn’t throw and couldn’t score. Auburn’s defense kept it competitive for a time, but A&M is just fierce defensively. Jamming up Alabama’s pass-happy attack is one thing, but they also shut down Auburn’s dangerous ground game.

Losers

Ole Miss social media folks

Trolling former coach Hugh Freeze with a Tweet mocking his response to potential NCAA issues at Ole Miss? Not cool. Sure, the Rebels took the blame and scrubbed the offensive post. But it’s just a bad look. I mean, if Lane Kiffin goes somewhere else, is Ole Miss going to take to Twitter to mock him? Yes, you say? Oh, never mind, then.

Kentucky’s secondary

How many teams have ever lost a game when their offense scores 42 points, gains 612 yards and has 46 minutes in time of possession? It can’t be many. But all of that offense was not enough because it appeared that Kentucky’s secondary took up football a few minutes before kickoff. The Wildcats were simply turning UT players loose. In the first 4 Vols offensive plays, UT hit touchdowns of 75 and 72 yards. The 45-42 loss was simply brutal for Kentucky and it should rest almost entirely on the defense.

Alabama’s running game

The Crimson Tide had 26 carries, 6 rushing yards against LSU. Total. To steal a favored Sabanism, the LSU defense ran through Alabama’s offensive line like excrement through a tin can. (One can only assume that Coach Saban’s restroom background is different from anyone else’s.) Alabama got enough from Bryce Young to win, but a team without offensive balance isn’t going to thrive against Georgia in Atlanta or in the CFP.

Mike Leach dinging his kickers

Yeah, we all love Mike Leach talking about Halloween candy. But sometimes, the cranky side of Leach emerges. Like when he talks about soliciting student tryouts after his kicker missed a potential tying field goal against Arkansas.

All at once, after his big wins this year, we get a reminder of how tone-deaf Leach can be. Yes, his kickers missed 3 field goals. Yes, it likely cost MSU the game. Still, it’s a classless move for a guy who should know better.

The Dan Mullen Era

That whole rant on not talking about recruiting goes over even better for the Florida coach when he loses to South Carolina, 40-17. Sheesh. That’s not even getting into limiting media availability. Coach, you might want to limit it going forward because your staff should be working on their resumes.