Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 12 SEC game.
Florida 23, Missouri 6
It wasn’t anything pretty, and the Gators didn’t get the Georgia loss they needed to take the SEC East, but it was still a strong road win by double-digits. Kyle Trask threw for 282 yards and two scores, the offense was able to open it up a bit in the third quarter, and it was the win needed to keep hope alive for a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Missouri can’t score touchdowns. It managed two field goals, making it the second straight game without a touchdown and with just 27 points over the last four games. The passing game didn’t go anywhere, the running game finished with 52 yards, and the O wasted a strong effort from the D.
The Tigers aren’t going bowling no matter what – thanks to NCAA violations – but it would nice to come up with a winning season. They get Tennessee up next before closing out at Arkansas.
Florida gets a week off before facing Florida State. The Sugar Bowl might be out with LSU, Alabama and Georgia all in the mix for the CFP and the top SEC bowl spots, but Orange is a possibility with a convincing win against the Noles and a 10-2 record.
Alabama 38, Mississippi State 7
Of course the season-ending injury to Tua Tagovailoa overshadowed everything else – a whole lot more on that coming over the next few days – but Mac Jones stepped in and was fine. The Tide only scored three points in the second half, but Jones hit 7-of-11 passes for 94 yards, the defense was great, and the shell-shocked team got through the rest of the game and got out. It was still a 31-point win on the road, even after all of that.
Najee Harris has picked a fantastic time to become amazing. He ran for 88 yards and three scores – and caught 51 yards worth of passes with a. score – the offensive line blasted away, and the receiving corps was its typical fantastic self. Everything was great except for that, and …
Tagovailoa’s injury also pushed out of the spotlight a leg injury to DT Raekwon Davis. The D was just fine against the Bulldogs, but Davis the guy the line couldn’t afford to lose.
Mississippi State was able to run for just enough big dashes to average over five yards per carry. After a good early scoring drive, though, that was it. Tommy Stevens threw for 82 yards and a score, and he tore off a 46-yard run, but the O didn’t do much of anything with its 270 yards.
Alabama got a week against Arkansas to get Mac Jones up to speed in case he was needed against LSU. Now he gets a practice week against Western Carolina to get ready for the trip to Auburn. All is hardly lost in the CFP race – blow out the Tigers, and everything will be still on the table.
At 4-6, Mississippi State has to beat Abilene Christian and Ole Miss to get to six wins and bowl eligibility.
NEXT: Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 14; Texas A&M 30, South Carolina 6
Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 14
Just when it seemed like Kentucky was going to crash and burn down 14-3 after the first quarter, the running game kicked in full force. Lynn Bowden hit 8-of-10 passes for 104 yards and a score, he ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Christopher Rodriguez added 129 yards and two scores. UK ripped off 401 yards averaging seven yards per pop.
Vanderbilt just can’t get the offense moving consistently enough. Ke’Shawn Vaughn isn’t getting any room to move, Riley Neal isn’t coming up with any big downfield passes, and the offense stalled time after time after the first quarter. It didn’t help that the UK offense had the ball for almost 40 minutes.
Call this the bowl eligibility game for Kentucky. It’s at 5-5 now, but it gets UT Martin next week before dealing with Louisville. Vanderbilt gets East Carolina State before finishing up its miserable campaign with Tennessee.
Texas A&M 30, South Carolina 6
It wasn’t anything flashy, but Texas A&M was able to come up with a solid, workmanlike win. It los a fumble and it was hit with eight penalties, but Kellen Mond was terrific, the offense had the ball for almost 42 minutes, and the team was in control throughout.
Mond threw for 221 yards and a score and ran for a touchdown, and the combination of Cordarrian Richardson and Isaiah Spiller tore off 259 yards and a touchdown. Richardson also caught a 17-yard touchdown pass. Throw in a brilliant defensive performance against the South Carolina running game, and it all worked.
Ryan Hilinski completed 16-of-41 passes for 175 yards. The Gamecock offense didn’t help the cause, but the defense couldn’t get off the field. It all most certainly did not work.
And that’s it for the South Carolina season. It’s now at 4-7 and ensured a losing campaign, but it can make its year by shocking Clemson at home next week. Good luck with that.
Texas A&M has lost to Clemson, Alabama and Auburn. No shame there. It’s already going bowling, so now it’s time to screw someone up with trips to Georgia and LSU. The pressure is totally off. The team can turn it loose.
NEXT: Georgia 21, Auburn 14; LSU 58, Ole Miss 37
Georgia 21, Auburn 14
Once again, that’s Georgia. It’s not going to wing it all over the yard, and it’s not going to do anything splashy, but it’s not going to give up 400 rushing yards like LSU just did. It’s going to play nasty D, it’s going to come through in the clutch, and Jake Fromm will do just enough to win.
Bo Nix threw for 245 yards and a score, and he ran for 42 yards and a touchdown. Fromm completed 13-of-28 passes for 110 yards and three scores – and won on the road against a fantastic team.
However, Georgia has to be better at closing. It was up 21-0 and everything was fine, but Auburn scratched, clawed, and got back into the game when the momentum swung its way. The Dawgs survived, but they only gained 251 yards and lost the time of possession battle. That’s not going to fly against LSU.
They did it. Georgia is in the SEC Championship again, but it has to gear it up for a Texas A&M team with no pressure on its shoulders. The College Football Playoff is right there for the taking with three more wins – Georgia Tech is at the end of the month – but it can’t blow it against the Aggies.
Auburn deserves to be ranked higher than it will be. It should be ahead of Oregon, and it’s okay to put it somewhere in the top eight considering the teams it lost to – LSU, Florida and Georgia – are all top six-worthy. It close out against Samford and Alabama.
LSU 58, Ole Miss 37
Yeah, this is still the No. 1 team in the nation based on its resumé, but it’s now allowed over 400 yards through the air to Sam Ehlinger of Texas, Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama, and gave up 402 rushing yards to Ole Miss.
The two teams combined for 1,328 yards, neither team could stop the other in the second half, and it was a whole boatload of scary at times for both defenses. It’s okay to worry what an Ohio State or Clemson offense could to against the Tigers, but …
Joe Burrow was Joe Burrow. He completed 32-of-42 passes for 489 yards and five touchdowns with two picks. Clyde Edwards- Helaire continued to be brilliant with 172 yards and a score, and the O ripped through the miserable Ole Miss secondary at will, but …
This Rebel offense is fun when it’s humming. John Rhys Plumlee threw fore 123 yards and a pick, and he ripped off 212 yards and four scores on the ground. Jerrion Ealy ran for 141 yards, and the team averaged over nine yards per carry … and lost by 21 points.
All LSU has to do is win one of its last two games against Arkansas or Texas A&M and it’s all good. It can go 12-1 with an SEC Championship and go to the CFP, but 12-0 going into the SEC title game should assure a spot, too.
Ole Miss is in for a losing season, but 5-7 with a win over Mississippi State would look a WHOLE lot better than 4-8 to close this out.
