ICYMI: SEC Week 4 brings bad calls


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The Week 4 slate was light, but there were several moments and games from around the league that may have flown under the radar. Here’s what you might have missed in the SEC from Saturday.

SEC officiating takes center stage–again

Fans griping about bad calls is nothing new, it’s part of sports. But SEC Officiating rarely helps its case, often fueling frustration and reinforcing its shaky reputation.

That’s exactly what unfolded in Norman yesterday. On Oklahoma’s first touchdown, they disguised a receiver as if he was subbing out. Instead, he lingered near the sideline, set a yard off, then bolted at the snap.

The rules official Matt Austin made it clear that “you cannot use the substitution process to deceive your opponent,” which Oklahoma clearly did. A few hours later, the SEC released an official statement that they got the call wrong. However, that didn’t take the touchdown off the board and Auburn lost by seven points.

Florida’s defense deserves more

Florida is enduring one of its worst starts in four decades. The most frustrating part? Their defense kept them alive late in the fourth, but the offense, led by DJ Lagway and offensive-minded Billy Napier, once again offered nothing.

The Gator defense held Miami to just 349 yards of offense despite being on the field for over 36 minutes on Saturday night. The offense on the other hand went 0-for-13 on third down. You read that right. Zero for 13. They also ended the night with just 141 yards of offense and seven points.

South Carolina is spiraling

The positive vibes and momentum that this program carried all offseason and into 2025 are gone. This team is bad.

That may not sound like a huge surprise since it’s South Carolina, but this is the most talented roster they’ve had in over a decade. They had the preseason All-SEC quarterback starting under center and arguably the best pass rusher in America in Dylan Stewart.

Those two haven’t exactly been the problem, but they also haven’t been the kind of Superman-level, take-over-a-game-and-will-you-to-victory players this season.

They’re undisciplined and play soft. That’s a recipe for anything but success in this league. Against Missouri, they had 14 penalties for 100 yards and ran for a grand total of, wait for it: negative nine yards.

Negative. Nine.

Vanderbilt is actually legit

Like most of you, I didn’t watch a second of the Vanderbilt vs. Georgia State game. I do know it was a revenge game after Vanderbilt inexplicably lost to them a season ago.

Vanderbilt got their revenge, and more. The Commodores scored 70 points and won 70-21. That’s the most points they’ve scored since 1918.

Numbers to Know

0 – Florida was 0-for-13 on 3rd Down.

40 – Florida is 1-3 for the first time in 40 years, dating back to 1986.

107 – Vanderbilt’s 70 points against Georgia State are the most they’ve scored in a game in 107 years (1918).

116 – South Carolina had negative nine yards rushing versus Missouri. That’s the least they’ve had in over 116 games.

46 – Auburn QB Jackson Arnold was pressured on 46 percent of his drop backs against Oklahoma.

4 – Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss is 1 of 4 quarterbacks at Ole Miss in the last 25 years to have 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a single game.

100 – Arkansas was 17-for-17 in the red zone to start the season and scored a touchdown on 100 percent of their trips before Saturday’s fumble on the seven yard line that lost them the game at Memphis.

Chris Marler

SEO Content Writer / Social Media Manager