Just like that we have entered the final month of the college football regular season. Soak up all the midweek MACtion you can now ladies and gentleman because soon it will be gone. In the meantime Saturday saw 10 SEC teams in action, and there were plenty of takeaways from the game. Here’s a Saturday recap.
Ole Miss pummels Auburn 45-15
The mini slump for Trinidad Chambliss came to an abrupt end against Auburn. Chambliss was coming off back-to-back games with a combined completion percentage of just 51.1% and three interceptions against Texas a week ago. To put that in perspective, that’s the same amount of interceptions that he had all last season.
There was some concern coming into Saturday which Chambliss we would get against an Auburn team wondering which version of themselves they would get. Even without star running back Kewan Lacy, Chambliss shined. He finished the game with 328 yards of offense and three touchdowns and was pulled early enough that backup Deuce Knight was able to run in another score against his former team.
For Auburn the inability to be efficient on offense, and capitalize on turnovers, reared its ugly head once again. The Tigers were good on third down early, but every attempt was nearly nine yards or longer because of a lack of help on first and second down. They also picked off Chambliss on a tipped pass in the second quarter, only to fumble the ball back to the Rebels a few plays later. This team lost seven games a season ago by 50 combined points. They’ve lost their last two by 51. That’s not good, and their stubbornness to share carries in the run game with the actual running back instead of primarily Byrum Brown proved ineffective once again.
Both of Auburn’s lead running backs had 13 combined carries in the game against Ole Miss. That’s the same amount Brown had, and he finished with just five yards rushing.
Bulldogs back in the saddle again
The scariest part of this Georgia team is that they don’t need an offense to win. They have one when they need it, which was more than evident against Alabama, and it’s been on display for most of the year with a scoring offense that currently ranks fourth in the country. On Saturday, Gunner Stockton seemed almost non-existent, and it didn’t matter in the slightest. Stockton finished 13-of-23 for 101 yards through the air and added another 45 on the ground. His QBR of 24.1 was the lowest of his career, and again it didn’t matter in the slightest.
Georgia doesn’t beat you with 1,000 paper cuts. They beat you with a suffocating defense and ground game that gets stronger as the game goes on. On Saturday the defense forced four turnovers and held Florida to 252 total yards including just 2.2 yards per carry for star running back Jadan Baugh. The Bulldogs on the other hand ran the ball 42 times for 217 yards and 13 of their final 15 offensive snaps were on the ground.
Georgia is once again at the top of the SEC standings and they head to Ole Miss for a massive showdown in primetime this upcoming Saturday.
LaNorris Sellers making a Heisman run?
It seems silly, but it’s not the craziest thing that could happen. The momentum that South Carolina is currently playing with isn’t all from LaNorris Sellers. The defense under Clayton White deserves a ton of credit for getting things fixed after the Kentucky game. Since that game the Gamecocks are 3-0 and have been outstanding on both sides of the ball. October was the best month of football they’ve played in two years. They finished 3-1 and that culminated with a huge 42-25 statement win on the road in Norman, Oklahoma.
While the Gamecocks defense certainly deserves praise, I’m not sure this team isn’t 2-6 nor does Shane Beamer still have a job without the play of Sellers. He finished the month with 1,387 yards and a TD-to-INT ratio of 15-to-3. Sellers now has 22 touchdowns on the season and over 2,450 yards of offense. If he is somehow able to will this team to four more wins in November, including a win against Georgia, that would certainly put him in the discussion. And, if he’s able to replicate those numbers from October in the final month of the regular season, we are talking about a 37 touchdown and 3,700 offensive yards season for the third year starter.
Stranger things have happened.
Game over for everyone’s favorite NBA Jam duo
This Mississippi State experience just isn’t the same without Kamario Taylor. The Bulldogs have had to play three games with backup quarterbacks now since his turf toe injury sidelined him. They’ve scored a combined 18 points in those games.
I said at the beginning of the year that the combination of Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell was like the best NBA Jam video game combo in the SEC this year. You remember that arcade game? It was 2v2 basketball with the two best players from each NBA team facing off. I have no idea how good the Charlotte Hornets were in 1993-1995, but I do know that every kid wanted to play with Alonzo Mourning and Grandmama (Larry Johnson) at the arcade.
Similarly we have no idea how good this Mississippi State team would’ve been with both Bothwell and Taylor healthy for an entire season. Add in Anthony Evans III at wide receiver and this was one of the best offenses in America in September. The injuries have taken a toll on State, and against Texas, Bothwell and backup quarterback AJ Swann were lost to injuries. There are still four games left on the Mississippi State schedule, and they need two wins to get to bowl eligibility. That would be a win in Year 3 of Jeff Lebby. But for now, the biggest win they should focus on is beginning the retention process of both their stars for next season, so we can get back to the video game numbers they were putting up in the beginning of the season.
Final Scores from Saturday
Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15
Georgia 27, Florida 8
South Carolina 42, Oklahoma 25
Missouri 34, Arkansas 10
Texas 31, Mississippi State 3
