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| Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones comes up with a fumble in the Bulldogs’ win over No. 3 Florida. (US Presswire) |
SEC scoreboard
No. 17 South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35: The Gamecocks (7-2, 5-2 SEC) held off the Vols, but a gruesome knee injury suffered by South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore was the story. Lattimore's leg was bent the wrong way after he took a hit from two Tennessee (3-5, 0-5 SEC) defenders in the second quarter. Coach Steve Spurrier said more tests would be needed but indicated that the injury is "severe." QB Connor Shaw threw for 356 yards and three TDs, and adding 33 yards and a score on the ground. DE Jadeveon Clowney helped seal the win with a sack and strip of Tennessee QB Tyler Bray with just over a minute remaining. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Missouri 33, Kentucky 10: Missouri (4-4, 1-4 SEC) avoided the SEC cellar by pulling out a relatively easy home victory over Kentucky (1-8, 0-5 SEC). Missouri QB James Franklin (knee) didn't start, but he made a somewhat surprising entrance in the third quarter with the Tigers leading 17-10. He mainly handed the ball off once he was in the game, but the offense was more controlled with the junior calling the signals. Missouri RB Kendial Lawrence had a big day with 23 carries for 108 yards and two TDs.
Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 27: Bryson Rose kicked a 31-yard field goal with no time left to give Ole Miss (5-3, 2-2 SEC) the road win. Rebels QB Bo Wallace set up the winning kick with an eight-play, 61-yard drive. Wallace passed for 278 yards, a TD and added 39 rushing yards. Arkansas (3-5, 2-3 SEC) WR Cobi Hamilton (12 receptions, 146 yards) and RB Dennis Johnson (27 carries, 160 yards, TD) led the Razorbacks.
No. 12 Georgia 17, No. 3 Florida 9: It was an ugly game, but Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) LB Jarvis Jones proved to be the best player on the field in a 17-9 win for the Bulldogs. Jones made big plays all day, but his biggest came when he stripped Florida (7-1, 6-1 SEC) TE Jordan Reed inside the 5-yard line with just under two minutes to play. The Bulldogs then ran out the clock and are in control of the SEC East. Mistakes were the story both teams, combining for nine turnovers and 24 penalties. Georgia got an offensive lift from RB Todd Gurley (26 carries, 119 yards, TD) and WR Malcolm Mitchell, who caught a 45-yard TD pass to put the Bulldogs up by eight with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 22 Texas A&M 63, Auburn 21: Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2 SEC) scored on seven of eight possessions directed by starting QB Johnny Manziel. Manziel was 16 of 23 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He was just as dangerous on the ground, adding 90 yards and another three TDs on just nine carries. It was another historically bad day for the Tigers (1-7, 0-6 SEC), especially on defense. Texas A&M's 671 yards of total offense was the most allowed by an Auburn defense. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 1 Alabama 38, No. 13 Mississippi State 7: This game was billed as a showdown between two undefeated teams, but instead Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) again showed why its the best team in the nation. The Tide put the game out of reach early, building a 24-0 lead at the half and never allowing the Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1 SEC) to get back in it. QB AJ McCarron threw for 208 yards and two TDs, including a 57-yard touchdown to WR Kenny Bell. McCarron left the game late with an upper back bruise, but the injury didn't appear to be serious. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Play of the day: After being held in check by Tennessee LT Antonio Richardson, South Carolina DE Clowney finally broke through with a sack and strip of QB Bray with just over a minute to go in the game. That ended the Vols' chance to either tie or take a lead in a game the Gamecocks led 38-35.
Runner up: With the Gators trailing by eight points, Florida TE Reed made a nice catch and run inside the Georgia 5-yard line with 1:58 left in the game. But he tried to leap over the goal line, and Jones ran him down from behind and knocked the ball out and through the back of the end zone for a touchback.
He said what? Auburn coach Gene Chizik on the Tiger crowd leaving early: "If they emptied out at halftime, I don't blame them. It was a horrible performance."
RapidReports defensive star of the day: LB Jones. He was simply dominant in Georgia's 17-9 upset of the Gators. He missed last week with an ankle injury, but he was clearly healthy Saturday with 13 tackles, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Runner up: Tennessee LB Herman Lathers. He was a bright spot on an otherwise disastrous day for the Vols' D. The senior had 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.
RapidReports offensive star of the day: QB Shaw. After Lattimore's injury, he helped the Gamecocks pull out the win over Tennessee. He was 22 of 32 (68.7 percent) for 356 yards, three TDs and an interception (on a desperation fourth-down throw). He added 18 carries for 33 yards and a TD.
Runner up: QB Manziel. The Texas A&M redshirt freshman was back on track against Auburn after throwing three INTs against LSU last week. His 350 all-purpose yards and five TDs qualifies as a pretty standard day for the standout.
2nd Runner up: Arkansas RB Johnson looks comfortable taking over for former starter Knile Davis. Johnson had 160 yards and a TD on 27 carries in the loss to Ole Miss.
His seat is getting uncomfortable: Tennessee coach Derek Dooley. Vols defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri should go here too. The Vols were in it to the very end at South Carolina, but close doesn't count for much in the SEC, especially for a coach who hasn't defeated a ranked opponent in his tenure with the Vols. The offense did its part with 470 total yards, but the defense allowed the Gamecocks 511 total yards.
Runner up: Chizik has to be mentioned here as well. Auburn could've fired him at halftime with the Tigers trailing 42-7 and the stadium emptying of fans. The defense is historically bad, and the offense isn't anything special either.
A possible spot on the bench for: All of Tennessee's secondary might need to take a seat. Saturday marked the second week in a row that an opposing QB set a season high in passing yards. Last week, it was Alabama's AJ McCarron (306 yards), this week it was Shaw (356 yards).
Why you should care about these stat lines:
1. Tennessee has started 0-5 in the SEC for three straight seasons: Vanderbilt is the only other SEC program to do that in the history of the conference. Part of that can be attributed to Tennessee's normally front-loaded SEC schedule, but there's really no excuse for one of the SEC's traditional powers to struggle that badly.
2. Ole Miss has won two straight SEC games: That might not sound impressive, but considering the Rebels had lost 16 straight conference games before that -- it's a big deal. Ole Miss last won back-to-back SEC games in 2009.
3. Florida had six turnovers and 10 penalties: That was a big reason why the Gators lost their first game. Their defense played well overall, but you can't make that many mistakes in a game with championship implications and expect to come out with the win.
Key number: 1. Georgia QB Aaron Murray got his first win against a top-20 opponent in his career. It wasn't always pretty for the junior, but with a lot of help from the defense, Murray finally got a big-time win.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Daniel Lewis and Larry Hartstein, follow @CBSSportsSEC.
