Make it interesting: Freshman running back Jeremy Hill went up and over for the game-winning touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining. That's right, Ole Miss hung around that long, hanging 35 points on the Tigers' defense before relenting the lead. That's tough.
Whichever quarterback led LSU the past two weeks did not show up in this one. Zach Mettenberger, who had played well against Alabama and Mississippi, was just 22-of-27 with two interceptions to keep this one close. He did pass for 281 yards and lead the Tigers on two pivotal drives late, but for a BCS hopeful, LSU still can not find consistent play under center.
Over the Hll: Jeremy Hill gets the call more and more for Les Miles' offense, and it is obvious why. Even as a redshirt freshman, he is an imposing figure. He rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns against Ole Miss, including the aforementioned game-winning score with mere seconds remaining.
There are just too many good freshman around the league. Is this what we want football to be? (Yes.)
Hill may have had competition for the Player of the Game, though, as Ole Miss receiver Donte Moncrief was a stud. The NFL prospect caught six passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including what Rebel fans believed would be the winning score in the fourth quarter.
Hats off, Hugh: Make no mistake, Hugh Freeze's team, given its comparative talent level, had no business being in the game with LSU on the road. Remember, this was the same Tigers team that held the nation's longest home winning streak just two weeks ago. It is no walk in the park in Death Valley.
Yes, the Rebels lost. But Hugh Freeze's team competed, and in the meantime, he has turned in one of the nation's most impressive turnarounds in his first season in Oxford. This was an inept program just 12 months ago. Now, they are one win away from a bowl game and challenging the SEC powerhouses on their own turf.
Hats off.
Vandy train keeps chugging: There's not a question anymore: Vanderbilt owns the state of Tennessee in football. That's strange to write, considering their Eastern neighbors have the 100,000-plus stadium, recruiting advantages and history, but James Franklin has overcome all of that to build the state's best football program. Quick question: If you were a football recruit, all other factors held constant, would you rather play for Franklin or Derek Dooley?
Vanderbilt's balanced attack —248 yards passing, 194 yards rushing — demolished Tennessee's defense, which is one of the worst units in SEC history. If not the worst. The Commodores became the seventh consecutive team to score at least 38 points on the Volunteers — extending the already infamous conference record.
Hard to imagine: Correction: Impossible to imagine. It truly is impossible to imagine the Tennessee administration bringing Derek Dooley back after losing 14 of his past 15 SEC games. And with your in-state rival — an academic institution, no less — embarrassing you by 23 points, there was not much for the Volunteers to hang their hats on.
Dooley will probably look back on his new defense as his undoing, but watching the game Saturday night, it appears the issues go much deeper. This marriage has not worked out. At all.
Big East silver lining: It's been a rough day for the Big East, with talks of Rutgers moving their conference allegiance to the Big Ten (along with Maryland of the ACC). But a Big East win over the SEC has to feel nice, as the Orange score a touchdown with just 20 seconds to go to win 31-27 in Columbia.
Syracuse, behind quarterback Ryan Nassib's 385 yards and two touchdowns, ran up 508 yards of offense on Missouri's porous defense. The Tigers have not had things go their way in conference play (2-5 in SEC play), but this was their first non-conference loss of the season.
One-sided: Missouri's offense turned in another strong performance — 484 total yards, just one turnover — but the defense allowed at least 31 points for the fifth time this season. The Orange's spread offense has reached high gear of late, even knocking off previously undefeated Louisville last season, but one would expect a soon-to-be-SEC-quality defense to muster a bit more resistance to a 6-5 opponent.
Hand it to Nassib and Syracuse, though: This was a long time coming for a very good team.
Bounce back: Not seeing Alabama, Texas A&M or LSU on the schedule really got Mississippi State fired up. Dysfunctional Arkansas will do that for most folks, too. Dan Mullen's offense re-ingited in the Bulldogs' 45-14 victory over the Razorbacks, pushing the team to eight wins this season.
Mississippi State gained 505 yards of offense, not surprisingly outpacing their final three outings by a wide margin. With the win, the Bulldogs still have a chance at a respectable bowl game with the pivotal Egg Bowl looming. Don't overlook Mr. Freeze & Co., though.
Perking up: Bulldogs' running back LaDarius Perkins showed his versatility off in this one. The junior running back rushed for 91 yards and caught three passes for another 40 yards. His two touchdown receptions were the dagger in the Razorbacks', well, back. That and turnovers (more on that in a minute).
So Perkins walks away with today's game ball after gained just 93 yards of offense against Texas A&M and Alabama combined, then not playing against LSU. Nice rebound for the NFL prospect.
Arkansas. Oh, Arkansas: Looking at the stat sheet, there wasn't much difference for the majority of Saturday's affair … until you see the turnovers. The Razorbacks committed five turnovers in the game — three interceptions, two failed fourth-down conversions and one fumble — to let this one get out of hand.
Arkansas actually led 14-7 in this one. It was all downhill from there.
Johnny Football does it again: Johnny Manziel set another mark that no one else has touched. We know, shocking.
Manziel became just the fifth player, and first freshman, to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for another 1,000 yards in a single season. Well, that's quite prolific of him. To reach this mark, Manziel and the Aggies torched Sam Houston State, 47-28, in a game that was never really close. Manziel finished with 367 yards of offense and four touchdowns to stay right in the middle of the Heisman race. He even kicked (and missed) an extra point. Versatility at its finest.
It's hard to imagine some freshman catching Collin Klein (who has been more efficient on an undefeated team), but college football is a Kansas State loss and bad Klein performance from possibly seeing another first: A freshman Heisman winner.
Texas A&M is now 9-2 in Kevin Sumlin's first season in College Station.
Just lay down: If you're an inferior defense facing Aaron Murray, just give up. It's already over. Murray passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Southern, leading the Bulldogs to a 45-14 victory. Murray has now thrown for nine touchdowns and one interception against non-conference opponents this season. (Top-ranked defenses are another story entirely, but that's a tale for another time.)
So watch out, Georgia Tech.
Pull away: This was not a close call like South Carolina-Wofford, but Georgia Southern was in striking distance in the third quarter. Were it not for a controversial non-fumble ruling (Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King appeared to fumble up just 17-7, but it was ruled an incompletion), the Eagles might have kept this one closer. It's tough to argue they would have won — Murray and young receiver Chris Conley were too prolific — but it could have remained interesting for another 10 minutes or so. Conspiracy theorists, feel free to chime in.
Warm up: One thing the Georgia coaches can appreciate from this game is that it was a strong indicator of what their next opponent, Georgia Tech, will try next week. The Yellow Jackets also run the often-tough-to-prepare-for triple option offense. Keep in mind: Georgia Tech is not much better than Georgia Southern this season.
It looks like the Bulldogs, barring a catastrophic letdown, will continue their run of dominance over their Atlanta neighbors.
Statement game: You showed them, Gene. In the midst of one of the worst seasons in recent Auburn history, the Tigers were still not about to let Alabama A&M walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win. Oh, no. After jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead, the Tigers poured on 17 more fourth-quarter points to win 51-7.
That's one way to fix one of the worst-ranked offenses in the country.
New starting quarterback Jonathan Wallace played well — 10-of-18 for 171 yards and a touchdown — but this was about the running game from the beginning. Auburn rushed 337 yards and five touchdowns in the game, even out-rushing rival Alabama on the day.
Still, this doesn't change the fact that Gene Chizik's last three wins have come against Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State and Alabama A&M. Next week's Iron Bowl might go a long way in deciding Chizik's future.
Can't let South Carolina hang around like that, Wofford: Poor job, poor effort. This is not a typo: ninth-ranked South Carolina was tied with Wofford in the fourth quarter, 7-7, with the Terriers throwing one pass (incomplete) in 45 minutes. Again, all of this is non-fiction. It happened. SoCon, stand up.
Eventually, Steve Spurrier found a spark and pulled away, winning 24-7. But this certainly did not look like a Gamecock team preparing for an opportunity at a BCS bowl.
Open the flood gates: Once South Carolina began scoring, though, it didn't stop. Senior Kenny Miles finished the game with 124 rushing yards and a score. Connor Shaw was not terrible — completing 16-of-20 passes for 122 yards — but not spectacular. Spurrier expects more from his quarterbacks.
South Carolina closed out the game on a 17-0 run. That's called shutting the door. (Should have never let them on the front porch in the first place, though.)
A little better: This was not the dominant effort many might expect, but at least Florida didn't let another lesser team hang around until the fourth quarter this time. Unlike games against Bowling Green, Missouri and Louisiana-Lafeyette, the Gators never really let Jacksonville State get into this game, winning 23-0.
Florida's defense, per the usual, delivered the standout performance with the shutout, holding the Gamecocks to 242 total yards on the day and forcing one turnover.
Relief effort: Filling in for starter Jeff Driskel, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett played well for Will Muschamp, completing 14 of his 22 passes. He finished with 154 yards on the day. Now, obviously, this was not a dominant performance nor the typical SEC opponent that Driskel has faced this season, but it has to be comforting that the Gators have, at the very least, a respectable (and now semi-experienced) guy behind the starter. Never know when that might come in handy — like against Jacksonville State.
Hope you're happy, Coach Sumlin: This game was over before it began. One of the many FCS Sothern Conference teams the SEC will square off with Saturday, the Crimson Tide got back on track after its upset at the hands of Texas A&M, taking out the Catamounts, 49-0. It was Nick Saban's defense's third shutout of the season, the first since Week Three.
Western Carolina gained just 163 total yards.
Quarterback AJ McCarron was a perfect 6-for-6 passing on the day (133 yards, one touchedown), before being replaced by backup Blake Sim with the game already out of hand. The Crimson Tide leaned on its running game, though, racking up 300 yards and five scores on the day. Eddie Lacy led all rushers with 99 yards and three touchdowns — on just 10 carries.
Your move, Oregon/Kansas State/Notre Dame.
