Around the SEC: Week six storylines

Auburn jumps on Mississippi State early, wins 38-14

The Tigers put up 35 points in the first half to roll past the Bulldogs in Starkville on Saturday.

Sean White had an efficient game at the quarterback position, completing 14 passes on 18 attempts. Auburn’s sophomore running back Kamryn Pettway rushed for 169 yards with three touchdowns after taking over for injured starter Kerryon Johnson. The Tigers had the game wrapped up by halftime after shutting out the Bulldogs in the first half.

Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald threw for 181 yards and two scores on the afternoon, but both of those scores came in the second half with the game out of reach for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State gave up 432 total yards of offense, while Auburn limited the Bulldogs to under 300.

With the win, Auburn moves to 4-2 on the season and will have a week off before taking on Arkansas. Mississippi State fell to 2-3 and will travel to Provo, Utah, on Friday to take on BYU.

Vols’ comeback magic finally runs out against Texas A&M, falls 45-38 in 2 OT

The Tennessee Volunteers mounted yet another comeback in College Station on Saturday, but this time, they fell short.

Tennessee came back from 21 points down to tie the game at 35 in the fourth quarter. The Vols had 684 yards of total offense in the game, but an interception in the second overtime from quarterback Joshua Dobbs gave Tennessee their first loss. Running back Alvin Kamara led the Vols in both rushing and receiving with 312 all-purpose yards. Dobbs had 398 yards passing, but only passed for one touchdown, while giving up two interceptions.

The Aggies rushed for 353 yards on the night with freshman running back Trayveon Williams racking up 217 of his own. Trevor Knight had 239 yards passing with two scores and rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Texas A&M’s Daniel LaCamera missed a kick to win the game in regulation, but came back to hit one to extend the game into double overtime.

The Aggies remain unbeaten (6-0, 4-0 SEC) and have get a bye week before their trip to Alabama in two weeks. In their first loss of the season, the Vols are now 5-1 and will host the top-ranked Crimson Tide this Saturday.

Kentucky holds on against Vanderbilt 20-13

The Wildcats defeated the Commodores Saturday night behind a strong rushing attack.

Kentucky ran for 258 yards with freshman Benjamin Snell Jr. leading the line with 94 yards. The Wildcats led 17-3 at the half, but the Commodores responded in the second half to bring the game within four points. Austin MacGinnis hit a field goal for the Wildcats late in the game, and the defense stopped Vanderbilt on their last drive to secure the win.

Kyle Shurmur had 141 yards passing and Ralph Webb had 100 yards rushing for the Commodores on Saturday night in Lexington. The Dores’ only touchdown of the game came on a fumble recovery by Taurean Ferguson in the third quarter. Vanderbilt had a chance to tie the game late, but were stopped inside the red zone on fourth down.

Kentucky moves to 3-3 with the win and will have a bye next week before facing Mississippi State at home. Vanderbilt fell to 2-4 and will travel to Athens next week to face Georgia.

Crimson Tide keeps on rolling against Arkansas 49-30

It was another dominant performance for Alabama on Saturday night in Fayetteville.

Jalen Hurts threw for 253 yards and two scores, while rushing for another two. Alabama had 517 yards of total offense on the night, jumping on the Razorbacks early and often. Defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick had three interceptions on the night, one being returned 100 yards for a touchdown. The Tide scored 35 of their 49 points in the first half.

Austin Allen ended up throwing for 400 yards and three touchdowns, despite the three interceptions. The Razorbacks struggled rushing the football against the Tide’s defense, only gaining 73 yards. In the end, the early deficit was too much for Arkansas to overcome.

With another dominant win, Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) stays undefeated and will travel to Neyland Stadium on Saturday to take on the Vols. Arkansas falls to 4-2 and will host another challenging SEC West opponent in Ole Miss.

Bulldogs outlast Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon 28-14

In a game that was pushed back a day due to Hurricane Matthew, Georgia defeated South Carolina despite a terrible day from freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.

Eason only completed five of his 17 passes on the day and finished the game with 29 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception. The Bulldogs relied on their run game heavily, with both running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb gaining over 100 yards each. Georgia led by 14 at the half, and had a kickoff return touchdown off an onside kick late in the game to finish off the victory.

The Gamecocks had trouble running the ball against the Dawgs’ front seven. South Carolina rushed for only 31 yards on the afternoon. Quarterback Perry Orth threw for 288 yards, but did not find the end zone. The Gamecocks brought the game within one score late, but then allowed Georgia to score on the ensuing kickoff.

The win pushes Georgia to 4-2 on the season, with a visit from last place Vanderbilt coming next week. South Carolina falls to 2-4 and will have a bye week before hosting UMass.

Florida, LSU postponed due to Hurricane Matthew

In a controversial decision, the LSU vs. Florida game was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled.

Both schools could not reach an immediate agreement as to when or if to play the game at a later date in the season. Both schools will now have to work with the conference to find a possible date to play this key conference game. This game itself could have direct impacts on the race to see which teams play for the SEC championship in Atlanta.

Florida remains at 4-1 and will host Missouri in Gainesville next weekend. LSU remains at 3-2 and will host Conference USA opponent Southern Miss in Baton Rouge.

Edited by Dalton King

Featured image by Craig Bisacre, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics