State of the SEC – Week 12
The SEC is still confusing, but it’s becoming a little less murky now that the season is winding down. PHOTO: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
What once was a very muddled SEC is finally starting to gain some clarity thanks to many of this past weekend’s games. Many competitors for the East and West crowns have been eliminated, and clear-cut leaders have been established.
Before we get into this weekend’s results, here are the updated SEC standings through week 12:
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The premier match-up of the weekend once again involved No.5 Alabama, and this time they hosted No. 1 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs may have out-gained the Tide 428 to 335, but Alabama forced Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott to throw 3 interceptions, and the Crimson Tide prevailed 25-20 and held off a late Bulldog surge.
Mississippi State was able to limit Alabama’s rushing attack to just 124 yards, but it was the Bulldogs’ inability to find an effective runner besides Prescott and the three turnovers that did them in.
The win improved Alabama to 6-1 in SEC play and gives them a stranglehold on the West division. The only way Alabama doesn’t win the West is if they lose to Auburn in the last game of the season. Then the winner of the Mississippi State-Ole Miss game (assuming both win their other remaining SEC game) will claim the SEC West title.
The other game pitting SEC West opponents against each other was a complete shocker, as Arkansas earned their first SEC win with Bret Bielema at the helm, and their 17-0 victory over No.17 LSU ended a 17-game SEC losing streak (apparently 17 is Arkansas’ lucky number).
After coming up painfully short in multiple contest this season, Arkansas was finally able to get the proverbial monkey off their back with a stout defensive effort against a ranked opponent. The Tigers managed only 123 yards of offense and quarterback Anthony Jennings fumbled the ball late in the redzone, snuffing out any hope LSU had of a comeback.
Arkansas’ potent rushing attack was held to just 95 yards, but the duo of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins scored both of the Razorbacks’ touchdowns. The Razorbacks were helped by LSU’s special teams, as Tigers kicker Colby Delahoussaye missed both his field goal attempts in the game, including one from 27-yards out.
Following a disappointing loss to Texas A&M last weekend, many expected Auburn to bounce back for its annual rivalry game against Georgia. But the No. 9 Tigers had their most lackluster performance of the season, and the No. 15 Bulldogs dominated in a 34-7 rout.
Auburn committed 3 turnovers, including 2 more fumbles, and quarterback Nick Marshall was limited to just 112 passing yards and 153 total yards of offense. The Tigers also committed 7 penalties for 78 yards, mistakes that proved costly throughout the game.
Georgia rushed for 289 yards, and junior running back Todd Gurley returned in spectacular fashion from his 4-game suspension, rushing for 138 yards and a score. Freshman Nick Chubb put up another stellar performance, rushing for 144 yards and two scores.
The win came at a cost for Georgia, however, as Todd Gurley tore his ACL during the game and is out for the remainder of what is likely his last year as a collegiate player. In just 6 games this season, Gurley had racked up 911 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on just 123 carries, good for a 7.4 yards per carry average. Gurley had also returned a kick for a TD this season.
The second game that had a team from the East taking on a team from the West pitted the two newest SEC members against each other, as Missouri took on No. 24 Texas A&M. The Tigers, in their unpredictable fashion, upended the Aggies 34-27 in an exciting game.
The Tigers amassed 587 yards of total offense, including 335 yards rushing. Missouri running back Russell Hansbrough carried the ball 20 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns, both coming in the third quarter. The Tigers were able to win and put up gaudy offensive numbers despite committing 12 penalties for 83 yards in the game.
Texas A&M actually took a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter after a 56-yard pass from QB Kyle Allen to Josh Reynolds. But Missouri ripped off 21 straight points, all in the third quarter. The Aggies had one last shot late in the 4th quarter, but they could not convert on 4th down on Missouri’s 2-yard line with 2:47 left to play, and the Tigers took over and ran out the clock.
Both South Carolina and Florida met with different goals on the line Saturday, as South Carolina desperately needed a win to keep their bowl hopes alive, and Florida needed a victory to keep their slim SEC East title chances afloat. The Gamecocks had notoriously given away close games in the 4th quarter this season, but this time it was the Gators who let victory slip from their grasp, as Florida fell to South Carolina in overtime, 23-20.
The Gators trailed 10-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, but they were able to take a 17-10 lead late in the 3rd quarter on a 1-yard Matt Jones rushing score. But Florida’s special teams weren’t so special, as South Carolina blocked a Gator field goal attempt with little over 3 minutes left in the game and later blocked a punt with 39 seconds left to set up the game-tying 34-yard drive for the Gamecocks.
Florida’s play-calling was conservative in overtime, and after settling for a field goal, South Carolina smelled blood in the water. Quarterback Dylan Thompson kept it for a 4-yard score, and the Gamecocks completed the comeback and won 23-20.
The debacle cost Florida’s head coach Will Muschamp his job, and it was one of Florida’s more disturbing performances on the year. Despite facing a porous South Carolina defense, the Gators managed only 60 passing yards and 278 yards of total offense. The Gators also racked up 10 penalties for 75 yards and only convert 3-of-14 third down attempts.
South Carolina didn’t look all that impressive in the win, managing only 95 rushing yards and receiving a below-average performance from QB Dylan Thompson, but the team stepped up when it mattered most. The loss eliminated Florida from SEC East contention as well.
The last SEC game Saturday had Tennessee dominate every facet of the game in a 50-16 throttling of Kentucky. The Vols totaled 511 yards of total offense, including 345 total yards and 4 scores from quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Kentucky was held to just 94 rushing yards, and sophomore QB Patrick Towles had yet another forgettable day, throwing for only 168 yards and an interception. Backup QB Reese Phillips came on in relief briefly while Towles went to the locker room to get his ankle re-taped, and he promptly threw a pick-six to Tennessee safety Brian Randolph.
The win was Tennessee’s 29th in their last 30 meetings with the Wildcats. Kentucky’s lone win came in a 10-7 meeting in 2011.
The other two SEC teams, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, were off this week.
Analysis
After Saturday’s games, there was quite a bit of movement in the AP poll, and there will likely be a lot in the College Football Playoff Top 25 as well. Alabama firmly planted itself into the postseason picture, and according to the AP Poll, Mississippi State should still be in consideration as well.
Here are where the 6 SEC teams are ranked after week 12:
2. Alabama
4. Mississippi State
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
16. Auburn
19. Missouri
LSU and Texas A&M fell out of the polls, and Missouri leaped up 10 spots and is now ranked heading into the home stretch. Georgia kept itself in future talks for the postseason with its resounding victory over Auburn, and the Bulldogs (even without Todd Gurley) could sneak their way into the top 4 depending on whether or not they make the SEC Championship Game.
The SEC East is down to just Missouri and Georgia, and if Missouri loses either of its two remaining games against Tennessee and Arkansas, Georgia will claim the East at 6-2 in conference play because the own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Tigers.
Alabama, as stated before, is the frontrunner for the SEC West after their victory over Mississippi State. Ole Miss and Mississippi State are still alive, but the Tide would have to fall against Auburn on November 29th in order for either school to win the West.