Despite a handful of teams on byes, the SEC in Week 11 still delivered. Alabama beat LSU for the 13th time in the last 15 meetings. Auburn had an offensive revival in Nashville that wasn’t enough. DJ Lagway was benched at halftime. Georgia had the much better Bulldogs in Starkville. Ole Miss had a cupcake. Texas A&M continues to flex its muscle, remaining at the top of the SEC.
Before flipping over to Week 12, let’s break down the key stat or performance from each Week 11 SEC matchup that highlights why teams won or lost.
Alabama – 20-9 win over LSU
Alabama’s defense holds LSU to 232 total yards, a season-low in SEC play. Alabama didn’t play its best game, despite its two-possession win over a talented, yet dysfunctional, conference rival. The offense struggled early and couldn’t find consistency in the running game. Early in the fourth quarter, LSU kicked a field goal after recovering an Alabama fumble that pulled the Tigers within eight. Bama’s defense forced a punt and a fumble on LSU’s final drives to seal the win.
Arkansas – Bye
Auburn – 45-38 OT loss at No. 16 Vanderbilt
Auburn allowed Vanderbilt to average 11.4 yards per completion. Maybe QB Ashton Daniels was the answer all along to ignite Auburn’s offense. The Tigers went from averaging 353 yards per game to gaining 563 yards and 38 points (both season highs against SEC teams) in their overtime loss at Vanderbilt. But Auburn’s problem in this game was the other side of the ball, where QB Diego Pavia (more on him later) and Vanderbilt shredded the Tigers’ secondary at key moments, averaging over 11 yards per pass completion in a blow-for-blow game.
Florida – 38-7 loss at Kentucky
Florida scored zero points off Kentucky’s four turnovers. Conversely, the Wildcats scored 10 points off 2-of-4 Florida turnovers. Saturday was an awful day for former 5-Star QB DJ Lagway, who tossed three first-half interceptions, which led to his benching. All four Gators turnovers were in the first half (3 INTs and a fumble). What’s most perplexing is that Kentucky matched Florida with four turnovers of its own. However, the Wildcats didn’t allow Florida to capitalize on points.
Georgia – 41-21 win at Mississippi State
Georgia rushed for a season-high 303 yards. The Georgia Bulldogs were a machine on offense in Starkville, Mississippi. Georgia had its best rushing performance of the season, which included 6.9 yards per carry and a 59-yard touchdown run by Nate Frazier. Georgia’s running game allowed it to maintain control after Mississippi State scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. Georgia controlled the time of possession and gained 30 first downs.
Kentucky – 38-7 win over Florida
Wildcats outgained Florida 401 yards to 247. Kentucky winning at home against a Florida team with an interim coach isn’t surprising. What’s surprising is how dominant the Wildcats were on both sides of the ball. Florida QB DJ Lagway played an awful first half, which helped Kentucky take a 24-7 halftime lead. But Kentucky wasn’t perfect, as it had its own turnover issues. The difference was Kentucky’s defense played great for a full game, and the offense controlled the ball, rushing for 233 yards and converting 8-of-12 third-down attempts.
LSU – 20-9 loss at No. 4 Alabama
LSU had four red-zone opportunities and came away with only nine points. The Tigers’ defense played well enough to win — holding Alabama under 350 total yards — but their offense continued to underperform relative to preseason expectations. If LSU had turned an early fourth-quarter red-zone trip into six instead of three, cutting the deficit to four rather than eight, it could have shifted momentum and pressured an Alabama offense that had punted and fumbled on its previous two second-half possessions.
Mississippi State – 41-21 loss to No. 5 Georgia
Mississippi State was outgained 567 yards to 322. Even though Mississippi State starting QB Blake Shapen left the game in the third quarter because of injury, Georgia’s defense was already in control as MSU did not score another point after its opening touchdown drive until 4:49 left in the third quarter. Mississippi State averaged 329 yards passing in its last three conference games, but managed only 172 passing yards against Georgia.
Missouri – 38-17 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M
Missouri’s true freshman QB Matt Zollers was ineffective, completing only seven of his 22 pass attempts for 77 yards. I didn’t highlight Zoller to unfairly put the loss on him. Missouri put up a season-low 284 yards of total offense against Texas A&M. but despite an overall poor offensive outing, the Tigers still managed to rush for over 200 yards and average six yards per carry. Missouri had a chance to go into halftime only down 7-0 before it fumbled at its own 42-yard line with under a minute remaining in the half. Texas A&M scored two plays later to take a 14-0 lead.
Oklahoma – Bye
Ole Miss – 49-0 win over The Citadel
Ole Miss outgained The Citadel by 497 yards of total offense. The Citadel is a 4-6 FCS team. Ole Miss wasn’t losing this game unless its first, second, and third string all got the flu right before kickoff. Still, outgaining an opponent by nearly 500 yards is impressive and clearly underscores why the Rebels won.
South Carolina – Bye
Tennessee – Bye
Texas – Bye
Texas A&M – 38-17 win at No. 22 Missouri
Aggies QB Marcel Reed completes 69% of his passes for 221 yards, 2 TDs, no INTs, and adds 29 yards on the ground. Texas A&M’s offense started slowly and nearly went into halftime up only seven, but Reed found his rhythm in the second half as the Aggies finished with 464 total yards. While Missouri’s lack of a passing game limited its offensive efficiency, Reed’s command of the offense helped A&M control tempo and hold an 11-minute edge in time of possession.
Vanderbilt – 45-38 OT win over Auburn
QB Diego Pavia gained 489 total yards and scored four touchdowns in Vanderbilt’s overtime thriller. With Auburn playing out of its mind offensively, the Commodores needed every yard and score Pavia produced to pull out the win. His final touchdown (4-yard pass) proved to be the game-winner after Auburn failed to match in the first OT. Only 55 of Vanderbilt’s offensive yards were not contributed to Pavia. If Vanderbilt finishes 10-2 and is in playoff contention, Pavia should emerge as a Heisman favorite. This game may stand as his “Heisman moment.”
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
