Week 12 of SEC football saw a few contenders reaffirm their character with how they won, while another (cough, Alabama) left us wondering if it has regressed. We also witnessed one of the greatest comebacks in college football history.
Before turning the page to Week 13, here’s the key stat or performance from each Week 12 SEC matchup that best explains why teams won or lost.
Alabama – 23-21 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma
The Crimson Tide was held to 57 yards over its last four drives. I buried the lede by choosing this stat. It was the three turnovers by Alabama that underscore why it lost to Oklahoma. However, I’ll touch on those turnovers when I discuss why Oklahoma won. After the Tide scored a touchdown halfway through the third quarter to take a 21-20 lead, it proceeded to go punt, fumble, punt, and turnover-on-downs in its last four possessions. Alabama had 349 yards of total offense before going stale.
Arkansas – 23-22 loss at LSU
Arkansas was minus-3 in turnover margin. The Razorbacks deserve credit for showing as much fight as any team in college football. Arkansas dropped its eighth loss of the season — and its sixth by one score. In another game decided by one or two plays, Arkansas’ second-quarter interceptions helped LSU erase a 14-0 deficit, as the Tigers kicked two field goals off those turnovers.
Auburn – Bye
Florida – 34-24 loss at No. 7 Ole Miss
Florida managed just 103 total yards in the second half. The Gators squandered a 24–20 halftime lead as its offense stalled while Ole Miss inevitably found its rhythm. The Rebels shut the Gators out after halftime and outgained them by 212 yards overall.
Georgia – 35-10 win over No. 10 Texas
Georgia outscored Texas 21-0 in the fourth quarter. Georgia looked vulnerable after Gunner Stockton threw only his third interception of the season, which set up an Arch Manning touchdown pass to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter. Georgia scored its first TD since 12:49 in the second quarter to extend its lead to 11. Then Kirby Smart surprised Texas with one of the most well-executed onside kicks you will ever see. The Bulldogs’ “stolen possession” led to another TD that all but sealed the win. Stockton’s interception was nothing more than a blip as he accounted for all five of Georgia’s touchdowns.
Kentucky – 42-10 win over Tennessee Tech
Kentucky Quarterback Cutter Boley completed 85.7% of his passes for 236 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs. Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart and the Wildcat faithful need to take a deep breath and admit that head coach Mark Stoops should return for his 14th season because Stoops might have a budding young star at quarterback on his hands. An SEC team should never lose to an FCS program, but Tennessee Tech was undefeated, and Kentucky was 4-5. Boley and the Wildcats’ offense made sure the FCS powerhouse never had a chance – outgaining the Golden Eagles 468 yards to 236.
LSU – 23-22 win over Arkansas
LSU outscored Arkansas 16-0 in the second quarter after falling behind 14-0. Arkansas regained the lead in the third quarter, so an argument can be made that some more significant stats or performances underscore why the Tigers won, but I disagree. LSU has an interim head coach. The Tigers started Michael Van Buren Jr. at quarterback with Garrett Nussmeier injured. Arkansas is +19 in point differential on the season, despite being 2-8, meaning it competes with everyone on its schedule (except Notre Dame). LSU could have quit after falling behind by two scores early, but it didn’t.
Mississippi State – 49-27 loss at Missouri
Bulldogs QB Blake Shapen threw two second-half pick-sixes. Mississippi State absolutely had no answer for Missouri’s running game (more on that below), which is the key reason why it lost. But if you take away Shapen’s two pick-sixes, Missouri’s margin of victory is eight. This game was 21-17 Missouri halfway through the third quarter. The pick-sixes dissolved all hope for the Bulldogs mounting a comeback.
Missouri – 49-27 win over Mississippi State
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy had a career-best 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Hardy struggled to run the ball in three of Missouri’s last four games (1-4 in that stretch). He put those struggles miles behind him against Mississippi State. Hardy averaged 12 yards per carry and busted a 72-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He accounted for over 68% of Missouri’s total offense and is now the SEC’s rushing leader.
Oklahoma – 23-21 win at No. 4 Alabama
Oklahoma was plus-3 in turnover margin and scored 17 points off Alabama turnovers. There is no other stat from Oklahoma’s upset win at Alabama that better explains why the Sooners beat the Crimson Tide for the second-straight year. Alabama outgained Oklahoma by almost 200 yards and held the Sooners to 212 total yards. Oklahoma was 3-for-13 on third down conversions. OU defensive back Eli Bowen’s 87-yard interception return for a touchdown to put the Sooners up 10-0 late in the first quarter set the tone. Even the Sooners’ special teams contributed to stopping Alabama’s scoring opportunities by blocking a field goal to end the first half.
Ole Miss – 34-24 win over Florida
Running back Kewan Lacy carried the Rebels, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Lacy accounted for almost half of Ole Miss’s total yards, 21 of the team’s 34 points, and scored the go-ahead one-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter after busting out a 57-yard run. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 300+ yards for the sixth time this season, but he also threw an interception late in the first quarter, and Florida scored a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead. Lacy powered the Rebels in this one.
South Carolina – 31-30 loss at No. 3 Texas A&M
South Carolina gained 312 yards in the first half but was held to just 76 yards in the second half and no points. The formula for epic collapses at all levels of football typically involves the team with the big lead failing to match the urgency that the losing team sets after halftime (I grew up an Atlanta Falcons fan, so I should know). A lot went wrong on both sides of the ball for South Carolina to become the first SEC team since 2004 to blow a 27-point lead. Only a degenerate gambler would have bet Texas A&M coming back down 30-3 to win, but I think most people watching thought the Aggies (averaging 37 points per game) would come out firing in the second half. When Texas A&M got rolling offensively in the second half, South Carolina failed to maintain its offensive success after the break. South Carolina’s second-half drives ended in three punts and two turnovers on downs.
Tennessee – 42-9 win over New Mexico State
Volunteers hold New Mexico State to 27 rushing yards. Tennessee wasn’t playing Diego Pavia’s New Mexico State Aggies that beat Auburn in 2023. The Aggies are 3-7, but they challenged the Vols at times during this game. NMSU controlled the time of possession and forced two interceptions. But to upset a team like Tennessee on the road when you’re a CUSA team struggling for bowl eligibility, you must average much better than 0.9 yards per rush on 30 carries. Dominant rush defense allowed the Vols offense to work out mistakes.
Texas – 35-10 loss at No. 5 Georgia
The Longhorns only rushed for 23 yards on 1.4 yards per carry. Despite the loss, Arch Manning played well, throwing for 251 yards, a touchdown, and one pick. His receivers let him down with five drops, and Georgia was able to create consistent pressure. However, it’s difficult to beat anyone, let alone a top-five team on the road, only rushing for 23 yards. Texas has yet to have a player rush for 100 yards in a game this season and is averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Texas A&M – 31-30 win over South Carolina
Marcel Reed threw for a career-high 439 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second half. As I mentioned under South Carolina, the recipe for historic comebacks involves both teams flipping the script. The Aggies’ second-half offense made it look like Texas A&M traded in its players for the Los Angeles Rams. Four of the Aggies’ eight first-half possessions gained eight or fewer yards. Reed threw two interceptions, and the team totaled -9 rushing yards. The Aggies scored touchdowns on four-straight possessions to start the second half, and if not for a fumble at the South Carolina one-yard line, they might have scored 35 straight. Texas A&M’s 27-point second-half comeback highlights the character of this team more so than its flaws.
Vanderbilt – Bye
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
