Week 13 was the infamous “cupcake week” for most of the SEC. Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M crushed FCS schools. Georgia and South Carolina beat overmatched Group of Five teams. LSU was the only team to struggle with its G5 opponent. We did watch four conference matchups that were mostly forgettable scores, but each had big performances, including two career days by quarterbacks.
For this week, I chose not to pull standout stats for the FCS/G5 matchups, except for LSU’s near upset by Western Kentucky, and instead focused on the four SEC games played. Like the rest of the SEC, I decided to take this week off, sort of.
Before flipping over to a massive rivalry week, let’s break down the key stat or performance from each, I mean, a handful of the Week 13 SEC games, and underscore why teams won or lost.
Alabama – 56-0 win over Eastern Illinois
Arkansas – 52-37 loss at No. 17 Texas
Arkansas was minus-2 in turnover margin, and Texas scored 14 points off Razorback turnovers. Remarkably, a team averaging 473.8 yards per game has found itself at 2-9 (0-7 in the SEC). Arkansas edged Texas in total yards (512 to 490), rushed for 188, and still lost by 18 points. Losing the turnover battle is more costly when you’re a team winning and losing on the fringe.
Auburn – 62-17 win over Mercer
Florida – 31-11 loss to No. 20 Tennessee
Tennessee out-gained Florida 323-110 yards in the first half. Florida was unable to stop Tennessee’s offense at all in the first half as the Vols scored touchdowns on their first four drives and built a 31-0 halftime lead. DJ Lagway padded his stats in the second half by completing 65% of his passes for 116 yards, one touchdown, 40 yards rushing, and no turnovers. Yet as we’ve seen for most of Florida’s forgettable season, the former five-star QB isn’t elevating his team to more success.
Georgia – 35-3 win over Charlotte
Kentucky – 45-17 loss at No. 14 Vanderbilt
Kentucky was outgained 604 yards to 216. The Wildcats’ three-game winning streak came to an end in Nashville. During that three-game stretch, Kentucky held its opponents to under 265 yards of total offense. Against Vanderbilt, it struggled all game to end drives, allowing a career day from Vandy QB Diego Pavia. Kentucky QB Cutter Boley tossed three interceptions, and the running game managed only 31 yards.
LSU – 13-10 win over Western Kentucky
LSU held WKU to just 2.3 yards per play and 152 total yards of offense. This win epitomized where the LSU program is at this late point in the season: going through the motions until it’s over. Even with poor offensive production, the Tigers’ defense deserves recognition for holding a WKU offense that was averaging 431 yards per game to 152 total yards. The Hilltoppers are also 8-3 and tied for first in CUSA.
Mississippi State – Bye
Missouri – 17-6 loss at No. 8 Oklahoma
Missouri scored six points on four red zone opportunities. The Tigers’ six points came in the first half. Missouri was plagued by poor offensive execution for the majority of the game following its impressive opening drive that went 54 yards and milked 8:23 off the first quarter. Despite the return of starting QB Beau Pribula from injury, the Tigers’ offensive struggles hampered a defense that held the Sooners under 20 points and under 300 yards.
Oklahoma – 17-6 win over No. 22 Missouri
Sooners held the SEC’s top rushing attack (226.1 yards per game) to 70 total yards. It’s uncommon to beat ranked teams when scoring only 17 points, but Oklahoma’s defense is playing at a championship level. The Sooners are ranked No. 6 in total defense after holding Missouri to 301 total yards. Oklahoma’s offense (276 total yards) is putting a lot of stress on its defense to be opportunistic, and it’s passed the test against Alabama and Missouri over the last two games.
Ole Miss – Bye
South Carolina – 51-7 win over Coastal Carolina
Tennessee – 31-11 win at Florida
Tennessee was 71% on third and fourth down conversions. Tennessee played so well in the first half that it was able to coast in the second half to its first victory at Florida since 2003. The Vols scored on all but one of its six first-half drives. Joey Aguilar averaged over nine yards per completion. The offense held the ball for nearly 36 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over. Complete game by Tennessee.
Texas – 52-37 win over Arkansas
Texas QB Arch Manning accounted for six total touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing, 1 receiving) and threw for a career-high 389 yards. Most of us overrated Manning to start the season – he’s a year away from being prepared for the NFL draft. However, Manning has proven over a handful of games this season that he can be that guy who will drastically raise the floor of his offense. Manning through touchdown passes of 46 yards and 54 yards and led touchdown drives on all three third-quarter possessions to stay an arm’s length ahead of a very good Arkansas offense trying to mount a comeback.
Texas A&M – 48-0 win over Samford
Vanderbilt – 45-17 win over Kentucky
Diego Pavia completed 33-of-39 passes for a career-high 484 yards and five touchdowns. If you view the Heisman Trophy as an MVP award, then Diego Pavia must be considered the most valuable player for his team in all of college football. Pavia helped Vanderbilt end this game early by mounting a 24-3 halftime lead (three TD passes). The 9-2 Commodores picked up their fifth SEC win in a season for only the second time since 2012.
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
