Five of the nine SEC games last Saturday ended in double-digit wins. But a few of those blowouts taught us plenty about the winners—and losers—particularly Florida, which never trailed No. 4 Ole Miss and pulled away in the third quarter to win comfortably. The Gators lead SEC Standout Stats for Week 4 after putting up service academy-like rushing numbers against the Rebels.
Before flipping over to Week 5, let’s break down the standout stats and performances from the Week 4 SEC slate.
Florida ran for 302 yards and six touchdowns in a commanding 52-28 win over No. 4 Ole Miss
The Gators had their running game humming from the moment they took possession after the opening kickoff. Running back Jadan Baugh broke off runs of 12 and 23 yards on Florida’s opening drive before finishing it with a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Gators a 7-0 lead in a game they never trailed.
Baugh finished with 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while backup running back Duke Clark added 126 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries — an impressive 10.5 yards per attempt. The duo combined for 268 of Florida’s 302 rushing yards.
Florida’s rushing attack is averaging 260 yards per game, sixth-most in the FBS. The Gators may need more production through the air from quarterback Aaron Philo as the season progresses, but if they can run the No. 4 team in the country into submission and score 50-plus points along the way, they might be able to keep the momentum rolling against the elite teams remaining on their schedule.
Kamario Taylor becomes the first Mississippi State QB with four straight games of three-plus TD passes in Bulldogs’ 31-24 win over No. 19 Missouri
The narrative that Taylor could leave Mississippi State after this season will only continue to gain steam if the sophomore quarterback keeps putting up elite numbers.
Taylor threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri, including the go-ahead 24-yard touchdown pass with 3:57 remaining. It’s hard to believe the late Mike Leach didn’t have a quarterback throw at least three touchdown passes in four consecutive games during his three seasons in Starkville. It shows just how quickly Taylor has developed into a well-rounded signal-caller who is doing far more than relying on his athleticism to make plays.
Taylor leads the SEC with 14 touchdown passes and is also the conference leader in total offense. Missouri’s pass defense currently ranks 115th nationally, but Taylor gets a much tougher test Saturday against Alabama. If he continues producing at this level against the Crimson Tide, it will become increasingly difficult to dismiss what he’s doing because of the competition.
Georgia forces four turnovers, highlighted by Chris Cole’s 85-yard fumble-return TD, in 41-13 win over Oklahoma
Oklahoma appeared close to cutting Georgia’s 14-0 lead to one score midway through the second quarter when Sooners quarterback John Mateer rolled to his left near the Georgia goal line.
Then this happened…
Mateer lost the football at the Georgia 15, and linebacker Chris Cole scooped it up and raced 85 yards for a touchdown that turned a potential 14-7 game into a 21-0 Georgia lead. Then, with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Cole recovered another Mateer fumble, setting up another Bulldogs touchdown. Georgia scored 17 points off Oklahoma’s four turnovers.
Despite some sloppy offensive play from Georgia in the second half, the 28-0 halftime lead had essentially sealed Oklahoma’s fate as the Bulldogs cruised to 2-0 in SEC play.
Mateer’s ball security is becoming a serious problem. He has turned the ball over six times through four games — four interceptions and two lost fumbles — with three of those turnovers coming against Georgia. Oklahoma can’t afford this many giveaways with a difficult schedule ahead.
Alabama freshman QB Keelon Russell accounts for 400 total yards and five touchdowns in 31-point victory over South Carolina
Another young quarterback is leading an offense that has surprised many by averaging 48 points per game.
What’s most promising is Russell’s rapid improvement. After accounting for just two touchdowns through Alabama’s first two games, Russell has produced nine total touchdowns in wins over Florida State and South Carolina. He has completed 77.2% of his passes for 685 yards with seven passing touchdowns and no interceptions over those two games.
Against South Carolina, Russell threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns while adding 35 yards and another score on the ground. Alabama scored touchdowns on four consecutive first-half possessions to build a cushion South Carolina’s struggling offense was never able to overcome.
Who knew before the season that Alabama at Mississippi State would feature a pair of undefeated Top 25 teams? Yet here we are, largely because two young quarterbacks have exceeded expectations.
Texas records 10 sacks — second-most in program history — to survive No. 14 Tennessee 20-17
Junior edge rusher Colin Simmons tied a Texas single-game record with 5.5 sacks as the Longhorns finished with 10 as a team. Tennessee was held to 221 total yards and averaged only 2.9 yards per play. The Vols entered the game averaging 299 rushing yards but managed only 70 against Texas.
What makes the Longhorns’ historic defensive performance even more meaningful is how much their offense struggled. Texas produced only 262 total yards, went 3-for-12 on third down and turned the ball over twice. The Longhorns also allowed six sacks of their own.
In their two games against Power conference opponents this season — the 24-23 comeback win over Ohio State and Saturday’s win at Tennessee — Texas’ offense has been mediocre despite escaping with two ranked wins. Arch Manning entered the season as the Heisman Trophy favorite but has yet to consistently play like one.
For now, Texas’ defense has given Manning and the offense enough margin for error. Ten sacks against Tennessee were enough to survive another uneven offensive performance.
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
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