Week 8 was the first week of the season to feature eight SEC matchups. Alabama earned its stogies. Auburn squandered another fourth-quarter lead at home. Georgia outlasted Ole Miss in a game where defense was optional until the fourth quarter. Texas won ugly. Diego Pavia is back in the Heisman race. And Florida won, but Billy Napier lost.
Before flipping to Week 9, here’s a look at the key stat or performance from each Week 8 SEC matchup that highlights why teams won or lost.
Alabama – 37-20 win over No. 11 Tennessee
Alabama’s pass defense kept Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar in check. The Tide recorded four sacks and forced a game-altering 99-yard pick-6 as time expired in the first half. Aguilar and the nation’s highest-scoring offense (529 yards per game) were held to a season-low 410 yards. One of Alabama’s sacks resulted in a safety. Tennessee was a yard away from possibly going into halftime down just two when Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown picked off Aguilar and took it to the house for a 23-7 lead.
Arkansas – 45-42 loss to No. 4 Texas A&M
Arkansas allowed Texas A&M to go 3-for-3 on fourth down and score on seven of its nine drives. The Razorbacks scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining to close within three, but failed to recover the onside kick. Arkansas fought hard, as it has in every SEC game this season (losing to Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas A&M by an average of four points), but its defense continues to let down an offense averaging 37 points per game.
Auburn – 23-17 loss to No. 16 Missouri (2OT)
Auburn’s missed field goals and an inept offense in the fourth quarter and overtime squandered scoring opportunities. Auburn, now 0-4 in SEC play, has squandered chances to tie or take fourth-quarter and overtime leads in all four of its league games. The Tigers might have won in regulation if Alex McPherson hadn’t missed two field goals (he missed a third in overtime, but Missouri missed its game-winning attempt on the next possession). Auburn finished with minus-5 yards in overtime and Missouri defenders harassed Jackson Arnold on the final play of the game.
Florida – 23-21 win over Mississippi State
Florida rushed for 172 yards — its season high against an FBS opponent — led by running back Jaden Baugh’s career-best 150 yards and a touchdown on 6.5 yards per carry. While the Gators repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with poor execution and questionable play-calling, Baugh’s breakout performance ultimately kept Florida from imploding and preserved the win. Two weeks after upsetting then-No. 9 Texas, Billy Napier was fired Sunday morning.
Georgia – 43-35 win over No. 4 Ole Miss
Georgia scored on all eight offensive possessions (excluding kneel-downs) and finished with 510 total yards. The Bulldogs needed every yard — 289 passing and 221 rushing — to win a shootout after Ole Miss scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives before the fourth quarter. Georgia outgained the Rebels 143-13 and outscored them 17-0 in the final period. Quarterback Gunner Stockton had a career-high five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and completed more than 80% of his passes.
Kentucky – 16-13 loss to No. 21 Texas (OT)
Kentucky went 1-for-3 on fourth-down conversions, including getting stuffed at the goal line in overtime. The Wildcats outgained Texas, possessed the ball for nearly 20 more minutes, and had 18 more first downs. So how did Kentucky lose? Texas stopped the Wildcats on fourth-and-1 at the 16-yard line on the opening drive. Coach Mark Stoops went for a touchdown instead of a field goal in overtime, and the Longhorns stopped Kentucky again. After that, Texas needed only a field goal to win. Poor execution in crucial moments doomed the Wildcats.
LSU – 31-24 loss at No. 17 Vanderbilt
LSU could not consistently stop Vanderbilt, which punted only twice — both in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt ran all over LSU (more on that below). LSU’s offense did some good things, including 225 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, but the defense broke at key moments. The Tigers ranked fifth nationally in points allowed per game (11.8) before Vanderbilt scored the most points LSU has allowed this season.
Mississippi State – 23-21 loss at Florida
The Bulldogs’ two turnovers ended scoring opportunities in a tight game, including quarterback Blake Shapen’s game-sealing interception at the Florida 29 with 21 seconds left. Despite piling up 468 total yards — including 324 passing from Shapen — Mississippi State squandered a red-zone fumble that Florida turned into points. The Bulldogs have lost 15 straight SEC games dating to October 2023. At 4-3, they’re two wins away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022.
Missouri – 23-17 win at Auburn (2OT)
Missouri forced punts on Auburn’s final two fourth-quarter drives and stuffed the Tigers’ offense in overtime. The largest lead for either team was seven after Auburn kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal with 10:31 left in regulation. In a tight game — and one where Missouri’s normally strong rushing attack was held under 100 yards — the defense stepped up late and sealed a six-point SEC road win.
Oklahoma – 26-7 win at South Carolina
The Sooners’ defense dominated, forcing two interceptions, six sacks, and a safety. Oklahoma’s bounce-back win after losing the Red River Rivalry was anchored by relentless defensive pressure that flipped the field and shut down South Carolina drives. The Sooners’ offense did what it needed to complement the defense’s elite day (319 yards, no turnovers). South Carolina was held to 224 total yards.
Ole Miss – 43-35 loss at No. 9 Georgia
The Rebels gained only 13 yards in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs on their final drive. As mentioned above, Ole Miss couldn’t be stopped for three quarters, holding a 35-26 lead entering the fourth before Georgia scored the game’s final 17 points. The Bulldogs’ defense locked in, and Ole Miss didn’t cross midfield in its three fourth-quarter possessions. Coach Lane Kiffin’s play-calling deserves criticism, as the Rebels faced second- and third-and-long situations repeatedly.
South Carolina – 26-7 loss at No. 14 Oklahoma
South Carolina’s offense folded under pressure, converting only 3 of 15 third downs. Oklahoma’s defense never allowed quarterback LaNorris Sellers a chance to get the Gamecocks back in the game. He was under duress from start to finish. The offensive line struggled, and Sellers didn’t have a running game to lean on (54 total rushing yards).
Tennessee – 37-20 loss at No. 6 Alabama
Alabama’s four offensive scoring drives each covered at least 69 yards, including two that went 90-plus. Aguilar’s pick-6 at the end of the first half felt like a backbreaker, but the Vols cut Alabama’s lead to 10 in the third quarter. After a fumble by Tide quarterback Ty Simpson gave Tennessee a chance near midfield, Alabama responded with a 99-yard touchdown drive that ate 5:26 off the clock. The Vols got within 10 again early in the fourth, but Alabama answered with another long drive to seal it. Tennessee’s defense couldn’t get stops when it needed them.
Texas – 16-13 win at Kentucky (OT)
The Longhorns’ special teams decided the outcome with three field goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and an 88-yard punt return that set up their lone touchdown. Texas had its worst offensive production of the year against Oklahoma (302 total yards) and followed it with an even worse performance (179 yards) against Kentucky, and won both games. The Longhorns capitalized on turnovers against OU and relied on special teams and defense to escape Lexington with a win.
Texas A&M – 45-42 win at Arkansas
Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed shined with 280 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 55 rushing yards with another score. Reed completed a season-high 71.9% of his passes. As mentioned above, Arkansas couldn’t stop the Aggies, who scored on seven of nine drives. In a game where the defense struggled (allowing 527 yards), Reed’s efficient performance was crucial to avoid the upset.
Vanderbilt – 31-24 win over No. 10 LSU
The Commodores rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns. Vanderbilt ranks third in the SEC in rushing offense, led by — yes, we can say it — Heisman-contending quarterback Diego Pavia, who had two rushing touchdowns and a passing TD in the upset win. The Commodores also controlled the clock, holding the ball for 13 more minutes than the Tigers.
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
