In Week 9, Alabama found a way to win its seventh-straight game. Vanderbilt edges Missouri in a surprising defensive battle. Ole Miss learns how to close out a road victory over a ranked SEC opponent. Texas is probably the most confusing team in the SEC. Auburn wins its first SEC game and keeps Hugh Freeze employed for another week…can’t say the same for LSU head coach Brian Kelly.
Before flipping over to Week 10, let’s break down the key stat or performance from each Week 8 SEC matchup that highlights why teams won or lost.
Alabama – 29-22 win at South Carolina
The Crimson Tide scored touchdowns off South Carolina’s two turnovers. Alabama played a sloppy game until clicking on both sides late in the fourth quarter (the Tide rushed for 73 yards on 23 carries). The one bright spot early on was defensive back DaShawn Jones’ pick-6 of South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the first quarter that put Alabama up 7-3. With less than two minutes left in the fourth and the game tied at 22, linebacker Deontae Lawson strip-sacked Sellers at the Gamecocks’ 36-yard line, setting up the game-winning touchdown run by running back Germie Bernard.
Arkansas – 33-24 loss to Auburn
Arkansas committed four turnovers (one fumble and three interceptions) in the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks led 21-10 at halftime and clung to a 24-19 lead entering the fourth quarter. The offense imploded from there, turning the ball over on all four drives in the final quarter — highlighted by a decisive pick-6 with nine minutes left in the game. Arkansas might have had a wider lead entering the fourth if the Tigers hadn’t dominated time of possession by more than 13 minutes.
Auburn – 33-24 win over Arkansas
Auburn limited an Arkansas offense averaging 514 yards per game to 331. Auburn’s defense was finally rewarded for an outstanding performance with the Tigers’ first SEC win of the season. It has been a difficult season for Arkansas with head coach Sam Pittman’s firing, but the one consistent unit for the Razorbacks has been their explosive offense. Auburn completely shut down quarterback Taylen Green in the fourth quarter, pressuring him into three interceptions. Arkansas converted only three third downs, rushed for 63 total yards, and possessed the ball for 22 minutes.
Florida – Bye
Georgia – Bye
Kentucky – 56-34 loss to No. 17 Tennessee
Kentucky turnovers — a pick-6 and a fumble — in the first quarter helped Tennessee seize momentum early and gain a 21-7 advantage after one quarter. Those miscues handed the Volunteers short fields, allowing their up-tempo offense to dictate the pace from the start. Kentucky displayed its best offensive performance in nearly two years, scoring 34 points and more than two offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since November 2023. But it wasn’t enough to match the Vols’ offense, which moved the ball in chunks and averaged 15.2 yards per pass completion.
LSU – 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M
The Tigers’ four-point halftime lead vanished after they were outscored by Texas A&M 35-7 in the second half. LSU’s offense couldn’t move the ball after the break, gaining only 89 yards. The Aggies’ defense adjusted by loading the box and forcing LSU into long-yardage downs, while quarterback Marcel Reed picked apart the Tigers with both his arm and legs. It’s a night Brian Kelly will try to forget but will always remember, as it marked his last game before being fired Sunday night.
Mississippi State – 45-38 loss to No. 22 Texas (OT)
Mississippi State allowed Texas to sack quarterback Blake Shapen four times in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. The Bulldogs looked spectacular until the final 9:34 of regulation, when everything collapsed. Their 445 total yards were the most Texas has surrendered this season. Shapen had a career day, passing for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. It wasn’t enough to overcome the offense stalling in the fourth quarter and Texas scoring on all three fourth-quarter possessions (not including a kneel-down before overtime) to complete a 17-point comeback. The defeat marked Mississippi State’s 16th straight conference loss.
Missouri – 17-10 loss at No. 10 Vanderbilt
Missouri struggled on third down, converting just 31% of its attempts, and the offense never found rhythm after quarterback Beau Pribula exited with a leg injury early in the second half. The Tigers were aggressive — converting 4 of 5 fourth-down attempts — yet managed only 10 points. Losing Pribula’s experience and mobility hurt, but true freshman quarterback Matt Zollar stepped up to keep Missouri alive, throwing for 168 yards and a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. Still, a costly fumble by Jamal Roberts near midfield set up Vanderbilt’s game-winning drive.
Oklahoma – 34-26 loss to No. 8 Ole Miss
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer completed just 6 of 18 passes for 70 yards after halftime as the Sooners’ offense stalled. Mateer’s second-half play was a big step back from the 153 passing yards and one touchdown he recorded in the first half. Overall, Mateer has played well since returning from thumb surgery against Texas. His struggles weren’t the sole reason Oklahoma lost to Ole Miss — the defense couldn’t get stops when it needed to — but they stand out compared to how well his Ole Miss counterpart performed.
Ole Miss – 34-26 win at No. 13 Oklahoma
Ole Miss shut out Oklahoma 10-0 in the fourth quarter after entering the period down 26-25. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was brilliant, passing for 315 yards, rushing for 53 and throwing the game-winning touchdown early in the final quarter. The Rebels’ fourth-quarter play against Oklahoma was the antithesis of how they performed at Georgia last week, when the Bulldogs outscored them 17-0 in the fourth to rally for a win — something head coach Lane Kiffin highlighted in his postgame press conference. Ole Miss helped its defense by possessing the ball for 11 minutes more than Oklahoma.
South Carolina – 29-22 loss to No. 4 Alabama
South Carolina’s offense stalled or turned the ball over at critical moments. When you’re 3-4 and have a top-five team on the ropes, you only have a few chances to seal the upset. I mentioned the early pick-6 thrown by Sellers and his devastating fumble under Alabama pressure, but the Gamecocks’ offense was its own worst enemy at multiple points. South Carolina missed a field goal early in the second quarter, and a holding penalty negated a 15-yard touchdown run by Sellers. I’m convinced that the South Carolina students moving closer to the field to prepare to rush it right before Sellers fumbled jinxed the team.
Tennessee – 56-34 win over Kentucky
Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar efficiently led the offense, completing 77% of his passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. Kentucky forced Tennessee to punt three times in the first half, and the Wildcats cut the deficit to 28-21 with 1:32 left before halftime. Then Aguilar led a quintessential Josh Heupel touchdown drive, going 10 plays and 75 yards to push the Vols’ lead back to 14. Aguilar led scoring drives on three of Tennessee’s four second-half possessions, keeping the Vols three scores ahead despite Kentucky scoring 34 points.
Texas – 45-38 win at Mississippi State (OT)
Texas completed a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback by scoring the game’s final 24 points, including a game-tying 79-yard punt return touchdown to force overtime. Quarterback Arch Manning engineered three straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and finished with 367 passing yards and four total touchdowns, leading the Longhorns’ largest comeback since 2007. Texas’ defense forced Mississippi State to punt on its final three drives in regulation.
Texas A&M – 49-25 win at No. 20 LSU
Quarterback Marcel Reed was nearly unstoppable, accounting for four of the Aggies’ six touchdowns. The second-year starter (and first full-time starter) climbed Heisman boards by rushing for more than 100 yards and scoring twice on the ground. After a rough second quarter, when the offense went scoreless and gave up a safety, Reed and company found rhythm, scoring touchdowns on their first three second-half drives. As mentioned under LSU, the Aggies’ defense played lights out after halftime, sacking quarterback Garrett Nussmeier seven times.
Vanderbilt – 17-10 win over No. 15 Missouri
The Commodores were 2-for-2 on red-zone trips while Missouri went 1-for-3. This was not a game Vanderbilt should have lost, considering it never trailed, but it was a strange one for the Commodores, who were outgained by Missouri (season-low 265 yards of total offense) and saw star quarterback Diego Pavia held to 149 all-purpose yards. In a game where both defenses set the pace most of the day, winning the edge in red-zone efficiency proved to be the difference. Safety CJ Heard’s fumble that set up Pavia’s game-winning touchdown run helped, too.
By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)
