As teams gear up to get into the meat of their schedule, week two featured the blockbuster South Carolina/Georgia match-up, Auburn head coach Guz Malzahn facing his old Arkansas State team and an all too close Samford/Arkansas game.
With another memorable college football week in the books, how did the SEC match-up this weekend? We cover just that in our weekly SEC round-up.
Kentucky (1-1) 41
Miami (OH) (0-2) 7
At least one SEC team could keep up with Miami this weekend. The Wildcats led by Maxwell Smith’s 310 yards in the air jumped out to a quick 24-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. To paraphrase the Miami Dolphins fight song: “They were in the air, they were on the ground and they were always in control.”
Tennessee (2-0) 52
Western Kentucky (1-1) 20
Coming off an upset SEC win last week, the Hilltoppers could not keep it together against the Volunteers. The Hilltoppers lost the game in six plays. How does that happen you ask? Interception, Interception, Fumble, Fumble, Interception. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Hilltoppers turned the ball over five times in six plays in the first quarter. Despite having more offensive yards and time of possession, Western Kentucky was never in this game.
Missouri (2-0) 38
Toledo (0-2) 23
Toledo is a good team, I know it, but again they faltered against the SEC in a game that was closer than the score. Led by James Frankin’s 212 yards in the air and 77 yards on the ground, Missouri pulled away at the end of third quarter. Toledo closed the gap 24-23 at one point but fell behind late.
Mississippi State (1-1) 51
Alcorn State (1-1) 7
Mississippi State beat Alcorn State as they should. They had 556 yards of offense, controlled the ball for 38:37 minutes and had 13 players catch a ball. Not much else to say.
Georgia (1-1) 41
South Carolina (1-1) 30
The lone SEC match-up did not disappoint as Georgia was again involved in a shootout, but this time ended up on the winning side. Led by quarterback Aaron Murray’s 309 yards and four touchdowns, Georgia held the lead or was tied for the last three-and-a-half quarters of the game. Georgia bounced back from their Clemson loss last week and Aaron Murray was able to prove that maybe he can win the big game.
Arkansas (2-0) 31
Samford (1-1) 21
Would you believe that Arkansas was losing by four points going into the fourth quarter? Yes, Arkansas needed two fourth down touchdowns against this lowly FCS opponent. Arkansas was led by freshman running back Alex Collins with his 172 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries.
Ole Miss (2-0) 31
Southeast Missouri State (0-2) 13
Another SEC/FCS beat down, as the Rebels gain 532 yards of offense and never look back after they jumped out to a quick 31-0 lead.
Texas A&M (2-0) 65
Sam Houston St. (1-1) 28
SEC v. FCS. We know how this plays out. Johnny Manziel has 403 yards passing, 36 yards rushing and four touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing).
Auburn (2-0) 38
Arkansas State (1-1) 9
Gus Malzahn takes the easy win over his former Arkansas State team. Behind 468 yards of offense, the Tigers controlled the game from the beginning and never looked back.
Vanderbilt (1-1) 38
Austin Peay (0-2) 3
Another SEC v. FCS battle that resulted in a 38-0 score at halftime. Vanderbilt outgained Austin Peay 442 yards to 139…yep.
LSU (2-0) 56
UAB (0-2) 17
Zach Mettenberger was on-fire against the Blazers, throwing 16-of-19, for 282 yards and five touchdowns. His main target, Odell Beckham, caught five of those balls for 136 yards and three touchdowns of his own. Sophomore running back Jeremy Hill was back from suspension and had six rushes for 50 yards and one touchdown.