Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) celebrates the Aggies' 29-24 victory over No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. (US Presswire) |
SEC scoreboard
No. 15 Texas A&M 29, No. 1 Alabama 24: Redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 92 yards as the visiting Aggies (8-2, 5-2 SEC) upset the Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 SEC), throwing the national title picture into chaos. Texas A&M forced three turnovers, intercepting AJ McCarron twice. He had thrown 291 straight passes without an INT until his first-quarter pass bounced off a receiver and was picked off by Sean Porter. Aggies WR Ryan Swope had 11 catches for 111 yards and a TD, setting the school record for career receptions. (For more on this game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 12 South Carolina 38, Arkansas 20: Connor Shaw threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as the Gamecocks (8-2, 6-2 SEC) rolled. Arkansas (4-6, 2-4 SEC) had 277 passing yards and two TDs from Tyler Wilson, but he was picked off twice, including a 69-yard pick-6 by S D.J. Swearinger. Razorbacks WR Cobi Hamilton had four catches for 72 yards, setting the school's single-season record with 1,149 receiving yards. (For more on this game, check out CBS Sports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 7 Florida 27, Louisiana-Lafayette 20: Nearly a four-touchdown favorite, Florida (9-1, 7-1 SEC) escaped thanks to two scores in the final two minutes. QB Jacoby Brissett, playing for the injured Jeff Driskel, hit Quinton Dunbar for a 3-yard TD to tie 20-20 with 1:42 left. After the defense stopped the Ragin' Cajuns (5-4), Loucheiz Purifoy came in untouched to block the punt. Jelani Jenkins scooped it up and ran 36 yards for a TD with two seconds to go.
Missouri 51, Tennessee 48 (4 OT): Outgained 385 to 29 in the first half, visiting Mizzou (5-5, 2-5 SEC) roared back to win on Andrew Baggett's 35-yard field goal in the fourth overtime. Missouri QB James Franklin threw for 226 yards and four touchdowns, including two to freshman Dorial Green-Beckham. Tyler Bray threw for 404 yards and four scores, but the Vols (4-6, 0-6 SEC) allowed at least 38 points for the sixth straight game, a first for an SEC team.
No. 5 Georgia 38, Auburn 0: Aaron Murray threw three touchdown passes and Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall each went over 100 yards rushing as the Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1 SEC) earned their second straight trip to the SEC Championship Game. It's Georgia's fifth trip in coach Mark Richt's 12-year tenure. Auburn (2-8, 0-7 SEC) must beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl to avoid going winless in the SEC. Gurley ran for 116 yards and a TD on 11 carries, and Marshall added 105 yards on eight carries, including a 62-yard score. (For more on this game, check out CBS Sports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 9 LSU 37, No. 22 Mississippi State 17: Zach Mettenberger stayed hot, going 19 of 30 for 273 yards and two touchdowns, as the host Tigers (8-2, 4-2 SEC) bounced back from their loss to Alabama. Jarvis Landry had nine catches for 109 yards and a score. The Bulldogs (7-3, 3-3 SEC) have lost three straight by a combined score of 113-37 and have dropped 13 in a row to LSU. But Tyler Russell set a school record with his 17th TD pass this year. (For more on this game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Vanderbilt 27, Ole Miss 26: Commodores QB Jordan Rodgers converted fourth-and-2 with a daring scramble, then threw a 26-yard pass to Chris Boyd for the game-winning touchdown with 52 seconds left. Vandy (6-4, 4-3 SEC) won its fourth straight and became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year, a first in program history. Ole Miss (5-5, 2-4 SEC) lost despite a career-high 403 passing yards from Bo Wallace.
Play of the day: Alabama had a chance to save its national title dreams, trailing 29-24 and facing fourth-and-goal from the Aggies' 2. But sophomore DB Deshazor Everett stepped in front of a Tide receiver and intercepted AJ McCarron's pass with 1:36 left. Alabama never got the ball back.
Runner-up: Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette were headed to overtime, but DB Purifoy came in off the left side and blocked the Ragin' Cajuns punt. Jenkins picked it up and ran 36 yards for a TD with 2 seconds left, giving the Gators a stunning 27-20 win.
2nd Runner-up: Leading 14-10 less than two minutes before halftime, South Carolina faced fourth-and-6 from Arkansas’ 42. Instead of trying to pin the Razorbacks deep, coach Steve Spurrier went for it. He risked giving Arkansas a short field if the play failed. But QB Shaw stepped up in the pocket and found a wide-open Bruce Ellington down the right sideline for a touchdown. The gamble -- combined with a blown coverage -- put the Gamecocks up 21-10.
He said what? "Words can't describe how this feels." -- Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore after the Aggies' win in Tuscaloosa.
He said what? Part II: "If we were, it would have been way worse than what it was." -- Alabama LB C.J. Mosley, saying the Tide defense wasn't stunned by Texas A&M's 20-0 start.
He said what? Part III: "We certainly make it interesting." -- Florida coach Will Muschamp after the Gators, who trailed 20-13 late in the fourth quarter, beat Louisiana-Lafayette on a blocked punt for a TD.
RapidReports defensive star of the day: South Carolina's Swearinger. The 6-foot, 210-pound safety not only returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown, he had a game-high 13 tackles, one for loss, and a QB hurry. But the senior could face discipline for a shot to the head that drew a 15-yard penalty.
Runner-up: LSU's Craig Loston. The junior safety sealed the Tigers' win over Mississippi State by returning anl interception 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the third 100-yard INT return in LSU history.
RapidReports offensive star of the day: A&M's Manziel. What more can you say about Johnny Football? He was 24 of 31 in a hostile environment, accounted for 345 yards and did not commit a turnover.
Runner-up: Mizzou's Franklin. After doing nothing in the first half, Franklin calmly picked apart the Vols in the second half and overtime. Down 28-21, Franklin converted fourth-and-9 with a 17-yard strike to Marcus Lucas. On fourth-and-12, he hit Dorial Green-Beckham for the 25-yard tying TD with 47 seconds left in regulation. Franklin finished with four TD throws, matching his season high, and the Tigers' first SEC road win.
2nd Runner-up: A&M's Swope. The senior hurt Alabama with big plays, including a 42-yard catch on a wheel route that set up the Aggies' final TD. He took some big hits and held on to the ball every time.
3rd runner-up: Mizzou RB Kendial Lawrence. He ran for 153 yards and two TDs, giving him 10 rushing scores this season. His 77-yard scoring run early in the third quarter sparked a Tigers team that looked listless in the first half.
His seat is getting uncomfortable: Derek Dooley. Tennessee's embattled coach is 4-18 in SEC games in his three-year tenure. That includes 0-6 this season following Saturday's collapse at home against Missouri. Even if the Vols beat Vandy and Kentucky and win a bowl game, it's hard to see Dooley keeping his job.
A possible spot on the bench for: Florida's Driskel. The Gators' starting QB sprained his right ankle against Louisiana-Lafayette and was replaced by Jacoby Brissett, who led Florida to the comeback win. Driskel relies on his running ability, so it's probably wise to rest him next Saturday against Jacksonville State.
Why you should care about these stat lines:
1. South Carolina's Mike Davis and Kenny Miles combined for 90 yards rushing and a TD. It was the Gamecocks' first game without Marcus Lattimore, and his backups acquitted themselves well. Davis ran for 53 yards and a TD on 13 carries, and Miles added 37 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 44 yards.
2. Florida's Mike Gillislee was held to 45 yards on 14 carries by Louisiana-Lafayette. Where has the Gators' running game gone? Gillislee hasn't cracked 100 yards since Oct. 6 vs. LSU.
3. Mizzou's Dorial Green-Beckham caught two TD passes for the first time. The highly touted 6-6 freshman is heating up after a slow start. After 13 catches in the previous two games, DGB caught the tying TD with 47 seconds left in regulation and another score in the third OT.
4. Georgia's Gurley ran for 116 yards and a TD on 11 carries. It was the true freshman's seventh 100-yard rushing game and his third averaging more than 10 yards per carry. He's run for 11 scores, and fellow freshman Keith Marshall has run for six.
Key number: 10. The number of consecutive home games won by South Carolina, which finished 6-2 in the SEC for the second straight year. Before last season, the Gamecocks had not finished better than 5-3.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Daniel Lewis and Larry Hartstein, follow @CBSSportsSEC.