Crabtree’s Cruise Around the SEC: Week Six Edition
We're halfway through the college football season and, boy did week six deliver. There was plenty of action around the SEC, including a shoot out in Oxford and a dominant performance from the Kentucky Wildcats.
Florida-42 Vanderbilt-0
The Florida Gators rebounded at home with a shutout win over the Vanderbilt Commodores. Despite a 21-0 lead at the half, head coach Dan Mullen was less than impressed. Mullen said the quarterbacks and defense had to play better. QB Emory Jones threw for 273 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. The Gators will travel to Baton Rouge next Saturday for a showdown in Death Valley.
Ole Miss-52 Arkansas-51
Ole Miss and Arkansas squared off in a shoot-out on Saturday afternoon. Both teams were coming off a loss and wanted to avoid a two-game losing streak. Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby went up against his brother-in-law, Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. Both coordinators drew up a game full of offensive fireworks. In the last few minutes, the Rebels and Razorbacks went back and forth to the red zone and came down to whoever had the ball last.
Sam Pittman decided to go for the 2-point conversion and try to win the game. Pittman and the Hogs came up just short as the 2-point attempt was no good. Arkansas will travel back home to face Auburn, while Lane Kiffin and the Rebels head to Knoxville in what is sure to be a thrilling matchup.
Tennessee-45 South Carolina-20
Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers dominated the South Carolina Gamecocks. Hendon Hooker started for the Vols and had a fantastic day throwing for three touchdowns for 225 yards. The Vols went 28-0 as first-year head coach Shane Beamer struggled to find an offensive plan for the Gamecocks. Tennessee will host Ole Miss, and South Carolina will look for its first conference win against Vanderbilt.
Georgia-34 Auburn-10
After the magic performance Bo Nix had at Death Valley, could Nix have that type of performance against the Georgia defense? The Bulldog's defense proved too much for Nix as he only averaged a little over six yards and threw one interception. The Tigers did become the first team to score a touchdown on the defense, but it was not enough. It was all Stetson Bennett and Zamir White as both players combined to score four touchdowns. Auburn will have to bounce back on the road at Arkansas, while Georgia hosts Kentucky at Athens.
Missouri-48 North Texas-35
After a rough few weeks, the Missouri Tigers hosted the North Texas Mean Green. The Tigers bounced back in the win column but still have plenty of work to do on defense. The Mean Green scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to make it a 13-point game. If Missouri wants to win out the rest of the season, Eli Drinkwitz needs to solve the Tiger's run defense.
Kentucky-42 LSU-21
Last week, the Kentucky Wildcats took down Florida at home for the first time since 1986. Since they were coming off a huge win, would they still be hungover from Florida, or would they come ready to play? Mark Stoops and the Wildcats dominated LSU from start to finish. Chris Rodriguez had a huge game as he ran for 147 yards and one touchdown, while Will Levis used his mayo coffee energy to throw for 145 yards and three touchdowns. LSU struggled to find an offense, especially in the run game. Coach Ed Orgeron is now 8-7 in the last 15 games, and now his job seems to be on the line. Can coach O turn the season around and save his job, or is it already too late?
How will Texas A&M respond after the historic win over Alabama? Can Kentucky be the last undefeated team standing in the SEC (yes, in football? Should we have our popcorn ready for Ole Miss-Tennessee? Check back next week for all the answers to the questions on Crabtree's Cruise.