Mississippi State- 17 vs Ole Miss- 10
As is the case for most sudden failures, Ole Miss’ quarterback play was abysmal. Bo Wallace threw three interceptions. Through 40 attempts, Wallace only amassed 182 yards and he did not throw a touchdown. Ole Miss’ rushing attack suffered as well. A collective 35 carries led to only 117 yards, which is only 3.3 yards per carry. Although Ole Miss lost, they were not the only team to struggle offensively.
Mississippi State had an oddly bad game through the ground. Their 43 total team carries went for a miniscule 99 yards. Their passing attack was not impressive either. Their 39 combined attempts from two quarterbacks totaled 197 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception. Despite the interception, Mississippi State won the game because they committed half the amount of turnovers. Their one interception was accompanied by a fumble, but Ole Miss’ three interceptions came with a fumble as well.
(17) LSU- 31 vs Arkansas- 27
Many games came down to the wire this weekend and this matchup was no exception. Arkansas had a 27-21 lead going into the final quarter, but LSU made a final push to stay near the top of the SEC. Starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger went down with a knee injury in the middle of the fourth quarter and LSU had to depend on Anthony Jennings to lead them to victory. Shockingly, he did. After a string of positive yardage plays, he threw a 49 yard bomb to Travin Dural to seal the win.
For the majority of the game, LSU was leaning on their two leading rushers. Jeremy Hill and Terrence McGee totaled 203 yards and 3 touchdowns through 27 rushing attempts. Oppositely, Arkansas had issues running the ball. Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams barely surpassed 80 total yards of rushing.
(2) Florida State- 37 vs Florida- 7
Early on, Florida was holding their and containing Jameis Winston and company. Before long, Kelvin Benjamin unleashes the beast inside of him. By the end of regulation, Benjamin had caught nine passes for 212 yards and all three of the teams receiving touchdowns. Jameis Winston only threw for 115 yards when not including the 212 yards from Benjamin.
Unsurprisingly, Florida’s offense struggled. Brent Pease, who was rightfully fired after the loss, refused to use Kelvin Taylor like he deserves to be. Taylor, a five star recruit that has shined when given the opportunity, had six rushing carries. Mack Brown, a senior running back that never earned a starting spot without injuries to the players ahead of him, had eight carries. The lack of proper use of the stud freshman was criminal. It would not have won Florida the game, but it would have made the game less pitiful than it was.
Vanderbilt- 23 vs Wake Forest- 21
After taking the lead with a 63 yard interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter, Wake Forest blew their lead in the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt kicked a game winning field goal with 39 seconds left in regulation.
The only stand out performer in this matchup was Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews. To finish his collegiate regular season career, Matthews caught 11 passes for 125 yards, including two receptions on the final drive that won Vanderbilt the game.
(4) Auburn- 34 vs (1) Alabama- 28
There was not a game in 2013 better than this classic Iron Bowl. The lead flip-flopped from team to team until Auburn tied the game with a touchdown pass from Nick Marshall to CJ Uzomah with 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter. On their final drive, Alabama drove down the field until a single second remained on the clock. Despite it being a 50+ yard attempt, Nick Saban decided to go for the game winning field goal as time expired. The call backfired. The kick fell just short and Auburn’s Chris Davis fielded it. He took off to the left sideline, successfully turned up field down the sideline and continued on until he had finally reached the end zone. The stadium erupted as Auburn had taken down the powerhouse that is Alabama.
Georgia- 41 vs Georgia Tech- 34
Georgia Tech started the game with a 20-0 lead over their in-state rival. After that, they collapsed. Georgia gradually ran up the score until they tied the game with a field goal late in the fourth quarter. Neither team could finish the other off in regulation, so the game went into overtime. In the first overtime, both teams scored. In the second, only Georgia’s Todd Gurley found the end zone.
Despite the game being his first start, Georgia’s Hutson Mason threw for nearly 300 yards and threw two touchdowns, as well as an interception. As usual, Todd Gurley had a superb performance. On 20 carries, Gurley racked up 122 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were in overtime.
Despite the loss, Georgia Tech totaled 495 yards of offense. Vad lee threw for the most yards he had all season as he threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. David Sims was Georgia Tech’s only triple-digit rusher as he ran for exactly 100 yards.
Tennessee- 27 vs Kentucky- 14
To close out the season, freshman quarterback Josh Dobbs showed improvement and proved why he should be the starter next season. He threw his first career touchdown, but also threw for another. Not only that, but he busted a 40 yard run for a touchdown as well. To their credit, the offensive line held up well and only allowed a single sack on Dobbs.
More impressive as a rusher was Rajion Neal. Neal ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as he slashed through Kentucky’s defense. Surprisingly, he was still not the best rusher of the day. Kentucky’s Dyshawn Mobley ran for 143 yards through 17 rushing attempts.
(10) South Carolina- 31 vs (6) Clemson- 17
Heading into the final quarter of regulation, the teams were at a stalemate with 17 points each. South Carolina took control of the fourth quarter and put up 14 points to Clemson’s zero to secure the win. Clemson’s downfall and lack of scoring throughout the game can be largely credited to Tajh Boyd. While he threw for 225 yards, he threw two costly interceptions that inhibited them from scoring points. Not only did he throw two, but Sammy Watkins also threw an interception on a trick play. Oppositely, South Carolina did not throw any interceptions. In fact, South Carolina’s Connor Shaw has only thrown one interception all year.Shaw threw for 152 yards and a touchdown, but was also a running threat as he ran for 94 yards and a touchdown.
(5) Missouri- 28 vs (21) Texas A&M- 21
To the surprise of everyone in the nation, James Franklin of Missouri outplayed Johnny Manziel. Although he threw seven fewer passes, Franklin threw for 28 more yards and one more touchdown than Manziel as Franklin totaled 233 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 59 more yards than Manziel did. To be fair, L’Damian Washington and Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri’s two leading receivers, made Franklin’s job fairly easy.
Just as many other teams were, the two were tied going into the final quarter. With roughly three and a half minutes left, Missouri’s Henry Josey broke free for a 57 yard touchdown run to clinch the victory.