Shakeup in the SEC

            The Southeastern Conference has been known for major upsets, and this past weekend lived up to expectations. Five of the top SEC teams went down, 4 of them being ranked in the top 15.

            The highest ranked team,  (6) LSU, lost to the Rebels of Ole Miss 27-24. LSU’s defense could not contain QB Bo Wallace, who went 30/39 and threw for 346 yds. Ole Miss jumped out to an early 17-0 lead, but the Tigers caught up to make it a game. It took every single second of the game to decide the winner, as a 41 yard field goal was made with two seconds left on the clock.

            The most anticipated matchup in the west coming into the week was a high scoring affair. (24) Auburn upset (7) Texas A&M in a high scoring fashion, 45-14. The Auburn Tigers ran the ball effectively, posting 379 total rushing yards. RB Tre Mason led the fiery rushing attack with 27 carries and 178 yards. QB Nick Marshall also contributed 100 rushing yards with 20 carries, and also did damage with his arm, as he was 11/23 for 236 yards and threw two touchdowns.

            Texas A&M QB, and former Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel was a major cornerstone for the Aggie offense. Manziel completed 28 of 38 passes for 454 yards, also tossed 4 touchdowns. A scare came early in the fourth quarter as Manziel was down after the play, but he later entered to finish the game.

            Jadeveon Clowney and the (11) South Carolina Gamecocks left Neyland Stadium with a heartbreaking loss after a game-winning field goal by Tennessee to put them ahead, 23-21. Ironically, this is the first time Tennessee has beaten a top 25 team since 2009, when they beat (21) South Carolina. A one-handed catch by Tennessee’s WR Marquez North on the final drive resulted with a 19-yard field goal by Kicker Michael Palardy. North had a game to remember, only catching 3 passes, but making them count with 102 yards receiving.

            The Gamecock’s running game proved to be a problem for the Volunteer defense, as RB Mike Davis ran the ball for 137 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. A concerning moment for South Carolina fans occurred when QB Connor Shaw was injured in the fourth quarter. Reports have confirmed that a MRI did not show any torn ligaments.

            Vanderbilt also came ready to play Saturday, as they upset (15) Georgia, crushing Georgia’s hopes of returning to the SEC championship. Vanderbilt scored 17 unanswered points to cap off a successful comeback after being down 27-14 late in the third quarter.  Vandy’s defense forced Georgia’s star QB Aaron Murray out of his comfort zone, an accomplishment many teams have not been able to do this year. Murray threw for 114 yards; completing 16 of his 28 pass attempts.

            The ball kept rolling on for (14) Missouri as they handed (22) Florida their third loss of the year, with a final score of 36-17. Freshman QB Maty Mauk started his first career game as a Tiger, and showed his skills by passing for a total of 295 yards. The rushing game was also a critical part of Missouri’s offense with RB Henry Josey recording 18 carries for 136 yards, with one touchdown. Missouri’s offense outmatched Florida’s, boasting 500 total yards to Florida’s 151 total yards.

            With Georgia and South Carolina losing unexpected conference games, Missouri winning has put them in the driver’s seat of the SEC East. Their undefeated run has them ranked 5^th in the country, but they will be tested next week when they play South Carolina.  I don’t think anyone predicted Missouri would already have this much success in their sophomore year in the SEC, but will they make it to the SEC championship?