Florida, Georgia rivalry has SEC East title hopes at stake
No. 13 Mississippi State @ No. 1 Alabama, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Two of the SEC’s three remaining undefeated teams will square off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. Mississippi State is on a nine-game win streak, sitting at 3-0 against SEC competition. Last weekend, the Bulldogs churned out 446 yards of total offense and put up 35 points in the second half to beat Middle Tennessee. Junior quarterback Tyler Russell led the way, completing 17 of 21 passes and three touchdowns. Alabama enters the game with the No. 1 defense in the nation, giving up only 8.3 points and fewer than 200 total yards per game. Against Tennessee Saturday, the Tide limited the Vols to only 2.9 yards per rush and 6.5 yards per pass, and they forced two turnovers. Alabama has faced Mississippi State more than any other opponent in its history. The Tide commands a 74-18-3 record against the Bulldogs.
No. 12 Georgia @ No. 3 Florida,
3:30 p.m., CBS
The SEC East will once again feature a matchup between two top-15 teams. Georgia enters the game with a 6-1 record after narrowly escaping from Kentucky in Lexington. The Bulldogs struggled to stop the Wildcats’ offense as Kentucky gained nearly 210 yards on the ground. However, junior quarterback Aaron Murray helped the Dawgs pull away, passing for 427 yards and four touchdowns. Last week, Florida posted an impressive win against the then–No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks. Although the Gators managed fewer than 190 yards of total offense, Florida forced three fumbles early in the game to take a commanding 21-6 going into halftime. The upcoming contest between the Bulldogs and the Gators, nicknamed the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” is considered one of the most intense rivalries in the SEC. The game is played at a neutral site in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia leads the all-time series, 47-40-2, but Florida has won seven of the last 10 meetings.
No. 22 Texas A&M @ Auburn, 7 p.m., ESPNU
After suffering a loss to the LSU Tigers Saturday, Texas A&M prepares to face another SEC West foe in Auburn. Although the Aggies outgained LSU offensively, redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel threw three interceptions and rushed for only 27 yards. Coming into the game, Manziel was the SEC’s leading rusher with 676 yards. Though A&M leads the SEC in scoring offense, LSU limited the Aggies to just 19 points. Texas A&M is seeking its third win in the conference. Meanwhile, the Auburn Tigers find themselves at 1-6 and winless in the SEC. The Tigers’ only win was in overtime against Louisiana-Monroe. Last weekend, Auburn fell to Vanderbilt in Nashville by a score 17-13. The Tigers were held to 212 total yards, and together, quarterbacks Clint Moseley and Jonathon Wallace threw for fewer than 110 yards.
Ole Miss @ Arkansas, 12:21 p.m., SEC Network/ESPN3
Ole Miss will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., after a bye week Saturday. The Rebels are 4-3 on the season, beating Auburn in their most recent game. Sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace completed 77 percent of his passes and threw for 226 yards as the Rebels dominated the Tigers in the second half. The win marked the first conference victory for Ole Miss this season. After starting the season with an abysmal 1-4 record, Arkansas has bounced back with consecutive wins over Auburn and Kentucky. The defense held both teams to a touchdown each after giving up an average of 45 points during the four previous games. Arkansas sits at fifth place in the SEC West standings, and Ole Miss trails them in sixth place.
Kentucky @ Missouri, noon, ESPNU
Both the Wildcats and the Tigers are still in search of their first SEC win of the season. Last Saturday, Kentucky was looking to upset Georgia, but the Bulldogs slipped away with a 29-24 win. The Wildcats produced 329 yards of offense, and freshman quarterback Jalen Whitlow completed nine of 13 passes and kept the game close through all four quarters. Missouri is coming off a bye week after the Tigers fell in Columbia, Mo., to No. 1 Alabama. Freshman quarterback Corbin Berkstresser had a tough outing against the Tide, completing less than 50 percent of his passes as the offense gained only 129 total yards. Berkstresser is likely to start again this week since quarterback James Franklin was listed as doubtful with a knee injury.
Massachusetts @ Vanderbilt, 7 p.m., FSN
Vanderbilt will host Massachusetts before returning to SEC play against Kentucky on Nov. 3. Vanderbilt won a close game against Auburn a week ago in Nashville. Senior quarterback Jordan Rodgers completed 60 percent of his passes for 173 yards and no interceptions. However, the offense lost three fumbles, keeping the Tigers in the game. Massachusetts is winless on the year. The Minutemen rank last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense and are 119th out of 124 teams in scoring defense. Last week against Bowling Green, Massachusetts gained only 118 total yards and were held scoreless for the second time this year.
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