Mizzou turns to redshirt freshman quarterback
Auburn @ Ole Miss, 12:21 p.m., SEC Network
Auburn was poised to win its first SEC contest of the season but fell to Arkansas last Saturday by a score of 24-7. Despite gaining 381 total yards against the Hogs, the Tigers managed just 40 rushing yards on 32 attempts as Arkansas sacked quarterbacks Keihl Frazier and Clint Moseley eight times. The Tigers also hurt themselves by turning the ball over as Arkansas picked off three passes and forced two fumbles. Ole Miss will host Auburn coming off a close 30-27 loss to Texas A&M. The Rebels rushed for 159 yards against the Aggies, and Jeff Scott averaged more than 5 yards per carry. Sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace threw for 305 yards but had two interceptions with only one touchdown. Although the Rebels sit at 3-3, they are winless so far in SEC play.
No. 1 Alabama @ Missouri, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Missouri’s early misfortunes in the SEC continued last Saturday as the Tigers fell to Vanderbilt by a score of 19-15. Junior quarterback James Franklin has struggled with injuries all season and will be out for several weeks with a knee injury. Consequently, Mizzou will turn to Corbin Berkstresser, a redshirt freshman, to face the SEC’s top defense. Berkstresser saw significant action in last week’s loss, completing only nine of 30 passes. Alabama will travel to Columbia, Mo., coming off a bye week. The Tide is the consensus No. 1 team in America. Coming into Saturday’s game, Alabama has given up only 329 total rushing yards, and the Tide limits opponents to fewer than 130 passing yards per game.
No. 4 Florida @ Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., ESPNU
Florida will head up to Nashville this weekend after dethroning the then–No. 4 LSU Tigers. Although the Gators found themselves down 6-0 at the half, they took advantage of some injuries in LSU’s linebacker corps and pounded the ball with a downhill rushing attack for the last two quarters. Florida ran the ball on its final 25 plays, and senior running back Mike Gillislee finished with 146 yards on 34 carries and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel attempted only 12 passes but completed eight of them. Vanderbilt captured its first SEC victory of the season as the Commodores beat Missouri. Quarterback Jordan Rodgers completed 14 of 24 passes for 182 yards in the win.
Kentucky @ Arkansas,
7 p.m., FSN
Arkansas managed to end its losing streak Saturday by beating Auburn on the Plains, 24-7. Senior quarterback Tyler Wilson completed 20 passes for 216 yards. Running backs Jonathan Williams and Dennis Johnson ran for a combined total of 110 yards as Arkansas scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Razorbacks will hope to build on last week’s success as they host the 1-5 Wildcats. Freshman quarterback Jalen Whitlow was 10-of-21 in passes for only 73 yards as Kentucky fell to Mississippi State last week. The Wildcats were held to fewer than 85 rushing yards, averaging only 2.5 yards per run.
Tennessee @ No. 19 Mississippi State, 9 p.m., ESPN2
Mississippi State finds itself sitting at 5-0 for the first time since the 1999 season. Junior running back LaDarius Perkins had a big day, rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown to help the Bulldogs beat Kentucky, 27-14. The Bulldogs put up 427 yards of offense as quarterback Tyler Russell completed 23 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee had its bye week Saturday after a high-scoring shootout in Athens the week before. Tyler Bray and the Tennessee offense scorched Georgia’s defense, gaining nearly 480 yards of total offense. The running game had perhaps its best day of the season as the Vols rushed for 197 yards against the Dawgs. This game marks the beginning a stretch of the season where Tennessee will play three top-20 teams in succession.
No. 22 Texas A&M @ No. 23 Louisiana Tech, 9 p.m., ESPNU
The Aggies earned their second SEC win of the season last week, pulling out a close game against Ole Miss. Both running back Ben Malena and quarterback Johnny Manziel rushed for more than 120 yards against the Rebels’ defense. Manziel also threw for 191 yards and a touchdown, but he was picked off twice. Texas A&M leads the SEC in scoring offense, averaging 44.6 points per game. Louisiana Tech will enter the game at 5-0 with a high-powered offense of its own. The Bulldogs are third in the nation in the scoring offense with 53.2 points per game. The game was originally set for Aug. 30 but was postponed to this weekend due to Hurricane Isaac.