Gators, Tigers to face off in Gainesville
No. 4 LSU @ No. 10 Florida, 3:30 p.m., CBS
LSU was looking to rebound Saturday after a close shave against the Auburn Tigers in Week 4. However, LSU struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half against Towson, an FCS opponent. The Bayou Bengals lost three fumbles and converted only five of 12 third-down situations. In fact, Towson led for a time in the second quarter before LSU managed to score 10 unanswered points to take a 17-9 lead heading into the half. Defensively, LSU played perhaps its worst game of the year. The Towson Tigers put up 22 points and actually had a better rushing average than LSU. Florida will enter the contest coming off a bye after handling Kentucky two weeks ago. Florida is ranked 10th in the country, directly behind LSU, in total defense. The Gators give up an average of only 12.8 points per game. Both teams feature run-heavy offenses to go along with their quality defenses. This is an annual rivalry despite the fact that the teams play in separate divisions within the SEC. Florida leads the all-time series, 30-25-3, with a 14-11-3 lead in the Swamp.
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Texas A&M will look for another stellar offensive performance as the Aggies take on the Rebels in Oxford. Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny “Football” Manziel led A&M to 716 yards of total offense against Arkansas last Saturday. Manziel threw for more than 450 yards and three touchdowns as the Aggies put up 58 points. Ole Miss will host Texas A&M after suffering a loss to the No. 1 Crimson Tide. The Rebels put up two touchdowns against Alabama, which tied for the most points against Alabama’s defense this season. The Aggies are currently in fourth place in the SEC West, and the Rebels are right behind them in fifth.
Arkansas @ Auburn, noon, ESPN2
After a sound beating at the hands of Texas A&M, Arkansas will prepare to face another SEC West foe in Auburn. Despite churning out 515 yards of total offense and scoring 10 points in the first quarter, the Razorbacks were held scoreless in the last three quarters. Tyler Wilson threw two interceptions, and Knile Davis had one fumble as offensive woes continued to plague the Hogs. Although Auburn will enter the game with a 1-3 record, the Tigers are coming off a bye week. Earlier in the season, Auburn limited then–No. 2 LSU to just 10 offensive points, fewer than 170 yards passing, and fewer than 185 rushing yards. Arkansas and Auburn are looking for their first SEC wins of the season.
Vanderbilt @ Missouri, 7 p.m., ESPN3
After back-to-back road games, Missouri will play at home this week, hosting the 1-3 Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt didn’t play Saturday as the Commodores recovered from a 48-3 loss to Georgia the previous weekend. Although Vanderbilt only scored three points, senior running back Zac Stacy averaged 6.9 yards per carry against the Bulldogs. Missouri will enter this week’s game on the heels of a hard-fought win against UCF. After falling behind 10-7 at the half, the Tigers rallied back to claim a 21-16 win over the Knights. Quarterback James Franklin completed 19 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown during the course of the victory. Both Vanderbilt and Missouri are winless in the SEC.
No. 20 Mississippi State @ Kentucky, 12:21 p.m., ESPN3/SEC Network
Mississippi State will head to Lexington coming off a bye week. The Bulldogs find themselves at 4-0 and sitting in third place behind Alabama and LSU in the SEC West standings. Mississippi State handily defeated the Auburn Tigers 28-10 in Week 2 before beating Troy and South Alabama during the next two weeks. Quarterback Tyler Russell has thrown for more than 800 yards, and two Bulldog running backs, LaDarius Perkins and Derrick Milton, average more than 6 yards per carry. Kentucky hosts Mississippi State with just one win on its record. Last week, the Wildcats gave South Carolina a scare, leading the Gamecocks 17-7 at the half. However, Kentucky’s defense surrendered 31 unanswered points in the second half as the Wildcats fell 38-17. Freshman quarterback Jalen Whitlow completed 12 passes for 114 yards as he stepped in for the injured Maxwell Smith. This will be the third consecutive week Kentucky will face an opponent ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.