Georgia plays rival Auburn; LSU hosts Mississippi State in ranked matchup
No. 15 Texas A&M @ No. 1 Alabama, 3:30 p.m., CBS
After surviving a physical bout in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, the Crimson Tide will host Texas A&M this weekend. Alabama’s defense, ranked No. 1 nationally going into last week’s game, surrendered 296 passing yards and 435 total yards to LSU’s offense. The Tigers managed to convert 50 percent of their third down situations, capturing the lead early in the fourth quarter. Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, who completed only one pass in the second half until the final drive, put together a touchdown drive with 94 seconds left to win the game. Last weekend, Texas A&M took an early lead against Mississippi State and beat the Bulldogs 38-13. Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel completed 83 percent of his passes for 311 yards, and he rushed for nearly 130 yards with two touchdowns. An Alabama win against the Aggies would guarantee the Tide a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game Dec. 1.
No. 5 Georgia @ Auburn, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Georgia will face Auburn on the Plains in a game known as the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. After struggling in the first half, Georgia emerged in the second half against Ole Miss to take a commanding lead and win 37-10. Junior quarterback Aaron Murray threw for more than 380 yards and four touchdowns as the Dawgs scored 23 unanswered points in the second half. On the ground, freshman Todd Gurley ran for 117 yards with an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Auburn managed just its second win of the season, beating New Mexico State by a score of 42-7. Running backs Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb both rushed for more than 100 yards, and the Tigers produced 475 yards of total offense against the Aggies. A Georgia win Saturday would virtually guarantee the Dawgs a spot in the SEC Championship against the West Division champion.
No. 22 Mississippi State @ No. 9 LSU, 7 p.m., ESPN
After suffering close loss in the final minute to rival Alabama, LSU prepares to face another SEC West foe, Mississippi State. Quarterback Zack Mettenberger had his best performance of the season last week as the junior completed 69 percent of his passes for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jeremy Hill was one of few running backs to go for more than 100 yards on Alabama in recent memory. Sophomore receiver Jarvis Landry had a big night, recording eight catches for 76 yards. Mississippi State will enter Baton Rouge coming off a 25-point loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies put up 693 total yards against the Bulldogs’ defense and averaged more than 7 yards per play. Mississippi State managed only 310 total yards and fewer than 100 yards rushing.
Missouri @ Tennessee, 12:21 p.m., ESPN3/SEC Network
Tennessee hosts Missouri this week after slipping past Troy. Down 40-34 at the end of the third quarter, the Vols staged a fourth-quarter comeback by scoring 21 points in the final 15 minutes of the game. Junior quarterback Tyler Bray threw for 530 yards and five touchdowns as the Vols put up 55 points, the most for Tennessee this season. Running back Marlin Lane ran for 132 yards on 19 carries as the Vols churned out more than 700 yards of total offense. The Trojans, however, gashed the Tennessee defense for 721 yards in the losing effort. Missouri fell on the road to Florida last Saturday in a low-scoring game. Missouri ultimately outgained Florida in total offense, but junior quarterback James Franklin completed less than 50 percent of his passes against the SEC’s third best defense. Florida also intercepted Franklin four times. A Tennessee win Saturday would give the Volunteers their first SEC win of the season.
Vanderbilt @ Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESNPU
Vanderbilt will head to Oxford, Miss., coming off a 40-0 rout of Kentucky. Senior quarterback Jordan Rodgers completed 18 passes for 220 yards as the Commodores gained 447 yards of total offense. Four Vanderbilt running backs, including Zac Stacy and Brian Kimbrow, averaged 4 yards per carry or better. Ole Miss suffered a loss to Georgia last weekend, falling to 2-3 in SEC play. The Rebels kept it close until halftime, but they were held scoreless in the last two quarters. Although Ole Miss averages nearly 180 rushing yards per game, Georgia held the Rebels to less than 50 yards on the ground. Both Vanderbilt and Ole Miss are 5-4 and searching for their sixth win to become bowl-eligible.
University of Louisiana–Lafayette @ No. 7 Florida, 12:21 p.m., ESPN3/SEC Network
Florida escaped with a win last week, edging Missouri 14-7. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel passed for a lackluster 106 yards, but the Gators found their success on the ground. Running back Mike Gillislee ran for 68 yards on 16 carries as Florida gained 170 yards on the ground. The Gator defense came up big, holding Missouri scoreless in the second half and picking off James Franklin four times. ULL will enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium coming off a 40-24 win over the University of Louisiana–Monroe. Quarterback Terrance Broadway threw for 373 yards and four touchdowns as the Ragin’ Cajuns amassed more than 600 yards of offense.