Biscuits & SEC Week 5 Game-by-Game Recaps
Alabama gets a big win in Athens, Ole Miss topples LSU, and the Aggies and Vols hold on for dear life.
By: Bossman, Hammer
That is one of the best weekends of college football you will ever see. From Friday night all the way into the late hours of Saturday night, we saw upsets, overtimes, and down-to-the-wire games with massive matchups all across the country. We had the quad box on all day because how could you miss a down of any of these games? There were two heavy-weight matchups going on at the same time with playoff implications: Alabama-Georgia and Oregon-Penn State, both of which weren’t over until the fat lady sang. WHAT A SATURDAY!
Here’s how Bossman & Hammer fared in Week 5:
There were some close spreads this week, which made the against-the-spread picks tough. Hammer kept pace by picking Alabama over Georgia, and Bossman stayed apace picking Ole Miss over LSU. Next week is a new week…it’s looking like this race will be season-long unless someone gets red hot.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: Not real sure what there is to say about this one - the writing is pretty much on the wall. The Hogs pulled within four at 14-10 early in the second quarter after an impressive 14-play, nearly 8-minute, 75-yard touchdown drive…and then the wheels completely came off the wagon. After that drive, Notre Dame scored 28 points, scoring four TDs on consecutive drives - BEFORE HALFTIME. The Irish took a 42-13 lead into the locker room, and this one was over. I said it this week on Biscuits & SEC LIVE - Notre Dame is much better than their #22 ranking, and with their remaining schedule, they’re likely a playoff team. Arkansas, on the other han,d looks like they’re filming a new Fast & Furious movie - only the car is going 100 MPH in reverse. The Irish had 431 yards passing. They racked up 643 total yards. They averaged 13.5 yards per pass. Arkansas couldn’t stop your 80-year-old grandmother from walking across the street right now. It’s a shame what’s going on in Fayetteville. After the game, Sam Pittman said he understands fans' frustration with him and that he’s mad at himself as well. I love Sam Pittman, and I think he’s a good man. But that was the final nail in the coffin. Hunter Yurachek made the right move in firing Pittman on Sunday.
Hammer: This was a really sad day in Fayetteville. Coming off two back-to-back brutal losses at Ole Miss and at Memphis, Arkansas had a chance to show some fight. In both of those losses, the Hogs had the ball with an opportunity to take the lead late before fumbling. They were a few mistakes away from being undefeated. Welcoming in a talented Notre Dame team, Arkansas and Sam Pittman had an opportunity to show the country they still had some fight in them. Instead, the Hogs rolled over and took a 43-point loss. They gave up, and that’s a shame. Sam Pittman has since been fired, and Bobby Petrino will step in as interim coach. The Arkansas defense looked like Swiss cheese all game. They couldn’t tackle anyone, especially Jeremyiah Love, who had 127 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Notre Dame had 643 yards of offense, their highest output since 2016. The Hog’s offense finally stalled out as well, but they were never even given a chance in this one. I hate this for Sam Pittman, and I hate this for Arkansas fans, but this team is lost. Maybe Petrino can find something in there, but they quit on Pittman.
Bossman: Print this: Trinidad Chambliss is a Heisman contender. 385 yards of total offense from the president of Tobago and a cool win over the #4 team in the country. Ole Miss was down early and had to fight through some adversity, like a Caden Durham fumble in the red zone with 8:00 minutes to go in the second quarter. When you win, you also need a little luck, and that came in the form of a called-back pick-six from Chambliss as DJ Pickett was called for PI. The Rebels took the lead with just over five minutes to go in the half, and they wouldn’t relinquish it…though it got shaky at times. The fourth-down call by Lane Kiffin late in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice was a thing of beauty. A huge win in Oxford for the Rebs, who pass their biggest test to date. On the other side, Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense are still stuck in neutral. Holding that Ole Miss offense to 24 points should give your offense plenty of room to work with to get a win, but the Tigers are seriously struggling. Nuss Bus averaged just 5.8 yards per pass, and the rushing attack could only muster 2.8 yards per carry (59 rushing yards). If LSU doesn’t fix this quickly, this is an 8-4 team, just as Hammer predicted in the pre-season.
Hammer: I don’t know if Lane Kiffin can be given enough credit after this game and the start to the season for the Rebs. What a difference good coaching and a couple weeks make because Ole Miss had the better QB in this game, and he wasn’t even the week one starter. Trinidad Chambliss wasn’t perfect, but he threw for over 300 yards, ran for 71 more, and scored two TDs. Meanwhile, everyone’s preseason darling, Garrett Nussmeier, was just 21/34 for 197 yards with one TD and one pick. People are quick to point out the issues with LSU’s offense outside of Nuss, and there are many. The offensive line is not good. LSU can’t run the ball to save their life, and they don’t even bother trying. However, Nuss deserves some blame here, too. Maybe it’s the injury, or maybe he just isn’t that great. Whatever the root cause of these issues is, Brian Kelly and his staff need to figure it out quickly, or LSU will find themselves going 8-4 (as I predicted preseason) again. Pete Golding also deserves credit in this game because he had the LSU offense in a blender. Thus far, the Rebel defense had been vulnerable, especially against the run, but they figured it out in this one and stifled the Tigers. Lane Kiffin simply finds a way to win, regardless of his personnel. Sure, he is also famous for laying eggs in certain matchups, but I’m not sure there is a better coach in the entire country at just putting his team in position to be successful. Ole Miss doesn’t have as much talent as the top teams in the country, but Lane will always have them in position to be the best they can be.
Bossman: That game was uglier than your grandma's barn cat. Texas A&M should have won this game 30-3 and blown out Auburn, but they made costly mistakes, from penalties to bad situational playcalling to missed field goals. The Aggies beat the Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, but they shot themselves in the foot so many times that they nearly gave Auburn the game. Let’s start with Auburn – this offense is atrocious. You have to credit Texas A&M’s defense, who played lights out, but there are too many playmakers on this offense to only put up 177 total yards of offense and 10 points against an Aggie defense that gave up 40 to Notre Dame. Auburn managed just 52 rushing yards, and the offensive line gave up five sacks and six TFLs. Some of that is Arnold holding the ball too long, and when he doesn’t hold it too long, he’s missing open receivers. For A&M, this one is survive and advance. An ugly win off a bye week, and there’s a ton to clean up, mostly on the offensive side of the ball. The penalties are killing this offense's momentum (13 for 119 yards), Reed is still missing open deep shots, and Colin Klein has to keep it simple on critical downs. Two things the Aggies should be encouraged by: 1) This defense was electric. Taurean York looks like a Butkus Award finalist - and Will Lee and that double coverage held Cam Coleman to four catches for 18 yards, and 2) The Aggies can lean on the rushing attack with Le’Veon Moss when they need to (21 carries, 139 yards). Aggies win and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2016, while Auburn is left wondering if Hugh Freeze will ever get it right.
Hammer: There wasn’t a more ugly game in all of America on Saturday. One of the sloppiest games I have seen in a long time from both teams. Texas A&M was by far the better team in this game, out gaining Auburn 414 to 174. But thanks to 13 penalties for 119 yards and a brutal interception that Auburn returned to the 2-yard line, the Aggies let Auburn hang around. Texas A&M usually loses games like this, so it's encouraging to see them pull it out and remain undefeated. Le’Veon Moss reemerged to lead the A&M offense when they needed him most, totaling 139 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Everything is in front of Elko and the Aggies, and if they can clean up the nonsense, they will be a certified SEC and CFP contender. On the Auburn side, Hugh Freeze should be next on the coaching chopping block. Auburn is completely lost offensively for the third consecutive year, and that is Freeze’s specialty. The Jackson Arnold experiment is only four games in, but it’s already run its course. He isn’t good. Arnold was just 18/33 for 125 yards. The Aggies also completely dominated Auburn’s offensive line, totaling five sacks, six TFLs, and only allowing the Tigers to run for 52 yards. The Auburn offense has no identity, no rhythm, and no juice. It’s a shame, too, because the Auburn defense is really good. DJ Durkin and that unit will keep Auburn in games, but unless Hugh Freeze remembers how to run an offense, this team will struggle to be .500.
Bossman: It’s official, you can no longer sleep on Mississippi State. What Jeff Lebby is doing with a completely new roster is nothing short of miraculous. I know, I know, the Bulldogs lost the game. But preseason, no one, I mean NO ONE, expected the Bulldogs to be in a game like this. And they were, right to the very end, pushing Tennessee to the brink. The Vols had to score a TD with 1:55 left in the game to survive and take it to OT! Can’t say enough about the effort from Lebby’s squad. For the Vols - you have to come away thankful to get a win, but also encouraged that this team can fight through adversity and get a big W. Joey Aguilar wasn’t on his best game, but still threw for 335 yards and a TD - but those two INTs turned into 14 points for Mississippi State. Have to clean that up going forward. They also need to clamp down in run defense, as the Bulldogs rushed for 198 yards on the Vols. Both teams can takeaway positives from this one.
Hammer: Dang! I have no ties to Mississippi State and generally couldn’t care less about that program. But after what they went through with Mike Leach, Zach Arnett, and a 2-10 season a year ago, it’s hard not to be rooting for the Bulldogs in 2025. And they had Tennessee! This one was back and forth all game lon,g and State never looked outmatched. They ran the ball well on offense, thanks to 134 yards and two TDs from Fluff Bothwell. Blake Shapen struggled more than he has all season and was under pressure a lot in this one. At the end of the day, Mississippi State just couldn’t close this one out. Give credit to Tennessee and Joey Aguilar for clawing back to score a TD with 1:55 left to take this game to overtime. Aguilar accounted for a whole lot of offense again in this one with 335 yards passing, but the interception bug that plagued him at App State might be back. Aguilar had two costly picks in this one. That might just be Aguilar’s modus operandi because he’s a gunslinger. At the end of the day, the Vols got an SEC win on the road, so just keep winning.
Bossman: Hello, Ty Simpson! My pre-season offensive player in the year in the SEC looks like he’s washed off the stink from the FSU loss and is coming into his own. He made some great throws in this game and finished with 276 yards passing, two TDs and no picks for a 90.1 QBR. Eight different Tide receivers caught a ball in this one, so he’s also spreading the wealth. Very impressive. Georgia was down 24-14 at half, but made it 24-21 early in the third quarter. And while Georgia’s defense held Alabama from scoring in the entire second half, they couldn’t muster anymore points and the Tide ran out the clock to end the game. This one stings for Georgia, as the narrative that Kirby can’t beat Alabama continues to gain steam. Still, they rushed for 227 yards and two TDs and the defense gave you a chance to win. A few positives to takeaway, and Georiga will still be formidable the rest of the year. Alabama now looks again like they’ll be in the playoff hunt. We should have known when Kalen DeBoer walked out on the field in the black hoodie that this one was over before it started.
Hammer: I don’t know what voodoo Alabama’s program has that helps them continue to beat Kirby Smart, but Georgia just can’t seem to get it done against the Tide. Alabama and Kalen DeBoer had a heck of a gameplan coming into this one and jumped all over Georgia. As they are known to do, Kirby and the Dawgs adjusted well, just like they did against Tennessee, and were able to shut out Bama in the second half. It just wasn’t quite enough to get the job done here. You can’t keep falling in two-score holes in the SEC and winning. Eventually, your luck will run out, and that’s what happened here. Gunner Stockton played pretty well, and he had a sure-fire TD dropped in the fourth quarter by a WR, but he wasn’t as spectacular as he was against Tennessee. The Alabama offensive line looked much better in pass protection, only allowing one sack. The Tide still couldn’t run the ball, but thanks to a red-hot Ty Simpson, found a way to get it done. Georgia, for their side, found a running game and ran for 227 yards on Alabama, but critical mistakes at critical times cost the Dawgs. Georgia will be fine after this loss, so don’t throw a pity party. But Alabama and Kalen DeBoer needed this one. People were calling for him to be fired after week one, so beating Georgia on the road will go a long way to ease that fanbase and give the team confidence.
Bossman: I expected South Carolina to get a solid win here, but even they outdid my expectations. Kentucky has nothing. It looks to be the sunset of the Mark Stoops era in Lexington. The Wildcats held a 10-7 lead, and then laid down for LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina rushing attack to take control. Sellers accounted for 234 of Carolina’s 341 yards, another impressive performance. The Gamecocks were also gifted 14 points, as Cutter Boley had a fumble returned for a TD and an INT returned for a TD. Another Boley INT turned into TD for SC on the ensuing drive. Kentucky had four turnovers, not including a turnover on downs. Just bad football being played right now by the Wildcats - commit four turnovers, you’re gonna have a bad time. A nice win for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks to build off of, while Mark Stoops and Kentucky seem lost in a dark cave.
Hammer: Beamer ball is back, baby! Don’t say anything disparaging about Shane Beamer, or he will find out, he will be pissed, and he will say something about it. Thanks to two defensive touchdowns, South Carolina was able to cruise to a victory in this one. LaNorris Sellers had a few highlight plays and had a solid game overall, but the Gamecock offense still has a lot of kinks. Good win for that team, though, to get back on track. For Kentucky, they still don’t have an offense or a QB. Cutter Boley, who took over for transfer QB Zach Calzada, had three total turnovers and was just 10/19 for 124 yards. The Kentucky run game has some juice and shows flashes of being good, but without the threat of any sort of passing game, it’s tough. You can’t be one-dimensional in the SEC, and Kentucky has no pass game whatsoever. Mark Stoops and Big Blue Nation look to be in for another rough season.
Other games on the slate:
#18 Vanderbilt 55 - Utah State 35
#20 Missouri 42 - UMASS 6
Reminder that our previews and picks will come out every Thursday night as we pick the games with the SEC After Dark crew (9 ET/8 CT on YouTube & X), and we’ll put out a graphic on social media as well to keep us honest. Y’all go here to subscribe and hit that bell so you don’t miss it.
We’ll also use our discretion, but most games with a 20+ point spread we won’t recap, barring a massive upset or a result that begs discussion. You can also join us as we preview games all season long on Biscuits & SEC LIVE, every Wednesday at 7 ET/6 CT - you can subscribe to our channel here.
