Biscuits & SEC Week 4 Game-by-Game Recaps
Sooners top Auburn, Ole Miss thumps Green Wave, Mizzou puts everyone on notice, and much more.
By: Bossman
Week 4…another beauty. Multiple games came down to the wire yet again, and we learned plenty about some big-time programs like Oklahoma and Auburn, not to mention Ole Miss. Plenty to get to, so we’ll dig right in. Quick programming note - no recaps this week from Hammer, he’s out in the backcountry this week through Thursday on an elk hunt. We wish him luck hunting the “ghosts of the forest.”
Here’s how Bossman & Hammer fared in Week 4:
Hammer came back down to earth a bit after his 11-1 mark against the spread last week, but still kept it at .500 which helped him maintain a three-game lead over Bossman. Hammer’s picks of Auburn to cover and Mizzou to cover allowed Bossman to pickup two games on him. We’ll see how it goes next week…
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: What can you say about this one? Arkansas held a 28-10 lead late in the second quarter and it looked like they would cruise to a nice win over a solid G6 opponent. But this is Arkansas, and you can never feel comfortable as a Hogs fan. Memphis started chipping away and eventually took the lead with 4:51 to go in the fourth quarter. The Hogs then drove down to the Memphis 17 with under two minutes, putting them in a position to punch it in for a winning TD or kick a field goal and walk out of the Liberty Bowl with a win. Instead, disaster struck yet again, as it has so many times for the Razorbacks, as RB Mike Washington Jr. had the ball punched out on 2nd down and Memphis recovered.
Arkansas wasn’t dead yet, but on 3rd & 8 from the Memphis nine-yard line, backup Tigers QB Arrington Maiden ran for 11 yards on a gritty run that should not have happened. The Arkansas offense had their way with the Tigers, but made critical mistakes and turned the ball over three times. This team just cannot stop shooting themselves in the foot. The defense was porous, allowing Memphis nearly 500 yards of total offense and 294 rushing yards - 7.4 YPC! Some stats from SEC Football Final: the Hogs gave up 118 yards rushing to the Tigers in the fourth quarter, and 157 yards after contact. Oof.
Bossman: This one was as close as we all expected it to be. Hammer picked Auburn to cover but OU to win, 24-21. Our guest picker on Biscuits & SEC LIVE, Cruz Oxenreider, picked OU to win and Auburn to cover as well. They weren’t far off. This one came down to the wire, but Oklahoma made the plays when they needed to. Auburn also has a serious gripe with the SEC officiating office, as multiple crucial calls were missed, including a no-call on an early Sooners TD that was against SEC rules, and a scoop-n-score that was called back on questionable grounds. Those two plays were major swings in the game. Overall, I was impressed with both teams. Though Auburn lost this game, they showed that they are a tough out and should be able to compete in every game left on their schedule.
Jackson Arnold protected the ball and went toe-to-toe with John Mateer, even when the Sooners did what we all expected - take away the run game as much as possible and bring pressure. Cam Coleman is an absolute stud and will be a problem for every team he faces. The BIG issue for Auburn is the offensive line. They allowed an Oklahoma school record ten sacks on the day (seven different OU defenders had at least half a sack) and didn’t have much luck establishing the run. Plenty of credit is due to OU, which looks like a serious CFP contender. John Mateer is the real deal, and watching him throw fade routes to the boundary is a thing of beauty. Isaiah Sategna is establishing himself as WR1 and had nine catches for 127 yards and a TD. The Sooners are legit.
Bossman: Trinidad Chambliss is your starting QB for the Ole Miss Rebels. I really don’t know how you go back to Austin Simmons after watching Chambliss the last two weeks - sometimes you just have to go with the hot hand and see what happens. Chambliss was electric for the second straight week, posting over 400 total yards of offense, two passing TDs, a 90.1 QBR and a 63% completion rate. In the last two weeks, he’s averaging 330 YPG passing and a 68% completion rate for 11.8 yards per pass and 1.5 TDs, to go along with 14.5 carries for 87 yards (6.1 YPC) and 1 TD. The man is red hot.
Tulane is no slouch, and he carved them up like he was a Plymouth Rock Pilgrim slicing that first Thanksgiving turkey. There were seven Ole Miss receivers who caught a ball in this game, and the Rebs had 241 yards rushing. This was a total team effort, though, as the defense also did its part, as talented Green Wave QB Jake Retzlaff started the game 0/9 passing and finished the day with just 57 yards through the air.
Bossman: LaNorris Sellers got his swagger back, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Beau Pribula, who keeps playing like one of the top QBs in the SEC. This Mizzou team looks like one of the most complete teams in the SEC through four weeks. Ahmad Hardy is lighting up the stat sheet, leading the SEC in rushing by over 200 yards, and put up 138 yards on 6.3 YPC and a TD against the Gamecocks. This man will not be easy to stop for any team this season. Overall, Mizzou made South Carolina’s defense look like Swiss cheese, racking up 287 yards rushing. The Tigers defense also got home for five sacks and eight TFLs, showing that this defense has teeth AND that this South Carolina offensive line is still a mess. South Carolina rushed for negative nine yards. I know that sack yards are taken into account, but how on earth is an SEC team in the negative rushing yards on the game, even with sack yards taken into account? Wild. It does not bode well for South Carolina going forward.
LaNorris Sellers was solid through the air, dropping over 300 yards and two TDs on the day, and he may have found his top target in Vandrevius Jacobs, who went off for 128 yards and a TD. Two more points of pain for the Gamecocks - the defensive line wreaked havoc in the backfield this year, but they have struggled so far this year, and yesterday was no different. The Gamecocks mustered just one sack and three TFLs, which won’t cut it in SEC play. Finally, they committed 14 penalties for 98 yards – which signals an undisciplined team. There is much for Shane Beamer to clean up as the Gamecocks head back to the other Columbia.
Bossman: Hammer said it best last week: What is there to even say about Florida anymore? The defense, YET AGAIN, gave the Gators a shot in this game. Trailing 13-7 late in the third quarter, a Cormani McClain INT gave Florida a chance to drive down and take the lead. Florida was unable to convert a 4th & 3 as young WR TJ Abrams ran a short route in front of the line to gain and was stopped for a two-yard gain – turnover on downs. On SEC Football Final, Gator alum Chris Doering questioned why Abrams was even in the game at that moment, and he has a point. The Florida offense is nearing historically bad territory. DJ Lagway finished the game with just 61 – yes, 61 – yards passing for 2.7 yards per pass. Abysmal.
Florida only had 141 total yards the ENTIRE GAME. They were 0-13 on third down. Miami made the plays to win and pulled away late, but this is yet another game where Florida fans are shaking their head, wondering “what if.” Billy Napier seems totally in over his head calling plays and trying to be a CEO. Florida gets a much-needed bye week before they host the Texas Longhorns on October 4th. The Gators are reeling and it does not look good in Gainesville.
Other games on the slate:
#3 LSU 56 - SE Louisiana 10
#8 Texas 55 - Sam Houston 0
#15 Tennessee 56 - UAB 24
#20 Vanderbilt 70 - Georgia State 21
Mississippi State 38 - Northern Illinois 10
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.
