Biscuits & SEC Week 1 game-by-game recaps 2025
Has Alabama’s Rome fallen? Plus LSU makes a statement and Tennessee and South Carolina get off on the right foot.
By: Bossman, Hammer
Oh, how glorious it is to have college football back. Having wall-to-wall football from Thursday-Monday on Labor Day Weekend was absolutely fantastic. Is there anything better, anything more American? The close down of summer with one last cookout, as we turn to fall and get geared up for the heart of tailgate season. And to kick off the SEC season, we had some awesome games.
We’re going to do things a bit differently this season, only putting out a recap blog that will post on Sunday or Monday, depending on how quickly we can get our act together. Our previews and picks will come out every Thursday night as we pick the games with the SEC After Dark crew, 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.
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.
Here’s how Bossman & Hammer fared in Week 1:
With so many teams now in the conference, it’s easy to run it up in the straight-up column in the first few weeks, as the out-of-conference games allow for many cupcakes. But it’s always tough to pick against Vegas, no matter the opponents. Hammer trusted the SEC with some big spreads against lesser opponents and got burned on a few, while Bossman played the odds and bet on the straight-up wins, but only a few covers against big spreads.
Let’s hit our first recaps of the season.
Bossman: I picked Auburn in this game, despite the fact that Baylor returns 18 starters and is expected to compete for the Big 12 title. There were a lot of question marks facing the Tigers going into this game, and a win by two touchdowns on the road against a capable opponent gave Auburn fans a shot of adrenaline. Still, a few questions remain unanswered. We all knew Jackson Arnold could run, and it looks like his legs will be heavily utilized this year for Auburn, as he ran for 137 yards and two TDs against Dave Aranda’s defense. He was efficient through the air, though not flashy, posting a line of 11/17 (65%) for 108 yards, 0 TD/0 INT. The question is, what happens when more talented defenses than Baylor dare you to beat them through the air? We all know Auburn has the weapons on the outside to give anyone problems. But can Arnold take advantage of those weapons? That remains to be seen.
Hammer: Good for Auburn. I doubted this team, given all the whispers out of camp. I didn’t think this offense was ready to go into a hostile environment and win, but they more than handled their business. I got about what I expected from Baylor. They looked like a solid team overall, and Sawyer Robertson showed why people are so high on him. But the Baylor defense, somehow, was not ready for Jackson Arnold and the Auburn running game. I guess Dave Aranda was too concerned with the Auburn wide receiver talent to care about stopping the run. As Auburn said after the game, Baylor stayed in a two-high safety look basically all game, and so the Tigers took what was given to them. And take it they did. Jackson Arnold basically didn't even have to throw the ball; he just ran it right down Baylor’s throat 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Jamari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb also ran the ball well for Auburn, and the Tigers finished with over 300 yards rushing. It would appear, at least for now, that the transfers Auburn brought in on the offensive line are paying off. One final note, Auburn’s defense stuffed Baylor on the ground. Robertson got his through the air, but the Tiger front seven held Baylor to 64 yards on 27 carries. The trenches were dominated by Auburn on both sides of the ball and that’s why they won this ballgame.
Bossman: Hammer and I have been beating this drum all offseason that the Texas hype, and specifically the Arch Manning hype, was out of control. This Texas team is one of the most talented in the country, but they have new starters at key positions, including QB, offensive line, and defensive line. That takes time to break in and get on the same page, and having to go on the road against the defending national champions to start the season is a tall task. Turns out, it was too tall a task for the Longhorns. Manning looked out of sorts for much of the day, and the young offensive line was getting pushed around by the Ohio State front. At times, it was really ugly and lackluster. There were a few bright spots for the Longhorns - holding an Ohio State offense with the best player in the country in Jeremiah Smith, to 14 points, and holding Smith to just 43 yards, bodes well for what this defense will do going forward. Don’t give up on Texas yet.
Hammer: That is the Arch Manning I’ve heard so much about? The Heisman favorite? Not so fast, my friend. We’ve been beating this drum all offseason, and clearly our hesitancy about Arch was correct. He played awful in this one. I still think he will be a good QB and have a good year for Texas, but the wild idea that he would simply go into The Shoe and take out the defending national champions proved to be as foolish as it sounded. The Texas defense lived up to its billing for the most part, limiting Ohio State to 215 total yards. For as bad as Arch played, Texas actually outgained Ohio State 336 to 215 thanks to 166 yards rushing. The issue, yet again, for Texas was finishing drives. They stalled out twice in the red zone and came away with no points. Sark has to get that figured out if Texas wants to achieve their goals. They had the same issue last year, and it is what ultimately killed them in the CFP against Ohio State. Ultimately, these are two elite teams, and both will factor into the CFP and national title race. Things will get better for Texas, but that was a reality check, especially for their golden boy quarterback.
Bossman: The dynasty is dead. I do not say that lightly - I am usually tempered in making proclamations like that, but it’s hard to deny what we’re seeing on the field. I’ve also been a big Kalen DaBoer defender; all the guy has done at his stops before Alabama is win. But after all the hype in the offseason that this team was better and going to get right, we got a dispirited performance against Florida State that resulted in yet another loss for DaBoer against an unranked opponent. This is being widely discussed, but it is worth mentioning again here: Nick Saban lost just FOUR games to unranked opponents during his entire tenure in Tuscaloosa. DaBoer has now tied that mark in less than two seasons at the helm. The Tide are 9-5 under DaBoer, and 5-5 in their last ten games. Josh Pate had another terrible stat that is hard to believe is true: Alabama has had more penalties than their opponent in every single game under DaBoer. There is only one word to describe that: undisciplined.
All of this is extremely concerning, but even more concerning is the effort that is being displayed. Big, bad Alabama, who used to hold the mental edge as soon as they walked off the bus, no longer has that mystique. Players are lollygagging around the field, and they got manhandled in the trenches against a team that went 2-10 last season. It’s time to sound the alarm in Tuscaloosa - I can no longer shield my eyes.
Hammer: This was by far the most surprising result of week one. I picked Alabama to win the SEC, and while this game won’t hurt their chances in that department, this team has no business competing for an SEC title. Not like that, at least. Alabama got bullied. Tommy Castellanos talked smack all offseason, and Bama couldn’t do a darn thing to stop him when the game began. In what world does Alabama get out-rushed 236 to 87 on the ground? There are certain things, even when Alabama loses, that you just don’t imagine happening. Getting bullied on both lines of scrimmage falls into that category. How on earth did they look that soft? It’s puzzling. Ty Simpson also looked like a deer in the headlights. I thought he would have a massive year for Bama and had a good chance to end up in NYC as a Heisman finalist. That ain’t happening. Simson, who got zero help from his offensive line and was under constant duress, looked totally lost after the first drive script ran out. He had happy feet in the pocket and never found any rhythm. His running game completely abandoned him (again, Bama got bullied up front) as Alabama only mustered 87 yards on 29 carries. The final piece that makes this so unbelievable is that Alabama won the turnover battle 1-0. They didn’t shoot themselves in the foot with costly turnovers; they just got beat down in and down out for 60 minutes. Florida State appears to have hit paydirt on several transfers and seems to be better than many thought. However, Kalen DeBoer has serious issues that he needs to get figured out quickly; otherwise, Alabama is staring 8-4 right in the face.
Bossman: Hey, how about that Joey Aguilar guy? Not too shabby. For all the talk, including from me, that Tennessee may struggle due to Aguilar’s shortcomings and lack of time under Heupel, he balled out in his Vols debut and silenced the questioners - at least for a week. I picked GBO to win but Syracuse to cover here, mostly because the Orange won ten games last season and the Volunteers had plenty of new faces to break in. Instead, Tennessee controlled this game from start to finish, jumping out to a big lead and never looking back. While Aguilar’s solid debut was a big storyline, it’s also worth shouting out the running game, which looked like it didn’t miss a beat with Dylan Sampson off to the NFL. Star Thomas and DeSean Bishop both toted the rock 11+ times and had explosive runs. As a team, they rushed for 248 yards and two TDs. Have to be happy as a Vols fan with that start against a decent ACC foe.
Hammer: I doubted the Vols to cover here, and shame on me. Josh Huepel’s team always starts the year fast and blows out their opponents until conference play. I thought with all the newness on offense, they would sputter more than usual, but that wasn’t the case at all. Joey Aguilar ran the offense smoothly and finished with 247 yards passing and three TDs. The Vols rushing attack didn’t miss a beat without Dylan Sampson and carved up ‘Cuse for 248 yards rushing on 39 carries. I don’t know what to make of Syracuse, so I don’t quite know how impressive this win is for Tennessee. But I can tell that I came away impressed with how the offense looked under Joey Aguilar, given how new all the pieces on that side of the ball are. Kudos to Josh Heupel and his staff. Tennessee ain’t going anywhere.
Bossman: A Bulldogs cover! I did not see that coming with a solid Southern Miss team hosting Mississippi State in Hattiesburg. It took a bit for the Bulldogs to get going, only taking a three-point lead into halftime, 13-10, but scored 24 unanswered points with a well-balanced offense. Jeff Lebby’s offense looked solid, and you have to like the efficiency of Blake Shapen, who completed 76% of his passes. It also looks like State has a nice tandem with Davon Booth and Fluff Bothwell at RB, who combined for 122 of the Bulldogs 188 yards and three TDs. One thing to clean up: State had 14 penalties for 119 yards, almost double the number of penalties as Southern Miss. That won’t fly against better competition.
Hammer: This was a tricky spot for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have a completely new roster this year, rebuilt through the transfer portal and recruiting. Breaking those new players in on the road against a pesky in-state rival is not the easiest environment to do that. Veteran QB Blake Shapen commanded the State offense with poise and finished 26/34 for 270 yards with one TD and one interception. The State rushing attack looked strong, finishing with 188 yards on 42 carries. Perhaps the most important progress we saw was the Bulldog defense. Now, Southern Miss is no offensive juggernaut, so take this result with some skepticism. But Mississippi State’s defense was historically bad last year, and they held Southern Miss to 304 yards of total offense and 3.5 yards per carry. That is progress. Toledo hung 41 on this State team in Starkville last year. Mississippi State still has an uphill battle ahead of them this fall, but this was a great start to the 2025 campaign.
Bossman: YES, I’LL HAVE ONE CALZONE PLEASE. Y’all know I’m high on Zach Calzada, and while it’s somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I know the kid has arm talent and I’m rooting for him. Nice to see him get a win in his first start as a Kentucky Wildcat. It was also a good performance from the defense to hold Toledo to just 16 points; this is a team that last year averaged 28 points per game last season and famously hung 41 on Mississippi State in a blowout win. Even with a nice cover, there is plenty to clean up for the Wildcats. There were two avoidable first-half turnovers to go along with a safety, and Kentucky didn’t fully pull away in this game until midway through the fourth quarter. Some nice things to take away, but there is a lot to clean up ahead of a big matchup with #21 Ole Miss next Saturday.
Hammer: Do you believe in Big Blue Nation!? No, not many do. And I don’t really either, but I did pick the Cats to cover here, and they came through for me. The Zach Calzada era began about as expected: pretty sloppy. Calzada only threw for 85 yards on a paltry 10/23 attempts. He also tossed a pick but added a rushing TD to compensate. The real story in this game was Kentucky’s ground game, which carried them. The Wildcats totaled 221 yards rushing thanks to 129 from transfer Dante Dowdell. Kentucky’s defense looked much better than they did a year ago, holding Toledo to 59 yards rushing and 329 total yards. I don’t have high hopes for Kentucky, but this was a good start to the year for them. They avoided disaster and got the year started with a dub.
Bossman: I had no doubt A&M would win this game, even when UTSA had the ball with a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter. I also had no doubt that A&M would not cover in this game. Don’t believe me? I’ve been watching Aggie football a long time; the “play with your food against a lesser opponent” is in the A&M DNA. Here are five of those instances since 2014:
2014: Texas A&M 21 - ULM 16
2016: Texas A&M 23 - UTSA 10
2017: Texas A&M 24 - Nicholls 14
2022: App State 17 - Texas A&M 14
2024: Texas A&M 26 - Bowling Green 20
It’s a tale as old as time. Still, in Week 1, you want to come away with more good than bad. The Aggies did that, and it looks like they may have something with these receivers in KC Concepcion (3/72/1 TD; 80-yard PR TD) and Mario Craver (8/122/2 TDs). Marcel Reed played well but still has a few things to clean up. The one thing that is a big worry - stopping the run. The Aggies got gashed a few times last year, and they gave up 203 yards on the ground to UTSA. They'd better get that right before they head to South Bend to face a run-happy Notre Dame team in Week 3.
Hammer: This game started slowly for A&M, which is no surprise if you have followed the Aggies early-season games over the years. The Ags finally turned on the jets in the third quarter, when clinging to a slim 21-17 lead, A&M reeled off three unanswered touchdowns to take a 42-17 lead. The A&M offense seemed intent on throwing the football, which had to be the game plan given how talented their running backs and offensive line are. Clearly, OC Colin Klein wanted to get Marcel Reed and this rebuilt receiver room some live reps. Reed looked pretty good overall, finishing with 289 yards passing and four touchdowns. The three-headed monster in the Aggie backfield of Rueben Owens, Le’Veon Moss, and Amari Daniels combined for 11 carries. The emphasis on the passing game was clear as A&M threw the ball 36 times to only 22 rushing attempts. As a result, we got a glimpse into how dynamic A&M could be on the outside this season if they can keep up that consistency, as both major portal additions, Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, looked great. Concepcion returned a punt for a touchdown and hauled in three catches for 72 yards and another TD. Craver led the way with eight catches for 122 yards and two TDs. Given how strong everyone believes the A&M ground game will be, it bodes well for A&M that they appear to have legit playmakers at wideout. One point of concern for A&M was their run defense. UTSA ran for 203 yards and averaged 6.2 YPC. The Aggies lost a lot on the defensive line, and it seems like that could be an issue moving forward.
Bossman: Is Brian Kelly the best Week 1 coach we’ve ever seen? Some are saying it. What have you done for me lately? Brian Kelly has a top 10 road win in Week 1. Best to ever do it. In all seriousness, this is a huge win for Kelly, who gets the Week 1 monkey off his back and sets up LSU for a strong season. A loss in this one, and the questions would have only amplified. Now, the Bayou Bengals look like a true playoff contender and not a pretender. Hand up, I picked Clemson to win like many others - but don’t jump me Tigers fans, I picked LSU to nab a playoff spot. LSU outplayed Clemson for most of the night, and the offense did just enough to win. A ton of credit has to go to Blake Baker and this defense, who held a solid Clemson offense to just 10 points. It looks like my belief in Baker in year two with this talented group of transfers is well placed.
Hammer: I picked LSU here, but if you watched our SEC After Dark picks show I thought Clemson would win. How could you not? The game was in Clemson, and they had a ton of returning production after going to the CFP a year ago. LSU, meanwhile, was on the road with a ton of new faces and had lost every season opener with Brian Kelly. But not anymore! This was a giant win for LSU for all the reasons stated above. They went into a hostile environment against a talented, experienced Clemson team and left no doubt they were the better team. The LSU defense looks like the real deal as they never let Clemson find any running room on the ground (Clemson finished with 32 yards rushing), and harassed Cade Klubnik all night. LSU even lost the turnover battle and had a touchdown taken away due to a completely bogus review that never should have overturned the catch. Circumstances like those have sunk LSU in prior season openers, but this team battled through it and muscled out a win. This was a statement win for LSU as they announced to the college football world that they are for real this year.
Bossman: This one wasn’t the prettiest game you’ll ever watch, but it was nice W for the Gamecocks, who have struggled at times in openers under Shane Beamer. It was also good for Beamer to get an emotional win with so many ties to Virginia Tech, his alma mater. This offensive line is still a worry after the game against the Hokies, as Va Tech tallied four sacks and seven TFLs. The Gamecocks will see better defenses in the SEC, so the offensive line needs to come together, and fast. It was great to see Nyck Harbor step up (3/99/1 TD) - that was our big question in the offseason, who would step up to be Sellers' top target. Harbor might just be that guy, finally. Gamecocks also need to improve third-down efficiency, going just 4/12 on the game.
Hammer: The Beamer bowl was a fun spectacle and one of the things that make college football so great. The Beamer family name is so tied to Virginia Tech, and Shane Beamer is now paving his own way at South Carolina, so to see those two programs go head-to-head was awesome. The Gamecocks, as they are known to do early in seasons, took a while to get things going. The offense was sputtering for most of the day but had a few explosive plays, like the 64-yard bomb to Nyck Harbor and a punt return TD that kept them afloat, but only finished with 334 total yards. The offensive line did not look good, surrendering seven TFLs and four sacks against a rebuilt Hokie defense. Thankfully for Gamecock fans, their defense was able to bail out a slow-starting offense. The rebuilt South Carolina defense was suffocating, only allowing 3.1 yards per carry and holding veteran Hokie signal caller Kyron Drones to an abysmal stat line of 15/35 for 221 yards and two interceptions. The rest of the box score looks pretty similar for both teams, but the Gamecocks winning the turnover battle 2-0 paid huge dividends. To me, this is a good sign for South Carolina moving forward. I trust LaNorris Sellers and the offense to improve as the year goes on, and the punt return TD is no fluke. This is a tough team that will always be hard to beat, even if they don’t have their best stuff.
Other games on the slate:
#5 Georgia 45 - Marshall 7
Missouri 60 - Central Arkansas 6
Arkansas 52 - Alabama A&M 7
#18 Oklahoma 35 - Illinois State 3
Vanderbilt 45 - Charleston Southern 3
#21 Ole Miss 63 - Georgia State 7
