Biscuits & SEC Week 3 Game-by-Game Recaps
Texas A&M gets a huge win, Vandy rolls, Florida remains lost, and the Ole Miss backup got it done. WHAT A WEEK.
By: Bossman, Hammer
The further we get into college football season, the better it gets. Week 3 delivered wild, back-and-forth games in every single time slot. In the SEC, I still don’t know who is actually good. The race for Atlanta feels as wide open as I can ever remember, and that bodes well for an exciting season ahead. Every team could get beaten on any given Saturday.
Here’s how Bossman & Hammer fared in Week 3:
Hammer went scorched earth in week three going 11-1 ATS and 12-0 straight up. I don’t know if anyone has a better pulse on SEC football than the Hammer right now (famous last words as this streak will surely come crashing down next week). Bossman had a solid week himself. Anytime you are over .500 ATS, you beat the house.
Let’s hit the recaps.
Bossman: I took Wisconsin to cover here because I wanted to see Bama prove it to me before I started to believe again. Well, they proved it. It took the Tide a bit to get rollin’, but once they did, they steamrolled the Badgers in Tuscaloosa. This one was basically over by halftime, as the Tide led 21-0 at the break. My SEC Player of the Year pick, Ty Simpson, was electric, throwing for nearly 400 yards on 24/29 passing and four TDs to three different receivers. Ryan Williams burst back onto the scene, and it feels like this team has regained their focus after getting punched in the mouth by FSU in Week 1. The defense was stellar as well, posting four sacks and four TFLs, while Bray Hubbard added two picks. If there’s one thing you can nitpick from this victory, it's that the running game still hasn’t gotten going. They went over 200 yards against ULM, but that doesn’t matter. Getting Jam Miller back, hopefully for the Georgia game, should give this run game a shot in the arm. You can also point out the 95-yard KR touchdown for Wisconsin, something the Tide needs to correct. It seems that the voices saying Bama was done for may have been premature – at least for now.
Hammer: This game went about how I expected, but I’m not fully back in on this Alabama team. I need to see them play well against good opponents and play well on the road. Wisconsin is neither a good opponent nor was it on the road, so I expected the Tide to roll and roll they did. After a pitiful week one, Ty Simpson has looked like one of the best QBs in the country. Again, Wisconsin and UL Monroe aren’t good teams, but the numbers he is putting up would be good against air. Simpson followed up his perfect performance in week 2 with a 24/29 for 382 yards and four touchdowns. He also somehow led Alabama in rushing with six carries for 25 yards, which is a concern. But through the air, Alabama’s offense appears to have figured some things out. Germie Bernard had another solid game, and Ryan Williams re-introduced himself to the college football world with a 5 catch, 165 yard and two touchdown performance. The Badger offense is terrible, but the Tide still looked good on that side of the ball, holding Wisco to 209 total yards. Solid performance for Alabama as they continue to try and right the ship.
Bossman: What was that about Gunner Stockton? Don’t mind him, just strolling in for a top 15 road win while posting three total TDs and over 340 total yards. And while he’s at it, he’ll have a side of nine in a row. Frankly, this was an absolute duel, and the Vols played a helluva game on the other side. An instant classic in Knoxville, the Vols went up 21-7 before the Dawgs started chipping, chipping, chipping away. Joey Aguilar played a great game and made some huge throws, averaging 10.3 yards per completion. Both of these offenses were firing on all cylinders, with Georgia going for over 500 yards of total offense and Tennessee falling just four yards short of 500. By the way, that Dawgs rushing attack? They put up 198 yards. Maybe Georgia’s rushing game is back to business as usual this season. This one is going to sting on Rocky Top for a while, as you had a chance to win it in regulation and whiffed. After this one, it’s safe to say that both of these teams are serious contenders in the SEC and for the College Football Playoff. With all the offseason turmoil, Josh Heupel is already doing one of his best coaching jobs to date. And yet again…Georgia is dangerous.
Hammer: Unlike the Alabama game, this did not go how I expected at all. I did pick Georgia to win and Tennessee to cover, which came to fruition, but I never saw this offensive explosion coming from either team. Until this game, Tennessee had not scored more than 17 points against Kirby under Josh Heupel. With Joey Aguilar and a lot of new faces, I thought we’d see more of the same from the Vol offense. How wrong I was. Tennessee’s offense looked great. Aguilar finished 24/36 for 371 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Chris Brazzell II went off for the Vols with 177 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The Vol offense was ready to win this game. Some of it was luck, but that’s fine. You put up 41 points at home and have a FG to win it in regulation, the offense did its job tenfold. The issue was Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense game to play, too. Stockton backed up my preseason hype, going 23/31 for 204 yards and two touchdowns. He added 38 yards rushing with another TD. The throw Stockton made with the game on the line in the 4th quarter on 4th down for a TD to London Humphries was beautiful. He delivered a strike through the heart of Vol Nation in Neyland Stadium with the game on the line. Absolute STONES from Stockton on that one. This was a Kirby Smart win. Georgia was probably outplayed, but they kept coming, never gave an inch and ultimately made the plays needed to win. Tennessee looked really good, though, so don’t hang your heads, Volunteers.
Bossman: If this weekend's games were a group of friends going out for a night on the town, this friend would have been the drunkest. And every year, this one seems to be the drunkest. Maybe it’s time for an intervention? HECK NO. Keep feeding this one alcohol, it’s more fun that way. No Austin Simmons? No problem. Trinidad Chambliss got the start for the in place of a hobbled Austin Simmons, and he played out of his mind. He threw for over 350 yards and a TD, averaging over 12 yards per completion. He also protected the ball and didn’t commit a turnover. On the other side, Taylen Green had a helluva day as well, going for 420 yards of total offense and accounting for two TDs. This one was a pitcher's duel and an absolute shootout - the defenses might as well have been made of papier-mache. This one felt like it would come down to whoever had the ball on the final possession, but Arkansas stubbed their toe one final time on their last possession with a fumble to make that a moot point. The Hogs also missed two long field goal attempts. In the end, Arkansas once again blew a shot at a big win with multiple key mistakes.
Hammer: I was on a heater this weekend. 11-1 against the spread has to be the best week I’ve had since we began predicting these games 5 years ago. This one was no different. I thought we’d see a shootout and we did. Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss deserve a ton of credit for this win since the Rebs held off a tough Arkansas team by scoring 41 points with a backup QB. Trinidad Chambliss, a D2 transfer, looked like a seasoned vet in this game, throwing for 353 yards, running for 62 more and totaling three touchdowns without a turnover. The Arkansas defense did a good job of shutting down the Ole Miss traditional run game, holding Kewan Lacy to 44 yards and Ole Miss as a team to 124 yards on 3.3 ypc. The Razorbacks plan was obviously to make Chambliss beat them with his arm, and unfortunately for Arkansas, he did. Taylen Green had a hell of a day for the Razorbacks, too. Green did everything on Saturday, throwing for 305 yards and a TD while running for 115 yards and another TD. This game was so evenly matched, the only difference was the one Arkansas turnover that came at the worst possible time: when the Hogs were driving late with a good chance to win the game. If that isn’t one of the most emblematic losses in the Sam Pittman tenure, who is now 7-18 in one possession games at Arkansas, I don’t know what is. Brutal loss for Arkansas and gutsy win for Ole Miss.
Bossman: All my DJ Lagway hype is starting to look pretty foolish. He made some good throws and went for 287 yards and a TD, BUT - and it’s a big but - he threw FIVE interceptions. All you would need to do was check the box score, see five picks, and know how this one would turn out. I think that’s partly on Lagway and partly on LSU’s much-improved secondary, but your chances of winning after throwing five picks are slim to none. LSU should have won by four touchdowns forcing five turnovers, but instead they slogged through this one and only mustered a 10-point win. It’s an SEC win at home, and you’ll take any SEC win you can get, but you have to be a little uneasy with the offense at the moment. Brian Kelly was tired of hearing the critics after a win in a rivalry game and made that very clear in the postgame press conference. To some degree he’s right, but LSU fans have a right to be a bit worried with the high aspirations for this team. For LSU, this one was win and advance. For Florida, it seems like another failure to point to in the Napier era.
Hammer: I’m going to keep tooting my own horn because I have to soak this in. Normally, my picks are terrible, but I nailed this game as well. I predicted a defensive struggle where LSU managed to cover because I like the Tiger defense and I hate the Florida offense. We talked about my issues with Napier insisting on calling plays during our live show last week, and what came as a shock to no one, the Gator’s offense still looked awful. They found another way to look bad in this one though, as DJ Lagway decided to throw 5 interceptions. He was completely lost. I’m not sure what happened between last season and this season with Lagway, but he doesn't look good at all. Perhaps it’s the lack of practicing that I kept harping on all offseason. If so, I hate that for Lagway and Napier because you can’t avoid injury, but the poor kid didn't practice all offseason. What were y’all expecting? Florida is done. Their schedule is too difficult to come out of this hole. For LSU, as Brian Kelly emphasized in his post game press conference tirade, take the win and move on. The LSU offense looked lost as well, and Nussmeier threw a completely brain dead interception, but they got the win. The Tiger defense is the real deal, and if and when their offense catches up, they’ll be thought to be. But as long as Blake Baker’s defense keeps playing like this, LSU will be in every single game.The offseason investment on defense is paying off big time and LSU remains unbeaten and dangerous.
Bossman: The Aggies did it. They FINALLY got that big win on the road against a ranked opponent, and they did so in thrilling fashion. What stood out to me most in this game was that A&M never folded. Notre Dame kept punching, and the Aggies kept getting back up from the mat to punch right back. This was a twelve-round title fight, and only one team was going to outlast the other. On this night, it was Texas A&M outlasting the Irish by a mere point. I give a ton of credit to Mike Elko for this win. It’s the culture that he’s built in College Station that makes the Aggies keep coming, keep coming, keep coming, even when they seem down and out. Mario Craver played like a man possessed, and it seems like the Aggies have a very reliable receiving corps for the first time in a very long time. The A&M defense has much to work on, but they did log three sacks and eight TFLs, so there is some good you can take away. The biggest thing the Aggies need to work on is penalties - it’s an Irish miracle that they won, considering they totaled 13 penalties for 86 yards. A massive road win for Elko’s squad and A&M seems like a serious contender in the SEC.
Hammer: Another one for the Hammer! I had faith in the Aggies for no apparent reason, and it somehow paid off thanks to some late heroics by Marcel Reed and Aggie TE Nate Boerkircher hauling in a touchdown on 4th and goal from the 11 yard line with 13 seconds left. Texas A&M has not won games like this in a long, long time. They have a ton to clean up even in a win, including 13 penalties and a defensive secondary that was getting gashed, but they found a way to get the job done. They never quit fighting and they finally got over the hump. Marcel Reed’s stat line is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen: 17/37 for 360 yards with two TDs and one pick. Under 50% completion percentage, yet 360 yards on only 17 completions?? Insanity, and it’s mostly thanks to the great game Collin Klein called and the deadly wide receivers that A&M has now. Mario Craver put the country on notice with 7 receptions for 207 yards and a TD. Concepcion added 4 catches for 82 yards. Those two look like one of the most dangerous WR duos in the country through three games, and the Aggies can beat anyone with that explosive play ability. I don’t recommend relying on explosive plays like that every week, but it’s a damn good card to pull when you need it. Massive credit to Mike Elko and A&M for getting this win.
Pull all the clips, Vandy fans. I am done doubting Diego Pavia and Clark Lea. Vandy is NOT MESSING AROUND. This Commodores team is for real, and so far this season, they are backing up every word of Diego Pavia’s offseason bravado. All Vandy did on Saturday was walk straight into the Sandstorm and win by 3+ TDs. LaNorris Sellers was pedestrian compared to Pavia, and the Vandy defense was once again disruptive all night. After the Gamecocks tied the game 7-7 in the first quarter, this one was all Commodores. In the preseason, I said that South Carolina could be the most overrated team in the SEC. I don’t think I’ve been proven right just yet, but I do think that is currently tracking. Another great win for Vandy as they improve to 3-0. Also congrats to Theo Von, the biggest winner of the weekend for scoring a date with Diego Pavia’s mom.
Hammer: I picked Vandy in this game because Diego Pavia is a DAWG. Lane Stadium and Virginia Tech used to mean something. They don’t anymore, and that’s sad but it’s true. Pavia and the ‘Dore were the better team coming into this game and I knew they would be ready for that environment. A sluggish start saw the Commodores trailing 20-10 at halftime. What happened in the second half was pure dominance as Vandy scored 34 unanswered points and held the Hokies to 21 total yards in the second half. Pavia looked in control of the Vandy offense all night going 12/18 for 193 yards with two TDs and one interception. He added 61 yards on the ground as the Vandy run game looked unstoppable, averaging 7.1 yards per carry for a total of 262 total rushing yards. Don’t doubt this Vanderbilt team!
Other games on the slate:
#7 Texas 27 - UTEP 10
#13 Oklahoma 42 - Temple 3
#24 Auburn 31 - South Alabama 15
#25 Missouri 52 - Louisiana 10
Mississippi State 63 - Alcorn State 0
Kentucky 48 - Eastern Michigan 23
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.
