By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith recaps week four in the SEC.

It wasnt an overly busy day in the SEC, but the leagues top two games delivered with highly entertaining games in awesome atmospheres. There was controversy as well, which well certainly touch on here.

With 12 games, no further introduction is necessary. Lets run through the final weekend before conference play kicks into high gear in the SEC.

Game Thoughts and Takeaways
LSU 28, Mississippi State 25
It was over when: The Bulldogs late rally from a 28-10 deficit hit a roadblock when their last-ditch onsides kick attempt with two minutes to go failed to travel the required 10 yards.

*Kayshon Boutte. The nations leading touchdown catcher added two more scores on Saturday afternoon, including a catch-and-run 64-yarder to start the second half that gave LSU a two-score lead, which it did not relinquish until the final minutes when Mississippi State cut it to three. He only caught four passes, but LSU only ran 54 plays. Bouttes plays matter. Thats how a single wide receiver can be the difference between wins and losses.

*LSUs running game is still a concern. The Tigers managed just 3.1 yards per carry, even after adjusting for sacks. The schedule toughens in October. As good as Boutte is and as tough as quarterback Max Johnson is, theyre going to need some help to have another 3-1 month.

*Mississippi State outran LSU by 52 yards and completed 47 passes. Due to turnovers and explosive plays from the Tigers, that wasnt enough to prevent a sixth straight loss in SEC West games. The defense did its job, but the offense just doesnt have any explosiveness, failing to register a single play of 30 yards or longer in the game. Texas A&M and Alabama are up next.

Boston College 41, Missouri 34 (OT)
It was over when: Connor Bazelaks first pass of the bottom half of overtime was intercepted by Brandon Sebastian, one play after Dennis Grosel and Zay Flowers had put Boston College ahead with a 10-yard touchdown pass in the top half.

*This was as good of a game as theres been this season. It would be regarded as such if it would have been two bluebloods like Auburn vs. Penn State, but it was only Missouri vs. Boston College. The game was either tied or within one score for all but three minutes. Missouris Harrison Mevis kicked a 56-yard field goal attempt about 57 yards as time ran out to force overtime after the Eagles had taken a 34-31 lead with 25 seconds left.

*The Tigers moved the ball through the air with 303 yards from Bazelak, while the Eagles amassed 275 yards on the ground behind their beefy offensive line. Tyler Badie added two rushing touchdowns for the Tigers, but Missouri could never get much going in the running game. The contrast of styles added to the entertainment value.

*Boston College now heads to Clemson at 4-0 for a key Atlantic Division showdown that they are capable of winning. Missouri falls to 2-2 with Tennessee coming to town next Saturday to start a very manageable stretch of the schedule.

(2) Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 0
It was over when: Georgias plane landed safely in Nashville on Friday evening.

*It was the unfair fight we all expected it to be, but the speed with which the Bulldogs stormed to a 35-0 lead was still jarring. Georgias first five drives all went for touchdowns, but they totaled just 20 plays. J.T. Daniels short day was done after nine completions in 10 attempts (with a drop).

*It took until the fourth quarter for Vanderbilt to compile more yards than Georgia did points. It finished Vanderbilt 77 (yards), Georgia 62 (points). The Commodores completed just five passes between Ken Seals and Mike Wright, while starting running back Rocko Griffin had more carries (eight) than yards (seven).

*Vanderbilt now prepares for what is likely its final chance at a win this season when 0-4 UConn comes to Nashville next week. Georgias toughest games are all in October, beginning with an early kick next week against red-hot Arkansas, which comes to Athens for the first time since 2010.

(16) Arkansas 20, (7) Texas A&M 10
It was over when: Leading 20-10 with three minutes to play, Arkansass stout defense held on fourth down to complete a wire-to-wire upset of Texas A&M, giving the Razorbacks their first win in the annual series since 2011.

*The story of the game was Barry Odoms defense, as the Razorbacks held Texas A&M to just 272 yards and 4.6 yards per play. Isaiah Spiller split the defense in the third quarter for a 67-yard touchdown run, but that was the only carry by a running back that went for more than 10 yards all game. Zach Calzada was held to a measly 4.2 yards per attempt, as Odoms unit got sufficient pressure with four, allowing the most underrated secondary in college football to shut down any explosive play attempts.

*The Arkansas running game continues to be fantastic. The Hogs fell just three yards short of 200 on the ground against at Texas A&M defense that held it first three opponents to a combined 20 points. The Hogs only averaged 4.5 yards per carry, but thats with no runs of 20 yards or longer. That means they were efficient, including quarterback K.J. Jefferson, who picked up 50 of the 197 yards himself. The offensive line, banged up coming into the game, won the battle against a tough Aggies front.

*Jefferson wont ever carve up defenses with his arm, but when hes asked to air it out, hes been successful. He completed only seven of 15 passes, but he threw a gorgeous sideline deep ball to Treylon Burks for an 85-yard touchdown early on, while also completing a beautiful 21-yard out route to Tyson Morris. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles continues to put Jefferson in advantageous positions to win with his arm, and the quarterback hasnt let him down.

*Texas A&M settled in after falling behind 17-0, with the defense holding the Hogs to just three points in the final 45 minutes, but the offense again showed its limitations. Its not just a Calzada problem, as the offensive line is losing battles and the wide receivers arent making plays when asked to. The defense makes this an eight-win team, but is that the ceiling after what weve seen over the first month from the Aggies offense?

*Georgia is up next. Is Arkansas ready for a task even larger than the two old rivals it has disposed of with relative ease in the past three weeks? Jefferson has a bum leg, and the Bulldogs have only allowed one touchdown in four games. Arkansas has broken through every proverbial roadblock placed on them under Sam Pittman, so doubting them in Athens might be a precarious position to take.

(23) Auburn 34, Georgia State 24
It was over when: Another cSmoke Sixd from Auburns Smoke Monday completed a comeback that no one thought would be necessary, as Monday followed up a go-ahead fourth-down touchdown pass from T.J. Finley to Shedrick Jackson with less than a minute play with an interception return for a touchdown to finally finish off the pesky Panthers.

*We now have a quarterback controversy on The Plains. Bo Nix was lifted from the game with the Tigers trailing 24-19 late in the third quarter, having completed just 13 of his 27 pass attempts. Finley wasnt much better, but was able to extend plays, including on the final offensive snap of the game when there was no tomorrow. LSU is next. Finley transferred from LSU in the summer. Bryan Harsin has an interesting week ahead.

*After the Auburn run defense held up well last week at Penn State, Tyson Gregg gashed the Tigers for 150 yards on the ground, with his teammates adding another 117. A flat effort from Auburn wasnt shocking, but Saturdays game was beyond simply a lack of focus. The good news? LSU cant run the ball. The bad news? Georgia and Arkansas come after that. Tigers fans have to hope this effort can be blamed on the perceived lesser competition and not a more systemic problem.

*Trailing 24-12 in the third quarter, Auburns Barton Lester blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone. Even though it took until the last possible play, it felt after the punt block that the Tigers were going to survive. The Tigers offense was spinning its wheels at that point, and two touchdowns was going to be a tough ask. Special teams dont always matter, but Auburn is probably an embarrassing 2-2 without a game-changing special teams play on Saturday.

(11) Florida 38, Tennessee 14
It was over when: Dan Mullen reached deep into his bag of tricks with a wide receiver pass call on the first series of the second half. Trent Whittemore took a backwards screen from Emory Jones and found a wide open Kemore Gamble for a 13-yard touchdown that gave Florida a 31-14 lead over a game but overmatched Volunteers squad.

*The Florida running game continued to dominate after an impressive showing against Alabama, racking up 283 yards on the ground, more than half coming from quarterback Emory Jones. Despite good numbers, Tennessee hadnt yet faced a viable rushing attack, and it showed.

*Tennessee led 14-10 at one point, but couldnt get out of its own way with 10 penalties and poor clock management before halftime. The big plays were there, and the Vols capitalized with touchdown passes of 75 and 47 yards to wide receiver JaVonta Payton and running back Tiyon Evans respectively, with the latter coming on a well-executed screen. The Vols are doing what Josh Heupel wants them to do offensively, but theyre just not executing well enough to compete with a team like Florida. Someone is getting a legitimate scare from Tennessee before the season ends.

*Floridas defense again started slow, but like last week against Alabama, clamped down late in the first half, and held Tennessee off of the scoreboard for the last 41 minutes. Next week brings an interesting test against a Kentucky offense with a potent ground game but an inconsistent aerial attack.

Kentucky 16, South Carolina 10
It was over when: Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez grinded out a pair of first downs in Kentuckys four-minute offense to deny South Carolina a chance at a drive to win a game that it trailed for the final 52 minutes.

*Kentucky aired it out last week against Chattanooga, but the Wildcats reverted back to a two-thirds run ratio upon returning to SEC play. That paid off, as the rushing attack went for 230 yards on 44 carries to finish with a solid 5.2 yards per carry. The big plays werent there, but the efficiency was. After a curious effort last Saturday, Kentucky looked much more like Kentucky.

*Kentuckys biggest problem was once again turnovers, as the Gamecocks were 3-0 winners in the turnover battle. The Wildcats have managed to overcome those mistakes through a soft September schedule, but October is a bear with Florida, LSU and Georgia in the next three weeks. The margins are perilously thin given the talent gap the Wildcats will face. They must play cleaner football.

*South Carolinas offense remains very limited. Theres nothing about quarterback Luke Doty that scares a defense. The offensive line isnt getting much push, rendering running back Kevin Harris a non-factor. The defense is holding up and forcing turnovers, but the offense struggles to capitalize. Winnable games are coming up the next three weeks, but the defense will need a little more help from the other side of the ball if the Gamecocks hope to go 3-0 in that stretch of Troy, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

(1) Alabama 63, Southern Miss 14
It was over when: Alabama used its tight ends to score a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to build a 21-0 lead after Jameson Williams ran back the opening kickoff to open the scoring. Nick Saban Doghouse refugee Jahleel Billingsley caught the first one, hauling in a 16-yard pass from Bryce Young, while Cameron Latu followed with a one-yard score.

*With an opponent as bad as Southern Miss, only inside the program will it be clear if Alabama cleaned up some of its issues coming out of the Florida game. Stopping the run and avoiding penalties were concerns leaving Gainesville. The Golden Eagles managed only 82 yards on the ground, which is no big reason to celebrate in Tuscaloosa, while seven more penalties wont leave Saban pleased heading into perhaps the biggest week of the regular season.

*With Brian Robinson held out after a minor rib injury against Florida, Roydell Williams led the way on the ground, finishing with 110 yards and scoring his second career touchdown in the second quarter.

*Young did see his interception-free season come to an end thanks to a dropped pass by Jameson Williams, but his stat line was still brilliant, finishing 20-of-22 for 313 yards and five touchdowns. Hell have a chance to stake his claim as the best quarterback in the country next week when he goes head to head with Ole Miss Matt Corral.

Power Ranking the SEC
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ole Miss
4. Florida
5. Arkansas
6. LSU
7. Texas A&M
8. Auburn
9. Kentucky
10. Missouri
11. Mississippi State
12. Tennessee
13. South Carolina
14. Vanderbilt

National Thoughts
ACC: Well, this league is hilarious. The two division favorites, Clemson and North Carolina, are now a combined 2-3 in conference play, as the Tigers fell in overtime at N.C. State, and the Tar Heels were blasted in Atlanta by Georgia Techxa6Wake Forest may be playing the best football of any team in the league, as the Deacons moved to 4-0 with a 37-17 rout at Virginia on Friday nightxa6Louisville dropped Florida State to an unfathomable 0-4 start with a not-that-close 31-23 win in Tallahasseexa6Syracuse continued a nice bounceback season with a walk-off win over undefeated Liberty on Friday, 24-21, to improve to 3-1.

Big 12: Oklahoma again had to survive, never leading West Virginia until Gabe Brkics 29-yard field as time expired split the uprights for a 16-13 win. A disgruntled crowd in Norman was calling for backup quarterback Caleb Williams to replace Spencer Rattler. With nemesis Kansas State up next, the Sooners are running out of time to figure things outxa6Texas put up 70 points in a rout of Texas Tech. If theyre not getting pushed around up front, the Longhorns are a very dangerous teamxa6Baylor handed Iowa State a second loss with a 31-29 win in Waco, sparked by a kick return touchdown from Trestan Ebner and a stop on a late two-point conversion attempt. This is SOP for Iowa State in September, so dont write them out of the Big 12 title race yet, but the 2-2 start is nothing short of a big disappointmentxa6Oklahoma State won a battle of unbeatens over Kansas State, 31-20, in Stillwater. The Wildcats were again without starting quarterback Skylar Thompson. The Cowboys host Baylor next week.

Big Ten: Graham Mertz officially has a case of Kenny Hill Syndrome, as the Wisconsin sophomore continued his freefall with an 18-of-41, four-interception day in a 41-13 loss to Notre Dame in Chicago. The Badgers actually led 13-10 in the fourth quarter for about 10 seconds, but the Irish returned a kickoff for a touchdown to spark a 31-0 rally in the final 13 minutes. With the win, Brian Kelly surpassed Knute Rockne to become the winningest coach in Notre Dame historyxa6Michigan built a 20-3 lead against pesky Rutgers in Ann Arbor, but needed a couple late stops to hang on for a 20-13 win. The Wolverines offense was lifeless after halftime, giving credibility to those who remained skeptical of them even after an impressive 3-0 start. Fascinating game next week in Madison between Michigan and Wisconsin as the maize and blue hit the road for the first timexa6No. 5 Iowa limped through a 24-14 win over Colorado State. The Hawkeyes have a Friday night road trip to 4-0 Maryland before perhaps the Big Ten Game of the Year in two weeks back in Iowa City against Penn Statexa6Nebraska is the West Virginia of the Big Ten. Its games are rarely dull, but they rarely result in the Cornhuskers winning. Leading Michigan State 20-13, Nebraska was duped by a trick play on a punt return in which the Spartans fooled the punt coverage into thinking the kick went to the right instead of the left, leaving Jayden Reed free to run back the punt for the tying touchdown. Adrian Martinez was intercepted to start overtime, and the Spartans improved to 4-0 with a field goal in the bottom half of overtime. So close, but yet so far for Nebraska.

Pac-12: For the second straight home game, USC was run out of the Los Angeles Coliseum, as Oregon State carved up the Trojans for 532 yards, including 319 on the ground. Clay Helton isnt around to blame anymore, but this a broken program that is not only losing to teams it should never lose to, but getting blown out by themxa6UCLA withstood a rally by Stanford with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 35-24 win in Palo Alto, bouncing back from last weeks heartbreaking loss to Fresno Statexa6Oregon was flat in a 41-19 win over winless Arizona, as defensive injuries continue to be a concern. The Ducks go to Stanford next weekxa6Washington forced a fumble in overtime to survive Californiaxa6Colorado ended a drought of 24 straight drives without a point, but the Buffaloes were blown out in a 35-13 loss at Arizona State.

Group of Five: UTSA rallied from 21-0 down at Memphis to win a battle of 3-0 teams on a walk-off field goal, 31-28. The Roadrunners are a viable New Years Six contenderxa6UAB spoiled Tulanes return to New Orleans after Hurricane Ida with a 28-21 road winxa6Bowling Green had the days biggest upset, going to Minneapolis as 30-point underdogs and shocking Minnesota, 14-10xa6The Iron Skillet will remain in Dallas for another year, as SMU made the short trip west on I-30 to Fort Worth and knocked off TCU, 42-34.

Matts Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Iowa
4. Penn State
5. Oregon
6. Arkansas
7. Ole Miss
8. Notre Dame
9. Florida
10. Oklahoma
11. Ohio State
12. Cincinnati
13. BYU
14. Oklahoma State
15. Michigan State
16. Michigan
17. Baylor
18. Fresno State
19. Wake Forest
20. Maryland
21. UCLA
22. Kansas State
23. LSU
24. Kentucky
25. Boston College

A Peek at Next Week
Early Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 8 Arkansas at No. 2 Georgia, Noon ET (ESPN)
Screen 2: No. 14 Michigan at Wisconsin, Noon ET (FOX)
Screen 3: Louisville at No. 24 Wake Forest, 12:30 p.m. ET (RSN)

Late Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 1 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Screen 2: No. 7 Cincinnati at No. 9 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Screen 3: No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

Primetime:
Screen 1: No. 10 Florida at Kentucky, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Screen 2: Indiana at No. 4 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Screen 3: No. 21 Baylor at No. 19 Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Late Night:
Screen 1: No. 22 Auburn at LSU, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Screen 2: Arizona State at No. 20 UCLA, 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Screen 3: Washington at Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)