By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith recaps week five in the SEC.

October started out with a bang, but not from the two games we necessarily expected it from. Auburn and Kentucky put long losing streaks to bed with emotional, comeback wins. Mississippi State and Tennessee delivered impressive road performances to surprisingly climb back over .500.

As for the two hyped games, No. 1 and No. 2 showed just how far the gap is between them and the rest of the conference and likely the rest of the nation.

Lets review how it all happened on Saturday and what it means as we inch closer to the halfway point of the 2021 season.

Game Thoughts and Takeaways
(2) Georgia 37, (8) Arkansas 0
It was over when: The Bulldogs again capitalized on poor field position for Arkansas by blocking a punt and falling on it for a touchdown to build a commanding 21-0 lead before the first quarter had even ended.

*Georgias defense wasnt exactly going against the 2007 New England Patriots during September, so Arkansas was a legitimate test for how dominant this Bulldogs defense could be. After a 78-yard first half for the Razorbacks and a second straight SEC shutout, any questions remaining due to quality of opponents had been answered. There isnt a weakness identifiable in this defense right now. Maybe Dan Mullen and Florida can find one. Maybe Ole Miss or Alabama can in December. Theres also a chance that no one will for the duration of the season, and 1980 in Georgia will become what 1908 now is in Chicago.

*Stetson Bennett IV started for the second time this season with J.T. Daniels out with a lat injury. The ceiling for the Georgia offense is lower with Bennett, but unless Alabama is on the other sideline, Bennetts presence likely wont be hurting his teams chances to win. Hes still subject to some poor decision-making, as Arkansas dropped what should have been an easy interception late in the first half, but hes in total command of an offense that Kirby Smart wants to operate like the ones early in his time at Alabama.

*The lights were too bright for Arkansas, even on a sunny afternoon, but that shouldnt diminish the wins over Texas and Texas A&M, nor should it lead to doubting the Razorbacks chances to win next week at Ole Miss. Georgias defense is as good as any in college football in the past 10 years, and those ugly statistics for Arkansas are becoming a weekly occurrence for Bulldogs opponents. The Hogs are still way, way ahead of schedule under Sam Pittman.

Tennessee 62, Missouri 24
It was over when: Even with a 25-point lead, it didnt quite feel like Tennessee had Missouri finished off. After a three-and-out and a sixth touchdown drive, however, it was good night, Tigers, as Tennessee surged to a 42-10 second-quarter lead sparked by five touchdown drives of fewer than two minutes.

*Even as bad as Missouris run defense has been, I doubted Tennessees willingness to stick with the running game. The Vols did just that, running it 26 times for 275 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone. Tiyon Evans had three of those touchdowns and nearly half of the yards, as the junior college transfer continues to emerge as one of the SECs top running backs.

*Missouri defense coordinator Steve Wilks was one-and-done as an NFL head coach with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, and Wilks may be looking at another brief stint in his current job. The Tigers werent great on defense a year ago, but Missouri has regressed under Wilks, looking schematically lost and fundamentally flawed. The rest of the October schedule is filled with struggling offenses. If these issues persist against North Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, it would be hard to defend Wilks getting a second season.

*There should be no more quarterback questions at Tennessee, as Hendon Hooker is fully entrenched as the starter after carving up Missouri for points on each of Tennessees first eight drives. There are plenty more tough days ahead for the 2021 Vols, but Hooker has operated the offense far more efficiently than Week 1 starter Joe Milton.

(1) Alabama 42, (12) Ole Miss 21
It was over when: Alabama turned a third fourth-down stop of the first half into a six-play, 27-yard touchdown drive capped by converting its own fourth-down gamble with a one-yard play-action touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Cameron Latu to give Alabama a 21-0 lead.

*Did Lane Kiffin have to play as aggressively as he did with five fourth-down attempts in the first half? I think I agreed with all but one of them 3 a 4th and 2 at the Ole Miss 47-yard line trailing 7-0. Matt Corral was pressing by that point, and the game was still well within reach. At 14-0, you pretty much have to scrap punting on anything medium-distance or shorter.

*Alabama needed just 201 yards to take a 28-0 lead, but they werent just handed those points. The offense still had to finish those drives with mostly advantageous beginnings, and Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide did just that, punting only once in building their four-touchdown lead. The rushing stats look only modest at 4.3 yards per carry, but playing on a lot of short fields condensed the Ole Miss defense, and Alabama was still perfectly fine from an efficiency standpoint, with Brian Robinson finding the end zone four times. This offense doesnt have the explosiveness of 2020, but its getting the job done.

*Young missed on only five of 24 throws, but did throw his first legitimate interception of the season (an interception last week was dropped and deflected).

*The Ole Miss offense didnt expect to get manhandled at the line of scrimmage, but an Alabama defensive front that was playing on its heels for much of the Florida game two weeks ago was dominant in holding the Rebels to just 2.3 yards per carry. Corral was OK, but an impactful pass rush aided in him averaging fewer than 10 yards per completion shows how well Alabama prevented the explosive plays that Ole Miss torched them with a year ago. Corral completed just one pass of 20 yards or longer, and that came in the fourth quarter.

*Ole Miss has to pick up the pieces against an equally humbled Arkansas team next week. The winner still can set sights on a special season. There shouldnt be much sulking in Oxford.

South Carolina 23, Troy 14
It was over when: Parker White connected on his third field goal of the day with 2:20 remaining on the clock to give the Gamecocks a two-score lead and ice a win over a plucky Troy team to get to 3-2.

*It was ugly, as the Gamecocks overcame three giveaways with four takeaways, which included a pick-six and single play with turnovers for each team. This is not a good team, but its found a way to win a couple of ugly games that could have been ugly losses instead. Its a baby step for a program with a long way to, but sometimes you cant learn how to win unless you actually win.

*South Carolina still cant get Kevin Harris going, as the Trojans held him to just 47 yards rushing. Wide receiver Josh Vann had the two longest crunsd of the day, going for 34 yards and 18 yards.

*Former Missouri quarterback Taylor Powell completed 19-of-35 passes with two interceptions for Troy in a losing effort.

Kentucky 20, (10) Florida 13
It was over when: Jacquez Jones deflected Emory Jones fourth-down throw in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining to propel the Wildcats to 5-0 and give the program its first home over Florida since 1986.

*Florida held a 10-7 lead for much of the game and dominated total yardage, 382-224, but the contest turned in the third quarter when a Gators field goal attempt was blocked by Josh Paschal and returned for a touchdown to put Kentucky ahead 13-10. Chris Rodriguez capped a short drive following an interception with a nine-yard touchdown to go up 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats avoided yet another collapse against the Gators with a red-zone stand in the final seconds to send Commonwealth Stadium into a frenzy.

*Kentuckys aspiration for offensive balance has been shelved in the past few weeks, as the Wildcats again relied on its ground game, completing just seven passes. The rushing attack put up a solid 137 yards, but 224 total yards wont win you many games in the SEC. Kentucky has been living dangerously, but style points dont matter in Lexington.

*15 penalties for 115 yards doomed the Gators. Playing in their first hostile atmosphere since 2019 appeared to rattle Floridas offense, as eight false starts were called on the Gators. Penalties generally explain the past more than predict the future, so I expect a much more disciplined Florida team in Baton Rouge in two weeks.

*After the close loss to Alabama, the question for Florida was whether or not it could survive road trips to Kentucky and LSU and get to the Georgia game with a shot at first place in the SEC East. Thats out the door now, and with Florida effectively three games behind the Wildcats in the SEC standings, goals must be reassessed. Vanderbilt will be a laugher next week, but the trip to Baton Rouge is one filled with hate and revenge, so division and conference stakes can be thrown out. I dont see many glaring concerns with the Gators other than the penalties. Saturday night felt like 35 years of positive luck in the Bluegrass State all coming back around in their face in one night.

Mississippi State 26, (15) Texas A&M 22
It was over when: Zach Calzada was sacked in the end zone with two minutes remaining for a safety, as Mississippi State stalled Texas A&Ms attempt at a game-winning field-goal drive that would have completed a comeback from a 24-13 second-half deficit.

*Mississippi State did what Mississippi State does, throwing it 59 times for 408 yards while amassing just 40 yards on the ground. The difference this week was the Bulldogs didnt turn the ball over, avoiding giving the Aggies struggling offense short fields with which to work. When it stays out of its own way, Mississippi State can be a pretty good team with an accurate quarterback and a stout defense.

*The Aggies failed to reach 300 yards of total offense, with the Aggies getting nothing aside from Isaiah Spiller and Devin Achane. The line is a mess, and no receiver is making plays. Calzada needs help with little mobility, although he did have a 25-yard touchdown run. Now comes Alabama, along with the harsh reality that the Aggies have quickly become a 7-5 football team.

*Nine different Bulldogs caught at least three passes on Saturday night, with Makai Polk leading the way with 13 receptions for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a breakout game for the junior from California. Polk now has double-digit receptions in three of five games and leads the SEC with 46.

Vanderbilt 30, Connecticut 28
It was over when: Joseph Bulovas 31-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the game split the uprights, giving Vanderbilt a 30-28 win after the Commodores had blown a two-score lead midway through the fourth quarter.

*The game we spent all week making fun of turned out to be a very evenly-matched contest. The 0-6 Huskies narrowly edged Vanderbilt in yards per play, 6.4 to 6.0, both teams turned the ball over twice, and neither converted 40 percent of their third-down attempts.

*Vanderbilt has only SEC games left, so this was almost certainly its final win of the season. Missouri and South Carolina are bad, but the Commodores even playing on their level seems like too tough a task. With two wins now in the bag, this season has at least avoided the total embarrassment of 1-11 or 0-12.

(22) Auburn 24, LSU 19
It was over when: Bydarrius Knighten intercepted Max Johnsons fourth-down pass with a minute to play to seal a comeback road win for Auburn and giving the Tigers their first win in Baton Rouge since 1999.

*This will be remembered as the Bo Nix game. After being benched a week ago, Nix started in Baton Rouge and played the best road game of his career with numerous miraculous pressure escapes, the best coming on a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Tyler Fromm. His ability to keep the play alive is his biggest strength, and LSU could not get him on the ground a single time on Saturday night. Nix barely completed 50 percent of his passes, but he played a relentless, turnover-free game to register a win that Auburn fans wont soon forget.

*I thought LSU could mask its running game ineptitude one more week. Wrong. While it led for all but 11 minutes, LSU paid the price of rushing for just 29 yards. Kayshon Boutte was awesome again with 127 yards and a touchdown reception, but the imbalance burnt LSU in a game it had to have. Two very good run defenses are next in Kentucky and Florida. LSU may just have to let Max Johnson throw 50 times if it hopes to navigate a most brutal five-game stretch ahead.

*Auburn played a nearly perfect road game. They ran the ball effectively with Jarquez Hunter and Nixs scrambles. They didnt turn the ball over. They sacked Johnson three times. Despite that, Auburn needed an 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to finally jump in front. This was an impressive showing from Auburn in a stadium that had been a house of horrors. The rollercoaster ride that is Auburn football will continue, but the level of competence in all aspects of play was something wed yet to see from Auburn this season.

*Without knowing the exact number of wins it will take for Ed Orgeron to survive at LSU, I have to admit its looking grim. Playing in the SEC West, I thought 8-4 and 5-3 in the league might be enough, but getting to 8-4 probably required beating Auburn. The 10-game home-winning streak against Auburn ending may have been the dagger. The good news? LSU has numerous opportunities for big wins ahead. The bad news? LSU not winning again until late November is very much on the table.

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

National Thoughts
ACC: Clemson barely avoided another disaster, needing a fumbled snap by Boston College to hold on for a 19-13 home win to get back over .500xa6Pittsburghs Kenny Pickett improved his TD-INT ratio to 19-1 with a 389-yard, four-touchdown day in a 52-21 rout at Georgia Techxa6Manny Diaz is now in big trouble at Miami (FL), as the Hurricanes fell to 2-3 with a 30-28 loss at Virginia. A short field goal attempt in the final seconds hit off the left uprightxa6Wake Forest moved to 5-0 with a walk-off win over Louisville in a fun game in Winston-Salem. The Deacons and Cardinals may be the two best teams in the ACCxa6Florida State registered its first win of the season in another game that came down to a last-second field goal, knocking off Syracuse, 33-30.

Big 12: Oklahoma got the Kansas State monkey off its back by holding on late in a 37-31 win over the Wildcats in Manhattan. The Sooners still havent put it all together, but that was a massive mental boost heading into the rivalry game with Texas next weekxa6The Longhorns rode running back Bijan Robinson (35-216-2) to a 32-27 road win at TCU to get to 4-1 and ensured another high-stakes game with Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowlxa6Oklahoma State scored the final 10 points to win a battle of unbeatens over Baylor in Stillwaterxa6.Texas Tech bounced back from allowing 70 points to Texas a week ago to move to 4-1 with a 23-20 win at West Virginia.

Big Ten: The stage is set for perhaps the biggest game of the regular season next week between No. 4 Penn State and No. 3 Iowa in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes played a rare Friday night game, blasting previously unbeaten Maryland, 51-14. Penn States defense shut out Indiana, 24-0xa6Michigan added injury to insult for Wisconsin by knocking Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz out of the game in a 38-17 thumping in Madison. The 5-0 Wolverines answered some questions about their offense by handling a very good defense on the roadxa6Ohio State is starting to hum again, blasting Rutgers 52-13 in Piscataway. C.J. Stroud had 330 yards and five touchdowns on just 17 completionsxa6Nebraska continues to have a pulse, routing struggling Northwestern, 56-7, in Lincoln. Michigan comes to Memorial Stadium next week in a massive opportunity for the Cornhuskers to get a win of significance

Pac-12: The final unbeaten team in the conference fell, as No. 3 Oregon let a late lead slip away at Stanford. The Cardinal tied the game on an untimed down before winning in overtime, 31-24. Despite perhaps the best win of the season at Ohio State, the Ducks showed their flaws over the past few weeks, and a loss, even if not in Palo Alto, felt inevitablexa6A potential Pac-12 South title game went to Arizona State, who scored 32 of the games final 38 points to pull away from UCLA in Pasadena, 42-23. The Sun Devils have played all five of their games after 10 p.m. ET, so theyve been off the radar, but this is a really good team with a really run quarterback in junior Jayden Danielsxa6Oregon State walked off Washington with a late fourth-down stop and ensuing field-goal drive to back up its big win at USC a week ago and move to 4-1 and first place in the Pac-12 Northxa6USC got back on track with a 37-14 road win at hapless Colorado, while Washington State continued a miserable season for California with a 21-6 win in Berkeley.

Group of Five: No. 7 Cincinnati used three first-half takeaways to build a 17-0 and hold off sloppy No. 9 Notre Dame in the biggest game in program history. The Bearcats will now have a target on their back in every AAC game, but theyre in a position to be in play for a CFP berth at seasons end after an unbeaten regular season in 2020 and road wins over the Irish and Indianaxa6Navy had one of the more surprising wins of the day, rallying past UCF, 34-30, for its first win of the seasonxa6UTSA improved to 5-0 with a closer-than-expected 24-17 over UNLVxa6SMU, perhaps the biggest threat to an unbeaten season for Cincinnati, is also 5-0 after hammering USF. The Mustangs visit the Bearcats on Nov. 20xa6Late night on the islands, Hawaii upset No. 18 Fresno State with a comeback 27-24 win

Matts Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Iowa
4. Penn State
5. Cincinnati
6. Michigan
7. Oklahoma State
8. Oklahoma
9. Arkansas
10. Oregon
11. Ohio State
12. BYU
13. Michigan State
14. Kentucky
15. Ole Miss
16. Wake Forest
17. Auburn
18. Arizona State
19. Notre Dame
20. Texas
21. Coastal Carolina
22. Florida
23. Baylor
24. SMU
25. San Diego State

A Peek at Next Week
Early Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas (Dallas), Noon ET (ABC)
Screen 2: No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss, Noon ET (ESPN)
Screen 3: Maryland at No. 10 Ohio State, Noon ET (FOX)

Late Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa, 4 p.m. ET (FOX)
Screen 2: No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Screen 3: Boise State at No. 10 BYU, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Primetime:
Screen 1: No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M, 8 p.m. ET (CBS)
Screen 2: No. 9 Michigan at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Screen 3: LSU at No. 16 Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

Late Night:
Screen 1: UCLA at Arizona, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Screen 2: Memphis at Tulsa, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Screen 3: New Mexico at No. 25 San Diego State, 9 p.m. ET (FS1)