By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith recaps week three 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
(7) Texas A&M 34, New Mexico 0
It was over when: After two quick touchdowns on explosive plays were followed by a pair of punts, Zach Calzada led a methodical 12-play, 60-yard touchdown drive with a pair of third-down conversions to put the Aggies ahead of the Lobos 21-0 early in the second quarter.

*The Aggies defense was again impenetrable, shutting the Lobos out and allowing just 122 yards. Former Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson managed just 33 yards through the air for New Mexico on 10 completions. This is an admittedly untested unit through three weeks, but next weeks showdown with Arkansas should tell us whether or not Mike Elkos defense is truly elite or just very good.

*I wasnt particularly worried about the Texas A&M offense after the escape at Colorado last week. With a full week to game plan knowing Calzada would be under center, Jimbo Fisher was able to tailor things more to Calzadas strengths. Calzada had one interception and completed fewer than 60 percent of his pass attempts, but he did throw three touchdowns. The running game is still clearly not where it needs to be heading into conference play.

Kentucky 28, Chattanooga 23
It was over when: Tyrell Ajian returned an interception 94 yards to put Kentucky ahead by two scores midway through the fourth quarter after Chattanooga had briefly held a 16-14 lead.

*The Wildcats used the game as an opportunity to work on the passing attack without threat of defeat, but it took too long to get cranked up. Levis had two interceptions, but did complete 23 of 35 attempts with two touchdowns. Hes not a consistent passer, but he is dangerous as a thrower with a unique weapon in WanDale Robinson. The passing game is good enough to make defenses pay for selling out against the run, but if the Wildcats fall behind, it probably cant carry the load.

*The Wildcats only ran 27 times, averaging fewer than four yards per carry. Theyll go back to their bread and butter next week. South Carolina is a tough place to play, and this program has never been about style points. Any type of win, ugly or dominant, would constitute a successful night in Columbia.

Missouri 59, SE Missouri State 28
It was over when: The Tigers amassed 212 yards on their first three drives, all touchdowns, within the first 12 minutes to build a commanding 21-0 lead. Connor Bazelak started 8-for-8 for 132 yards with two touchdowns to bounce back after a long night of hits in last weeks loss to Kentucky.

Bazelak played only a half, completing 21 of 30 attempts for 346 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers amassed 465 yards in the first half alone, finishing with 675 yards

*There were a lot of garbage time points here, with the Redhawks scoring 28 points in the final 18 minutes and finishing with a 7.3 yards per play average. It didnt matter, with the Tigers having built a 45-0 lead, but it at least provides a point of emphasis for Eli Drinkwitz heading into the upcoming week of practice.

*An interesting road trip to Boston College next Saturday became a lot easier this week with the announcement that Eagles quarterback Phil Jurkovec would likely miss the rest of the season with a hand injury. Boston College is still a solid, well-coached team that will provide a test for particularly the Missouri defensive front.

Tennessee 56, Tennessee Tech 0
It was over when: The Vols finally overcame their penchant for overthrows, striking on long touchdown passes from Hendon Hooker to JaVonta Payton and Velus Jones to construct a cushy 28-0 lead over their neighbors to the west.

*Tennessee Tech managed just 46 yards in the first half. Consider the competition, but after getting shredded by Pittsburgh and Kenny Pickett last week, it was a feel-good performance for the Vols heading into a stretch of five SEC games in five weeks, beginning next Saturday night at Florida.

*Hooker was good enough that he probably earned himself a second start next week, even if Joe Milton is available. That might not be the decision head coach Josh Heupel makes, but I didnt see enough from Milton in six quarters of work to simply hand him his job back.

(1) Alabama 31, (11) Florida 29
It was over when: Brian Robinson converted a third-down run with a minute to play to run all but four seconds off the semi-functional clock before Florida got the football back and were unable to produce a miracle on the games final play.

*Alabama led for all but the first three-and-a-half minutes, but much like last years SEC Championship Game, which the Crimson Tide controlled but never put away, Florida always pushed back. They outgained No. 1, 439-324, using the speed option game to run for 258 yards and more than six yards per carry. It was a surprising crack in the Alabama defense that Lane Kiffin will be eyeing quite a bit when Ole Miss visits Tuscaloosa in two weeks.

*Alabama had 11 penalties, many of the pre-snap nature, as the crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium did cause some communication lapses with quarterback Bryce Young, making his first start, and a fairly green offensive line. The Tide were good on third down, however, drawing penalties and converting enough to produce the 10 second-half points that were needed to survive. Todd Granthams defense took a roundhouse in the first quarter, but was about as good as it could have been for the final 45 minutes.

*Emory Jones may have saved his job with Anthony Richardson available only as an emergency option. Jones had one interception, but was sharp from that point on, finishing exactly on par with Young in yards per completion and completion percentage. He was in command of the option game, adding 80 yards and a rushing touchdown himself. This is a different Florida offense, but its one Dan Mullen has won with in his former life. Some tough games like ahead, but the Gators showed they are complete enough to expect to sweep through the next four weeks and take a swing at first place in the SEC East against Georgia in late October.

*Despite the penalties, Young made the plays when Alabama needed them both early on and when it was trying to stave off Floridas furious rally in the second half. Floridas first two touchdowns in the second half were followed by a pair of 13-yard scoring drives to squeeze some air out of a rocking Swamp. He remains interception-free through three weeks, and now has the trademark cfirst road startd behind him without a blemish.

Memphis 31, Mississippi State 29
It was over when: A Bulldogs onsides kick with 90 seconds to play following a failed two-point conversion was unsuccessful, allowing Memphis to run out the clock and complete a comeback from a 17-7 deficit by holding on in the final minutes despite allowing a pair of late touchdowns.

*A controversial play midway through the fourth quarter may have swung the outcome in favor of the Tigers. Mississippi State appeared to down a punt, but never took possession of the football, instead only touching it. As an official looked to be coming into signal the play dead, Memphis Calvin Austin scooped up the loose ball amidst a group of standstill Bulldogs and ran it back 94 yards for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead. Mississippi State technically didnt do what it is required to do to down the football, but again, the official looked to have decided it did, just as Austin was snatching the ball away. Memphis was ahead at the time, but the game was far from decided at that point. Its a weird sequence thats difficult to assess where the true blame lies.

*It picked up the pace late when time was of the essence, but for most of the game, the Bulldogs offense was again out of sorts. Will Rogers ended with 50 completions and three touchdowns, but the offense had six consecutive drives in the middle stages of the game with no points. This came on the heels of Memphis allowing 50 points a week ago to Arkansas State. A memorable comeback and a dominating defensive performance in the first two weeks masked the deficiencies, but this offense isnt ready for SEC play after seeing it operate for 180 minutes.

*The Bulldogs defense got a bit of a raw deal, allowing just 246 yards and 4.6 yards per play. Memphis only had one true scoring drive, with 24 points coming via special teams, defense or drives beginning in Mississippi State territory. Can a defense carry a Mike Leach team? This one might have to, and despite defeat, Zach Arnetts unit is playing at a high level.

(20) Arkansas 45, Georgia Southern 10
It was over when: K.J. Jefferson found DeVion Warren on a deep pass for a 60-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in the second half and give Arkansas a 31-10 lead and some breathing room against the overmatched Eagles.

*It wasnt always crisp, but for a classic sandwich game between marquee showdowns with Texas and Texas A&M, Arkansas appeared focused and not looking ahead, outgaining Georgia Southern 633-233. Jefferson connected on four passes of 40 yards or longer 3 all to different receivers. Its an element of the offense the Razorbacks need to complement a potent rushing attack. For a day on which there was little to gain perception-wise given the quality of opponent, Jefferson and the Hogs accomplished quite a bit.

*The Razorbacks allowed just 40 yards on Georgia Southerns first five possessions before the Eagles broke off a 76-yard touchdown run. That was the only play of more than 20 yards allowed by the Hogs all day. Losses are coming, but opponents are going to have to earn it against this fundamentally sound, well-coached Arkansas team.

(2) Georgia 40, South Carolina 13
It was over when: Freshman wideout Adonai Mitchell got behind the South Carolina defense midway through the second quarter for a 38-yard touchdown, the second long scoring toss of the night from J.T. Daniels, to put Georgia ahead 21-6 against an overmatched but occasionally feisty Gamecocks team.

*The streak ended after 169 minutes. Georgias defense finally allowed a touchdown. Granted, it was 40-6 and most of the starters were on the sideline, but I promise you Kirby Smart and his players wanted to see that streak stand for another week. It didnt happen, as Josh Vann hauled in a 36-yard pass from Luke Doty for the games final points.

*The big plays from the Georgia offense were a great sign, with Georgias first three touchdowns coming from 23, 43 and 38 yards out. The receiving corps is getting healthy, and the emergence of Mitchell and tight end Brock Bowers as true freshman contributors has this offense rounding into form nicely. After a trip to Vanderbilt next week, the Bulldogs schedule gets interesting in October, when the growth of this offense will truly be tested.

*Georgia only ran 31 times, but all four running backs did have at least four carries and each had a carry go for double-digit yards. Daniels was the stat sheet highlight with three touchdowns and only eight incompletions on 31 attempts, but the running game was again productive and displayed both its depth and diversity.

(10) Penn State 28, (22) Auburn 20
It was over when: Bo Nixs desperation heave from 26 yards out on the final play was batted down, as Penn State held on with two late stops to win an entertaining game filled with numerous plot twists.

*There was a lot of negative in Beaver Stadium, but there were also the 109,000 fans, all but a few thousand decked out in white, that made you forget all of the last 18 months. It doesnt matter if Penn State has the best or second-best or ninth-best home-field advantage. What does matter is that it was everything that a Saturday in State College entails, and something that is uniquely Penn State with the white-out and the old, patched-together stadium that feels like its going to collapse after every Nittany Lions touchdown. Most importantly, it was something that was missed all of last season. Its back, and its better than ever.

*The difference in the game was Penn States pass-catchers made plays, and Auburns pass-catchers did not. The young Tigers group had drops, stumbles and a massive non-contact fumble early in the second half on a gadget play. Jahan Dotson, an All-American candidate, had a touchdown reception for the Nittany Lions and drew a key pass interference penalty late in the game. Both defenses were physical, both quarterbacks were solid, but the big plays in the passing game tipped the scales to the Big Ten in this battle of bluebloods.

*The officiating was a mess. A bad intentional grounding penalty in the second quarter led to a miscommunication in what down it was, indirectly forcing Penn State to punt on third down. There was also a targeting penalty on Auburns Zakoby McClain that clearly upon review did not meet the qualifications for targeting, but was upheld. A couple other shaky calls went in favor of Auburn. The game wont be remembered for the officiating errors, but it wasnt a night to shine for the zebras.

*Mike Bobo calling a fade on 4th-and-Goal at the 3-yard line was just a ridiculous call. Auburn does not have a playmaking receiver. If Penn State ran that play to Dotson, that would make sense, but the Tigers havent shown that they can win one-on-one balls. Auburn needed to get Nix on the move there

*Nix was fine, but failed to elevate the players around him on a night when that was desperately needed for Auburn to win. Tank Bigsby went for more than 100 yards on the ground, but Penn State bottled him up enough that Nix had to carry much of the load. He struggles with pressure and as an off-platform thrower, and that was on display on Saturday night. As a third-year starter, he is who he is at this point.

LSU 49, Central Michigan 21
It was over when: LSU went 92 yards in just four plays late in the first half, closed by Max Johnsons fourth touchdown pass of the night from 20 yards out to freshman Jack Bech. The score gave LSU an insurmountable 35-7 lead.

*Johnson continues to play very good football, lighting up the Chippewas for five touchdown passes and 372 yards in three quarters of work. Deion Smith could be on his way to becoming the second target that Johnson is looking for to complement Kayshon Boutte, as he finished with 135 yards and the first two offensive touchdowns of the game

*Saturday night was a positive for LSU, but the running game is still pretty lifeless. It didnt matter with the passing game clicking, but that wont always be the case throughout games in the coming weeks. 84 rushing yards isnt good enough. Can LSU get it figured out? Freshman Corey Kiner led with 74 yards as he looks to pick up the slack from the absence of John Emery.

*Andre Anthony left the game with a knee injury, which is something to monitor with SEC play about to start, but the Tigers defensive end came up with a major splash play in the first quarter by grabbing a loose ball and running it back 33 yards for a touchdown. LSU also had five sacks and shut down the Central Michigan running game.

(17) Ole Miss 61, Tulane 21
It was over when: Dontario Drummonds 11-yard rush late in the first half gave the Rebels 40 points in under 30 minutes and a 40-14 lead on a night when Tulane showed some explosiveness but had no chance of keeping up with Matt Corral on the Ole Miss offense.

*No quarterback in the country is playing as well as Corral. No quarterback is in more control of his offense than Corral. The junior had seven total touchdowns on Saturday night after a lengthy lightning delay, with four coming on the ground. His arm didnt play second fiddle, however, as he threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

*Corral running as much as he did was a bit of a surprise given the opponent, but adding his capability as a runner to the trio of Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish makes this offense completely terrifying. Ole Miss ran 94 plays against the Green Wave, 59 of those runs or scrambles that amassed 393 yards and just shy of seven yards per carry.

*The defense absorbed some blows in the second quarter as Tulane somewhat successfully tried to stay in the game, but it was another week of solid play from the improving Ole Miss defense. It wasnt dominant by any means, as Ole Miss had just two sacks and a single takeaway, but aside from Alabama, thats all the help this offense needs.

*Its Alabama time. With two weeks of hype, there will be plenty of debate about whether or not this team is good enough to go 60 minutes with the Crimson Tide. With the way Corral is playing, the steady defensive improvement, and the confidence of scaring last years national championship team, I think the answer is a resounding yes.

Stanford 41, Vanderbilt 23
It was over when: Early in the third quarter, the Cardinal capped a run of 20 points in in six minutes to bust open a 14-14 game with a five-yard touchdown pass from Tanner McKee to running back Jay Symonds. The defense shut down the Commodores after halftime, and Vanderbilt never threatened after leveling the game in the second quarter.

*The Commodores had two answers in the game, registering 75 and 98-yard scoring drives to match a pair of Stanford touchdowns. Both took 14 plays. For Vanderbilt to accomplish that twice without making a drive-killing mistake is a sign of progress against a defense that made USC look awful a week ago.

*Many coaches talk about the importance of the cmiddle eightd minutes 3 the last four of the first half and the first four of the second half. The Cardinals won the middle eight, 20-0, and won the game by 18 points. That seems important, doesnt it?

*Vanderbilt was only outgained by 24 yards. Rocco Griffin ran for 107 yards, with ReMahn Davis adding 76 of the teams 247 on the night. Ken Seals had a rough night with 21 misfires in 37 attempts, but the Cardinal are a solid mid-tier Pac-12 team, and Vanderbilt was not completely overmatched. Georgia comes to town next week though, and that will be a much different story.

*Stanford completes a seven-game road trip over the course of two seasons at 6-1. It will play just its second home game since November 2019 next Saturday against UCLA.

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

National Thoughts
ACC: Bad day for the ACC, which dropped three non-conference games. Clemson fought through a long weather delay and another shaky offensive day to survive a scare from Georgia Tech, 14-8, needing a late goal-line stand to avoid overtime. The Tigers offense is a mess right now, and theres an ACC loss coming this season if it doesnt get fixed soonxa6Florida State is 0-3 after getting popped on the road at Wake Forest. It shouldnt be surprising anymore, but its still stunning to see that name and that record side by sidexa6Pitt followed up a big win at Tennessee with a hideous 44-41 loss to Western Michigan in a Pat Narduzzi specialxa6Friday nights UCF-Louisville contest was one of the most entertaining games of the season, with the Cardinals winning by seven on a pick-six in the final secondsxa6North Carolina has its issues, but Sam Howell can still light up opposing defenses, as the Tar Heels outlasted Virginia, 59-39. Howell had five touchdown passes

Big 12: Oklahoma needed a late stop to fend off a game Nebraska team, 23-16, in Norman. Like Clemson, the Sooners look nothing like a team who can get through conference play unscathedxa6West Virginia nearly gave away a 27-7 lead, but held on late with a red-zone stop to defeat Virginia Tech, 27-21. Fun game between two old rivals in Morgantownxa6No Skylar Thompson, no problem for Kansas State, as running back Deuce Vaughn carried the load for the Wildcats in a surprisingly dominant 38-17 win over Nevadaxa6Oklahoma State isnt getting style points, but the Cowboys are 3-0 after a narrow 21-20 late-night win at Boise State.

Big Ten: Add Ohio State to the list of preseason top-five teams that look out of sorts. The Buckeyes were 41-20 winners over Tulsa, but it was a much closer game than the final score indicated. The Golden Hurricane put up more than 500 yards on the Ohio State defensexa6Michigan State continued a surprising start to the season with a 38-17 road win over Miami (FL). Running back Kenneth Walker III had 172 yards, and the Spartans might be the surprise of the Big Tenxa6Thats no slight to Spartys friends down I-94, as Michigan blasted Northern Illinois, 63-10, to move to 3-0. Interesting game with 3-0 Rutgers next week in Ann Arborxa6Notre Dames defense may have figured some things out in a 27-13 win over Purdue. The Irish havent played a complete game yet, but both sides of the ball have shown a reasonably high ceiling. Next week brings an attractive matchup in Chicago against Wisconsinxa6Off-the-radar game, but a week after Colorado nearly upset top-ten Texas A&M, Minnesota went to Boulder and routed the Buffaloes, 30-0.

Pac-12: Oh boy. The Pac-12 now stands just 18-18 overall after a day filled with losses to BYU (Arizona State), Fresno State (UCLA), Minnesota (Colorado), Northern Arizona (Arizona) and San Diego State (Utah), all courtesy of Pac-12 South teams. Fresno States 40-37 win at No. 15 UCLA that ended about 2:30 a.m may have been the game of the year with the gutty performance from a clearly injured Bulldogs quarterback Jake Haenerxa6USC might have Wally Pipped Kedon Slovis, as an early injury to the Trojans quarterback led to freshman Jaxson Dart coming off the bench and overcoming a 14-0 deficit to guide a 45-14 road win in gloomy Pullman over Washington Statexa6Unless it stuns Oregon next week in Eugene, Arizona, losers of 15 straight games now after the embarrassing loss to Northern Arizona, will go two full calendar years without a win, with its last victory coming on Oct. 5, 2019.

Group of Five: The stage is now set for No. 8 Cincinnati for the biggest game in program history in two weeks at Notre Dame. The Bearcats spotted Indiana 14 points, but rallied past the Hoosiers in a four-hour game full of twists, turns and lead changes for a 38-24 victoryxa6The finish of the day came in Ruston, as SMU converted a final-play Hail Mary on a tipped pass to stun Louisiana Tech, 39-37. The Mustangs miraculously remain perfect heading into the annual Iron Skillet game next week at TCUxa6Sept. 11: Notre Dame 32, Toledo 29 and Vanderbilt 24, Colorado State 21. Sept. 18: Colorado State 22, Toledo 6 (at Toledo). Only in college football.

Matts Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Iowa
4. Penn State
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Oklahoma
8. Florida
9. Clemson
10. Arkansas
11. Texas A&M
12. Notre Dame
13. Ohio State
14. Cincinnati
15. BYU
16. Michigan
17. Michigan State
18. Kansas State
19. Wisconsin
20. Iowa State
21. Fresno State
22. Auburn
23. North Carolina
24. Oklahoma State
25. UCLA

A Peek at Next Week
Early Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 18 Wisconsin (Chicago), Noon ET (FOX)
Screen 2: LSU at Mississippi State, Noon ET (ESPN)
Screen 3: SMU at TCU, Noon ET (FS1)

Late Afternoon:
Screen 1: No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 16 Arkansas (Arlington), 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Screen 2: Rutgers at No. 19 Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Screen 3: No. 9 Clemson at N.C. State, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Primetime:
Screen 1: West Virginia at No. 4 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Screen 2: No. 24 UCLA at Stanford, 6 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Screen 3: Tennessee at No. 11 Florida, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Late Night:
Screen 1: Oregon State at USC, 10:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Screen 2: Colorado at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Screen 3: Arizona at No. 3 Oregon, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)