Tough seasons for the both the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Auburn Tigers came to an end Wednesday night in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Mississippi State 70, South Carolina 59

USC was favored to win this match-up, but Missisippi State, who also struggled this season and was plagued by injuries, was pretty much in control for three quarters of this game. Three-pointers played a big role in that dominance, as the Bulldogs seven of the 15 shots they tried from behind the arc, and Fred Thomas – who had a career-high 21 points – notched four of the treys.

The Cocks allowed MSU to go on a 13-0 run and trailed by 11 at the half,  but they managed to close the gap a bit and were down just four points with about two and a half minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs scored nine points in the final two minutes, though, while Carolina could only add two.

Laimonas Chatkevicius tied a career-high with 11 points, and he also had five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and two blocks to lead the Gamecocks. Thomas led MSU with the 21 points, three rebounds, three assists, five steals, and three blocks.

Honestly, neither of these teams, both of whom have new head coaches, was very good this year. While USC has more overall wins, both squads were victorious in just four regular season conference games. South Carolina finishes the season 14-17, and this is the fifth year in a row they’ve been one-and-done in the conference tournament. Mississippi State is now 10-21 on the season and will play Tennessee (19-11, 11-7) on Thursday.

Texas A&M 71, Auburn 62

Much like the Gamecocks, the Tigers kept things close and made things interesting in the second half, but it wasn’t enough after allowing a long scoring run by the Aggies. Texas A&M went a 15-0 streak and held Auburn scoreless for seven minutes, but were only up by seven at the half.

The Tigers fought back in the second half and tied the game with just over 11 minutes remaining. The Aggies manufactured a 9-2 scoring run, but Auburn pulled back within four with half a minute left in the game. They couldn’t get any closer than that, though, and Texas A&M helped their case by making nine of 10 free throws in the final minute.

Josh Wallace had eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals to lead the Tigers. Elston Turner, playing with a splint on his broken left pinky, led the Aggies with 22 points, two rebounds, and an assist.

Auburn finishes the season 9-23 overall and with just three conference victories. Texas A&M finishes 18-14 with seven SEC wins. They’ll meet their fellow conference newcomer – and a former Big XII foe – Thursday night when they take on Missouri (22-9, 11-7).

Well, SEC fans, this is it. Football season has come and gone for another year, so it’s time for a final SEC summary. The conference is again home to the BCS national champion (for the seventh year in a row) and can also claim this year’s Heisman winner, Johnny Manziel. The SEC sent nine teams to bowls and came away with a record of 6-3. Five teams didn’t make it to the postseason: Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Auburn. Of those five, Missouri is the only one who won’t have a new coach next season. None of them finished with more than two wins in the conference or more than five wins overall, and both Auburn and Kentucky went winless in SEC play.

Vanderbilt 38, North Carolina State 24

The Commodores capped off a fantastic season by topping the Wolfpack in the 2012 Music City Bowl. Vandy got the scoring started in the first quarter, as QB Jordan Rodgers hit Chris Boyd with a 5-yard TD pass just over five minutes into the game. The ‘Dores took a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, when Zac Stacy ran six yards to the end zone, but NC State got on the board with a touchdown of their own with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. Vanderbilt went back up by two scores on their next possession, but then the Wolfpack’s Tobais Palmer took a kickoff 94 yards to cut the lead. Rodgers found Jordan Matthews for an 18-yard TD with less than a minute remaining in the half, though, to put the Commodores up 28-14 heading into the locker rooms. The Commodores tacked on a field goal in the third quarter before NC State added one of their own to open the fourth quarter. Each team scored once more, both touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough for the Wolfpack to overcome the deficit.

Rodgers went 16-of-25 for 108 yards and two touchdowns. NC State QB Mike Glennon was 35-of-53 for 383 yards, a TD, and three interceptions. Stacy had 25 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown and Matthews had seven catches for 61 yards and a TD to lead the Commodores. Creecy had nine carries for 43 yards and a touchdown and Palmer had eight receptions for 111 yards to lead the Wolfpack. NCSU racked up 24 first downs compared to Vandy’s 17 and outgained the ‘Dores 424-225 in total yardage, but managed only 41 yards on the ground and turned the ball over five times.

Vanderbilt finishes the season 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. North Carolina State finishes 7-6 overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary: Bowl Game/2012 Wrap Up Edition”

Though it feels like we just got started, the final week of the regular season has now come and gone. Of the 14 SEC teams, there are three who have only one loss overall and in the conference (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) and two who went winless in the SEC (Auburn and Kentucky). Nine teams are bowl eligible, with the two 0-fer teams plus Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee failing to reach the necessary number of wins. Three coaches are out, too, as Joker Phillips of Kentucky, Derek Dooley of Tennessee, and Gene Chizik of Auburn, have coached their last game at those schools. Read on for recaps of all the action from the final games of the regular season.

(7) LSU 20, Arkansas 13

It was closer than the Tigers would have liked, but they managed to do just enough to beat the Razorbacks Friday afternoon. LSU put up a first quarter field goal and a second quarter TD on a 22-yard pass from Zach Mettenberger to Jarvis Jones to take a 10-0 lead at the half, but Arkansas had three chances to score themselves in the first half. Their first opportunity came on the game’s opening drive, when they got all the way down the field before Dennis Johnson fumbled at the goal line. Kicker Zach Hocker also missed two field goals. The Hogs finally got on the board early in the third quarter, when John Henson hit a 25-yard field goal. The Tigers answered with a TD a minute and a half later, but Arkansas found the end zone themselves before the quarter was over to pull within one score. Each team scored once, both, more field
goals, in the fourth quarter. LSU’s came with just a minute and a half left, and though the Razorbacks tried to rally in the final seconds of the game, Wilson’s pass fell incomplete as time expired.

Mettenberger finished the day 16-of-29 for 217 yards and a touchdown. Wilson went 31-of-52 for 359 yards, a TD, and an interception. Jeremy Hill had 17 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown and Odell Beckham had four receptions for 112 yards to lead the Tigers. Wilson had 38 yards on nine carries and Cobi Hamilton had 10 catches for 98 yards to lead the Hogs. Arkansas turned the ball over twice (LSU didn’t do it at all), but the Razorbacks also had more first downs (24) than the Tigers (16), allowed them only 89 yards on the ground, and outgained them in total yardage 462-306.

LSU finishes the regular season 10-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. They will await a bowl bid. Arkansas finishes 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the SEC. They will not be eligible for a bowl game.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Thirteen”

It’s hard to believe how quickly this season has passed. With only one week left of the regular season, there were a few conference match-ups taking place, while most teams took time off from SEC competition this week. There are still three one-loss teams in the conference (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida), and eight teams are currently bowl eligible. Ole Miss and Missouri must win next week to become bowl eligible, while Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky will not be going to bowls this year. Georgia is still waiting to find out who they’ll play – either Alabama or LSU – in the SEC title game in Atlanta. Read on for recaps of this weekend’s football action.

(4) Alabama 49, Western Carolina 0

After being handed their first loss against Texas A& last week, the Tide took out their frustrations on the visiting Catamounts Saturday afternoon. Bama got the scoring started early, taking a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in when Eddie Lacy scored his first TD of the day. T.J. Yeldon found the end zone four minutes later, then Lacy scored again with just over four minutes left in the quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 21-0 lead after just one quarter. They added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, including another from Lacy and one on a Deion Blue 57-yard fumble return. Alabama tacked on one more score in the third quarter, this time on a run by backup QB Blake Sims. Western Carolina had a chance to finally get on the board in the third quarter, but they were stopped on fourth down and came away empty-handed.

Tide starting QB AJ McCarron finished the day 6-of-6 for 133 yards and a TD and Sims was 2-of-6 for 27 yards, plus 70 yards rushing and his touchdown. Their WCU counterparts, Eddie Sullivan and Troy Mitchell, combined to go 8-of-20 for 93 yards. Lacy had 10 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns and Amari Cooper had two catches for 50 yards to lead Bama. Sullivan had 28 yards on four carries and Jamil James had one reception for 30 yards to lead the Catamounts. The Crimson Tide had 22 first downs, almost tripling Western Carolina’s total (8). WCU didn’t get 100 yards on the ground or through the air, and were outgained 460-163 in total yardage.

Alabama is now 10-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play. They’ll be on the road against Auburn next weekend. Western Carolina’s season is over. They finish 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the Southern Conference.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Twelve”

It was a wild weekend for the SEC, as top-ranked Alabama finally fell, losing against conference newcomer Texas A&M. That means there are no longer any undefeated teams in the SEC, though there are three one-loss teams (Alabama, Georgia, and Florida). There are also three teams who are still winless in conference play (Tennessee, Kentucky, and Auburn). UT and UK play each other to close out the season in two weeks, so at least one will not finish the season without any SEC wins. Eight of the conference’s teams are bowl eligible, and six of them are in the BCS Top 10. Georgia has also clinched the SEC East, while the winner of the SEC West has yet to be determined. Read on for recaps of all this weekend’s action.

(8) South Carolina 38, Arkansas 20

It’s been a tough season for the Razorbacks, and they continued to struggle Saturday against the Gamecocks. Arkansas’ bowl hopes are still alive, but they now must win their final two games in order to be eligible. USC got the scoring started with just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter, when Jerell Adams caught his first career TD pass. The Hogs found the end zone themselves midway through he second quarter, but the Cocks responded with another touchdown this time on a 10-yard run by QB Connor Shaw. Each team scored once more before the half, a field goal for Arkansas and a 42-yard touchdown for Carolina. The Cocks scored three times in the third quarter, including on a 69-yard interception return by D.J. Swearinger. The Razorbacks scored only twice in the second half and were never able to overcome the deficit.

Shaw finished the day 14-of-22 for 272 yards, two TDs, and an interception. He also had a rushing touchdown. Wilson went 26-of-41 for 277 yards, two TDs, and two picks. Davis had 13 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown and Ellington had five receptions for 104 yards and a TD to lead the Cocks. Jonathan Williams had 61 yards on 7 carries and Cobi Hamilton had four catches for 72 yards to lead the Razorbacks. Arkansas had 22 first downs compared to USC’s 20, but the Hogs managed only 83 yards on the ground and were outgained in total yardage 383-360.

South Carolina improves to 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the SEC. They’ll host Wofford next weekend. Arkansas drops to 4-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play. They’ll be on the road against No. 21 Mississippi State next Saturday.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Eleven”

Believe it or not, we’re already three-quarters of the way through the college football season. In the SEC, there is only one undefeated team remaining (Alabama), while four teams (Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Mississippi State) have only one loss. At the other end of the spectrum, three teams, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Auburn, have yet to win a conference game (and have barely won any games outside the conference). The Wildcats and Tigers have been eliminated from the postseason already, and if things don’t get better for the Vols, they may see that happen soon, too. Read on for a recap of this weekend’s SEC football action.

(13) South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35

The Gamecocks got back in the win column Saturday afternoon, but they also suffered a major loss as stud RB Marcus Lattimore went down with a gruesome knee injury in the second quarter. In an incredible show of sportsmanship, both teams huddled around Lattimore as he was checked out and then carted off the field. USC got on the board first, but UT answered to tie things at 7-7 in the first quarter. The Cocks found the end zone three more times in the second quarter, though, and held a 28-14 lead at the half. The Vols wouldn’t go awa, though, and pulled within one score in both the third and fourth quarters. With eight and a half minutes left, UT trailed by just three points, but excellent defense from Jadeveon Clowney and a late-game interception by Victor Hampton sealed the win for Carolina.

Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw finished the day 22-of-32 for a career-high 356 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. His Tennessee counterpart, Tyler Bray, went 27-of-43 for 368 yards, four TDs, and a pick. Lattimore had 11 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown and Justice Cunningham had six receptions for 108 yards to lead the Gamecocks. Marlin Lane had 56 yards on 15 carries and Zach Rogers had six catches for 107 yards to lead the Volunteers. The teams were virtually even on the stats sheet, though USC outgained UT in total yardage 510-472.

South Carolina improves to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. They’ll be off next weekend before hosting Arkansas in two weeks. Tennessee drops to 3-5 overall and 0-5 in conference play. They’ll be home next Saturday to play Troy.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Nine”

It’s  hard to believe that we’re already two-thirds of the way through the college football season, but here we are. After eight weeks, three undefeated teams remain in the SEC. The East has one, Florida, and the other two, Alabama and Mississippi State, are in the West. The Tide being unbeaten isn’t too much of a surprise, but the Gators and Bulldogs still being perfect is more unexpected. Four teams, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri in the East and Auburn in the West, are still winless in conference play. The Wildcats and Tigers each only have one win outside of the conference, too. UK has also already been eliminated from postseason play, and AU isn’t far behind. Read on for recaps of all the conference football action this weekend.

(6) LSU 24, (18) Texas A&M 19

Johnny Football may lead the SEC in total yardage, but he couldn’t quite get it done against the Tigers’ bruising defense Saturday in College Station. The Aggies got out to an early lead, scoring a touchdown (minus the extra point) less than five minutes into the game and adding a field goal five minutes later. Taylor Bertolet banged home a 50-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to give Texas A&M a 12-0 lead. LSU answered with two TDs in the final two minutes of the half to take a 14-12 lead going into the locker room. Both teams were scoreless in the third quarter, but the Tigers added a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter before the Aggies found the end zone one last time. It wasn’t enough for a victory, though, Texas A&M suffered their first conference loss since the first week of the season, against Florida.

Tigers QB Zach Mettenberger finished the day 11-of-29 for just under 100 yards and a touchdown. Manziel went 29-of-56 for 276 yards and three picks. Jeremy Hill had 18 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown and Kadron Boone had four catches for 49 yards and a TD to lead LSU. Ben Malena had 12 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Swope had 10 receptions for 81 yards to lead Texas A&M. The Aggies turned the ball over five times, but had 26 first downs compared to the Tigers’ 18. LSU had 13 penalties for over 100 yards and the Tigers were outgained in total yardage 410 to 316.

LSU improves to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. They’ll be off next weekend before hosting No. 1 Alabama in two weeks. Texas A&M drops to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. They’ll be on the road at Auburn next Saturday.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Eight”

We’re now more than halfway through the season and in the thick of conference play. The SEC still has three undefeated teams (Alabama, Mississippi State, and Florida), but there are also four teams who have yet to win a conference game (Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and Auburn). After getting off to a rough start, Arkansas has now won two straight SEC games (though they were against Auburn and Kentucky…) and may be able to salvage their season yet. There are still four teams in the AP Top 10, and a couple of other teams rank in the Top 25. Read on for recaps from all of this weekend’s action.

Ole Miss 41, Auburn 20

The struggles continue for the Tigers, who seemingly can’t do much of anything right. The Rebels, on the other hand, have already done better than they did last year, when they won only two games and went winless in SEC play. They snapped that winless streak (which was at 16 games) against Auburn Saturday night, though. The Rebels scored two first quarter touchdowns, one on a fumble return, before the Tigers found the end zone twice themselves in the second quarter. Each team also put up a field goal, so they went into the half tied at 17 points each. Just over a minute into the third quarter, Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace took the ball one yard to the house, but Auburn responded with a field goal. Unfortunately for the Tigers, that was the last time they’d score, as they allowed to put up 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Wallace finished the day 17-of-22 for 226 yards and a TD. He also had two rushing touchdowns. Auburn QB Clint Moseley was 11-of-18 for 112 yards and an interception. Jeff Scott had 137 yards on 21 carries and three receptions for 7- yards and a TD to lead the Rebs. Tre Mason had 18 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns and Sammie Coates had one catch for 42 yards to lead the Tigers. Ole Miss had 22 first downs to Auburn’s 13 and did not turn the ball over once (AU did so twice). The Rebels outgained the Tigers 451-213 in total yardage.

Ole Miss improves to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the SEC. They’ll be off next weekend before traveling to play Arkansas in two weeks. Auburn drops to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in conference play. They’ll be on the road against Vanderbilt next Saturday.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Seven”

We’re now halfway through the season (insert sad face here) and teams are beginning to shake out into the top, middle, and bottom places in the conference. There are still two teams in each division (East: South Carolina and Florida, West: Alabama and Mississippi State) with perfect records in SEC play and overall. Five teams (Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky in the East, Ole Miss and Auburn in the West) have yet to win a conference game. The SEC now has seven teams ranked in the Top 25, and three of them (Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida) are in the Top 5. Read on for recaps of what went on around the conference in Week Six.

Arkansas 24, Auburn 7

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Tigers, who lost, at home, to the severely struggling Razorbacks. Both teams had kicking problems in the first half, with Arkansas missing two field goals and Auburn missing one. The Tigers failed to get on the board in the first two quarters, while the Hogs scored a touchdown and made a field goal, which gave them a 10-0 lead at the half. The only time Auburn found the end zone was when back up QB Clint Moseley hit Emory Blake for a 21-yard TD strike in the third quarter. The Razorbacks added two more touchdowns of their own in the fourth quarter, including one on a trick play involving Javontee Herndon and Brandon Mitchell.

Hogs QB Tyler Wilson finished the day 20-of-27 for 216 yards. Kiehl Frazier started under center for the Tigers, but was pulled after the first half. He went 9-of-18 for 118 yards and an interception, while Moseley was 13-of-21 for 163 yards, a TD, and two picks. Dennis Johnson had 17 carries for 76 yards and two touchdowns and Cobi Hamilton had five catches for 72 yards to lead Arkansas. Mike Blakely had 38 yards on seven carries and Blake had 10 receptions for 118 yards and the TD to lead Auburn. The Tigers turned the ball over five times (the Razorbacks coughed it up twice) and were outgained in total yardage 372-321.

Arkansas is now 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the SEC. They’ll host Kentucky next weekend. Auburn falls to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play. They’ll travel to Ole Miss next Saturday.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Six”

Only 10 SEC teams were in action this week, as the other four got a week off to rest and regroup. There are still six undefeated teams, with South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in the East and Alabama, LSU, and Mississippi State in the West. Every team has now played at least one conference game, though only half of the teams have an SEC victory. Kentucky and Auburn are still at the bottom of their respective divisions, while Vandy and Auburn aren’t doing much better. Read on for a recap of what went on around the conference in Week Five.

Missouri 21, Central Florida 16

It was closer than the Tigers would have liked, but they managed to leave Orlando with another game in the win column on Saturday. The Knights took an early 3-0 lead, but Mizzou responded in the second quarter when Dorial Green-Beckham caught an 80-yard pass to put the Tigers up 7-3. UCF tacked on a touchdown of their own and took a slim 10-7 lead into the locker room. Midway through the third quarter, Missouri’s Marcus Murphy returned a punt 66 yards for a TD, putting the Tigers back on top. Each team scored one more touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough for the Knights, who lost a final chance to score when they fumbled with under two and a half minutes left in the game.

Tigers QB James Franklin was 19-of-30 for 257 yards, a TD, and a pick. His UCF counterpart, Blake Bortles, finished the day 29-of-43 for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Kendial Lawrence had 19 carries for just over 100 yards and a TD and Green-Beckham’s 80-yard touchdown catch led Mizzou. Storm Johnson had 93 yards on 15 carries and J.J. Worton had five receptions for 56 yards to lead the Knights. Central Florida had 27 first downs compared to Missouri’s 16 and outgained the Tigers 395-346 in total yardage. Mizzou managed only 89 yards on the ground.

Missouri improves to 3-2 overall and is 0-2 in the SEC. They’ll host Vanderbilt next weekend.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Five”