The SEC East fared better than the West on the second day of the SEC men’s basketball tournament, as Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Missouri all notched wins and the right to advance to the next round. LSU was the lone team from the West to stay alive.

LSU 68, Georgia 63

If you only looked at the halftime score from this game, you’d be amazed at how close the final score was. The Dawgs, down 39-19 heading into the locker rooms, had only one first half lead (and it lasted approximately 20 seconds) and trailed by as many as 23 points.

Georgia closed the gap in the second half, though, and went on a 12-3 run, which pulled them within three points of the Tigers with about half a minute remaining in the game. The score was still 66-63 with as few as seven seconds left, but LSU hit a couple of key free throws to extend their lead just enough.

Shavon Coleman had 24 points, six rebounds, two steals, and a block to lead the Tigers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Bulldogs with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and an assist. LSU outshot UGA 43.4 percent to 28.6 percent, but the Dawgs outrebounded the Tigers 48-34.

Georgia finishes the season 15-17 overall and 9-9 in regular season SEC play. LSU is now 19-11 overall and was also .500 in conference play. They’ll face off against No. 13 Florida (24-6, 14-4) Friday at 1 ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU/WatchESPN.

Tennessee 69, Mississippi State 53

Fresh off their first round defeat of South Carolina, the Bulldogs couldn’t keep their season alive against the superior Vols. MSU took a 4-0 lead, but it quickly disappeared as UT went on a 12-0 run. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 19 points and by halftime, they were down 35-19 and the Volunteers were clearly in control of the game.

Things got better for Mississippi State in the second half, as they found some fight and Tennessee seemed content to rest on their lead. The Bulldogs came with nine points with under five minutes left in the game, but the Vols didn’t let them get any closer. UT’s Jordan McRae even got fancy at the end, doing a 360 spin and dunk move.

Craig Sword had 19 points, three rebounds, two assists, and four steals to lead the Bulldogs. Jarnell Stokes led the Vols with 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals. MSU was outshot 51.8 percent to 34.5 percent and outrebounded 34-32.

Mississippi State finishes the season 10-22 overall and 4-14 in regular season SEC play. Tennessee improves to 20-11 overall and went 11-7 in conference play. They’ll take on Alabama (20-11, 12-6) Friday at 3 ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU/WatchESPN.

» Continue reading “Vols, ‘Dores, And Two Teams Of Tigers Advance To SEC Tourney Quarterfinals”

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”

Manziel was all smiles tonight in New York.

Congratulations to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, who tonight became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

He finished with 474 first place votes, over 150 more than Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, who came in second, received (he had 321 votes). Kansas State’s Collin Klein, who was the third candidate present for the ceremony in New York tonight, earned 60 first place votes.

Manziel, who thanked his entire family, his coaches, and his team for their support also apologized to his grandmother for breaking so many things in the house growing up. He choked up towards the end of his speech, too, when he mentioned former Texas A&M offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio, who died in a car accident last year.

This season, Manziel, nicknamed Johnny Football, racked up 3,419 total yards through the air and threw 24 touchdowns. He also notched 1,181 yards on the ground and 19 rushing TDs to become the first freshman, first SEC player, and fifth player ever to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in a season.

If you somehow missed seeing Manziel play this season, you’ve got one more chance. He and the Aggies will take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 4.

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”

STYLE! (Screenshot via CBS Sports)

The BCS standings are due for a shake up after Saturday as the Texas A&M (TAMU) Aggies scored their first big win in the SEC by defeating the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 29-24 in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

TAMU jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and had to hold off Alabama the rest of the way. Christine Michael had two of those first quarter touchdowns, both of which came on one-yard runs.

Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel had a touchdown pass to Ryan Swope for 25 yards, which was the other score of the quarter.

The Crimson Tide didn’t go away as they were able to score two touchdowns in the second quarter, both on touchdown runs by T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy. Texas A&M had the 20-14 lead at halftime.

Jeremy Shelley got Alabama closer with a 28 yard field goal in the third quarter, but the Aggies still led 20-17. Taylor Bertolet gave Texas A&M a cushion with a field goal early in the fourth quarter. A&M led 23-17. They had another opportunity for a field goal, but Bertolet missed wide right.

The Aggies scored a touchdown to put the game out of reach thanks to another Manziel touchdown pass to Malcolm Kennedy for 24 yards. Texas A&M led 29-14, following the missed two-point conversion.

Alabama didn’t call it quits as A.J. McCarron completed a 54 yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. The Crimson Tide had an opportunity late, getting inside the 5-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. However, McCarron was intercepted on fourth and goal.

The Aggies ran off some clock, before encountering a fourth and short. However, a neutral zone infraction on Alabama gave Texas A&M the first down. They were able to run the clock off from there.

Manziel undoubtedly made a name for himself in the win against Alabama. The freshman completed 24-of-31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Johnny Football, as he is called, also had 92 yards to lead Texas A&M in rushing. Manziel and the Aggies offense did an amazing job on 3rd down against Alabama. They converted 11-of-17 third downs for the game.

McCarron had one touchdown pass, 309 yards, but was picked off twice in the loss.

The loss won’t have an effect on Alabama’s position in the SEC West. They still have a one game lead over Texas A&M. The only thing it means is it will take Alabama another week to clinch a berth to the SEC Championship game.

It feels like just yesterday that the college football season started, but we’re somehow already through 10 weeks of games. The SEC now has just one remaining undefeated team: Alabama. There are two teams with only one loss, Florida and Georgia, and three teams who have at least one victory outside the conference, but have yet to win a conference game: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Auburn. At this point, half of the SEC’s teams are bowl eligible (those teams: Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina). Read on for a recap of this weekend’s games.

(7) Florida 14, Missouri 7

Little has gone right for the Tigers in their first season as an SEC team, and that trend continued Saturday afternoon in Gainesville. Mizzou QB James Franklin tossed four interceptions and the Gators were able to come away with a victory, keeping them in the hunt for the conference title game. Both teams were held scoreless in the first quarter, but the Tigers found the end zone with just over six minutes remaining in the half for their only score of the day. UF scored one time each in the third and fourth quarters, first on a 36-yard run by Omarius Hines and then on a 45-yard pass to Mike Gillislee from QB Jeff Driskel. Missouri had plenty of time to tie things up in the fourth quarter and looked to be on their way to a last-second score, but Franklin was picked in the end zone with only five seconds left in the game.

Driskel finished the day 12-of-23 for just over 100 yards and a touchdown. Franklin went 24-of-51 for 236 yards and four interceptions. Gillislee had 68 yards on 16 carries and one catch for 45 yards and the TD to lead the Gators. Kendial Lawrence had 18 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown and Dorial Green-Beckham had six receptions for 73 yards to lead the Tigers. Even though they lost, Mizzou racked up 23 first downs compared to UF’s 11 and they also turned the ball over four times. The Tigers managed just under 100 yards on the ground, but outgained the Gators in total yardage 335-276.

Florida improves to 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. They’ll host the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns next weekend. Missouri drops to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play. They’ll travel to Knoxville to take on the Vols next Saturday.

» Continue reading “SEC Summary – Week Ten”

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”