Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Auburn goes up a notch over A&M
NO. 14 AUBURN 42, TEXAS A&M 27
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — When Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn has had championship teams in the past he’s seen the players take things up a notch this time of year.
In a victory over Texas A&M on Saturday he saw that quality in his 16th-ranked team, and it left him feeling encouraged with a huge test looming next week against No. 1 Georgia.
Jarrett Stidham threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns as Auburn pulled away in the second half and cruised to a 42-27 victory over Texas A&M.
Kerryon Johnson added 145 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided a highlight-reel play with a nifty one-handed catch for an 11-yard gain on third down in the fourth to keep a drive going.
“He’s a special player and the special players they feel it when the game’s on the line,” Malzahn said.
Eli Stove capped that possession with a 4-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 42-20 to put the game out of reach. That possession came after Auburn’s defense stopped the Aggies on fourth down from the 4.
“We talked about a championship urgency,” Malzahn said. “This time of year the championship teams we’ve had have found ways to raise their level. And the defense did that in that area — in that spot right there — and the offense followed it up … that makes you feel real good.”
Auburn (7-2, 5-1 SEC) led by eight at halftime and made it 28-13 when Stidham connected with Ryan Davis on a 4-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter.
The Aggies (5-4, 3-3) were forced to punt on their next drive and Shane Tripucka, who had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the first half, didn’t get this one off cleanly either and it went just 16 yards to give Auburn good field position.
Malzahn thought that the blocked punt for a touchdown was one of the most important plays of the game.
“It changed the whole momentum of the game going into halftime,” he said of the play that put the Tigers up 21-13.
Darius Slayton beat A&M’s defenders for the second time soon after that, and Stidham found him for a 46-yard reception to set up a 2-yard TD run by Johnson to extend the lead to 35-13.
Coach Kevin Sumlin benched freshman quarterback Kellen Mond in the second quarter after he went 5 for 11 for 16 yards. Nick Starkel, who opened the season as the starter before breaking his ankle in the opener, took over and threw for 184 yards and two scores.
“It was time to give somebody else a chance and I think Nick took advantage of that today,” Sumlin said.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 24, SOUTH CAROLINA 10
ATHENS, Ga. — Jake Fromm proved he can throw — and block a little, too — as his two touchdown passes led No. 1 Georgia to a victory over South Carolina.
Fromm was accurate and efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards with scoring passes of 10 yards to Javon Wims and 20 yards to Mecole Hardman. He did not throw an interception.
Georgia (9-0, 6-0) has won its first nine games for the first time since 1982 and earned a spot in the SEC Championship Game with Mississippi’s victory over Kentucky. South Carolina (6-3, 4-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped.
NO. 16 MISSISSIPPI ST. 34, MASSACHUSETTS 23
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Nick Fitzgerald ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns to lead Mississippi State over Massachusetts.
Mississippi State (7-2) trailed 20-13 at halftime, but scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 2720 advantage. Massachusetts pulled within 27-23 on a short field goal in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t move the ball in the final minutes.
It was a much closer-than-expected outcome for the Bulldogs, who were 31-point favorites coming into the game. Aeris Williams added 114 yards rushing on 24 carries.
MISSOURI 45, FLORIDA 16
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri’s second-half surge continued. So did Florida’s second-half slide.
The Tigers beat the Gators for their third consecutive victory after a 1-5 start. Florida, which fired coach Jim McElwain last Sunday, has lost four consecutive and has been outscored 87-23 in the last two weeks.
Missouri (4-5, 1-4) took control of the game with a 14-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that spanned the first and second quarters. The key play was a 36yard Drew Lock pass to Emanuel Hall on first-and-25. Larry Rountree III capped
the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 14-0 lead.
VANDERBILT 31, W. KENTUCKY 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Shurmur hit Trent Sherfield on a 4-yard scoring pass on Vanderbilt’s opening drive and the Commodores never trailed in their victory over Western Kentucky.
Shurmur passed for two touchdowns and the Commodores rushed for two more, including Sherfield’s 45-yard run with 48 seconds left in the third quarter.
Vanderbilt (4-5) scored 14 points in the first quarter for the third time this season.
MISSISSIPPI 37, KENTUCKY 34
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jordan Ta’amu threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf with five seconds remaining, pushing Mississippi past Kentucky for a wild victory.
Moments after officials determined that Ta’amu was down before fumbling the ball away to Kentucky (6-3, 3-3), Metcalf pulled down the quarterback’s throw in the left corner of the end zone and kept his feet inbounds to spark a huge celebration for the Rebels. Ta’amu threw for career highs of 382 yards and 4 TDs, including 2 to Metcalf, who had 83 yards on 5 catches.
Mississippi (4-5, 2-4) bounced back from a 38-37 loss to Arkansas last week and maintained its hopes of becoming bowl eligible. The Rebels outgained Kentucky 473-455.