The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Auburn, QB Nix’s 3 TDs send Arkansas to its 3rd straight loss
Bo Nix threw for 292 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Auburn’s defense contributed a touchdown and a key fourth down stop in the third quarter and the Tigers upset No. 17 Arkansas 38-23 Saturday. Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC) won its sixth straight in the series and handed Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) its third straight loss.
The Tigers took a third-quarter lead when Derick Hall sacked and stripped Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson in the end zone and Marcus Harris pounced on it for the touchdown. On the next series, Harris stuffed Jefferson on an attempted fourth-down conversion at the Auburn 29. One play later, Nix found Demetris Robertson for a 71-yard score.
Auburn flipped a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead in just over three minutes.
Jefferson went 21 of 35 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 66 yards on 18 carries, but was sacked three times. Both scoring passes went to Treylon Burks, who finished with nine catches for 109 yards.
Nix completed passes to 10 receivers, going 21 for 26 with an interception.
Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) pulled within a score at the end of the third quarter on Dominique Johnson’s 20-yard run, but Auburn answered with a field goal. After Auburn forced its second three-and-out, Nix capped a 12-play, 75-yard, 6:11 drive with a 23-yard TD run with less than three minutes left.
Johnson ran six times for 42 yards. Tank Bigsby led Auburn on the ground, rushing 18 times for 68 yards and a touchdown.
No. 21 Texas A&M 35, (at) Missouri 14: Texas A&M’s running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane combined for 292 rushing yards and three TDs. Spiller rushed 20 times for 168 yards and one TD, and Achane added 16 carries for 124 yards and two scores as Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC) avoided a letdown after last week’s upset of Alabama.
Missouri (3-4, 0-3 SEC) has the nation’s worst run defense — allowing 287 rushing yards per game — and it offered little resistance as Spiller ripped off a 48-yard touchdown run and Achane followed with a 20-yard scoring run in the first quarter. The home crowd booed Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz when he ran out the clock in the first half rather than aggressively trying to cut into the Aggies’ 28-7 lead.
Zach Calzada completed 13 of 25 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Both scoring passes went to Ainias Smith.
Missouri’s Tyler Badie rushed 22 times for 68 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown run. Connor Bazelak completed 29 of 43 for 230 yards but was intercepted twice.
(At) S. Carolina 21, Vanderbilt 20: Former South Carolina grad assistant turned quarterback Zeb Noland threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Legette with 37 seconds left to rally the Gamecocks. Noland came in with South Carolina (4-3, 1-3 SEC) trailing 20-14, in danger of its 10th straight SEC loss. But he completed 5 of 8 passes for 75 yards on the final drive, the last a strike to Legette in the end zone. Parker White hit the extra point, and the Gamecocks won their 13th straight over Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-3).
It looked like the Commodores would be the ones celebrating after Joseph Bulovas hit a 28-yard field goal with 1:36 to go for a 20-14 lead. Vanderbilt’s defense had held South Carolina scoreless for nearly 49 minutes with Luke Doty as quarterback. But Noland, 24, gave coach Frank Beamer his first SEC victory since taking over the program last December.
Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright threw for 206 yards, including a 52-yard TD pass to Will Sheppard for a 17-14 lead in the third quarter.