While some experts say that the Southeastern Conference is declining in skill, this Saturday’s games showed football fans everywhere that it is still one of the most thrilling conferences to watch. South Carolina’s 34-10 victory over Mississippi State made the not-so-exciting column, as did Louisiana State’s 48-0 trouncing of in-state opponent Louisiana Lafayette. Meanwhile, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Auburn had the week off along with a chance to view some of the action.
The other six SEC teams entertained the nation with three conference games that went down to the wire and then some.
In the early afternoon, the Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Florida Gators in what might have been the biggest upset ever witnessed in Oxford.
As no surprise, Florida took a 14-2 lead into halftime courtesy of two touchdown passes from Heisman Trophy candidate Rex Grossman to Carlos Perez.
On the opening possession of the second half, Grossman threw an interception that turned into a Rebel touchdown four plays later. Ole Miss safety Matt Grier picked off Grossman’s pass again two possessions later. This time, he took it in for the score himself, giving the Rebels a 17-14 lead.
Florida elected not to go for a 47-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, and Grossman was sacked on the ensuing play for a turnover on downs. Grossman threw his fourth and final interception of the day on the next Gator possession, and the Rebels ran out the clock for the victory.
Later in the day, Alabama hosted Georgia, the only remaining undefeated SEC team to that point.
Going into the fourth quarter, Georgia clung to a 17-12 lead. Bulldog quarterback David Greene extended the lead to 24-12 with a 37-yard touchdown throw to Terrence Edwards.
Alabama responded with a touchdown drive in which quarterback Brodie Croyle leaped over a defender from the 4-yard line and extended the ball just over the goal line before landing.
Four plays later, Alabama’s Charlie Peprah intercepted Greene’s pass and ran it 35 yards to give the Crimson Tide a 25-24 lead as Bryant-Denny Stadium erupted. The failed two-point conversion attempt would prove to be critical for the Tide.
With less than four minutes left in the game, Georgia returned a punt to the 34 yard line of Alabama. The Bulldogs then drove the ball only 19 yards in seven plays, but it was enough for Billy Bennett to kick a game-winning 32-yard field goal. The win propelled Georgia to a 5-0 overall record and a No. 6 national ranking.
In the nightcap, the Arkansas Razorbacks paid a visit to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in what became an instant game-of-the year contender. With 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones completed a pass to Richard Smith who ran down the sideline for a 92-yard touchdown that took the game to overtime.
In the first and second OTs, UT kicker Phillip Newman and UA kicker Brennan O’Donohoe hit short field goals to keep the game tied.
In OT No. 3, O’Donohoe had a 38-yard field goal attempt to win it after the Razorbacks recovered a Tennessee fumble; however, he pulled the ball to the left, and the teams headed to another overtime.
In the fourth and fifth OTs, both teams scored touchdowns but failed on each two-point conversion effort.
In the sixth and final OT, Razorback long-distance kicker David Carlton booted a 47-yarder to give Arkansas a 38-35 advantage. On the next play, Casey Clausen threw a strike to Jason Witten who trotted a few steps into the end zone for a 41-38 Volunteer victory.
Three national powerhouses were put to the test in conference games, and one of them even lost to an unranked team. SEC fans got to enjoy watching three nail biters on Saturday, and the rest of the nation did as well.