OPENING NOVEMBER IN THE SEC
WEEK 10 GAME SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Mississippi Rebels at Arkansas Razorbacks
11 a.m. CT • ESPN
Series: ARK leads, 38-30-1
Last: UM, 27-20 (2023 at Oxford) Fayetteville, Ark.
• Reynolds Razorback Stadium (76,000)
SiriusXM: 137/190 – 162/192
OLE MISS-ARKANSAS SERIES HISTORY
• Ole Miss and Arkansas will be meeting on the field for the 71st time in a series that dates back to 1908. • The Razorbacks hold a 37-30-1 series lead … The original series record is 37-32-1 with Ole Miss’ wins in 2012 & 2013 being vacated due to NCAA ruling. • Arkansas’ records indicate a 38-29-1 advantage for the Razorbacks … Arkansas claims a forfeit victory in a 1914 game that Ole Miss won 13-7. • Ole Miss leads 9-6 in Oxford, while Arkansas leads 13-2 in Fayetteville … Original record is 10-6 in Oxford. • Arkansas holds an 18-12 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992. • Five of the last nine games between Ole Miss and Arkansas have been decided by four points or fewer. • The home team has won each of the last five contests.
Mississippi Rebels Notes
• This is the 71st meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Arkansas dating back to 1908. • The Razorbacks hold a 37-30-1 series lead … The original series record is 37-32-1 with Ole Miss wins in 2012 and 2013 being vacated due to NCAA ruling. • Five of the last nine in the series have been decided by four points or fewer, and the home team has won the last five. • Head coach Lane Kiffin (40-17) recently became the fastest coach to 40 wins in Ole Miss history. • Lane Kiffin (101) is one of three active SEC head coaches with 100 FBS wins (Brian Kelly, 192; Kirby Smart, 100). • The Rebels are 35-12 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span. • Ole Miss leads or ties the FBS lead in six defensive categories, including scoring defense (11.0), rushing defense (76.6 ypg) and TFL (81) … The Rebels average 10.1 TFL for 43.0 yards lost per game. • The Rebels sacked Oklahoma 10 times, the most ever against OU and tied for second-most in Ole Miss history. • DE Suntarine Perkins is tied for the SEC lead in sacks at 8.5, already tied for ninth in Ole Miss single-season history. • Ole Miss’ five main defensive line starters (Ivey, Nolen, Pegues, Perkins, Umanmielen) own 43.5 TFL and 25.0 sacks. • Ole Miss owns four top-50 PFF defenders, led by No. 1 rated defender LB Chris Paul Jr. (91.2). • Ole Miss leads the SEC and ranks FBS top-10 in 12 offensive categories, including total offense (538.1 ypg). • QB Jaxson Dart leads the SEC in seven categories and at 24-9 is one win shy of becoming Ole Miss’ modern era starting QB leader in wins. • Dart (10,243) is 236 yards away from passing Bo Wallace (10,478) as Ole Miss’ all-time total offense leader. • DT JJ Pegues owns five rushing TD on the season, making him one of two FBS DL since 2015 with at least five.
LAST FIVE GAMES VS ARKANSAS
Oct. 7, 2023 • Oxford, Miss. • #15 Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 20
Ole Miss held Arkansas to 288 total yards of offense, the fewest for Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 2019 en route to a 27-20 win. The Rebels held Arkansas to just 36 yards on the ground, the fewest yielded by Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 2014. Ole Miss’ defense shined all around, finishing with a season-high five sacks and two interceptions.
Nov. 19, 2022 • Fayetteville, Ark. • Arkansas 42, #14 Ole Miss 27
Ole Miss tallied 703 total yards of offense, including 463 yards on the ground, but fell in an early hole and drop the SEC road contest 42-27 to Arkansas. Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans became the first two Rebels to eclipse the 200-yard rushing mark in the same game. Ultimately, the Razorback ground game was just as effective as Arkansas held on for the win.
Oct. 9, 2021 • Oxford, Miss. • #17 Ole Miss 52, #13 Arkansas 51
In a back-and-forth shootout, Ole Miss and Arkansas combined for just shy of 700 rushing yards as the Rebels just edged the Razorbacks in a wild victory. Ole Miss claimed a 24-14 advantage out of halftime, but Arkansas fought back to tie the game four separate times in the second half. Ultimately, the Hogs attempted to break the tie with a two-point conversion on the game’s final play, but the Rebel secured the victory.
Oct. 17, 2020 • Fayetteville, Ark. • Arkansas 33, Ole Miss 21
The Ole Miss offense had scored 35 or more points in each of their first three games in 2020, but the Arkansas defensive gameplan befuddled the Rebel air attack, resulting in six interceptions for the Razorbacks. Despite the heavy turnovers, the Rebels were right in the game, trailing by five with the ball late in the fourth quarter—but the sixth interception of the game from Matt Corral was returned by Grant Morgan for six Razorback points, sealing the Rebel defeat.
Sept. 7, 2019 • Oxford, Miss. • Ole Miss 31, Arkansas 17
A balanced offensive attack and the revamped Ole Miss defense took center stage against Arkansas, powering the Rebels to a 31-17 victory in the 2019 SEC opener at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday. The Rebels (1-1, 1-0 SEC) stymied the Razorbacks to 361 yards of total offense, the fewest allowed by Ole Miss since stifling UT Martin to 334 yards on Sept. 9, 2017. Ole Miss had a superb day on offense as well, tallying 483 yards behind big days from quarterback Matt Corral and running back Scottie Phillips.
RAZORBACK SCOUTING REPORT
Arkansas enters the week 5-3 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, with all three of its losses coming to teams ranked in the top 25. Arkansas ranks No. 7 nationally with 482.5 yards per game and have surpassed the 600-yard plateau three times this season. Transfer Taylen Green leads the Razorbacks under center, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,056 yards and 11 passing touchdowns. Green also is a threat with his legs, averaging 50 yards rushing per game, with five rushing TDs on the season. Ja’Quinden Jackson leads the Razorbacks on the ground with 592 rushing yards and 10 TDs. Eight different Arkansas receivers have hauled in a TD reception this season, but redshirt senior Andrew Armstrong is the Razorbacks leading pass-catcher, with 49 catches for 722 yards. Defensively, the Razorbacks are holding their opponent to just 349.1 total yards per game. Preseason All-American selection Landon Jackson has tallied 30 total tackles and leads the Razorbacks with 5.5 sacks on the season. Linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. is Arkansas’ leading tackler with 60 total tackles on the season, including four TFL. TJ Metcalf has a team-high three interceptions, leading the Razorbacks in the secondary.
Arkansas Razorbacks Notes
THE RUNDOWN
• The Hogs, now within one win of clinching bowl eligibility for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Sam Pittman, begin a three-game homestand inside the friendly confines of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium this weekend. Kickoff between Arkansas and No. 19 Ole Miss is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, on ESPN. • Since 2010, Arkansas has won five consecutive games against Ole Miss in Fayetteville. During that span, the Hogs are 2-0 against the Rebels in games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium under head coach Sam Pittman. • QB Taylen Green has completed 151-of-249 (60.6%) passes for 2,056 yards and 11 touchdowns through eight games this season. A dual-threat quarterback, Green has also run for 395 yards and five scores on 95 carries (4.5 ypc) to help power Arkansas’ dynamic offense, which ranks seventh nationally in total yards per game (482.5) through eight games. Green, named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 for Week 9, accounted for six total touchdowns at Mississippi State (Oct. 26), becoming the first Razorback with five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a game since QB Ryan Mallett did so against UTEP in 2010. • RB Braylen Russell earned his first collegiate start in place of the injured RB Ja’Quinden Jackson at Mississippi State (Oct. 26) and logged his first career 100-yard rushing game in the process, breaking loose for a career-high 175 yards on 16 carries (10.9 ypc) to become the first Arkansas freshman to rush for 175-plus yards in a game since RB Darren McFadden in 2005. Russell, whose 175 rushing yards are the most in a game by any freshman running back in the country this year, also became just the third Arkansas freshman since at least 1997 to rush for 150-plus yards in a game, joining McFadden (2005) and RB Alex Collins (2013). • WR Andrew Armstrong has solidified himself as QB Taylen Green’s go-to target, leading the Razorbacks in both receptions (49) and receiving yards (722) despite missing the team’s season opener. Armstrong, who ranks second in the SEC in receiving yards (722), receiving yards per game (103.1) and receptions per game (7.0), is one of only eight FBS pass catchers averaging 100-plus yards receiving per game this year. He enters Saturday with a reception in 35 consecutive games and multiple receptions in 30 straight games since his 2021 season at Texas A&M-Commerce. • DL Landon Jackson has lived up to the lofty preseason hype, leading the Hogs in both tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (4.0) through eight games on the year. The preseason All-American pass rusher made his presence felt in the win at Mississippi State (Oct. 26), finishing the contest with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick on a field goal attempt to become the first Razorback defender since at least 1997 with such a stat line in a game.
QB1
• QB Taylen Green, the Boise State transfer, is tasked with leading the Arkansas offense in the 2024 campaign. • In his Razorback debut against UAPB (Aug. 29), Green accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) to become just the third Arkansas signal-caller since 1997 to pass and rush for multiple touchdowns in a single game. • Green posted 477 total yards of offense (416 passing + 61 rushing), the second-highest single game total in Arkansas history, at Oklahoma State (Sept. 7). His 416 passing yards are the fourth-highest single game total in school history and the most by an Arkansas quarterback in a single game since QB Tyler Wilson threw for 419 against Rutgers (Sept. 22, 2012). • Green ran for two scores in the win over UAB (Sept. 14), his second multi-rushing touchdown game of the season and seventh multi-rushing touchdown effort of his career. • Green turned in his best performance of the season at Mississippi State (Oct. 26), accounting for six total touchdowns to become the first Razorback to throw for five touchdowns and rush for a touchdown since QB Ryan Mallett (5 passing + 1 rushing) accomplished the feat against UTEP in 2010. • Prior to Arkansas, Green played in 13 games with 12 starts for Boise State as a redshirt sophomore in 2023, completing 121-of-212 passes (57.1%) for 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns. A dual-threat quarterback, Green also rushed for 436 yards and nine scores on 78 carries (5.6 ypc). • As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Green was the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American by College Football News after playing in 13 games with 10 starts and completing 166-of-271 (61.3%) passes for 2,042 yards and 14 touchdowns. Green also rushed for 10 touchdowns, finishing the season as the only freshman with at least 10 passing and 10 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
RUNNIN’ RAZORBACKS
• RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, a tranfer from Utah, has wasted no time proving to be a difference-maker for the Arkansas offense this season, rushing for 100-plus yards in three consecutive games to begin the 2024 campaign, his first as a Hog. • Jackson, who currently ranks third in the SEC and 13th nationally in rushing touchdowns (10), rushed for at least one touchdown in each of Arkansas’ first six games of the season. Jackson became is the fastest Arkansas player to reach 10 rushing touchdowns in a season since RB Madre Hill accomplished the feat in 1995. • Jackson was the first Razorback running back to rush for a touchdown in six consecutive games since RB Knile Davis did so in 2010. The last Arkansas running back to rush for a touchdown in seven straight games was RB Darren McFadden in 2006. • RB Braylen Russell earned his first collegiate start in place of the injured RB Ja’Quinden Jackson at Mississippi State (Oct. 26) and logged his first career 100-yard rushing game in the process, breaking loose for a career-high 175 yards on 16 carries (10.9 ypc) to become the first Arkansas freshman to rush for 175-plus yards in a game since RB Darren McFadden in 2005. • Russell, whose 175 rushing yards are the most in a game by a freshman running back in the country this year, became the third Arkansas freshman since 1997 to rush for 150-plus yards in a game, joining McFadden (2005) and RB Alex Collins (2013). • Russell, named the SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 9, was a four-star prospect coming out of high school. Rated the No. 16 running back nationally and the No. 3 overall prospect in Arkansas by ESPN, he ran the ball 167 times for 1,359 yards (8.0 ypc) and 20 touchdowns to go with 18 receptions for 351 receiving yards and five scores as a senior in 2023. • RB Rashod Dubinion is the Hogs’ top returning running back from the 2023 campaign. The Ellenwood, Ga., native played in 10 games with two starts last season, rushing for 260 yards on 82 carries (3.2 ypc) with a touchdown.
YOU THROW IT, THEY CATCH IT
• Entering 2024, the Razorback offense returned 93.8% of the team’s receiving yards (2,111), 89.4% of the team’s receptions (185) and all but one of the team’s receiving touchdowns (21 – 95.5%) from 2023. Seven of the Hogs’ top eight pass catchers from last season all returned for 2024 led by WR Andrew Armstrong (56 receptions for 764 yards and five touchdowns). • Returners also include WR Isaac TeSlaa (34 receptions for 351 yards and 2 TD), TE Luke Hasz (16 receptions for 253 yards and 3 TD), WR Tyrone Broden (15 receptions for 109 yards and 3 TD), WR Isaiah Sategna (15 receptions for 129 yards and 2 TD), RB Rashod Dubinion (14 receptions for 85 yards and 1 TD) and TE Ty Washington (11 receptions for 170 yards and 2 TD). • Armstrong has burst onto the scene since transferring from Texas A&M-Commerce prior to 2023. Now in his second year as a Razorback, Armstrong led Arkansas in receptions (56), receiving yards (764), receiving yards per game (63.7) and receiving touchdowns (5) one season ago. A native of Dallas, Texas, Armstrong started all 12 games in 2023 and caught at least two passes in every game. He also logged 103 yards on three catches in the Hogs’ first ever win at Florida (Nov. 4, 2023). • Armstrong, who turned in consecutive 100-yard receiving games against Oklahoma State (Sept. 7) and UAB (Sept. 14) to begin his season, has a three 100-yard receiving games through Arkansas’ first eight games of the 2024 campaign. • Armstrong owns a team-leading 35-game reception streak dating back to Oct. 16, 2021, while at Texas A&M-Commerce. • As a senior in 2023, TeSlaa started all 12 games in his first season at Arkansas, catching 34 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns. A Hillsdale College transfer, TeSlaa led the team with eight contested catches according to Pro Football Focus and finished second on the squad in receptions and yards. He caught at least one pass in all 12 games of the 2023 season. • TeSlaa delivered a big game against Texas A&M (Sept. 28), logging five receptions for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown. TeSlaa became the first Arkansas wide receiver with 5+ receptions, 120+ receiving yards and 1+ receiving touchdown in a game since WR Treylon Burks did so against Missouri on Nov. 26, 2021. • The trio of Armstrong, TeSlaa and Broden (listed below in order of career receptions) has combined for 450 receptions, 7,043 receiving yards and 60 receiving touchdowns over 138 career games played.
Vanderbilt Commodores at Auburn Tigers
11:45 a.m. CT • SEC Network
Series: AU leads, 22-21-1
Last: AU, 31-15 (2023 at Nashville) Auburn, Ala.
• Jordan-Hare Stadium (88,043) SiriusXM: 374 – 158/191
SERIES HISTORY
• In the all-time series with Vanderbilt, Auburn holds a slim 22-21-1 advantage. The two teams first met in 1893, a 30-10 Auburn victory at Montgomery, Ala. Auburn leads 9-0 in all games played in Auburn, while Vanderbilt leads 12-8 in all games played in Nashville. Other games in the series have been contested in Montgomery (Vanderbilt leads 4-1); Birmingham (tied 4-4-1); and in Jacksonville, Fla., where Vanderbilt was a 25-13 winner in the 1955 Gator Bowl. • The teams’ last matchup was last November 4 at Vanderbilt, where Auburn posted a 31-15 win. Jarquez Hunter rushed for a then-career high 183 yards with two scores, and Payton Thorne tossed TD passes to Rivaldo Fairweather and Jeremiah Cobb. • Auburn is 84-52-7 all-time against teams from the state of Tennessee. Vanderbilt is one of 10 teams the Tigers have played from the Volunteer State.
Vanderbilt Commodores Notes
STORYLINES
NEXT UP
• Vanderbilt heads to The Plains to face Auburn in what will be the 45th meeting all-time between the two schools since 1893. • The Commodores have won three of their last four games after coming up short in a comeback attempt against No. 5/6 Texas on Saturday. Vanderbilt lost by a field goal to the Longhorns after rattling off wins over top-ranked Alabama, Kentucky and Ball State. • Vandy and Auburn split the previous four meetings. The Commodores beat the Tigers in 2008 and 2012 and Auburn won the 2016 and 2023 contests. • Nine current Commodore players and coaches were part of the New Mexico State program that upset Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium last season (Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers, Blaze Berlowitz, Moni Jones, Jerry Kill, Tim Beck, Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford, Melvin Rice, Garrett Altman). • A win for Vanderbilt would make the Dores bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. LAST TIME OUT • Vanderbilt pushed No. 5/6 Texas to the final seconds on Saturday, ultimately falling 27-24 at FirstBank Stadium. • Vandy’s three losses this season have come by a combined 10 points. • Vanderbilt scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the fourth straight game, with three of those scores resulting in seven points. • The Commodore defense has picked off three opponent’s opening drives this season (Virginia Tech, Alabama, Texas). Vandy has picked off its opponent in every game this year but two. • The defensive unit tallied a season-high nine tackles for loss for a season-best 41 yards. The defense also posted a season-high six pass breakups. • Junior Sherrill had a personal-best five catches for 62 yards and a receiving touchdown. • Brock Taylor became the first Commodore to make five field goals of 50-plus yards in a career. All five makes have come this season. • Linebacker Nick Rinaldi posted his fourth straight game with a sack. Bryan Longwell led the defense for the third time this season after totaling 11 tackles, his second contest this fall with 10-plus takedowns. That total included a tackle for loss, giving him at least one in every game this year but one.
DOMINANT DIEGO
• Diego Pavia has been one of the most electric signal callers in college football this season. He ranks 23rd among FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency (155.1), third-best in the SEC. • Pavia ranks sixth in the SEC with 537 rushing yards, most among quarterbacks. • His performance in the win over top-ranked Alabama on Oct. 5 landed him SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He was also named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week. • In the opening win vs. Virginia Tech, Pavia completed 75 percent of his passes with a passing efficiency of 216.0. • He was credited with eight missed tackles forced by PFF in Week 1, tied for the lead in FBS among non-running backs with Taylen Green (Arkansas) and Matthew Sluka (UNLV). • Pavia’s 104 net rushing yards against the Hokies were the second most among non-running backs during Week 1, trailing only new New Mexico’s Devon Dampier who ran for 130 yards at Arizona. • Diego Pavia piloted a deadly efficient offense in 2023 while leading New Mexico State to 10 wins. Pavia ranked among the top-35 in FBS in passing touchdowns, points, passing yards per attempt and passing efficiency last season. In addition, Pavia ranked fifth among FBS quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus’ Elusive Rating.
WHERE THE DORES RANK
• Vandy ranks ninth in FBS and leads the SEC in third down conversion percentage (49.1). • The Dores are tied for first among Power 4 programs with three interceptions thrown this season. Vandy leads the SEC in turnovers lost (5) and ranks third in turnover margin (0.63). • Vanderbilt boasts the SEC’s second best red zone offense (96.9), fifth best in FBS. • With an average time of possession of 32:29, the Dores lead the SEC and are 12th in FBS.
RELIABLE
• Eli Stowers leads the SEC, is second among Power 4 and fifth among all FBS tight ends with 496 receiving yards. • Stowers caught six passes for 113 yards in Vanderbilt’s victory over No. 1/2 Alabama, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. • Stowers became the first Vandy tight end since at least 1996 to have multiple games with 100-plus receiving yards in a season. He has three such games this season after totaling 110 receiving yards vs. Georgia State and 130 vs. Ball State in addition to the Alabama game. • Stowers became just the sixth tight end since 1996 to register 100-plus receiving yards in a game vs. Alabama:
SIGNAL CALLERS WITH SPEED
• Diego Pavia’s 537 rushing yards this year are already the sixth-most in a season by a Vanderbilt quarterback (since 1965) and third-most since 1996. • At his current pace of 67.1 rushing yards per game, the best mark by a Commodore QB since at least 1996, he would finish the regular season with a quarterback school-record 805 rushing yards. • Chris Nickson owns the current single-season mark for a QB with 694 rushing yards in 2006. • Nate Johnson is currently 15 yards away from 100 rushing yards on the season. It would be the 14th time Vanderbilt had two 100-yard rushers at the quarterback position in the same season since 1965 and the first time in over a decade. It last happened in 2013 with Patton Robinette (214 yards) and Austyn CartaSamuels (115 yards). • Vanderbilt has had a quarterback reach 100 rushing yards in all four seasons under Clark Lea after not having a signal-caller reach 100 rushing yards in the previous five seasons.
ONE OF ONE
• In the course of nine days, Vanderbilt University collected a trio of historic achievements. In addition to the football team’s victory over No. 1 Alabama, a Vanderbilt professor was named a MacArthur Fellow and a Vanderbilt graduate won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. • Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt, was named a MacArthur Fellow on Oct. 5, receiving what is commonly referred to as a MacArthur “Genius” Grant. Stassun is a founding co-director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, the director of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and holds a joint appointment with Computer Science in the School of Engineering. • On Oct. 6, the Commodore football team secured the first win over a No. 1 team in program history, defeating Alabama 40-35. • Four days later, Vanderbilt captured its seventh Nobel Prize when John Jumper, a 2007 Vanderbilt graduate, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work with artificial intelligence models predicting the folded structure of proteins. • Jumper joins six previous Nobel Laureates with ties to Vanderbilt or Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Previous winners include Al Gore (Peace), Muhammad Yunus (Peace), Stanley Cohen (Physiology or Medicine), Stanford Moore (Chemistry), Earl W. Sutherland Jr. (Physiology or Medicine) and Max Delbrück (Physiology or Medicine).
SPECIAL PLAYS, SPECIAL PLAYERS
• Vanderbilt is third in the SEC and 10th in FBS with 17.3 yards per punt return. • Vanderbilt’s special teams efficiency of 67.5 ranks 16th among FBS programs according to ESPN’s FPI. • In the win over Alcorn State, Martel Hight became the first Dore with 100-plus punt return yards since Jonathan Krause on Nov. 24, 2012 at Wake Forest (110 yards). Hight’s punt return for a touchdown was the first since Krause’s in that contest. • Hight is now the first Commodore to have 100-plus punt return yards in a season since the 2019 campaign, reaching the mark in just two games. • Jesse Mirco is averaging 45.4 yards per punt on the season. Mirco’s 69-yard punt vs. Alcorn State is tied for the 15th longest punt in FBS this season. • Brock Taylor drilled a program-record 57-yard field goal at Missouri on Sept. 21. Taylor has five makes of 50 or more yards this season, making him the first player on record to accomplish the feat at Vanderbilt. Taylor has been named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season.
Auburn Tigers Notes
BACK AT HOME
• Auburn (3-5, 1-4 SEC) hosts No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-4, 2-3 SEC) on Saturday, November 2, in an 11:00 a.m. CT game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn televised by the SEC Network. Recognitions include the 13-0 SEC champion 2004 football team, the 2024 women’s golf team that advanced to the NCAA Elite 8, and winners of the Leah Rawls Atkins (Megan Schofill) and Pamela Wells Sheffield (Babs Anderson) awards. • In all-time SEC play, Auburn holds a 339-277-18 mark (.549) back through 1933. In SEC games played in Auburn, the Tigers are 145-71-6 (.667) all-time; away from Auburn, the Tigers are 194-205-12 (.487) overall in SEC play.
IN NOVEMBER
• Auburn is 247-194-20 (.579) all-time in November. Auburn’s November home record is 107-42-5 (.711). Away from Auburn, the Tigers are 141-151-15 (.483) in November. The Tigers are 9-7 in all games played on November 2, 7-6 in SEC contests and 5-2 at home on that date
ON OFFENSE
• Auburn has averaged 431.4 yards of total offense through eight games. That average would surpass every total offensive average except one in the last 10 seasons, the highest being 451.6 ypg in 2017. ›› Auburn has scored in 150 consecutive games, now the longest streak in school history. The Tigers are averaging 30.31 ppg (4,546 total points) during that stretch. Auburn was last shut out by No. 2 Alabama 49-0 in Tuscaloosa in 2012. The previous longest streak in program history was 149 games, beginning with a 55-16 victory over Richmond (10/4/80) in Doug Barfield’s final season as head coach and lasting until the final game of Pat Dye’s 12-year tenure as Auburn head coach, when the Tigers lost 17-0 to No. 2 Alabama in the 1992 Iron Bowl. • KeAndre Lambert-Smith has caught seven touchdowns in his first eight games at Auburn. He’s averaging 72.4 yards per game, seventh-best in the SEC and is on the Biletnikoff Award mid-season watch list. His 2,300 career yards rank second among active SEC players, and he is one of six in the league with more than 2,000 career receiving yards. The Penn State transfer caught touchdowns of 67 yards and four yards vs. AAMU and had a 15-yard score against California. He’s the first Auburn player with a TD catch in consecutive games since Rivaldo Fairweather caught a touchdown at Vanderbilt, two at Arkansas and one against New Mexico State last season. It is the third time in his career Lambert-Smith has caught a touchdown in consecutive games; he also did so in 2022 and in 2022-23 while playing at Penn State. Lambert-Smith had a career-high 156 yards receiving on five catches against Arkansas, including touchdowns of 10 and 67 yards, the 14th-best receiving performance in Auburn history. He added five catches for 77 yards against Oklahoma, including a 31-yard score. His seven receptions at Georgia gained 95 yards and he added a 6-yard TD catch at Kentucky. Auburn’s wide receivers caught seven TD in the first two games of the season, which matched the WR total for all of 2023. • Freshman receiver Malcolm Simmons, with 25 receptions for 310 yards through eight games, already ranks seventh among Auburn’s all-time freshmen in receiving yardage. Simmons has two touchdown catches this season. Teammate Cam Coleman, with 14 catches for 283 yards, ranks 10th among Auburn all-time freshman receivers. Coleman’s 47-yard TD catch at Missouri was his longest of the season. ›› Quarterback Payton Thorne was 13-21 passing against Alabama A&M, with four touchdown passes and 322 yards passing; his 70-yard TD pass to Perry Thompson was Thorne’s longest completion at Auburn. He added a TD run as well against the Bulldogs. He had a TD run and pass against California. Thorne was 21-32 for an Auburn career-best 338 yards against Oklahoma with 3 TD and an interception. Thorne was 162-265 passing last season for 1,755 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also added 519 yards and 3 scores on the ground to rank 10th in single-season rushing yardage among Auburn QBs. A Michigan State transfer, Thorne threw for 6,494 yards (223.9 per game) in three seasons with the Spartans. He was 524-860 (.609) in 29 career games, 26 as the starter. Thorne is one of 12 active FBS players with more than 10,000 yards of career total offense. • Quarterback Hank Brown made his first start against New Mexico, going 17-25 for 235 passing yards with four TD passes. Brown was the first Auburn QB with four TD passes in his first start since Jeremy Johnson (4 TD) vs. Western Carolina in 2013. The redshirt freshman is 27-43 for 403 yards with six TD for the season. He ranks 10th in freshman passing yards at Auburn. • Tight end Rivaldo Fairweather ranks eighth in career tight end receptions at Auburn with 56 and sixth in career tight end receiving with 592 yards over the last two seasons. He scored his first touchdown of 2024 against New Mexico. Fairweather led Auburn in receiving last season with 38 catches for 394 yards and six TD; he broke John Samuel Shenker’s single season TE record of 33 catches (2021). The transfer from FIU had scores last season against California, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, two at Arkansas and vs. New Mexico State, leaving him one short of tying Philip Lutzenkirchen’s Auburn TE record of seven TD in a season (2011). • Auburn has three players on the 2024 roster who led an FBS team in receiving in 2023; only the Tigers and Notre Dame claim that feat. Rivaldo Fairweather led Auburn with 38 catches for 394 yards and six TDs, while KeAndre Lambert-Smith led Penn State with 53 catches for 673 yards and four scores and Robert Lewis paced Georgia State with 70 catches for 877 yards and seven touchdowns. Lewis has caught at least one pass in 29 straight games, dating back through the last game of the 2021 season at Georgia State.
FOR THE DEFENSE
• Auburn is allowing just 112.1 rushing yards per game through eight games. Auburn held Kentucky to 70 yards rushing, the fewest by an SEC opponent since Mississippi State (13 yards) in 2022. Missouri gained only 81 yards on the ground. The Tigers held Alabama A&M to 36 yards and California to 99 yards on the ground, the first time Auburn held consecutive opponents to under 100 yards rushing since the Tigers held Mississippi State (13), Texas A&M (94) and Western Kentucky (85) to fewer than 100 yards rushing in consecutive games in 2022. • Preseason all-SEC linebacker Eugene Asante, who had two sacks at Missouri, led Auburn in tackles in five games last season. Asante ranked ninth in the SEC in total tackles per game with a team-best 86 stops. Career games that current players have led Auburn in tackles: Eugene Asante (5) Jalen McLeod, Dorian Mausi (4) Jerrin Thompson (2) Champ Anthony, Keldric Faulk, Quientrail Jamison-Travis, Demarcus Riddick, Keionte Scott, Caleb Wooden (1) • Auburn is seventh nationally in red zone defense (0.680). • Edge rusher Jalen McLeod ranks seventh in the SEC with 9.5 TFL (1.2 per game). He now has 20.0 TFL and 10.5 sacks in just 20 games played in an Auburn uniform. Against Arkansas, McLeod had seven tackles, 2 TFL, a sack and a PBU, and he had 6 tackles and two sacks at Missouri. McLeod was Auburn’s leading tackler against Alabama A&M, with five stops, two TFL and a sack. McLeod added five tackles and 2.5 TFL against California. • Sophomore defensive end Keldric Faulk recorded sacks on back-to-back plays in the second quarter against California. The last Auburn player with sacks on consecutive plays was Reggie Torbor in 2003 against Ole Miss’ Eli Manning. Faulk finished the game with the Bears with a career-best eight tackles, three TFL and two sacks. Faulk added a pair of sacks on the road at Georgia, and two more at Kentucky. Faulk’s 9.0 TFL and 7.0 sacks (fourth most in the SEC) this season surpass his totals of 3.5 TFL and 1.0 sack from his freshman season in 2023. Faulk was an SEC all-freshman team selection last season, playing in every game and recording eight starts with 35 tackles. • Auburn got sacks from Jalen McLeod (2 TFL), Keldric Faulk and Malik Blocton (2 TFL) against Alabama A&M. Zykeivous Walker had a TFL against New Mexico, and McLeod, Dorian Mausi and Jerrin Thompson had sacks against Arkansas. Demarcus Riddick and McLeod had sacks vs. Oklahoma. Faulk added another pair of sacks at Georgia and Mausi added a TFL. At Missouri, McLeod and Eugene Asante each added a pair of sacks.
ON SPECIAL TEAMS
• Auburn ranks 11th nationally in net punting, with a 43.42-yard average. Punter Oscar Chapman ranks fourth among Auburn career punting leaders with a 43.78 yard average. Chapman is second among Auburn career leaders with 228 career punts and third in career yardage (9,981 yards). He received weekly honors from the Ray Guy Award against Cal and Missouri. Chapman’s 71-yard punt against Georgia in 2023 was a career long, tied for the third-longest punt in Auburn history and was the longest punt since 2006. The Australian now shows 43 career punts of 50 yards or longer; his latest came against Oklahoma. Chapman ranked fourth among SEC punters (44.8) last season with 23 punts inside the 20 and 16 of 50 yards or longer. Auburn and Georgia are the only FBS teams to not have allowed positive yardage from opponent punt returns this season. • Auburn has converted 142 consecutive point-after kicks, dating back to the second PAT attempt of the 2021 season. Freshman Towns McGough is a perfect 26-26 on PAT this season (10-10 against Alabama A&M). • Jeremiah Cobb is second in the SEC and 15th nationally in kickoff return average (24.7 yds/return). • Keionte Scott led the SEC and ranked third nationally in punt return average for the 2023 season, averaging 14.8 yards. He ranks sixth in the SEC this season (7.6 avg.) Scott’s 74-yard punt return for a touchdown at Arkansas last season, earning him SEC special teams player of the week, was Auburn’s first punt return TD (not blocked) since 2014. He was one of 29 players nationally with a punt return TD last season. • Auburn continues the longest FBS current span of games (199) without having a punt blocked; Auburn last had a punt blocked vs. Mississippi State in 2009. • Against Alabama A&M, Micah Riley’s blocked punt and Malcolm Simmons’ recovery for a touchdown were career firsts for both; it was the first punt blocked by Auburn for a score since Caylin Newton blocked a punt recovered by Barton Lester vs. Georgia State in 2021. Auburn has seven field goal blocks and 10 punt blocks since the start of 2016. • Alex McPherson, a 2023 freshman All-American and Lou Groza Award semifinalist, saw his first action of 2024 against Kentucky. He set an Auburn record with a string of 20 consecutive field goals made, breaking Daniel Carlson’s previous mark (16). McPherson is 20-22 for his career on field goals and 52-52 on PAT. He’s one of two FBS kickers (Mason Shipley, Texas State) who made at least one FG per game and did not miss a kick last season.
Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers
7:45 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Series: UT leads, 84-26-9
Last: UT, 33-27 (2023 at Lexington) Knoxville, Tenn.
• Neyland Stadium (101,915) SiriusXM: 374 – 158/191
Kentucky Wildcats Notes
Tennessee Volunteers Notes
Texas A&M Aggies at South Carolina Gamecocks
7:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Series: TAMU leads, 9-1
Last: TAMU, 30-17 (2023 at College Station) Columbia, S.C.
• Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559) SiriusXM: 84 – 137/190
THE SERIES:
This is the 11th gridiron meeting between South Carolina and Texas A&M. The Aggies lead the all-time series 9-1, including a 4-1 advantage when playing in Columbia in a series that began in 2014, but the Gamecocks are looking for their second-straight home win over A&M. Four of the 10 games in the series have been decided by seven points or less and four have been blowouts of 24 points or more.
Texas A&M Aggies Notes
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• The Aggies have claimed nine of the last 10 meetings with South Carolina, including four of the last five in Columbia … Texas A&M defeated the Gamecocks, 30-17, last season in Aggieland. • The Maroon & White boast one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, ranking ninth with 221.5 yards per game, while their 21 rushing touchdowns are good for 15th in the country. • Junior RB Le’Veon Moss leads the strong Aggie rushing attack, ranking third in the SEC and 26th nationally with 94.6 yards per game, while his 10 rushing scores are the third-most in the league … Moss made it three straight games with multiple trips to the end zone with a pair of rushing scores against No. 8 LSU, marking the first time an Aggie has rushed for multiple scores in three consecutive games since Trayveon Williams in 2018. • Texas A&M has been efficient in the red zone as it ranks fourth in the country and leads the SEC with a 97.0 conversion rate … The Aggies have scored on 32 of 33 trips, including 24 touchdowns. • The Maroon & White have disrupted the opposition’s aerial attack all season, registering their third game this season with multiple picks after tallying three against LSU … The Aggies’ 11 interceptions on the season are tied for second in the SEC and 11th nationally, while their 46 passes defended rank among the 10th in the country and third in the league. • Sophomore LB Taurean York has led the defense in tackles four times this season, including each of the last two games, tallying seven takedowns against LSU after posting a career-high 12 in the win at Mississippi State … York also recorded the first interception of his career to seal the victory over the Tigers. • Junior DL Nic Scourton has come on strong in league play, tallying 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks through five SEC games and has registered at least 1.0 tackle for loss in seven of the team’s eight games this season … He ranks second in the nation and first in the SEC with 12.5 tackles for loss on the season, while his 5.0 sacks are good for ninth in the league.
QUICK HITS
• The Aggies have notched their best start in SEC play, boasting a 5-0 record for the first time since joining the league in 2012 and their best conference start since going 7-0 to begin Big 12 play in 1998. • With the wins over No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Missouri, Texas A&M is the only team in the nation to take down two AP top-10 teams so far this season. • After three weeks away from action, sophomore QB Conner Weigman returned for the Aggies in Week 6, leading them to a big victory over top-10 Missouri, connecting on 18-of-22 passes for a season-best 276 yards. • Junior RB Amari Daniels has played a key role in the Aggies’ success in the run game, ranking among the top-25 in the SEC with 47.9 yards per game while his five rushing scores are good for 11th in the SEC. • The offensive line has controlled the battle in the trenches while clearing the way for A&M’s top-10 rushing attack, as the unit ranks second in the SEC and 12th nationally allowing 26.0 tackles for loss. • The Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in five of the last six games, most recently limiting LSU to just 24 yards on 23 attempts … A&M has not allowed multiple rushing scores in a game since the season opener and its six touchdowns allowed this season are the 12th-fewest in the nation. • Junior DB Will Lee III has brought veteran leadership to the secondary and ranks eighth nationally with eight breaksups while his 10 passes defended are the 10th-most in the country … He ranks fourth on the team with 30 tackles, 28 of which are solo takedowns which are good for 17th in the SEC. • Graduate K Randy Bond tallied 10 points in the win at Mississippi State, marking the 11th time in his career he has scored 10-plus points in a game … Bond ranks 10th nationally with 14 made field goals this season while his 72 total points are good for 15th.
QUARTERBACK ROOM
• The Aggies boast proven depth in their quarterback room with three players that have made multiple starts in their A&M careers and each thrown for at least 290 yards and multiple touchdowns in a game. • Sophomore Conner Weigman began the year as the starter and returned after battling an early injury to guide the Aggies to a landslide victory over No. 9 Missouri in Week 6 and made it four straight in league play with a road win over Mississippi State. • In the Missouri win, Weigman connected on 18-of-22 passes for a season-best 276 yards, leading the Aggies to victory over a top-10 team for the second time in his career … Against McNeese, Weigman guided the Aggies to touchdowns on all five drives he was in on in the first half, helping A&M take a 38-0 lead into the half. • Freshman Marcel Reed has stood ready and shown up in a big way when called on, leading the Aggies to three victories in his three starts as well as three of A&M’s record five wins to start league play … Reed sparked a 31-6 scoring spree in the second half to lift the Aggies past No. 8 LSU with three unanswered rushing touchdowns of his own to become the first A&M QB to rush for three-plus scores since Trevor Knight in 2016. • Reed garnered SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance at Florida after throwing for 178 yards and two scores to go along with 13 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. • Junior Jaylen Henderson started the final four games of the 2023 campaign, accounting for four touchdowns in the lopsided win over Mississippi State in his first start for the Maroon & White … He has completed 53-of-78 passes for 715 yards and six touchdowns as an Aggie, while also adding 104 yards on the ground and two scores.
MAROON GOONS
• The Texas A&M offensive line has been winning the battle in the trenches, playing with great consistency despite having to lean on its reliable depth … The Maroon Goons have helped the Aggies boast one of the best rushing offenses in the country while also holding strong to protect their quarterbacks. • The Maroon & White rank 12th in the country and second in the SEC, allowing 26.0 tackles for loss on the year, while their 11.0 sacks allowed rank fourth in the league. • With the help of the o-line clearing the way, the Aggies rank ninth nationally and second in the SEC averaging 221.5 rushing yards per game and have racked up over 200 yards on the ground in five games this season. • The line is anchored by junior Trey Zuhn III, who was named a season-long team captain prior to the season … While the Aggies have had to use four different starting lines this season due to injury, Zuhn has remained a staple at left guard and has been joined in all eight games by Ar’maj Reed-Adams at right guard and Dametrious Crownover at right tackle. • Zuhn started all 13 games last season and has logged 32 career starts as he helped clear the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in 2022 and helped A&M rack up over 400 yards of total offense in eight games last year.
ELEVATING THE RUN GAME
• Junior running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels have made big improvements in the offseason and have been a dynamic duo in the backfield to give the Maroon & White one of the best rushing attacks in the nation. • Moss ranks 26th nationally and third in the SEC averaging 94.6 yards per game, while his 6.4 yards per carry average is good for fifth in the SEC … Moss always battles for the extra yard, racking up 526 yards after contact this year and averaging 4.4 yards after contact per carry which ranks 11th in the country … A top-10 scorer in the SEC, Moss’ 10 rushing scores are good for third among league backs. • In the win over LSU, Moss’ two rushing scores marked this fourth multi-touchdown game of the year, making it three straight weeks with multiple scores after adding two scores at Mississippi State and making a career-best three trips to the end zone in the win over Missouri … Moss registered his third 100-yard game of the season and fourth of his career in the win over the Tigers, with a career-high 138 rushing yards. • Moss had a strong start to his third season in Aggieland, setting a new career high in every category through the first three games of the year … He posted 20 carries against Notre Dame, scored two touchdowns in the McNeese win and tallied 110 yards in the victory at Florida. • Moss has also been a threat in the passing game, adding a career-best three catches for 42 yards against LSU to help his rank fourth in the SEC averaging 109.8 all-purpose yards per game. • Daniels racked up a career-high 91 yards on 12 carries in the win over LSU … He recorded his second multi-touchdown game of the season and of his career with a pair of 1-yard scores in the first half against Missouri and joined the 1,000 career yards club with 68 yards on 13 carries in the win at Florida. • On the season, Daniels ranks among the top-25 in the league with 47.9 y/g while his five touchdowns are good for 11th in the SEC. • Dual-threat freshman QB Marcel Reed has also supplemented the Aggies’ solid rushing attack leading all SEC QBs averaging 5.5 yards per carry, while his 48.0 yards per game and five rushing scores are good for top-10 overall in the league and third among SEC signal callers … Reed came in midway through the third quarter against LSU and sparked the Aggies scoring three unanswered rushing TDs. • As a team, the Aggies are No. 9 in the country and second in the SEC in rushing offense, averaging 221.5 yards per game, and their 21 rushing scores rank 15th nationally and second in the league … A&M also boasts league-best 5.3 yards per carry. • After eclipsing the 300-yard mark in Week 2, the Maroon & White tallied 310 yards on the ground in the win at Florida, marking the first time they have tallied 300-plus rushing yards in back-to-back games since the 2012 season. • In the win over McNeese, A&M racked up 333 yards on the ground and five rushing scores, marking the most rushing yards in a game for the Aggies since rushing for over 500 yards against Northwestern State to start the 2018 season and the most rushing scores since reaching the end zone five times on the ground in the Orange Bowl win over North Carolina to cap off the 2020 season.
STEADY BACKER
• Sophomore LB Taurean York immediately stepped into a leadership role as a true freshman in 2023, quarterbacking the defense at middle linebacker, and was selected as a team captain by his teammates ahead of the 2024 season. • In the win at Mississippi State York tallied a career-high 12 tackles, registering the second double-digit tackles game of his career … He has led the team in tackles in four games this season, most recently with seven while adding the first pick of his career in the win over LSU. • York’s efforts against the Bulldogs also led an impressive outing from the entire linebacker unit, as junior Scooby Williams recorded his first career interception and returned it 32 yards to set up an A&M touchdown while also adding a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss and six tackles, and sophomore Daymion Sanford nearly doubled his previous career high with seven tackles, 1.0 TFL and two breakups. • He leads the Aggies with 47 tackles on the year, good for 17th in the SEC, and has recorded five-plus tackles in five of the team’s eight games so far this season. • York started all 13 games last season, finishing second on the team with 74 tackles, which ranked in the top-20 among SEC players and third among league freshman … His 8.5 tackles for loss were the most by an SEC freshman a year ago and ranked fourth on the team.
NEW LOOK SECONDARY
• The Texas A&M secondary has seen a number of new faces in 2024, adding eight defensive backs in the transfer portal while returning sophomores Jayvon Thomas and Dalton Brooks have also made starts this season. • Junior Will Lee III, who came to Aggieland from Kansas State, ranks second in the SEC with 10 passes defended on the year, breaking up a career-high four passes in the win over Arkansas and recording his first interception as an Aggie in the win over McNeese … Top-four on the team in tackles, 28 of Lee’s 30 tackles are solos and good for 17th in the SEC. • Brooks has come on strong in SEC play, making at least six tackles in three of the last four games and leading the team in two of those outings … Brooks tallied a career-best nine tackles in the win at Mississippi State. • Sophomore Marcus Ratcliffe made an immediate impact for the Maroon & White after spending last season at San Diego State, starting all eight games and ranking second the SEC while ranking 14th nationally with three interceptions on the year. • Senior BJ Mayes came up big in the third quarter against LSU, registering two of A&M’s three interceptions in the win that set up a pair of Aggie touchdowns … His two picks on the year are good for seventh in SEC. • Lone returning veteran Bryce Anderson registered the first touchdown of his career when he came up with a tipped pass and returned it 45 yards to the house at Florida, becoming the third Aggie to have scored a defensive touchdown in their career. • As a team, the Aggies rank 10th nationally and third in the SEC with 46 passes defended, sitting at 11th in the country and second in the SEC with 11 picks, while also leading the league in turnover margin (0.88).
DEPTH ON THE D-LINE
• Texas A&M boasts one of the most talented and unpredictable defensive lines in the nation, led by the veteran experience and consistent production of senior Shemar Turner and junior transfer Nic Scourton. • Scourton has played with consistency in the SEC, registering at least 1.0 tackle for loss in seven of A&M’s eight games … Against Arkansas he finished with 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, including a strip sack late in the fourth quarter to help the Aggies seal the victory. • Scourton ranks second nationally and is tied for league lead with 12.5 tackles for loss on the year … His total is tied for ninth with Pittsburgh Steeler DeMarvin Leal in A&M’s single-season list since joining the SEC in 2012 … Scourton also adds 4.5 sacks on the season which are good for ninth in the league. • Turner filled out the stat sheet in the win at Mississippi State, finishing with six tackles, 2.0 for loss, and a solo sack for 9 yards lost, while also breaking up a pass a forcing a fumble … He started the 2024 season with a career-high seven takedowns against Notre Dame. • Junior Cashius Howell has been a key disruptor in league play and ranks 10th in the SEC with five pass breakups on the season … Howell has registered at least one breakup and one hurry in three of the last four games, tallying three breakups and two hurries in the win at Mississippi State. • Juniors Shemar Stewart and Albert Regis have earned starting jobs on the line this season after being part of the Aggies’ consistent second rotation last year … Stewart has come on strong in the last three games, getting to the quarterback in back-to-back victories while matching his career high with five tackles at Florida. • As a defense, the Aggies have held their opponents to 100-or-fewer yards on the ground in five of the last six games, most recently limiting LSU to just 24 yards on 23 attempts, not allowing a rushing yard in the second half … A&M has the No. 18 rushing defense (104.5 y/g), while its six rushing scores allowed are 12th nationally … The team’s 57.0 tackles for loss are good for 11th in the FBS.
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
• Graduate K Randy Bond was one of the nation’s leading scorers a season ago and continues to rank among the best in 2024 while also climbing A&M’s all-time scoring, field goals made and extra point lists. • Bond currently ranks 10th nationally and fourth in the SEC with 14 made field goals this season, while his 72 total points land among the top-15 in the country and top-five league scorers. • Bond has posted double-digit points in a game 11 times in his career and four time this season, most recently tallying 10 points in the victory at Mississippi State by way of two field goals and four extra points. • The kicker has been climbing A&M’s all-time field goals made, extra points and scoring lists, ranking AGGIE GRADS NAME DEGREE GRADUATION Randy Bond Aerospace Engineering Texas A&M (August 2024) Drake Bhatia Finance Texas A&M (May 2024) Jacob Graham Finance Texas A&M (May 2024) Moose Muhammad III Sports Management Texas A&M (May 2024) Shane Calhoun Biology East Carolina (May 2024) Josh Celiscar Psychology UCF (May 2024) EJ Smith Science, Technology, and Society Stanford (January 2024) Jaydon Hill Education Sciences Florida (December 2023) Rodas Johnson Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies Wisconsin (December 2023) Trey Jones III Sports Management Central Michigan (August 2023) Israel Benjamin Philosophy Harvard (May 2023) Garrett Miller Organizational Leadership Purdue (May 2023) sixth with 53 career makes, 10th overall with 262 points and 10th with 103 made extra points. • Last season, Bond registered a new career-long with a 52-yarder against ULM and he later connected from the same distance against South Carolina and Mississippi State. • Freshman P Tyler White has also elevated A&M’s special teams game this season, as he averages 46.3 yards on 26 punts in his first year as the team’s primary punter … White boasts a 62-yard long from the Notre Dame and has sent nine punts 50-plus yards. • White earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks this season after landing seven of his nine punts inside the 15 and five inside the 10 against Arkansas and the following week averaged 46.3 yards per punt, pinning Missouri on its own 1. • Four Aggies on the 2024 roster have registered a blocked kick in their careers … Senior DL Shemar Turner blocked a pair of field goal attempts last season, getting his hand on the ball in back-to-back weeks against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and junior DL Albert Regis blocked a field goal attempt in the win over Miami in 2022, and senior WR Jahdae Walker blocked a punt a year later in Miami … Prior to arriving in Aggieland, graduate DB Trey Jones III registered a blocked kick against Eastern Michigan in 2022.
South Carolina Gamecocks Notes
QUICKLY:
It’s Homecoming Week on the University of South Carolina campus as the South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3 SEC) host the SEC-leading and No. 10/11 Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) in an SEC matchup on Saturday, Nov. 2. Game time is set for 7:30 ET at Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559) in Columbia.
OVER THE AIRWAVES:
This week’s contest will be televised nationally on ABC. Sean McDonough will handle the play-by-play with Greg McElroy providing the color commentary. Molly McGrath will patrol the sidelines. This is South Carolina’s fourth national appearance on ABC this year. As a comparison, they were on CBS three times total from 2018-2023. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock Great quarterbacks in play-by-play voice Todd Ellis (33rd season) and analyst Tommy Suggs (52nd season). Chet Tucker returns for his second year as the sideline reporter.
HOW WE GOT THIS FAR:
The Gamecocks have reached November with a 4-3 record overall and a 2-3 mark in SEC play. All three of South Carolina’s losses have come to ranked opponents with two of setbacks not decided until the game’s final play. They opened the campaign with a hard-fought 23-19 win over Old Dominion, then dominated Kentucky in the SEC opener, winning by a 31-6 count in Lexington. The Gamecocks were unable to hold onto a 17-0 first half lead in a heartbreaking 36-33 setback to No. 16/17 LSU, then bounced back with a convincing 50-7 rout of Akron to improve to 3-1. The Gamecocks dropped their next two contests to highly-ranked opponents, coming up on the short end of a 27-3 decision to No. 12/11 Ole Miss in Columbia, then suffering another gut wretching defeat in a 27-25 loss at No. 7/7 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They responded with a convincing 35-9 dismantling of Oklahoma in Norman before enjoying their second bye week of the season last weekend.
A LITTLE HISTORY:
2024 marks year four of the Shane Beamer Era and the 131st season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 118th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 638-616-44, a .508 winning percentage. Since the start of the 21st century, the Gamecocks are 172-134, a .562 winning clip. In four seasons under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 24-21, a .533 winning percentage.
IT JUST MEANS MORE:
The 2024 season is South Carolina’s 33rd year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the SEC prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 111-151-1 (.424) all-time in SEC regular season play but posted a 42-38 (.525) record in conference action from 2010-19. Under Coach Beamer, the Gamecocks are 12-17 in SEC play, a .414 winning clip.
Maine Black Bears at Oklahoma Sooners
1:30 p.m. CT • SEC+/ESPN+ Norman, Okla.
Series: First Meeting
• Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (83,489) SiriusXM: 388
Maine Black Bears Notes
Oklahoma Game Storylines
• Maine continues action on the road with its first trip to Oklahoma, and first game played in the state of Oklahoma. The Black Bears enter play 1-0 all-time against SEC member institutions with a 2004 victory at Mississippi State. • Maine will be looking for its fifth win against a FBS opponent in school history. This will be Maine’s 31st time in which it has matched up against an FBS program. The Black Bears have four wins against FBS opponents; a 35-10 win at UMass (2021); a 31-28 win against Western Kentucky in 2018, a 24-14 win over UMass in 2013, and a 9-7 triumph at Mississippi State in 2004. Maine is 4-26 all-time against FBS level programs. Last season, Maine opened its season with a 14-12 loss at FBS member Florida International University (FIU). • Maine has won three of its last five outings after recently suffering a 24-14 setback at then No. 15 Rhode Island. The Black Bears tied the game at 14-14 with 14:56 remaining in regulation but were outscored, 10-0, down the stretch. Maine, which had forced 10 turnovers in its last four games entering the meeting with the Rams, was unable to gather a takeaway in the contest. Offensively, Carter Peevy threw for a season-high 279 yards on a career-high 29 completions to 11 different receivers led by Montigo Moss’ career-high nine catches. Brian Santana-Fis set new career-highs in rushing yards (89), receptions (5), and receiving yards (51) in the loss. • Oklahoma is currently in the midst of a three-game losing skid after suffering a 26-14 setback at No. 18 Ole Miss last weekend. The Sooners, who are allowing 31.7 points per game over the three-game losing stretch, rank last in the SEC in total offense (293.3 ypg) and 15th out of 16 teams in the conference in scoring (21.1 ppg). The Sooners are 11-3 against current FCS members with one of those losses coming to current CAA team, William & Mary. • Maine, which has doubled its win total over each of the last two years (two each season), has posted a pair of wins over FCS ranked opponents this season as it defeated No. 21 UAlbany 34-20 before handing No.5 Villanova a 35-7 decision. Maine’s win over Villanova marked its highest-ranked victory since knocking off No. 3 Weber State on the road in the 2018 FCS quarterfinal round. Maine is looking for its first back-to-back ranked wins since it defeated No. 8 Jacksonville State and No. 3 Weber State in the 2018 playoffs. The 2018 season also marked the last time Maine registered wins over three or more ranked opponents in one season. • According to NCAA.org, the Black Bears currently boast the fourth toughest strength of schedule in FCS with its past opposition posting a 66.1 winning percentage.
Oklahoma Sooners Notes
OPEMNING KICK
• In the first-ever meeting between the programs, Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4 SEC) plays host to FCS member Maine (4-4, 2-3 Colonial Athletic Association) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by SEC Network+ and ESPN+ with Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore and Lauren Sisler announcing it. • Saturday will mark the latest in the calendar year for OU to play a regular season game against a non-conference opponent since hosting Tulsa on Nov. 3, 2001. The No. 3 Sooners won 58-0. • Oklahoma has won 48 straight games against non-conference opponents unranked in the AP poll. The Sooners’ last loss against an unranked non-conference foe came at UCLA on Sept. 17, 2005 (41-24; OU was ranked No. 21). Their last such loss at home came two games earlier 17-10 to TCU on Sept. 3; OU was ranked No. 7). FCS teams are eligible to be ranked in the AP poll. • The Sooners’ current two-game home losing streak is just their second since the start of the 1999 season (also in 2014). The last time OU lost three straight home contests was in 1997. • A winner of three of its last five games, Maine is coming off a 24-14 road loss to No. 15 Rhode Island on Saturday in a game that was tied in the fourth quarter. A week earlier, it posted a 35-7 home win over No. 5 Villanova en route to being named Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week. It was the Black Bears’ highest-ranking victory since 2018. They scored the game’s first 35 points, registered seven sacks, force four turnovers and held Villanova to 35 rushing yards (it averaged 205 per game entering the day). • This week’s AP poll is the just the third since the final version of the 2022 season in which OU is not ranked. The Sooners had been ranked in 23 straight polls prior to Oct. 23. • The 2024 season marks the 130th in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP’s No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, and fourth with their 57 bowl appearances, 31 bowl wins (tied) and 417 NFL Draft picks. • Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 704 wins (29 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).
KEY STORYLINES
• The Sooners are 11-3 against programs currently in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), but have played only seven such games since the start of the 1952 season. In those seven contests, the Sooners beat Indiana State 49-0 in 1999 (Bob Stoops’ first game as OU head coach), Chattanooga 57-2 in 2008, Idaho State 64-0 in 2009, Florida A&M 69-13 in 2012, South Dakota 70-14 in 2019, Missouri State 48-0 in 2020 and Western Carolina 76-0 in 2021. That’s a combined total of 433-29. OU is 3-2 against Drake (games played between 1920 and ‘26 when both teams were members of the Missouri Valley Conference) and 1-1 versus William & Mary (games played in 1942 and ‘51). • Oklahoma’s 329 total yards and 147 rushing yards in a 26-14 loss at No. 18/18 Ole Miss on Saturday were its highest totals since the third game of the season against Tulane. OU also tied a season high with 22 completions against the Rebels. The contest marked the first with co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley serving as offensive play-caller and with Kevin Johns as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. • Neither Oklahoma nor Maine has produced a 100-yard rusher or a 100-yard receiver in a game this season. The Sooners are averaging 293.3 yards of offense per game (116.5 rushing and 176.8 passing) while the Black Bears are averaging 316.8 yards of offense per contest (116.5 rushing and 200.3 passing). • Junior running back Jovantae Barnes’ two best rushing performances this season have come in the last two games. Barnes had 70 yards on 17 carries (4.1 average) two weeks ago against South Carolina and ran for 67 yards on 16 carries (4.2 average) on Saturday at Ole Miss. • True freshman receiver Jacob Jordan, who saw limited action in the season-opening win over Temple (no catches), did not play in OU’s next five games. Over the last two contests, he has totaled 12 receptions for 124 yards. He had six catches for 86 yards against South Carolina and six more grabs for 38 yards and his first career touchdown at Ole Miss. • During the Brent Venables era (since the start of the 2022 season), Oklahoma’s defense ranks second in the nation with its 43 interceptions (UNLV has 45). The Sooners have registered at least one interception in 11 of their last 14 games and in 27 of their last 34. Maine has thrown just four interceptions on its 216 pass attempts this season (one every 54 passes). The Black Bears rank sixth out of 123 FCS teams by completing 70% of their pass attempts. • In the Sooners’ four wins this season they have outscored opponents 56-6 off turnovers. In their four losses they have been outscored 41-0 off turnovers. • Since the start of the 2023 campaign, OU is 12-0 when it wins the turnover battle (4-0 this year) and 2-6 when it loses it (0-4 this year). Maine has committed nine turnovers in its eight games and is +3 in turnover margin on the season. • OU has featured a different starting offensive line in seven of its eight contests this season, and 10 Sooners have started at least one contest. Febechi Nwaiwu (right guard all eight games) and Jacob Sexton (four games at left tackle and four at left guard) have started all eight games. Other starters have been Michael Tarquin (three games at left tackle and four at right tackle), Branson Hickman (four games at center), Jake Taylor (four games at right tackle), Heath Ozaeta (three games at left guard), Troy Everett (started the last two games at center), Joshua Bates (two games at center), Logan Howland (two games at left tackle) and Geirean Hatchett (one game at left guard; out for the year).
Florida Gators at Georgia Bulldogs
Rivalry History
• Georgia’s records count a 1904 meeting as the first-ever game in the series, but the UAA does not include it due to the fact the university formally became what is known today as the University of Florida in 1905, and it officially established its football team in 1906.
Series Record………………………………..Georgia leads, 55-44-2 In Jacksonville……………………………….Georgia leads, 49-41-1
In Gainesville………….Tied, 1-1 (last in 1994 – UF won, 52-14)
In Athens…Georgia leads, 4-1 (last in 1995 – UF won, 52-17)
When Both are Ranked……………………..Florida leads, 12-11-1
When Both are Top-10 Teams…………………………….Tied, 4-4
Games Decided by 3 Points or Less………Georgia leads, 8-6
Games Decided by 7 Points or Less……..Florida leads, 19-17
Florida’s Longest Winning Streak………..7 games (1990-96)
Florida’s Longest Losing Streak……………7 games (1941-48)
Current Streak………………………………………Georgia, 3 games
Biggest Florida Win……….47-7, Nov. 2, 1996, in Jacksonville
Biggest Florida Loss……….75-0, Nov. 7, 1942, in Jacksonville
Florida Gators Notes
THE STORYLINE
• Florida and Georgia are facing off for the 102nd time in the 92nd meeting between the two teams in Jacksonville. • Georgia leads the series, 55-44-2, and holds a 49-41-1 advantage in Jacksonville. • The Gators are 22-12 vs. the Bulldogs since 1990, with the last win coming in the form of a 44-28 victory in 2020. • Florida faces a non-undefeated Georgia team for the first time in four seasons – since the Gators’ 2020 win. • Prior to this season, Georgia was a combined 21-0 in the previous three meetings from 2021-23 (4-1 in 2020). • This is the third meeting (0-2) between HC Billy Napier and UGA’s Kirby Smart as head coaches (more on Page 11). • Florida is the only three-loss team in the nation with a perfect record vs. teams ranked outside the current AP Top 10. • In the Week 8 win over UK, Florida started a true freshman at both quarterback (DJ Lagway) and running back (Jadan Baugh) for the first team in program history, and is the only FBS program to do so this season. • In his first-career start, Baugh scored the first-five rushing touchdowns of his career and finished with 22 carries for 106 yards to produce his first-career 100-yard game. • Baugh’s five rushing TDs are tied for the most in a game in program history (Trey Burton vs. UK in 2010, Tim Tebow vs. South Carolina in 2007) and are the most ever by a Gator in his first-career start. • Florida is the only team in the country with two qualified receivers averaging 20.0 yards per catch in WR Elijhah Bader (first – 23.8) and WR Chimere Dike (16th – 20.0). • The Florida defense is fresh off its first three-interception game since Nov. 28, 2020 vs. Kentucky. • The Gators posted multiple takeaways for the second-straight game and have a takeaway in six of seven contests. • Led by first-year senior analyst Joe Houston, Florida ranks fourth in the FBS in punt return average (19.62), fifth in net punting (44.65) and 37th in kick return average (22.20), and has been inside the top-13 all season in ESPN’s SP+ metric. • Florida enters Week 10 ranking second in the SEC behind Ole Miss (173.9) and 11th in the FBS in passer rating (164.1) while coming in at 35th nationally in passing offense (263.6). • C Jake Slaughter grades as the No. 6 center in the FBS (77.7) highlighted by the 10th-best pass block grade (84.4). • The Gators have allowed just 10 sacks on the season, which ranks third in the SEC and t-34th nationally. • Since the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 13th in the FBS with 55 total wins alongside Lane Kiffin and Mario Cristobal, ahead of Mike Gundy (54), Mike Norvell (51), Sonny Dykes (51) and Mark Stoops (50) in that time. • The Gators have won 16 of their last 22 games in The Swamp (including 11 of 16), but are 3-17 in their last 20 contests outside The Swamp and 3-13 in their last 16 true road games. • Florida has scored in 455-consecutive games dating back to 1988 – an NCAA record and 53 games longer than any other college football team in the history of the sport (TCU, 402-straight games, active streak).
Georgia Bulldogs Notes
#2/#2 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) vs. Florida (4-3, 2-2 SEC)
Jacksonville, Fla., EverBank Stadium (76,666)
Nov. 2, 2024, 3:30 PM ET –
ABC-TV (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe)
UGA Coach: Kirby Smart (100-17, 9th year);
UF: Billy Napier (55-29, 7th year; 15-17/3rd @UF)
National Radio: ESPN on Sirius XM 80 (Chris Carlin, Max Starks & Mike Peasley)
Local Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Learfield): Scott Howard (PxP), Eric Zeier (Analyst), D.J. Shockley (Sideline);
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM (137/190) & on the SiriusXM App
SEC Nation: (Laura Rutledge, Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rogers & Tim Tebow); Also, Marty Smith & Ryan McGee will be live on the road with SEC Nation SEC Network Re-Air: TBA; Series History: UGA leads 56-44-2
Aiming To Be Elite Against One Tough Slate
The Bulldogs opened the 2024 season ranked No. 1 in the AP and US LBM Coaches poll for the third time in school history (2008, 2023). Georgia dropped to No. 2 in the AP poll after its 13-12 road win over Kentucky on Sept. 14 and remained there for another week before falling to No. 4 Alabama on Sept 28. Georgia checked in at No. 5 in the AP poll for the next three weeks until climbing to No. 2 on Oct. 21 after its road win over top-ranked Texas. Georgia was No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches poll until its first loss when it dropped to No. 5 and then moved up a spot to No. 4 for a couple of weeks before going up to No. 2. Currently, the Bulldogs are at No. 2 in both polls for the second straight week. The Bulldogs have the longest active streak of being ranked in the AP top 10 (59 straight polls).
Georgia & Florida Return Fresher After Bye Week
Second-ranked Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) and Florida (4-3, 2-2 SEC) enjoyed an open date in their schedule after posting wins. On Oct. 19, the Bulldogs knocked off top-ranked Texas 30-15 in front of a record crowd of 105,215 in Austin while the Gators posted a 48-20 home win over Kentucky. Georgia entered the Texas game with 11 sacks on the season and tallied seven against the Longhorns plus had three fumble recoveries to give them five on the year. UF didn’t have leading rusher Montrell Johnson Jr., against UK due to injury and instead got 106 yards and 5 TDs from freshman Jadan Baugh while freshman QB DJ Lagway was 7-for-14 for 259 yards plus had 46 rushing yards.
2023 Georgia-Florida Flashback
Georgia made history last year in Jacksonville as it marked the first time in the series that the Bulldogs had registered three straight wins over the Gators by at least 20 points (34-7 in 2021; 42-20 in 2022; 43-20 in 2023). The top-ranked Bulldogs trailed 7-0 early in the first quarter and then rattled off 36 unanswered points. Georgia finished with 486 yards of total offense on 66 plays in the victory. Quarterback Carson Beck, a Jacksonville native, finished 19-for-28, for 315 yards, 2 TDs in his first start in the series. The Bulldogs tallied 171 rushing yards on 38 carries. A key play in the first half came with Georgia leading 10-7 when the Gators went for a 4th-and-1 in their own territory. On a direct snap to running back Trevor Etienne, linebacker Smael Mondon, Jr., stopped him for a loss. Georgia took over at it the UF31 and eventually scored to build a 17-7 edge. Georgia’s special teams picked up a safety (on a blocked punt by Joenel Aguero) to cap a run of 26 unanswered points in the first half. After UF’s opening TD drive, the Gators final five possessions of the first half resulted in 42 yards on 23 plays with no points. The Bulldogs collected four sacks in the first half and finished with a season-high five after coming in with only 12 for the year. UF’s lone TD in the second half came in the 4th quarter after trailing 36-7. It covered 75 yards on six plays.
SMART Football: Streaks ‘n Stuff
*Georgia is 52-3 in its last 55 games. A school record streak of 42 consecutive regular season victories ended Sept. 28 this year with a 41-34 defeat at No. 4 Alabama. Also, Georgia had an SEC and school record streak of 28 consecutive SEC regular season wins snap that night. *Georgia’s 2024 Senior Class is an FBS-leading 48-3 (42-1 in the regular season) since 2021. The next best in this span belongs to Michigan (45-6) and Alabama (42-8). Georgia’s only three losses since 2021 have come to Alabama. Georgia’s 2023 Senior Class set the school record at 50-4 with two national titles, an SEC crown plus went 6-0 in bowl/CFP games. *Georgia is the only team to have finished in the top 7 of the final AP poll in each of the past 7 seasons. *Head coach Kirby Smart is unbeaten against all active head coaches over the past five years except Kalen DeBoer (Alabama). Georgia is 68-7 in that span. The coaches no longer active who have wins over Georgia during this stretch: Nick Saban (3) along with Will Muschamp, Ed Orgeron and Dan Mullen. *Georgia is riding a school record 28-game home winning streak dating to 2019, which leads in FBS. *Georgia owns the nation’s longest active bowl streak at 27 seasons and has won its last seven matchups. *In the Smart era, the Georgia defense has ended the year ranked in the top five nationally in Scoring Defense five times including leading the nation twice (2019 at 12.6 ppg & 2021 at 10.2 ppg). Also, Georgia has been ranked in the final top 10 in Scoring Offense from 2021-23.
Massachusetts Minutemen at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Series: MSU leads, 2-0
Starkville, Miss. • Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (60,311)
SiriusXM: 374
SERIES HISTORY
Head-To-Head. . . . . . . . . Mississippi State leads, 2-0-0
At UMass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mississippi State leads, 1-0-0
At Mississippi State. . . . Mississippi State leads, 1-0-0
As FBS Opponents. . . . . . Mississippi State leads, 2-0-0
Last Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . MSU 34, Massachusetts 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Miss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sat., Nov. 4, 2017 Last UMass Win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
Massachusetts Minutemen Notes
QUICK HITS
Massachusetts ranks 36th in FBS in total defense (of 133 ranked), allowing 328.0 yards per game. The UMass defense is holding opponents to 157.5 passing yards per game, which ranks sixth in FBS. Massachusetts ranks 25th in FBS in average time of possession (31:46), while Mississippi State ranks 118th (27:07). T.Y. Harding is one of 40 FBS players with a punt return touchdown this season (entering week 10). The Minutemen are tied for 22nd in FBS with seven turnovers lost on the season (five interceptions and two fumbles lost). Taisun Phommachanh ranks 66th in FBS in total offense, averaging 227.9 yards per game. Phommachanh also ranks 67th with 1,541 passing yards this season and he has accounted for 11 touchdowns this season (eight passing and three rushing). According to ESPN.com, the Minutemen’s remaining Strength of Schedule ranks 27th. Five Minutemen have rushed for nine touchdowns this season, including CJ Hester (2), Taisun Phommachanh (3), Jalen John (1), Brandon Campbell (2) and Jackson Paradis (1). Trivia: Entering week 10 (Oct. 28 – Nov. 3), UMass is the most recent team to defeat currently 7-0 Army West Point (UMass won 21-14 on Oct. 28, 2023 at Michie Stadium).
PASSING GRADE
The Massachusetts defense is holding opponents to 157.5 passing yards per game, which ranks sixth in FBS, just behind No. 5 Notre Dame (156.1) and ahead of No. 7 Minnesota (162.5). The Minutemen posted four pass breakups against CCSU, marking their third game of the season with at least four pass breakups (also had vs. Eastern Michigan on Aug. 31 and nine at Toledo on Sept. 7). Massachusetts has totaled 23 pass breakups on the season, led by Tyler Rudolph (4), followed by Tim Grant-Randall (3). The Minutemen also have four interceptions on the season, with the most recent coming by Te’Rai Powell against Wagner (Oct. 26), marking the first interception of his career. Isaiah Rutherford notched his first interception of the season and the second of his career at Northern Illinois (Oct. 5), while Jalen Harrell (at Miami on Sept. 28) and Ryan Barnes (vs. CCSU on Sept. 21) also recorded their first career interceptions this season.
JULIEN ON THE LOOSE
Redshirt junior Louce Julien posted his second and third sack of the season and totaled three tackles for loss (for 10 yards) in the win over Wagner (Oct. 26). Julien’s three tackles for loss were the most by a Minuteman since Billy Wooden had three at New Mexico State on September 23, 2023. On the season, Julien has played all eight games while totaling career highs in tackles (29/16 solo), tackles for loss (4), sacks (2), while also adding a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.
HARDING: ALL-PURPOSE
Redshirt sophomore T.Y. Harding helped lead the Minutemen past Wagner (Oct. 26) with a receiving touchdown and 58-yard punt return touchdown that iced the game in the fourth quarter. It was the first UMass punt return touchdown since Isaiah Rodgers, currently a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, returned a punt for a touchdown at Charlotte on September 14, 2019. Harding ranks 42nd in FBS in combined kick return yards this season with 254 and is one of 40 FBS players with a punt return touchdown this season. Harding, who started the season on the scout team, now has five touchdowns including four receiving and the punt return TD. He is now averaging 71.57 all-purpose yards per game.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Notes
Saturday Storylines
• Mississippi State will host UMass for its annual homecoming game. » This will be the third all-time meeting between State and UMass. • The Bulldogs complete the final leg of their 3-game home stand this week when they host UMass. This is State’s longest home stand of the season. • Kevin Coleman Jr. has caught a pass in 25 straight games. His streak is the 24th longest active streak in the FBS. • Kevin Coleman Jr. has caught 8+ passes in three straight games. He has also caught at least five passes in seven of the team’s eight games this season. • Mississippi State is one of only two SEC teams that have blocked two kicks/punts this season. • Michael Van Buren Jr. led all SEC quarterbacks in touchdown passes in the month of October with 8. • Mississippi State has scored 20+ points in consecutive SEC games vs. AP Top 15 teams for the first time since Nov. 21, 2020 vs. Georgia (24 points) and Oct. 2, 2021, vs. Texas A&M (26 points). • The Bulldogs 22.7 points per game this season vs. SEC teams in the AP Top 25 teams is the highest scoring average for State vs. ranked teams since averaging 22.6 points vs. five ranked teams in 2021. • The Bulldogs have the nation’s 3rd toughest schedule, per ESPN’s FPI. • Mississippi State’s remaining strength of schedule is ranked 9th nationally. • Michael Van Buren Jr. Became the first Mississippi State QB since Dak Prescott in 2014 to throw multiple touchdown passes in back-to-back games vs. ranked opponents. • According to multiple media outlets, Mississippi State will play one of the most demanding schedules in America in 2024. On3 ranked it second-toughest, 247sports ranked it seventh, and ESPN said it is the second-hardest in the SEC.
THE OFFENSE IS BUILDING MOMENTUM
• In five games played in August and September, Mississippi State averaged 380.2 yards in total offense, ranking 12th in the SEC. In games played in October, State averaged 407.7 yards in total offense, ranking 6th in the SEC. • State’s passing offense improved greatly from August/September to October. In the first five games of the season, State averaged just 243.6 yards per game through the air (11th in the SEC / 56th in the FBS). In October, the Bulldogs averaged 285.7 yards per game through the air (4th in the SEC / 21st in the FBS). • Mississippi State has scored 20+ points in consecutive SEC games vs. AP Top 15 teams for the first time since Nov. 21, 2020 vs. Georgia (24 points) and Oct. 2, 2021, vs. Texas A&M (26 points). • State’s 24.2 points per game in SEC play are more than Ole Miss (24.0), Tennessee (21.5) & Missouri (15.3). • Mississippi State is averaging 22.7 points per game against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, which ranks 38th nationally and 8th in the SEC. • The Bulldogs 22.7 points per game this season vs. SEC teams in the AP Top 25 teams is the highest scoring average for State vs. ranked teams since averaging 22.6 points vs. five ranked teams in 2021. • This is only the second time since at least 2016 that Mississippi State has averaged more than 18.5 points per game against AP Top 25 teams in the SEC. • Through five SEC games, Mississippi State ranks 10th in points per game at 24.2, despite playing two top 5 teams on the road with a true freshman quarterback making his first two career starts. State was averaging just 20.0 ppg vs. FBS non-conference opponents. • Mississippi State’s 31 points scored against #5 Georgia are the most points the Bulldogs have scored against an AP Top 5 team since 2016, when State scored 35 against #4 Texas A&M. • State’s 31 points scored at #5 Georgia are the most points Mississippi State has scored on the road vs. a Top 5 opponent since the start of the AP Poll in 1936.
Open: Alabama (6-2, 3-2 SEC); LSU (6-2, 3-1 SEC); Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC); Texas (7-1, 3-1 SEC).
SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
JARQUEZ HUNTER, RB, AUBURN
• Rushed for a career-high 278 yards and scored a pair of second-half touchdowns in Auburn’s 24-10 win at Kentucky • His 278 rushing yards are the most by a FBS player this season, the third most by a SEC player in the last five years and the fourth most in Auburn history • Accounted for 214 of his 278 yards in the second half, breaking the school record for most rushing yards in a half, surpassing Bo Jackson’s 206 vs. SW Louisiana in 1985 • Ten of his career-best 23 carries were for 10+ yards, including three runs of 45 or more yards
TAYLEN GREEN, QB, ARKANSAS
• Green completed 23-30 passing attempts for 314 yards and a career-high five touchdowns while rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Green’s five touchdown passes are tied for second-most nationally in a single game this season, and he is one of two Power 4 quarterbacks to throw for five touchdowns and rush for a touchdown in a single game this season.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
TYLER BOOKER, OL, ALABAMA
• Anchored an offensive line unit that powered the Crimson Tide to a dominant 34-0 win over then-No. 21/17 Missouri • Helped the Tide rack up 486 total yards and 34 points in the top-25 matchup • Opened holes for the UA backs to rack up 271 yards and four scores on only 37 rushes for a season-high 7.3 yards per carry mark • Earned a team-best 95 percent grade from the Alabama coaches I
ZAVION MILLER, OL, AUBURN
• Auburn’s highest graded offensive lineman in a game that saw the Tigers rush for the most yards in a game this season (326) • Played every snap and helped pave the way for Jarquez Hunter’s 278 yards rushing, the most by an FBS player this season and the fourth most in program history
DEFENSIVE
SUNTARINE PERKINS, DE, OLE MISS
• Led a dominant Ole Miss defense that shut out Oklahoma in the second half. • Posted careers highs of 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks as part of a 10-sack day for the Rebels, the second most in school history. • The 4.0 sacks are the most by a Rebel since Cassius Ware against Georgia in 1993, while the 5.0 TFL are the most since Khari Coleman against Troy in 2022. • Finished with 11 total tackles, marking his second double-figure tackle performance in the last three games.
MICHAEL TAAFFE, DB, TEXAS
• Taaffe forced two turnovers with an interception and a forced fumble to go along with six tackles and a pass breakup as Texas earned a 27-24 road victory at No. 25 Vanderbilt. • The interception came at the beginning of the second quarter with Vanderbilt having moved into Texas territory at the 32-yard line. Taaffe picked off the pass at the 22 before returning it nine yards.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
KELDRIC FAULK, DL, AUBURN
• Registered three tackles, including a pair of sacks, and helped Auburn’s defense hold Kentucky to 224 total yards, including 70 yards rushing • The game marked his third multi-sack performance this season, including his second in SEC play
SPECIAL TEAMS
TYLER WHITE, P, TEXAS A&M
• Punted five times against LSU with four of the kicks being downed inside the 20-yard line and did not allow any return yardage as the one other kick was fair caught at the 23. • He averaged 48.4 per kick and had a long of punt of 54 yards. • LSU started at its seven-yard line, the 10-yard line, the 14- yard line and the 13-yard line.
FRESHMAN
BRAYLEN RUSSELL, RB, ARKANSAS
• Russell rushed for a game-high and career-high 175 yards on 16 carries for an average of 10.9 yards per carry during the Razorbacks’ 58-25 victory at Mississippi State on Saturday. • He became the first freshman to rush for 175 or more yards since Darren McFadden ran for 187 against South Carolina on Nov. 5, 2005. • His 175 rushing yards are the most in a single game nationally by a freshman running back this season.
MARCEL REED, QB, TEXAS A&M
• Came off the bench and sparked the A&M offense to 21 unanswered points in erasing a 17-7 halftime deficit. • Reed’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter was an 8-yard touchdown run after the defense had forced an LSU interception. • Reed’s next series was a 7-play, 60-yard touchdown drive climaxed by another 8-yard touchdown run to give Texas A&M a 21-17 lead. After another defensive takeaway, Reed led the Aggies to a 5-play, 26-yard touchdown drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.
