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Mississippi schools rescue the SEC, Spencer Rattler deals and more from Week 2

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Mississippi schools rescue the SEC, Spencer Rattler deals and more from Week 2

Few teams are having as much fun as the Mississippi State Bulldogs through two weeks. Saturday’s game provided another early, signature moment in the Zach Arnett era: a game-winning 35-yard, screen-pass touchdown from quarterback Will Rogers to running Jeffery Pittman to defeat Arizona 31-24 at home, a play that could stand alone in the SEC Superlatives under “Best Play Design.” But there’s more.

Just as Pittman crosses the goal line the TV camera flashes back to Rogers, who kisses his finger and points up to the sky, paying homage to Mike Leach. And perhaps the best moment of all: a post-game interview F-bomb by Arnett, another standalone Superlative moment for “Best Postame Quote.”

“I’m f— … I’m scrambled too!” Arnett said shortly after the game.

Arnett is building solid momentum in his early stint with the Bulldogs, moving to 3-0 as head coach. The balanced approach to offense is working; Rogers is completing nearly 72 percent of his passes and hasn’t turned it over, and running back Jo’quavious Marks has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games. If you can believe it, Mississippi State’s win over Arizona is one of the SEC’s best nonconference wins of the season. The biggest test yet is ahead: a home game against LSU this Saturday. Best believe StarkVegas will be rocking for that 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

Welcome to SEC Superlatives, Week 2. The conference’s stock might be down after a few rough weeks of nonconference play, but there’s no shortage of noteworthy moments throughout the league, Let’s get into the best (and worst) of last weekend:

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Best in Class: Ole Miss

In the shadow of the mega matchup between Alabama and Texas was one of the more intriguing matchups of Week 2 between Ole Miss and Tulane. Did you know these programs have extensive history? Seventy-three total games played dating back to 1893, when Ole Miss prevailed, 12-4. Last Saturday’s contest between ranked opponents was one to remember in the series, as Ole Miss secured the best win in the SEC through two weeks.

Yes, Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was out, but the Green Wave gave Ole Miss all it could handle, holding a 17-7 lead late in the second quarter. All Ole Miss did was close the game on a 30-3 run and close the door on Tulane’s chances of being Group of 5 College Football Playoff contender.

There was a lot of spring, summer and fall talk about Lane Kiffin’s approach to the quarterback room, but Jaxson Dart has cemented himself as the starter. His late-game touchdown pass to Michael Trigg explains why: avoiding pressure, accuracy on the run and clutch. He’s in complete control of the offense.

Ole Miss even scored on defense too (more on that later). Those are the kind of plays Kiffin is paying for.

Worst in Class: Texas A&M

Either Miami or Texas A&M’s fans were leaving last Saturday’s game with extreme uneasiness about the state of their program. Unfortunately for the Aggies, it had to be them. Texas A&M went to Miami as 3-to-3.5-point favorites depending on the betting service but lost by 15 in a statement game for Jimbo Fisher’s team.

A&M’s offense had its ebbs and flows but still put up 33 points. It was the Aggies defense that was the biggest disappointment: allowing 12.5 yards per pass attempt, seven plays of 20-plus yards and 241 yards after the catch to Miami’s offense. That was Texas A&M’s seventh straight road loss.

Can the Aggies bounce back? Sure. But for the here and now, the vibe feels closer to another year of 8-4 than 10-2 or better. And if that happens, it could be an interesting winter in College Station. But we’ll hold off on any declarative statements for now.

Ugliest Win: Auburn

Six first downs through three quarters, four turnovers and 230 yards of offense. If you gave those blind stats to an Auburn fan before Saturday’s game at California, you might have seen outward nauseousness. But Auburn won, because college football.

A win is a win is a win, but Saturday’s 14-10 result felt like two teams begging the other to take the W. Not just because of Auburn’s woeful day on offense but also Cal’s brutal day on special teams: three missed field goals and a fourth one that was taken off the board by a penalty. At long last, the Tigers put together a nice fourth-quarter drive that ended with a highlight-reel, go-ahead touchdown. A nice finish to an otherwise dreadful day.

Whether you’re a glass half full or half empty type of Auburn fan, the Hugh Freeze era is off to a 2-0 start. Enjoy it.

No matter the opponent, a 90-plus percent completion rate deserves recognition, so take a bow, Spencer Rattler. The Gamecocks returned home after a tough loss in Week 1 and beat Furman, 47-21, in a career day for the quarterback.

Final stat line: 25-of-27 passes completed for 345 yards and three touchdowns and another rushing touchdown. It’s only been two games, but an 83 percent completion rate is nuts. Next up for Rattler and South Carolina: a trip to Athens, Ga.

Or as it could be called, “The best cosplay of Odell Beckham Jr.” Ole Miss wide receiver Dayton Wade staked an early claim on Play of the Year with a ridiculous one-handed catch while falling back. I could spend time talking about it, but you just have to see it.

Dime of the Week: KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

KJ Jefferson doing KJ Jefferson things. Last week he made Superlatives with his strength; this week it’s his accuracy with a quintessential thread-the-needle throw with three defenders in the vicinity.

Most on the wrong side of history: Alabama

Alabama losses are rare, but how Alabama lost last Saturday to Texas reached historic status. The 34-24 setback was the Crimson Tide’s …

  • first nonconference home loss since 2007 (Nick Saban’s first season)
  • first double-digit home loss since 2004
  • first loss when leading entering the fourth quarter after 73 straight wins in such scenarios
  • first loss at home after a 21-game winning streak (the nation’s longest)

Ouch.

Stickiest fingers: Georgia’s defense

The Georgia defense came away with three interceptions against Ball State, and each of them was memorable in its way. The first, by safety Malaki Starks, will surely end up on his highlight reel.

The second summed up the kind of day it was for Ball State. An errant pass bounces off of the leg of a receiver and into the unsuspecting hands of Georgia linebacker Chaz Chambliss. How about that for your first career takeaway?

If you haven’t gotten the theme of everything going right for Georgia’s defense last Saturday, the third interception by Tykee Smith should drive the point home. Tip drill.

Phrase of the week: “Thick Six”

Ole Miss makes a third appearance in the Week 2 Superlatives, because how could a play dubbed the “Thick Six” not make the cut? The exclamation point on the Rebels’ win was a scoop and score by defensive end Jared Ivey, listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, to extend the lead to 37-20 late in the fourth quarter. But Thick Six is objectively a way cooler phrase than scoop and score.

(Photo of Jeffery Pittman scoring in overtime against Arizona: Chris McDill / Associated Press)

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