AUBURN, Ala. -- Bo Nix generated 381 yards of total offense and four touchdowns as Auburn routed LSU 48-11 on Saturday.
Auburn (4-2) was successful in affecting LSU quarterback TJ Finley, a true freshman who was making his first career road start in place of the injured Myles Brennan. Finley had two interceptions and one strip-sack fumble that directly led to three Auburn touchdowns.
Nix distributed the ball well in the victory, as Eli Stove, Anthony Schwartz, Seth Williams, and JJ Pegues all recorded at least three receptions. Running back Tank Bigsby added 71 rushing yards and had two touchdowns.
"They're the defending national champs, and they've been playing well the last two weeks," Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said. "And to dismantle them like we did, I think that says a lot about our team."
LSU (2-3) struggled to find any sort of offensive balance against Auburn, rushing for 32 yards on 27 carries. Finley completed 13 of 24 passes for 143 yards before getting pulled in the third quarter for third-string quarterback Max Johnson. LSU's offense went 5 of 17 on third downs.
"Give credit to Auburn," LSU Coach Ed Orgeron said. "They came to play. The turnovers really hurt us. Our defense was playing better early... but we've got to play for 60 minutes. We always talk about coming out stronger, and we didn't do that."
Following a scoreless first quarter, Auburn scored six touchdowns in the second and third quarters alone. Auburn's 48 points were the most the program has ever scored in a game against LSU, and the victory snapped its three-game losing streak in the rivalry series.
NO. 2 ALABAMA 41,
MISSISSIPPI STATE 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Mac Jones threw four touchdown passes to DeVonta Smith, who had 203 receiving yards, and No. 2 Alabama cruised to a victory over Mississippi State.
The Crimson Tide (6-0) had a dominant defensive performance, handing new Bulldogs Coach Mike Leach the first shutout of his college career. It was Alabama's first shutout since a 24-0 victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 10, 2018.
Smith caught first-quarter touchdowns passes of 35 and 53 yards to help send the Bulldogs (1-4) to their fourth consecutive loss.
Smith took over the starring receiving role in the absence of Jaylen Waddle, lost to a likely season-ending ankle injury. He made 11 catches and moved into a tie with Amari Cooper for the most career receiving touchdowns with No. 31 early in the fourth.
Jones completed 24 of 31 for 291 yards before sitting out most of the fourth. Najee Harris gained 119 yards on 21 carries.
NO. 5 GEORGIA 14,
KENTUCKY 3
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Zamir White rushed for a carer-high 131 yards and a touchdown, Stetson Bennett also ran for a score and No. 5 Georgia beat Kentucky for its 11th consecutive victory in the series.
Their scores opened both halves as the Bulldogs (4-1) improved to 5-1 after byes under Coach Kirby Smart. Georgia's 215 yards on the ground nearly outgained the Wildcats' total yardage (229).
Bennett completed 9 of 13 passes for 131 yards with two interceptions.
White carried 26 times, also a career best, including a fourth-and-1 burst for an easy 22-yard TD early in the third quarter. Bennett's 2-yard score capped an 86-yard, 12-play initial drive that set the tone for Georgia's control of the line of scrimmage on its limited possessions.
"We came in with the mindset that we wanted to score every single possession we got the ball and do it by any means necessary," Smart said. "Whether that was run the ball, throw the ball, we take what they give you and that's what we were doing."
Chris Rodriguez rushed 20 times for 108 yards for Kentucky (2-4), which only managed Matt Ruffolo's 34-yard field goal in dropping its second in a row. Quarterback Joey Gatewood was 15 of 25 passing for 91 yards in his first start in place of Terry Wilson, who was out with an injured wrist.
NO. 10 FLORIDA 41,
MISSOURI 17
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kadarius Toney scored three times, Kyle Trask became the first player in school history with four touchdown passes in four consecutive games and Florida returned from a three-week layoff to handle Missouri.
Trask completed 21 of 36 passes for 345 yards.
The Gators' easiest win of the season came after a covid-19 outbreak forced the SEC to postpone two of their games. It also included a benches-clearing scuffle at halftime that involved both coaches.
Several players threw punches during the melee, but just three were ejected. The conference could hand down more punishments following a review. It could be costly for Florida (3-1), which plays rival and fifth-ranked Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville. The game is likely to decide the winner of the East Division.
The fight started when Missouri's Trajan Jeffcoat delivered what looked like a high, late hit on Trask after he released a Hail Mary at the end of the second quarter. The ball fell incomplete, and Trask landed hard on his back. His linemen came to his defense. So did Coach Dan Mullen, who started screaming at the officials and the opposing sideline. Players from both teams converged near Missouri's sideline, and wild punches could be seen flying and connecting.
MISSISSIPPI 54,
VANDERBILT 21
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Matt Corral passed for 412 yards and six touchdowns to lead Mississippi to a victory over Vanderbilt, snapping a three-game losing streak.
It was the second consecutive win for Ole Miss (2-4) over Vanderbilt (0-4). The Rebels won 31-6 last season.
Corral completed 19 consecutive passes, breaking Eli Manning's program record of 18 consecutive against Murray State in his debut his sophomore season.
Corral's six touchdown passes also tied Manning's record for touchdown passes in a game set against Arkansas in 2001. It is a school record for touchdown passes in regulation since five of Manning's passes came in overtime.
Elijah Moore had 14 receptions for 238 yards with 3 touchdowns for Ole Miss. Kenny Yeboah caught two touchdown passes and Dontario Drummond had one.
Ken Seals was 31-of-40 passing for 319 yards and threw two touchdown passes for the Commodores. It was the most yards passing for a true freshman at Vanderbilt since 2000. Cam Johnson had 14 receptions for 97 yards. Ben Bresnahan and Chris Pierce Jr. each caught a touchdown pass.
