SEC Football Week 1 Roundup

• Tweet
• Email

Eleven SEC football teams began their seasons on Saturday with the conference’s six top 25 teams in action, including top-ranked Alabama.

Ole Miss was the victim of a stunning upset on Saturday as the Rebels blew a 31-13 lead and lost to FCS member Jacksonville State 49-48 in 2OT.

Coty Blanchard threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kevyn Cooper on fourth-and-15 in the second overtime to pull the Gamecocks within 48-47.

On the ensuing extra point attempt, Blanchard connected with Calvin Middleton to complete the two-point conversion and give Jacksonville State the win.

After the game, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said, without a doubt, it’s the worst loss of my career.” The Rebels will have a week to figure things out before they face Tulane on September 11.

No. 1 Alabama began their season with an easy 48-3 win over San Jose State. Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy completed 13 of 15 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown to lead the defending BCS national champions over the Spartans.

Alabama will have a much tougher text next week when they face No. 19 Penn State in Tuscaloosa.

No. 4 Florida sputtered offensively for most of the game gaining only 212 yards but was able to defeat Miami (OH) 34-12 behind Jeff Demps 98 yards rushing and one touchdown.

The Redhawks were held to four yards rushing by the Gators defense and scored all of their points on field goals. Florida takes on in-state foe South Florida next week in Gainesville.

No. 17 Arkansas had no trouble with Tennessee Tech, rolling to a 44-3 win over the Golden Eagles. Heisman Trophy candidate Ryan Mallet completed 21 of 24 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Razorbacks.

Arkansas will face Louisiana-Monroe next week in Fayetteville.

No. 21 LSU held off a 4th quarter rally against a depleted North Carolina team in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic to come away with a 30-24 win.

Quarterback T.J. Yates completed 28 of 46 passes for 412 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 18 Tar Heels. Yates completed six passes to Jheranie Boyd for 221 yards, including a 97-yard scoring play that was the longest in North Carolina history.

LSU jumped out to a 30-10 lead after scoring 23 points in the final 8:06 of the half. Patrick Patterson scored on an 87-yard punt return and Rueben Randle caught a 51-yard touchdown pass to lead the Tigers second quarter outburst.

LSU will open their SEC schedule next week when they face Vanderbilt in Nashville.

No. 22 Auburn rolled up 608 yards of offense en route to a 52-26 win over Arkansas State. Quarterback Cameron Newton had 357 total yards for the Tigers, accounting for five touchdowns.

Newton rushed 15 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns and completed 9 of 14 passes for 186 yards and three scores.

Auburn will begin their SEC schedule when they face Mississippi State on Thursday night in Starkville.

No. 23 Georgia had no trouble with Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, rolling to a 55-7 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. Quarterback Aaron Murray completed 17 of 26 passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs.

Georgia begins their SEC schedule next week when they face South Carolina in Columbia.

Mississippi State got an easy 49-7 win over hapless Memphis in their season opener in Starkville. The Bulldogs piled up 569 yards of offense against the Tigers, including 372 yards passing as quarterbacks Tyler Russell and Chris Relf combined to complete 20 of 25 passes.

Kentucky got a tough 23-16 win over rival Louisville to open their season. Running back Derrick Locke carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the Wildcats.

Kentucky will face Western Kentucky next week in Lexington.

Tennessee had an easy time with FCS opponent UT-Martin on Saturday, rolling to a 50-0 win in Derek Dooley’s coaching debut. The Vols had 537 yards of offense against the Skyhawks, including 110 yards rushing from running back Tauren Poole.

Tennessee will have a much more difficult test next week when they face No. 11 Oregon on Saturday night in Knoxville.

Vanderbilt lost a hard fought game against Big Ten foe Northwestern in their opener on Saturday, falling to the Wildcats 23-21. The Commodores scored with 2:25 remaining in the game on Zac Stacy’s 33-yard run but failed to convert the two-point attempt.