SEC contenders separate in a chaotic Week 10

Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee delivered decisive Week 10 wins during a Saturday featuring four ranked-versus-ranked games involving SEC teams. The Crimson Tide beat LSU 31-13, Georgia routed Ole Miss 42-7 and Tennessee handled Kentucky 34-6.

LSU gained 457 yards and twice as many first downs as Alabama, yet failed on all four fourth-down attempts. Across four trips inside the Alabama 20, the Tigers scored one touchdown and one field goal. Alabama won the turnover margin 2-0 in the 18-point victory.

Georgia scored touchdowns on its first two drives and carried a 35-0 lead into the fourth quarter against Ole Miss. Tennessee kept Kentucky out of the end zone. The Volunteers’ defense produced eight tackles for loss, four sacks and three takeaways, with linebacker Arion Carter recording 10 solo tackles, three assists, two sacks, four tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.

Texas rallied from a 20-13 third-quarter deficit to beat Missouri 34-20. The Longhorns tied the game on a drive extended by a disputed replay ruling, then used a short field and a later Missouri fumble to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

South Carolina beat Texas A&M 17-9. The Aggies outgained the Gamecocks by a wide margin but failed on fourth down and in the red zone. With their fourth consecutive victory, the Gamecocks improved to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play.

Elsewhere, Oklahoma defeated Florida 23-7 behind two touchdowns and three field goals. Auburn’s 26-23 win over Arkansas accompanied Vanderbilt’s 25-23 victory against Mississippi State. The Commodores secured their first SEC victory after Mississippi State scored with 30 seconds remaining but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.

Why it matters

Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee stayed in the playoff discussion with convincing wins. South Carolina reached 6-3 with its fourth straight victory, while Vanderbilt earned its first conference win.

What to watch next

The Nov. 14 SEC schedule includes Alabama at Vanderbilt, Tennessee at Texas A&M, Missouri at Georgia, Ole Miss at Oklahoma, Florida at Kentucky, Texas at LSU, South Carolina at Arkansas and Auburn at Mississippi State.