SEC PRIMER (WEEK 6): Halloween edition - Enter at your own risk

Compiled by GRAHAM DUNN

We celebrate Halloween….

Wait, do you really call it a celebration or a declaration for the damned?

If the shoe fits, let’s assume that means don’t wear a black and white-striped shirt while out and about on Saturday night, else Lane Kiffin might spew his scorn.  Or Arkansas fans… or any fan of a team that has played Auburn this season.

OK, bad joke.

Back to Kiffin, the Ole Miss coach got his punishment after a sarcastic tirade lashed out at the Southeastern Conference office for the explanation received on why officials did not review the possible touching of a kick by Auburn that was recovered in the endzone by the Rebels.

The cost was $25,000 or as Kiffin later Tweeted, “25 million pennies.” It completed the joke but it gave plenty of SEC officiating haters a chance to team up for a cause. Send your pennies C/O Lane Kiffin to the SEC Office and leave a note while you’re at it.

The halfway point of the season comes with a lot of speculation regarding who is the second-best team in the league. Unless Saturday’s blue moon becomes a scallywag and puts a spell on the Crimson Tide this weekend, no one doubts who is the No. 1 team.

What will the East look like in two weeks? Florida is coming off the hospital gurney after two weeks of COVID-19 treatment, which means no practices and a roster still void of players. Dan Mullen has kept his numbers a secret. The Gators might show up in Spurrier Field with a few replacements.

Mississippi State is in need of a few players too after several Bulldogs filled the transfer portal this week. Apparently Kylin Hill wasn’t one of those but don’t look for him to suit up because that would mean he is out of limbo.

The best way to describe the season so far – perplexity. Or how about tumultuous? Zany? Confounding?

They all fit and we still have two months to go.

So, Happy Halloween and pass the antacid.

SEC VOICE

Cody Worsham has covered LSU athletics for many years and joins RRS Radio to discuss this week’s battle between the Tigers of LSU and Tigers of Auburn.

OCT 31 Schedule/Notes

GAMES RESCHEDULED

Missouri (2-2) at Florida (2-1) – from Oct. 24

Georgia (3-1) at Kentucky (2-2) - from for Oct. 24

OPEN WEEK

South Carolina (2-3)

Tennessee (2-3)

Georgia (3-1) at Kentucky (2-3)
11 a.m. CDT (SEC Network)

Kroger Field, Lexington, KY

Series: UGA, 59-12-2 (Last: 2019 – @ UGA, 21-0)

Last Week: Kentucky lost to Missouri, 20-10; Georgia did not play

5 Things to know about UGA/KY

1. Georgia’s Kenny McIntosh is second nationally with a kick return average of 36.3 yards per return.

2. Georgia continues to lead the SEC in scoring defense, giving up 19 points per game.

3. Kentucky is second in scoring defense allowing 20 points per game.

4. Kentucky (9) and Georgia (6) have combined for 15 interceptions.

5. Kentucky’s offense had just eight first downs against Missouri, two of which were from penalties.

RRS PREDICTION: Georgia 24, Kentucky 10 (UGA favored by 14.5)

LSU (2-2) at Auburn (3-2)
2:30 p.m. CDT (CBS)

Jordan-Hare Stadium

Series: LSU, 31-22-1 (Last: 2019 - LSU, 23-20)

Last Week: AU defeated Ole Miss, 35-28; LSU defeated South Carolina, 52-24

5 Things to know about AUB/OLE MISS

1. First time Auburn and LSU have met with neither ranked since 1999.

2. Auburn is the lone team to not give up 30 or more points in the SEC so far this season.

3. LSU leads the SEC with 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks per game.

4. Twelve different players have caught passes for LSU this season. Terrence Marshall has caught a TD pass in seven straight games, a school-tying record. He leads the SEC with nine TD passes.

5. Auburn’s Colby Wooden leads the SEC with 6.5 tackles for loss.

RRS PREDICTION: Auburn 24, LSU 21 (LSU favored by 3.5)

Ole Miss (1-4) at Vanderbilt (0-3)
3 p.m. CDT (SEC Network)

Memorial Stadium, Nashville

Series: Ole Miss, 50-40-2 (Last: 2019 – @ UM, 31-6)

Last Week: Ole Miss lost to Auburn, 35-28; Vandy did not play

5 Things to know about UM/VANDY

1. Ole Miss and Vandy have met once on Halloween with the Commodores earning a 7-0 win in 1925.

2. Vanderbilt has just three offensive touchdowns this season and is ranked 97th in the country in scoring.

3. Vanderbilt leads the SEC in fewest penalties (3.3 per game).

4. Ole Miss continues to be ranked last in the nation in total defense (556 ypg)

5. Ole Miss has 95 plays of 10 yards or more this season, one of five teams nationally.

RRS PREDICTION: Ole Miss 44, Vanderbilt 17 (Ole Miss favored by 18)

Mississippi State (1-3) at Alabama (5-0)
6 p.m. CDT (ESPN)

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa

Series: UA, 82-18-3 (Last: 2019 - UA, 38-7)

Last Week: Bama def. Tennessee, 48-17; Miss St did not play

5 Things to know about MISS ST/BAMA

1. The last time Miss St beat a ranked Alabama team was 1996, 17-16 in Starkville. Bama was ranked 8th nationally.

2. Mike Leach last met Alabama as the head coach at Texas Tech in the 2006 Cotton Bowl. Bama won, 13-10.

3. Alabama will look to win on Nick Saban’s birthday for the first time (Halloween) and the second in his career. Michigan State beat Northwestern, 29-5, on his birthday in 1998.

4. Through his first five games, Najee Harris has more rushing yards (595) and touchdowns (14) than Heisman winners Derrick Henry (570/9) and Mark Ingram (487/6).

5. Alabama kicker Will Reichard leads the conference in PATs with 32 and has made all six field goals attempted. Last year, Alabama’s kickers made 12 of 18 field goal attempts and missed three extra point tries.

RRS PREDICTION: Alabama 49, Miss St 20 (Bama favored by 31)

Missouri (2-2) at Florida (2-1)
6:30 p.m. CDT (SEC Network Alternate)

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville

Series: MIZZOU, 5-4-1 (Last: 2019 - UF, 23-6)

Last Week: Missouri defeated Kentucky, 20-10; Florida did not play

5 Things about MIZZOU/FLA

1. Florida defense has seven players with at least one sack.

2. In their last game, a loss to Texas A&M, the Gators had eight possessions and scored on six of them with the final drive ending in a turnover and eventual field goal for the Aggies. Missouri has won two of its last three trips to Gainesville.

3. In the win over Kentucky, the Tigers allowed just four completions in 13 pass attempts for just 47 yards and a total of 145 yards. They held Kentucky to just 2-of-9 on third down conversions.

4. Missouri’s 83 percent completion rate against LSU is the second-best in a game this season in the SEC.

5. Although Dan Mullen would not give names, Florida is expected to have a less than full roster against Missouri. He said they would fulfill the mandatory 53 on the roster.

RRS PREDICTION: Florida 29, Missouri 21 (FL favored by 13)

Arkansas (2-2) at Texas A&M (3-1)
6:30 p.m. CDT (SEC Network)

Kyle Field – College Station

Series: ARK, 41-32-3 (Last: 2019 – A&M, 31-27)

Last Week: Arkansas and Texas A&M did not play

5 Things about ARK/A&M

1. First time two teams meet on campus since 2013 (Fayetteville).

2. A&M RB Isaiah Spiller is averaging 107.5 yards per game this season, good for second in the conference.

3. In Arkansas’ win over Ole Miss, the Razorbacks scored 24 of their 33 points off turnovers.

4. A&M LB Buddy Johnson has led the Aggies in tackles in all four games. He averages 10.5 per contest.

5. Arkansas LB Grant Morgan leads SEC with 13 tackles per game, which is fifth nationally.

RRS PREDICTION: Texas A&M 24, Arkansas 17 (A&M favored by 12.5)