Alabama's first test of its Southeastern Conference title defense was quite demanding, and the Crimson Tide's second step is shaping up the same way.
Several hours after the Tide outlasted Florida 31-29 in the Swamp, the Ole Miss Rebels rewrote the record books during a 61-21 plastering of Tulane inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Rebels junior quarterback Matt Corral became the first player in league history to accumulate three passing touchdowns and four rushing scores in the same game.
Corral's showing against the Green Wave dwarfed that of Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler on Sept. 4, when the Sooners survived Tulane 40-35.
"You're going to win a ton of games running 94 plays and with 707 yards of offense versus 56 and 305," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said early Sunday morning on a Zoom call. "We had 25 first downs in the first half, and when you have that many first downs, you're playing really well with a lot of people for an extended amount of time. I'm proud of the guys and how they did that.
"I wish we didn't have a bye, because we're playing so well, but it is what it is."
Ole Miss had 41 first downs overall, breaking the school mark of 36 that was set in 1971 during a 49-10 win over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The Rebels indeed now have the league's first open date after just three games and next travel to Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2. Mississippi State has its lone open date after its fifth game, while every other SEC member will play at least seven before getting a break.
Not to overlook this week's schedule, but that Oct. 2 slate includes Alabama-Ole Miss, Arkansas-Georgia, Auburn-LSU and Florida-Kentucky. Alabama hosts Southern Miss this week before the Rebels, who lost a thrilling 63-48 shootout to the Tide in Oxford last year, invade Bryant-Denny Stadium.
_________
Even though it was significantly closer than the 14.5-point spread, Alabama's escape of Florida marked the Tide's eighth consecutive conquest of the Gators, and that should not be overlooked.
The next-highest win streak among SEC members at Florida's expense this century has been three, with Auburn, Georgia and LSU having accomplished that.
_________
Florida, incidentally, opened Sunday as a 21-point favorite this week against visiting Tennessee. The Gators were 17-point favorites in last season's meeting in Knoxville and 14-point favorites two years ago in the Swamp.
AP photo by Barry Reeger / Auburn wide receiver Shedrick Jackson, right, attempts to secure the ball against his helmet for a catch while covered by Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during Saturday night's game in State College, Pa. Penn State won 28-20.Although Auburn returned the experience of quarterback Bo Nix and the effectiveness of running back Tank Bigsby, receiver was going to be a question mark after the departures of Anthony Schwartz, Seth Williams and Eli Stove from last season's Citrus Bowl team.
Adding Georgia graduate transfer Demetris Robertson certainly helped, but he couldn't haul in a potential big gain during Saturday night's 28-20 loss at Penn State, and fellow Tigers senior receiver Shedrick Jackson stumbled and bobbled away a potential impact catch as well.
"We were at 185 yards, and that's not good enough," Auburn first-year coach Bryan Harsin said when asked to assess his aerial attack. "We needed to hit some explosive plays, and we had some opportunities to do that. We need to catch the ball, and we need to be in the right areas.
"Those are the things we have to work on, and they have to become priorities for everybody involved, but ultimately we've got to come down with the ball and make some plays. There were opportunities to do that."
A trick play early in the second half went awry for Auburn when sophomore receiver Kobe Hudson fumbled at his 20, and then there was the fade-route call on fourth-and-goal from Penn State's 2-yard line with 3:08 remaining when Hudson never had a chance to catch the Nix incompletion. Was that Harsin's call, or was it made by offensive coordinator Mike Bobo?
"We talk about it, and everybody kind of gives their input," Harsin said. "Those plays are pre-planned and scripted in those areas. I would have to go back and look at it as far as what actually happened, because we obviously didn't execute it or get the result that we wanted."
_________
Georgia has amassed 1,030 yards the past two weeks in demolishing the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 56-7, and South Carolina, 40-13, with 683 of that coming through the air.
"I think we're just better right now with timing, throwing the ball and spacing in routes," Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said Saturday on a Zoom call. "I actually thought we ran the ball better tonight. We rushed for 184, and it didn't seem like a struggle to run it as much as it did against UAB.
"Statistically, I was proud of our ability to run the ball, and I thought our backs made some people miss, so I'm not down on the run game, but if you're going to be an elite team, you've got to be pretty good in both."
_________
A week after Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV completed 10 of 12 passes (83.3%) for 288 yards and five touchdowns versus UAB, the fifth-year senior was just 1-of-3 for 4 yards and was intercepted Saturday night in a backup role to JT Daniels. His passer rating went from 422.4 against the Blazers to minus-22.1 against the Gamecocks.
Perhaps this is why Lou Holtz once said: "Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems. Somewhere in between lies realty."
_________
Kentucky's 28-23 escape of UTC not only denied the Mocs their first win over an SEC team since 1958, it also evened the all-time record of the Wildcats to 632-632-44. ... Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak threw three touchdown passes in a 59-28 shredding of Southeast Missouri and already has nine this season after compiling seven last year. ... Texas A&M's 34-0 blanking of New Mexico marked the 11th consecutive win for the Aggies dating to last season, the longest streak for the program since the 1992 team went 12-0 before losing the Cotton Bowl to Notre Dame. ... Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers completed 50 of 67 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns in a controversial 31-29 loss at Memphis, setting single-game program records for attempts and completions. ... Arkansas had three scoring drives in excess of 90 yards in its 45-10 blasting of Georgia Southern, a feat the Razorbacks had not accomplished since joining the SEC in 1992. ... Vanderbilt played Stanford to a 14-14 standoff late in the second quarter before the Cardinal broke free for a 41-23 victory before an announced crowd in Nashville of - yikes - 21,124.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.