SEC Rewind – Week 12
Auburn Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall (14) celebrates with fans after the Tigers beat the Georgia Bulldogs 43-38 at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
The Prayer at Jordan-Hare created easily the biggest shockwaves across the SEC this week. Trailing Georgia in the closing seconds and facing a fourth-and-18 from its own 27-yard line, Auburn seemingly had one play to keep title hopes alive during its turnaround campaign. QB Nick Marshall hoisted a bomb into double coverage down the middle of the field, overthrowing intended WR Ricardo Louis. Georgia S Josh Harvey-Clemons tipped the ball up and over the last line of defense, allowing Louis to run under the deflection. Louis caught the pass on a juggle and sprinted into the end-zone, delivering the Tigers an amazingly improbable victory.
The win sets up the highest-stakes Iron Bowl in recent memory, with the winner representing the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game. National title hopes are certainly on the line for Alabama, which did its part in beating Mississippi State this week. They aren’t ruled out for Auburn, either. The Tigers would need a ton of help, but could still backdoor their way into the BCS National Championship Game.
In Starkville, the Crimson Tide was far from dominant in its 20-7 win over the Bulldogs. However, behind a dominant defense, Alabama did enough to survive perfect record intact. It’s just a good thing style points don’t matter for the two-time defending champions.
Elsewhere, South Carolina put itself in the clubhouse in good position for a shot at the SEC East title. The Gamecocks are 6-2 in conference play after surviving a test from Florida. Now they must hope Missouri loses to either Ole Miss or Texas A&M in the final two weeks. One Tigers loss would secure South Carolina’s spot in the SEC Championship Game.
Let’s take a look at Week 12 in this week’s SEC Rewind.
Week 12 Results
Ole Miss 51, Troy 21
Vanderbilt 22, Kentucky 6
No. 7 Auburn 43, No. 25 Georgia 38
No. 10 South Carolina 19, Florida 14
No. 1 Alabama 20, Mississippi State 7
Byes: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Helmet Stickers
WR Ricardo Louis – Auburn
Louis displayed unbelievable concentration when he hauled in Auburn’s last-chance heave down the field for the game-winning, 73-yard touchdown. He finished with 131 receiving yards and 66 rushing yards.
DE Dee Ford – Auburn
Though the Auburn pass-rush specialist recorded just one tackle – a sack on which he forced a fumble, Ford was the most disruptive force in the game. Ford even notched his sixth quarterback hurry on the game’s final play, when he hit Georgia QB Aaron Murray as he was starting to throw. Ford’s hit left a fluttering pass that quickly fell to the ground, enabling Auburn to come away with the victory.
LB C.J. Mosley – Alabama
Arguably the top linebacker in the nation turned in another strong performance when his offense needed the backup. Mosley made 10 tackles, forced a fumble and turned in 3 quarterback hurries in Alabama’s ugly win at Mississippi State.
QB Nick Marshall – Auburn
On top of throwing the kind-fated bomb off the hand of Georgia S Josh Harvey-Clemons and into the hands of WR Ricardo Louis for the game-winning 73-yard TD, Marshall ran for 89 yards and 2 TDs.
QB Aaron Murray – Georgia
All of Murray’s dramatic comeback efforts went for naught when Auburn completed the Prayer at Jordan-Hare, but they shouldn’t be forgotten. The senior threw for 415 yards and 2 TDs, rushing for two more in the Bulldogs’ near-miss.
WR Jordan Matthews – Vanderbilt
In the offensive wasteland that was the Kentucky-Vanderbilt game, Matthews shined brightest. The spectacular receiver caught 12 passes for 141 yards and also ran twice for 31 yards in leading the Commodores to the win.
LB Ramik Wilson – Georgia
The SEC’s leading tackler showed why, registering 18 stops, including 2 TFLs and a sack. However, Auburn beat Georgia.