No. 6 Alabama, No. 24 Mississippi St each seek SEC rebounds
A look at Week 8 in the Southeastern Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) hosts No. 24 Mississippi State (5-2, 2-2)
The Crimson Tide are coming off a thrilling 52-49 loss at then-No. 7 Tennessee, where they were flagged 17 times for 130 yards yet still had a chance to win. Alabama's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young provided a bright spot, throwing for 455 yards and two touchdowns against the Volunteers. The Bulldogs fell 27-17 at then-No. 22 Kentucky, ending their three-game winning streak. They managed just 22 yards rushing and only 226 overall. MSU still boasts the SEC's top quarterback in Will Rogers, who needs one TD pass and 338 yards to break Dak Prescott's school records of 70 TDs and 9,376 career yards.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 7 Mississippi (7-0, 3-0) at LSU (5-2, 3-1)
The Rebels will try to maintain a half-game West Division lead. Two of the SEC's top offenses will be on display with the Rebels averaging nearly 503 yards per game and the host Tigers averaging 443. The teams are pretty close defensively, ranking 5-6 respectively with LSU allowing eight fewer yards per game at 338. The Tigers own the series 64-41-4 but the Rebels won last year's meeting 31-17 in Oxford. The home team has won eight of the past 10 series meetings.
IMPACT PLAYER
Throwing anywhere near Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes is a mistake right now. He has four interceptions in the past three games to lead the SEC with five. Forbes has returned two for touchdowns, including a 59-yarder last week at Kentucky. That pick-six helped him tie the conference career mark of five. Forbes also leads the SEC with 11 passes defended.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
LSU scored touchdowns on its first six possessions against Florida, covering between 73 and 88 yards with three drives using at least a dozen snaps. ... Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. became the school's fourth 3,000-yard career rusher with his 196 yards on a career-high 30 carries against Mississippi State. ... The Wildcats' 478 offensive yards were evenly divided rushing and passing. ... Alabama and Tennessee combined for 1,136 yards and 153 offensive plays. ... Ole Miss backs Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans have rushed for 720 and 605 yards respectively, the nation's only teammates with more than 600 yards each on the ground.
UPSET ALERT
South Carolina (4-2, 1-2) is a 3-point underdog against struggling Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2). The Gamecocks have won three straight, highlighted by a 24-14 win over then-No. 13 Kentucky two weeks ago. The Aggies aim to halt a two-game slide after beginning the month at No. 17.
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