Red River Roux-ined: Georgia Grabs the Crown, Texas Gets Boiled Alive, and Kentucky Bets the Whole Camp on Two

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Gridiron Gumbo | SEC Week 6 Recap: games of Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 | Posted Monday, Oct. 12, 2026

By T-Rohn, reporting from Southwest Louisiana, where the roux is dark and the takes are darker

Before We Stir the Pot: A Disclosure

Full transparency, cher: I bleed maroon, and I own more cowbells than any grown man should. Mississippi State is my team. My mawmaw used to say, “Baby, don’t give your heart to a team that breaks it every October. Give it to a good pot of gumbo, it won’t go 6-6 on you.” I didn’t listen to her then, and I’m not listening now.

But in this kitchen, every team goes in the same pot, and every team gets boiled at the same temperature. If anything, State gets the hottest water, because I’ve watched enough Starkville Octobers to know that hope is a seasoning you add one pinch at a time, and only after you taste.

Now. What a Saturday. The No. 1 team in the country lost on the final play. The No. 2 team went into Tuscaloosa and broke a curse older than most of its roster. Kentucky won another overtime game with the same two-point bet, like a man who hit at the Coushatta casino and now thinks he’s a genius. LSU lost on the road again. And Florida got booed at its own homecoming, which is like getting heckled at your own crawfish boil.

Cajun Commentary: This was the weekend the SEC tossed the whole sack of mudbugs on the table. Nine teams are still in the AP Top 25, so the league is deep, but only one team, Georgia, is still clean in conference play. Everybody else has seasoning on their shirt.

There were seven SEC-vs-SEC games, no SEC games Thursday or Friday, and two teams on a bye (Auburn and Mississippi State). By Sunday the SEC had nine teams in the AP Top 25, with Georgia on the throne at No. 1.

Grab a bowl and a sleeve of saltines. Here’s the whole league.

The Weekend at a Glance

• No. 2 Georgia 20, No. 6 Alabama 17 (Tuscaloosa)
• Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24 (Dallas, Red River Rivalry)
• No. 9 Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17 (Nashville)
• Kentucky 35, No. 10 LSU 34, OT (Lexington)
• No. 14 Missouri 27, Texas A&M 6 (Columbia, Mo.)
• No. 15 Tennessee 24, Arkansas 17 (Fayetteville)
• South Carolina 38, No. 16 Florida 19 (Gainesville)
• Bye: Auburn, Mississippi State

Rankings shown are the AP rankings going into the game.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS: The Curse Is Dead, Pass the Potato Salad

No. 2 Georgia 20, No. 6 Alabama 17 | Georgia now 6-0 (4-0 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 1

Cajun roast: Georgia hadn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2007, which is the last time half of y’all’s uncles had a working flip phone and a full head of hair.

Two offenses came in ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in scoring: Georgia at 51.4 points per game, Alabama at 49.6. They combined for 37 points. Funny how a real defense will turn a fireworks show into a church potluck. Georgia outgained Alabama 455-346 and won it in the last 10 minutes. Starting at its own 11 with 10:44 to play, Georgia drove 84 yards and took the lead on Peyton Woodring’s 23-yard field goal with 5:25 left. The defense then sacked Keelon Russell to force a punt. The offense iced it with a 17-yard completion to tight end Elyiss Williams on third-and-7, plus a 15-yard Alabama personal foul that was basically a gift basket.

Gunner Stockton was surgical: 18 of 22 for 249 yards and a touchdown, plus a 14-yard rushing TD to open the second half. His one blemish was an interception by Bray Hubbard that helped Alabama take a 14-10 halftime lead, the first time Georgia had trailed all season. Dwight Phillips Jr. ran 17 times for a career-high 120 yards. The defense set the tone on the very first drive when Joseph Jonah-Ajonye strip-sacked Russell. Turnovers ended one apiece.

The big picture: Kirby Smart has now beaten Kalen DeBoer’s Tide twice in a row, counting last season’s SEC title game. Georgia took 66 of 70 first-place votes. Smart called it “a great college football game, great atmosphere,” which is easy to say when you win in that building for the first time in 19 years.

Cajun Commentary: Hot take: Georgia is the best team in America, and it isn’t especially close in the SEC. You beat Bama in Tuscaloosa in a slugfest, and you don’t get points for style, you get the crown. Everybody else is fighting over the leftover rice.

Gumbo Grade: A. It wasn’t pretty, and Woodring missed a 39-yarder, his first miss of the year. But they won on the road over a top-six team with No. 1 on the line. That’s a dark roux, slow-cooked and done right, cher.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: Close Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

No. 2 Georgia 20, No. 6 Alabama 17 | Alabama now 5-1 (3-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 6

Cajun roast: Bama’s offense came in averaging almost 50 a game and scored 17 at home. That’s like bringing a 60-quart crawfish pot to the party and serving one sad shrimp.

Keelon Russell came in riding high off a 56-23 beatdown of Mississippi State, and Georgia brought him back down to earth like a pirogue dropped off a trailer. Russell went 16 of 30 for 185 yards and a touchdown, a 22-yarder to tight end Marshall Pritchett. He also lost a fumble on the opening drive and took a late sack that ended Alabama’s last real threat. EJ Crowell’s 1-yard plunge on the final play of the first half put Bama up 14-10, and Conor Talty’s 39-yard field goal tied it in the third. After that, the scoreboard took a nap.

Here’s the honest version. Alabama got outgained by more than 100 yards at home. Then, with the game on the line, it committed a 15-yard personal foul that handed Georgia the first down it needed to run out the clock. You don’t get to complain about the ending when you wrote the last chapter yourself.

The good news is the voters barely moved them (still No. 6), and one loss to the No. 1 team won’t sink anyone in a 12-team playoff. The bad news is next week is a trip to Knoxville, where the checkerboard end zones are already sharpening their knives.

Gumbo Grade: B-. They competed and kept it to one score, but they lost the fourth quarter at home. It was a good gumbo with too much salt at the end.

OKLAHOMA SOONERS: Golden Hat, Golden Leg, Rusty Offense

Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24 | Oklahoma now 3-2 (1-1 SEC) | Unranked

Cajun roast: Oklahoma gained 238 yards and beat the No. 1 team in the country, which is the football version of winning the Mardi Gras costume contest wearing a trash bag and one feather boa.

Let’s be honest about how this happened, because the offense was mostly a swamp-tour boat with a dead motor. The Sooners gained 238 total yards and converted 2 of 13 third downs. John Mateer finished 18 of 26 for 155 yards with no touchdowns and minus-6 rushing yards. So how do you beat No. 1 with that? You score in all three phases. D. Fields recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. Peyton Bowen took an Arch Manning interception 42 yards for a pick-six to make it 24-17. Then Courtland Guillory picked off Manning with 19 seconds left. Mateer threw tight-window strikes of 13 and 20 yards to Isaiah Sategna III, and Tate Sandell drilled a 47-yarder as time expired. Sandell had also made a 53-yarder earlier. The fifth-year kicker has a leg like a gator tail.

Give OU credit for the guts. With the game tied, the Sooners could have played for overtime. Instead they turned Mateer loose, after a stretch with six turnovers in three games, and he delivered. It was Oklahoma’s first win over a No. 1 team since the 2007 Big 12 title game. Per the game recaps, it was also the first time Oklahoma had ever beaten a No. 1 opponent while unranked.

Cajun Commentary: Hot take, and somebody has to say it: this win is better for the T-shirt cannon than for the résumé. OU had zero turnovers and turned Texas’ two into 10 points. That formula travels. A 238-yard offense does not. Kentucky is coming to Norman to find out which one shows up.

Gumbo Grade: A-. It’s the win of the season so far, but you can’t hand out an A+ to an offense that played like it was stuck in the mud at camp. Special teams and defense were the whole roux.

TEXAS LONGHORNS: Most Expensive Roster in America, Cheapest Mistakes in Dallas

Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24 | Texas now 4-1 (1-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 7

Cajun roast: Texas outgained Oklahoma by 144 yards and still lost. That’s like catching the most crawfish at the boil and then dropping the whole tray in the bayou on the walk to the table.

Arch Manning’s box score looks fine: 19 of 31, 260 yards, three touchdowns. They went to Cam Coleman (41 yards), Ryan Wingo (34), and freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr. (15, his first career TD). Coleman had 5 catches for 110 yards. The defense was legitimately good too. Colin Simmons had three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble, and Rasheem Biles made a game-high 12 tackles.

But this night was sunk by two fourth-quarter interceptions (one went for six, the other set up the walk-off), a blocked punt for a touchdown, and eight penalties for 61 yards, including defensive flags that helped Oklahoma’s sputtering offense score its only TD. Texas went 3 of 14 on third down. CBS Sports nailed it: what cost Texas were the things that “don’t require an ounce of talent.” Ouch. Accurate, but ouch.

Cajun Commentary: Texas isn’t a fraud. The talent is real, and they’re still No. 7. But “No. 1 with uneven play,” which is how AP described the previous two weeks, was always a crawfish living on borrowed time. Somebody was going to boil it, and Oklahoma did.

Texas dropped six spots, but one rivalry loss is survivable for a playoff team. Sloppiness on repeat is not. Next week we find out how they respond.

Gumbo Grade: D+. There’s a ton of talent, but the discipline was a dumpster fire, and No. 1 teams don’t lose to 238-yard offenses. The “+” is for Coleman and the pass rush.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS: Will Stein Has Two-Point Fever, and the Only Prescription Is More Two-Point Conversions

Kentucky 35, No. 10 LSU 34 (OT) | Kentucky now 5-1 (3-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 15

Cajun roast: Kentucky’s kicker missed from 26 yards in the fourth quarter, a distance my mawmaw could cover in house shoes while carrying a pot of jambalaya.

It was the same score, the same overtime, and the same gamble as last week at South Carolina. LSU scored first in OT on Sam Leavitt’s 15-yard run, CJ Baxter answered with a 1-yard TD, and Kentucky went for the win again. They lined up five receivers to spread the field, then ran a Kenny Minchey QB draw for the game-winning two. NBC Sports called it exactly the right math, and we agree: if you’re going for two eventually anyway, use your best play to win it, not tie it.

Minchey was 23 of 36 for 246 yards with no interceptions, and 206 of those yards came in the second half. Baxter ran 19 times for 123 yards and two TDs, including a 77-yard run on the very first snap. Brock Coffman returned a punt 55 yards for a score. Freshman Kenny Darby, who originally committed to LSU (somebody check on Baton Rouge), had 4 catches for 79 yards, including the 22-yard catch in overtime that set up the winner. Kentucky had zero turnovers, and Jamarrion Harkless forced a fumble with a late strip-sack.

Now the roast, because nobody leaves this kitchen clean. Adam Zouagui missed from 42 and then from 26 in the final five minutes before making the 33-yarder with 12 seconds left to force OT. Kentucky was also outgained 410-401. Still, Kentucky has won four straight, jumped to No. 15, and at 3-1 is tied for second in the SEC. Stein afterward: “I’m in shock.” So are we, coach. So are we.

Cajun Commentary: Is Kentucky good or lucky? Yes. Two one-point overtime wins in a row with zero turnovers isn’t a fluke, it’s a formula. But you can only live on the coin flip so long before it bites you, like leaving the screen door open in August.

Gumbo Grade: A-. That’s two ranked wins in two weeks with a clean turnover sheet. Half a grade comes off for the kicking adventure that almost burned down the camp.

LSU TIGERS: 407 Days and Counting

Kentucky 35, No. 10 LSU 34 (OT) | LSU now 4-2 (1-2 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 22

Cajun roast: LSU hasn’t won a road game in 407 days. I’ve seen mosquitoes with better travel records, and they only live about two weeks.

Down here in Acadiana we love our Tigers, so this hurts like stepping on a crawfish shell barefoot. Per Sports Illustrated’s LSU site, the Tigers haven’t won a road game in 407 days and are 0-2 on the road this season. They had this one. Jackson Harris was the star. He caught a 10-yard TD from Leavitt, then threw a 41-yard TD pass to Roman Mothershed on a trick play to take a 27-24 lead with 9:42 left. Leavitt went 25 of 34 for 275 yards and two TDs, and LSU outgained Kentucky with 26 first downs to 19.

Then the boudin wagon lost a wheel. Leavitt threw an interception on the first drive of the second half and lost a fumble on a strip-sack late. Kentucky’s kicker missed twice and LSU still couldn’t close it out: the Wildcats drove 67 yards from their own 19 with 1:37 left to force overtime. LSU also had seven accepted penalties, five of them before the snap: two false starts, an illegal formation, an illegal shift, and a delay of game. That’s not football, cher, that’s a Mardi Gras parade float stalling out on St. Charles.

Lane Kiffin said he warned defensive coordinator Blake Baker that Kentucky would go for two “just like the week before,” and that Baker had better “have the best two-point call ready.” Minchey then walked in essentially untouched. Coach called the shot, and the defense forgot to show up.

Cajun Commentary: LSU’s problem isn’t talent, it’s a team that keeps beating itself before the snap. Five pre-snap penalties in a one-point road loss is a coaching problem, plain and simple. The Tigers dropped from No. 10 to No. 22, and they don’t get any slack for being the home-state team in this kitchen.

Gumbo Grade: D. They piled up yards and still lost to a team whose kicker missed from 26. They blew another fourth-quarter road lead, and the self-inflicted wounds keep coming. Mississippi State comes to Tiger Stadium next. (I have a horse in that race. Stay tuned.)

MISSOURI TIGERS: Jamal Roberts Is Running Through the SEC Like Hot Sauce Through a Paper Plate

No. 14 Missouri 27, Texas A&M 6 | Missouri now 5-1 (2-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 13

Cajun roast: Missouri ran the ball so many times in a row that A&M’s defensive line should file for worker’s comp.

This was a whoopin’. Jamal Roberts ran 34 times for a career-high 222 yards and two TDs, his second straight 200-yard game after putting 211 on then-No. 8 Florida the week before. He gained 157 of his yards after halftime, and his 54-yard touchdown with 2:49 left ended any hope. Missouri closed the third quarter with a 12-play drive, all runs, that took the final 6:51 off the clock. That’s old-school, smoke-the-boudin-low-and-slow football.

The defense was just as nasty. Missouri held A&M to 216 total yards and just 29 rushing, sacked Marcel Reed three times, hurried him 13 times, and picked him off twice (Trajen Greco and Elijah Dotson). Blake Craig added a pair of 50-plus-yard field goals. The one knock is the passing game. Austin Simmons went 14 of 28 for 147 yards with a TD and an INT, and Cayden Lee (7 catches, 94 yards, TD) drew 13 of the team’s 27 targets. If somebody ever puts eight in the box and slows Roberts down, Mizzou needs a Plan B.

Missouri climbed to No. 13 after back-to-back SEC wins, including then-No. 8 Florida, and takes its show to Oxford next.

Gumbo Grade: A. They ran it, stopped the run, and won the turnover battle. The passing game is the only thing keeping it from an A+. It’s still a bowl you’d go back for seconds on.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES: Six Points. Six. Somebody Check on the Offense, It Might Be Missing.

No. 14 Missouri 27, Texas A&M 6 | Texas A&M now 3-3 (1-3 SEC) | Unranked

Cajun roast: A&M’s offense couldn’t find the end zone with a swamp-tour guide, a GPS, and a flashlight.

David Olano got a workout, at least. He made field goals of 53 and 27 yards, and that was the entire offense. Marcel Reed went 19 of 39 for 187 yards with two interceptions and lost 18 yards on seven carries. According to Missouri, 133 of those passing yards came in desperation mode in the fourth quarter. The team ran for 29 yards, which is roughly the length of a decent cast net throw. TK Norman (3 catches, a career-best 55 yards) was one of the few bright spots.

To be fair, the A&M defense held up for a half, and it was only 10-3 at the break. Then Roberts ran the Aggies into the ground like a Sunday afternoon at camp. That’s three losses in four games, and per ESPN/AP it’s Mike Elko’s first loss in nine October games at A&M. Credit to Reed for not ducking: “We can’t give up on the season just because we have three losses.” Fair. But maybe score a touchdown first, then give the speech.

Cajun Commentary: Hot take: A&M is the most disappointing team in the SEC right now. No touchdowns, 29 rushing yards, and 1-3 in the league. The Aggies get The Citadel next, and if that one is close, the Kyle Field crowd might start a second-line parade straight out of the stadium.

Gumbo Grade: F. No touchdowns, two turnovers, and 29 rushing yards. There was nothing in this pot worth tasting, so we threw it out for the gators.

OLE MISS REBELS: Four Touchdowns in Nine Minutes, and Vandy Never Saw the Rest

No. 9 Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17 | Ole Miss now 4-1 (2-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 9

Cajun roast: Ole Miss led 42-3 at halftime. Vandy fans were already headed to the parking lot faster than tourists fleeing a Bourbon Street puddle.

Trinidad Chambliss went 20 of 30 for 213 yards, three TDs, and one interception, ran for a 10-yard score, and spent the fourth quarter on the bench. Ole Miss scored four touchdowns in a nine-minute stretch of the second quarter. The defense forced four turnovers and turned them into 24 points, including a fumble returned for a touchdown. Makhi Frazier led the ground game with 73 yards, Deuce Alexander had 5 catches for 74 yards and a 39-yard TD, and Shekai Mills-Knight added a 35-yard TD run. Per 247Sports, one of Chambliss’ TD passes went to defensive tackle Jamarious Brown. A big man scoring a touchdown is the best thing in football, cher, and we won’t be taking questions on that.

Any catch? Sure. This was Vanderbilt handing out turnovers like Mardi Gras beads, and Chambliss did throw a pick. But it’s six straight wins over Vandy, and Ole Miss took care of business on the road without a hint of a hangover.

The Rebels stayed at No. 9 and host Missouri next week in the best “who’s for real?” game on the slate.

Gumbo Grade: A. The opponent was a mess, but Ole Miss cashed every mistake for points. That’s what good teams do.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES: The Turnover Buffet Was Open All Afternoon

No. 9 Ole Miss 52, Vanderbilt 17 | Vanderbilt now 3-3 (0-3 SEC) | Unranked

Cajun roast: Vandy turned the ball over so many times, Ole Miss started charging it rent.

Freshman Jared Curtis, the former No. 2 overall recruit, came back from an undisclosed injury (some reports called it a knee issue) that cost him the Georgia game. He threw for 222 yards and a 13-yard TD to Ja’Cory Thomas. He also had three turnovers, two of which turned into Ole Miss touchdowns. Then Evan Hampton fumbled a kickoff, and Ole Miss scored off that one too. Earlier, with the ball at the Ole Miss 2, an offensive lineman threw a punch. The penalty pushed Vandy back, and they had to kick a field goal. The local 247Sports site called the team “careless” and “rudderless,” and that’s coming from the home folks.

Curtis’ arm is real, and Vandy will be better when he’s healthy. But a 42-3 halftime hole at home doesn’t happen by accident. Arkansas comes to Nashville next in what is officially a must-win for both teams.

Cajun Commentary: If you throw a punch at the 2-yard line, you’re the guy at the crawfish boil who knocks over the pot right before it’s ready. Discipline wins in this league, and Vandy had none of it.

Gumbo Grade: F. A 42-3 halftime deficit at home, four turnovers, and a punch at the goal line. The grade writes itself.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS: The Backup Gets the Bag, and DeSean Bishop Gets the Glory

No. 15 Tennessee 24, Arkansas 17 | Tennessee now 5-1 (2-1 SEC) | New AP rank: No. 14

Cajun roast: Tennessee turned it over three times and still beat Arkansas, which tells you everything about how tough it is to lose to the Hogs right now.

With freshman Faizon Brandon available for “emergency use only” because of a shoulder injury, sophomore George MacIntyre got his first career start. He went 18 of 29 for 247 yards with a TD and two interceptions, and he also lost a fumble. Three turnovers isn’t great, cher. But he completed five passes of 20-plus yards and threw for 105 in the fourth quarter. That included a 68-yard catch-and-run to DaSaahn Brame, who then punched it in himself from a yard out. Josh Heupel called it “a winning performance.” Let’s agree on the “winning” part and keep debating the “performance” part.

The real hero was DeSean Bishop: 19 carries, 138 yards. With the game tied at 17 and Tennessee pinned inside its own 10, Bishop broke a career-long 59-yard run. Then he finished the drive with the go-ahead 8-yard TD with 1:57 left. The defense forced a three-and-out, and Arkansas punted with 1:36 left, down seven.

It was Tennessee’s first win in Fayetteville since 2001, and Heupel’s 50th victory at UT. Now the quarterback question is the hottest topic in Knoxville, with No. 6 Alabama coming to Neyland.

Gumbo Grade: B. A road SEC win with a backup QB is worth something. Three turnovers against a team on a 14-game SEC losing streak keeps it from being more.

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS: Fourteen Straight, but at Least It Was Close?

No. 15 Tennessee 24, Arkansas 17 | Arkansas now 2-4 (0-3 SEC) | Unranked

Cajun roast: Arkansas has lost 14 straight SEC games. My truck has fewer dents than that streak, and I live on a gravel road.

Credit where it’s due. Arkansas forced three turnovers. It led 14-7 in the third quarter on Braylen Russell’s 9-yard TD run and a 4-yard TD catch by Jaden Platt, and it tied it at 17 with a 55-yard field goal in the fourth. Per AP, the Hogs played noticeably better than in their first two SEC games under coach Ryan Silverfield. KJ Jackson went 15 of 27 for 155 yards and a TD, and Cam Settles led a balanced 133-yard rushing attack with 50.

But “better” still added up to the 14th straight SEC loss. With the game tied and Tennessee backed up inside its own 10, the defense gave up a 59-yard run. Then, down seven with 1:36 left, the Hogs went three-and-out and punted. You don’t end a streak that way, cher. You end it by grabbing the ball and the game.

Gumbo Grade: C-. It was their best SEC effort of the year, and they won the turnover battle 3-0. They still lost at home. Moral victories don’t come with a side of potato salad.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS: LaNorris Sellers Remembered Who He Is

South Carolina 38, No. 16 Florida 19 | South Carolina now 3-3 (1-3 SEC) | Unranked

Cajun roast: A week after blowing a 17-point lead to Kentucky, South Carolina went to Gainesville and finally finished a meal, and it ate the Gators’ homecoming cake too.

LaNorris Sellers went 23 of 35 for 279 yards and four TDs with no interceptions, and he plunged in for a fifth score after nearly throwing a defender into the next zip code on a 3-yard run. His school called it his best performance in nearly two years. The TDs went to Nyck Harbor (4 catches, 83 yards), Mazeo Bennett Jr., Donovan Murph, and Lex Cyrus. Carolina went 10 of 16 on third down, which is how you turn a homecoming crowd into a library. On defense, Vicari Swain and Justin Okoronkwo had interceptions, and Dylan Stewart forced two fumbles, with Shawn Murphy recovering one. That’s three takeaways, and South Carolina didn’t turn it over once.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak and an eight-game SEC losing streak. Is South Carolina “back”? Not at 1-3 in the league. But this roster has talent, and it gets a bye week to enjoy this one before Tennessee comes to Columbia.

Cajun Commentary: Hot take: South Carolina is the most dangerous below-.500-in-conference team in America. When Sellers plays like this, they can beat anybody. The question is which Sellers shows up, the one from Gainesville or the one from the Kentucky meltdown.

Gumbo Grade: A. It was a road upset of a ranked team, with five TDs from the QB, zero interceptions, and three takeaways. That’s as complete as gumbo gets.

FLORIDA GATORS: Booed at Homecoming, and the Sumrall Honeymoon Hits a Gator Hole

South Carolina 38, No. 16 Florida 19 | Florida now 4-2 (2-2 SEC) | Unranked (dropped out of the AP Top 25)

Cajun roast: Florida got booed at its own homecoming. It’s the football version of mawmaw walking out of her own birthday party.

Florida lost to Missouri last week, then this happened in front of the home folks. Aaron Philo went 21 of 28 for 227 yards with a TD and an INT, and per the box score Florida turned it over three times (two interceptions, one lost fumble). Bailey Stockton (8 catches, 127 yards, TD, including a 59-yard score on the opening series) was the best Gator on the field. Jadan Baugh scored his NCAA-leading 12th rushing touchdown but managed only 59 yards on 15 carries. The defense couldn’t get off the field on third down and couldn’t cover Sellers’ receivers.

Pro Football Network reported fans booing Sumrall’s clock management late in the first half. Sumrall took the blame afterward: “It starts with me.” CBS named Florida one of the week’s biggest losers and said the loss took “the luster off the Jon Sumrall era.” That’s two straight losses, and the Gators fell out of the poll. Next up is a trip to Austin to face a Texas team that’s mad at the world. Good luck with that, cher.

Gumbo Grade: F. A homecoming blowout at the hands of a team that hadn’t won an SEC game in eight tries? That’s an F, and we’re being polite because their mamas might be reading.

AUBURN TIGERS: Bye Week, Then the Trip Nobody Wants

BYE | Auburn 3-2 (1-2 SEC)

Cajun roast: Auburn’s bye week was the best its offense has looked all month: no turnovers, no punts, and nobody got hurt.

Auburn sat out after losing 24-14 at Tennessee on Oct. 3. It’s Year 1 under coach Alex Golesh, and the offense has been about as consistent as a Louisiana weather forecast. Dual-threat QB Byrum Brown is the Tigers’ leading passer and leading rusher, which tells you how much is riding on his shoulders.

Next up: at No. 1 Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN). Georgia has won nine straight in the series, and Auburn hasn’t won in Athens since 2005. The extra week of prep helps, and Georgia is coming off an emotional night in Tuscaloosa, so this is a classic letdown spot. Do we believe it? About as much as we believe the “no-see-um” spray actually works.

Gumbo Grade: INC. No game, no grade.

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS: The Cowbells Got a Week Off (Thank Goodness)

BYE | Mississippi State 4-1 (2-1 SEC) | AP rank: No. 16

Cajun roast: The last time State took the field, Alabama hung 56 on them at home. Honestly, the bye week was the Bulldogs’ best defensive performance of October. (I can say that. I own the cowbell.)

Time to put my maroon goggles in the junk drawer. State is 4-1 with wins over South Carolina and Missouri. But the last time we saw them, they got flattened 56-23 by Alabama at home, the Tide’s 17th straight win in the series. QB Kamario Taylor came into that game as the SEC’s top Heisman candidate. Playing on a bad right leg/ankle, he was sacked five times, threw two picks, and lost a fumble, and those three turnovers led to 21 Alabama points. He left in the fourth quarter. RB Fluff Bothwell also left that game after one carry. Coach Jeff Lebby said there’d be no updates on Taylor until the SEC availability report after the bye. Translation: Taylor’s status for Saturday is unknown. Lebby said the bye “came at a great time.” Coach, that’s the understatement of the year.

Next up: at No. 22 LSU, Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. CT (ESPN). Both teams need this one in the worst way. LSU has two SEC losses and hasn’t won on the road in over a year, but this one’s in Baton Rouge, and Death Valley is Death Valley even at an 11 a.m. kickoff. If Taylor is close to 100%, State has a puncher’s chance. If he isn’t, cowbell folks should lower expectations. I’ve been doing that since I was in diapers.

Cajun Commentary: Self-aware hot take from the resident cowbell guy: State is ranked No. 16, but the 56-23 loss to Bama is the most recent thing anybody has seen, and it wasn’t pretty. Until Taylor proves he’s healthy, the Bulldogs are a “show me” team. Yes, it hurts to type that, cher.

Gumbo Grade: INC. I didn’t have to grade them this week, and my blood pressure is grateful.

Weekly Awards

The Boudin Award (best performer): LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina. He had five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing), 279 yards, and zero interceptions in a 19-point road win over a ranked team. Like good boudin, he was hot, packed with everything, and gone before anybody else got a taste. Honorable mentions: Jamal Roberts (34 carries, 222 yards, 2 TDs), DeSean Bishop (138 yards and the game-winner), and Gunner Stockton (18 of 22 in Tuscaloosa).

The Mosquito Award (the team that sucked the life out of its fans): Florida. When a homecoming crowd is booing clock management before halftime, the life has officially been drained from the building. Honorable mentions: Texas A&M (six points, 29 rushing yards) and Vanderbilt (down 42-3 at halftime at home).

The Roux Burner (biggest blown moment): LSU’s final defensive possession of regulation, and the two-point try after it. Kentucky’s kicker had just missed from 26 yards, and LSU had a three-point lead with 1:37 to play. The Tigers let Kentucky drive 67 yards for the tying field goal, then gave up a nearly untouched game-winning two-point run after the head coach warned his DC it was coming. That’s a burnt roux, cher, and there’s no saving it. You throw it out and start over. Honorable mention: Arch Manning’s interception with 19 seconds left, which set up the walk-off instead of a Texas field-goal try.

The Ça C’est Bon Award (most fun moment): Tate Sandell’s 47-yard walk-off to beat No. 1 Texas. It came with no time left, in the Cotton Bowl, to win the Golden Hat. Laissez les bons temps rouler. Honorable mentions: LSU receiver Jackson Harris’ 41-yard trick-play TD pass, and defensive tackle Jamarious Brown catching a touchdown for Ole Miss (per 247Sports), because every big man deserves his parade.

The Power Pot: SEC Power Rankings After Week 6

Ranked by how good each team actually looks right now, not by brand name. Yes, the cowbell team is where it is on merit.

1. Georgia (6-0, 4-0) – No. 1 in the nation, and it went through Tuscaloosa to get there. It’s the only team still unbeaten in SEC play, and it’s the head of the table.
2. Alabama (5-1, 3-1) – Lost by three to the best team in the country. Still elite, with a dangerous trip to Knoxville next.
3. Texas (4-1, 1-1) – The talent says top five. The mistakes say “get it together.” This ranking is a loan, and they have to pay it back.
4. Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1) – Efficient, opportunistic, and nobody’s punching bag. Missouri will tell us if they’re for real.
5. Missouri (5-1, 2-1) – Jamal Roberts has 433 rushing yards in two games, and the defense is mean as a cottonmouth.
6. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) – A gritty road win, with a quarterback question mark bigger than a Mardi Gras float.
7. Kentucky (5-1, 3-1) – Two straight one-point overtime wins. Skill or luck? Both, plus no turnovers.
8. Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1) – A decent résumé, but the last performance was a 33-point home loss. It all depends on Taylor’s leg. (I put them here myself. Fair is fair, even when it stings.)
9. Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1) – The win of the year came with a 238-yard offense. Now do it again.
10. LSU (4-2, 1-2) – Talented enough to be higher, but 0-2 on the road and stuck repeating the same mistakes.
11. South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) – The best single-game performance of the weekend. Now make it a pattern.
12. Florida (4-2, 2-2) – Two straight losses, homecoming boos, and a trip to Austin. Pray for ’em.
13. Auburn (3-2, 1-2) – Rested up, still searching for an offense.
14. Texas A&M (3-3, 1-3) – Three losses in four games, and no touchdowns in Columbia.
15. Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3) – Curtis’ arm gives them hope. The turnovers wipe it out.
16. Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) – Fourteen straight SEC losses. They were close, but close doesn’t count unless you’re tossing horseshoes at the camp.

Cajun Commentary: The SEC’s middle class, from Ole Miss at No. 4 to Kentucky at No. 7, is so tight you couldn’t slide a crawfish tail between them. Next week’s Missouri-Ole Miss and Alabama-Tennessee games are going to reshuffle the whole deck.

Cajun Commentary: Hot take: the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is bigger than the gap between No. 2 and No. 7. Georgia is the only team in this league that’s been clean all six weeks.

Next Week on the Menu (Saturday, Oct. 17; all times CT)

• Florida at No. 7 Texas, 11 a.m. (ABC). A wounded Gator walks into an angry Longhorn’s house. Texas is a 10-point favorite (per TeamRankings). If the Longhorns don’t win comfortably, the panic in Austin will be louder than a zydeco band at a church fair.
• No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU, 11 a.m. (ESPN). The cowbell game, and Kamario Taylor’s leg is the whole story. Whoever loses has a lot of explaining to do. Mawmaw will be watching from her recliner with the rosary out.
• The Citadel at Texas A&M, noon (SEC Network+). A chance for the Aggies to score a touchdown. Please, for everybody’s sake.
• No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee, 2:30 p.m. (ABC). Third Saturday in October. Will Tennessee go with MacIntyre or Brandon? Can Bama bounce back on the road? Game of the week. Light the cigars, Knoxville, but only if you earn it.
• Auburn at No. 1 Georgia, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN). The letdown-trap game. Georgia has won nine straight in the series.
• No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. (SEC Network). Jamal Roberts vs. the Rebels’ takeaway machine. Our sleeper game of the week, and the hottest pot on the stove.
• Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. (ESPN2). Both teams are 0-3 in the SEC, and somebody has to win. It’s a battle for the last crawfish on the tray.
• No. 15 Kentucky at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network). Two teams riding upset wins. If it goes to overtime, you already know Stein is going for two.
• Bye: South Carolina (hosts Tennessee Oct. 24).

Cajun Commentary: Alabama-Tennessee is the marquee game, but Missouri-Ole Miss decides who sits at the grown-folks’ table behind Georgia. Set your DVR, cher, and hide the remote from your in-laws.

Cajun Commentary: Lock of the week from the cowbell guy: I’m not picking the State-LSU game. I’ve been burned by that one more times than a cheap roux pot.

That’s the gumbo for this week, y’all. Laissez les bons temps rouler, keep your two-point play ready, and don’t forget the bug spray.

Gridiron Gumbo: SEC football, seasoned in Southwest Louisiana.

Sources

Game results, stats, and rankings come from official school athletics sites (including the Florida Gators’ official box score for the South Carolina-Florida final), the AP, ESPN, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, 247Sports, TigerRag, Pro Football Network, Field Level Media/Reuters, FBSchedules, and TeamRankings, all accessed Oct. 12, 2026.

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