SEC Quick Thoughts, Takes On Every Game: Week 12

Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 12 SEC game.

Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 14

Just when it seemed like Kentucky was going to crash and burn down 14-3 after the first quarter, the running game kicked in full force. Lynn Bowden hit 8-of-10 passes for 104 yards and a score, he ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Christopher Rodriguez added 129 yards and two scores. UK ripped off 401 yards averaging seven yards per pop.

Vanderbilt just can’t get the offense moving consistently enough. Ke’Shawn Vaughn isn’t getting any room to move, Riley Neal isn’t coming up with any big downfield passes, and the offense stalled time after time after the first quarter. It didn’t help that the UK offense had the ball for almost 40 minutes.

Call this the bowl eligibility game for Kentucky. It’s at 5-5 now, but it gets UT Martin next week before dealing with Louisville. Vanderbilt gets East Carolina State before finishing up its miserable campaign with Tennessee.

Texas A&M 30, South Carolina 6

It wasn’t anything flashy, but Texas A&M was able to come up with a solid, workmanlike win. It los a fumble and it was hit with eight penalties, but Kellen Mond was terrific, the offense had the ball for almost 42 minutes, and the team was in control throughout.

Mond threw for 221 yards and a score and ran for a touchdown, and the combination of Cordarrian Richardson and Isaiah Spiller tore off 259 yards and a touchdown. Richardson also caught a 17-yard touchdown pass. Throw in a brilliant defensive performance against the South Carolina running game, and it all worked.

Ryan Hilinski completed 16-of-41 passes for 175 yards. The Gamecock offense didn’t help the cause, but the defense couldn’t get off the field. It all most certainly did not work.

And that’s it for the South Carolina season. It’s now at 4-7 and ensured a losing campaign, but it can make its year by shocking Clemson at home next week. Good luck with that.

Texas A&M has lost to Clemson, Alabama and Auburn. No shame there. It’s already going bowling, so now it’s time to screw someone up with trips to Georgia and LSU. The pressure is totally off. The team can turn it loose.

NEXT: Georgia 21, Auburn 14; LSU 58, Ole Miss 37