B&S Week 13 game-by-game recaps 2023
Alabama survives on the “Milroe Miracle” in a wild Rivalry Week.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
Rivalry Week always brings the heat where you least expect it. Ole Miss, LSU, and Alabama fans didn’t expect to be sweating on Saturday, but sweating they were. We almost saw a monumental upset in Jordan-Hare, saw Kentucky upend #10 Louisville and watched coachless-A&M go toe to toe with the likely Heisman winner in Baton Rouge. Hell, even Georgia Tech made Georgia fans bite their nails for a couple quarters.
Let’s check in on the final week of results for the crew:
Hammer picked Kentucky over Louisville which was the deciding game in who won the Straight Up column. Both Bossman and Hammer were blistering hot Straight Up this year, with Hammer posting a .767 winning percentage. Bossman won the ATS by nine games, going 10 games over .500. If he was a betting man he still would have somehow lost money on that. Waco Kid just needs to rethink his entire strategy next year as it was a dismal year for him in both columns.
Let’s hit our final regular season recaps of the 2023 season.
Thursday
Bossman Slim: What on earth was that? Another ridiculous Egg Bowl in the books that defies all logic. Just when you think Ole Miss has the *much* better team, they surprise you and decide to lay an egg. Pun. Nice. Mississippi State scored seven offensive points and yet were in this game to the final cowbell. Jaxson Dart couldn’t even manage 100 yards passing while Will Rogers spun up 207 yards through the air. Thankfully for the Rebels, the run game did not take the day off, posting 211 total yards and a TD on the ground. At the end of the day, the name of the game is “just win, baby.” Ole Miss did that and made it two out of the last three seasons with 10 wins under Lane Kiffin. Pretty darn impressive, and they’ll get a nice bowl game to cap off another solid campaign.
Hammer: Time for me to eat some crow. “Am I missing something here? Why is the line just 9.5?” Technically, Ole Miss covered and my pick was correct. But this game was really close. Mississippi State never did enough offensively to make the Rebels worry too much but the score was 10-7 heading into the 4th quarter. Anything could have happened. Luckily for Ole Miss fans, the Rebs marched down the field and scored a touchdown on a brilliant play call where Caden Prieskorn slipped straight up the seam on a play action and was wide open. Dart hit him in the numbers and he easily trotted into the end zone. The game wasn’t over then, but it felt like it given how the Rebel’s defense had bottled up the Bulldogs all night. This win capped off the second 10-win regular season in Ole Miss history, and their second in three years. Kiffin has done a hell of a job there. Mississippi State, meanwhile, finishes at 5-7 and will head into the offseason looking to rebuild with newly announced coach Jeff Lebby.
Friday
Bossman Slim: So, Arkansas just quit this season, right? I mean what an embarrassment against a rival who Hogs like to thumb their nose at. It was 41-0 late in the third quarter. It looked like Mizzou was playing the Little Sisters of the Poor, Campus for the Deaf and Blind. Is Missouri a good football team? Hell yes, they are, and I’ve been saying that since the preseason. They even exceeded my expectations. But the effort Arkansas put on the field was frankly pathetic. For Mizzou, anytime you beat an SEC rival by 34 points, that’s impressive. Not much more to say on this one, the Tigers took care of bidness by standing on bidness and Arkansas will limp into 2024.
Hammer: I nailed this one. If I’m going to eat crow when I make a bad pick, then I’m going to gloat when I hit one. I knew Missouri was going to blow out Arkansas. The Razorbacks had given up on the 2023 season. They had no juice left, and Mizzou had a ton of juice. The Tigers completed a 10-win season, which is truly a remarkable season for Eli Drinkwitz and that program. Cody Schrader went off in this game, as he does pretty much every game. He pounded the Hogs defense for 217 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. That kid is the definition of a bellcow running back. He’s tough, physical, and can pretty much do it all. When you have a team and defense that’s kind of given up, expecting them to tackle and bottle up a back like Schrader for 60 minutes is not realistic. Schrader was going to get his and he did. Jacolby Criswell got the start for Arkansas and looked very average, going 12/20 for 96 yards and a TD. I get why the Hogs wanted to play him, but it was clear he is not a better option than KJ Jefferson. With this blowout loss, the Razorbacks finished at 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the SEC. Going to be a rough offseason in Fayetteville.
Saturday
Bossman Slim: This was one heck of a game, and much closer than the score indicated. Texas A&M was rolling, up 24-14 early in the third quarter, but a few key plays from Mr. Heisman and mistakes from A&M kickstarted a comeback for the Tigers. On a 4th & 4 from LSU’s 47, Jayden Daniels came under pressure before slipping out of the backfield and turning on the jets for a 49-yard gain that set up 1st & goal. That drive would end in a Daniels three-yard TD run to cut the Aggie lead to 24-21. A&M would miss a field goal on the next drive and then throw a back-breaking INT on their next possession after forcing an LSU punt. Daniels and the Tigers would turn that into points and never relinquish the lead. Daniels continued to play like a man possessed as he has all season, and the Heisman should be his. He’s had an unbelievable year and been left up the creek by LSU’s inept defense. Malik Nabers also had another career day, nabbing six balls for 122 yards and two TDs. Great effort by the Aggies but LSU’s offense was just too much to overcome.
Hammer: Another game I nailed, predicting a 42-31 LSU victory. I thought the Aggies would play hard, inspired football for interim coach Elijah Robinson and they did. Bobby Petrino had a good gameplan offensively and until the Aggies made a few mistakes, they were leading this ball game. A&M was possessing the ball on long, methodical drives and getting points. It's how they held LSU to 14 points at the half and held a 24-14 lead midway through the third quarter. Eventually, though, the same old Aggies returned and they missed a field goal and then threw an interception on back-to-back possessions late in the third quarter. Then the dam broke on defense and Jayden Daniels and all his weapons went to work. Daniels finished 16/24 for 235 yards and four touchdowns, along with 120 yards rushing on just 11 carries. The guy was electric on Saturday just like he has been all year long. He was deadly accurate passing the ball downfield, and multiple times escaped near sacks from A&M only to scramble and gain chunk yardage downfield. He’s been the best player in college football the entire year, and he showed it again on Saturday against a really good Texas A&M defense. Both teams qualified for bowl games so will get one last opportunity to play in 2023.
Bossman Slim: Louisville let me down. It’s been a down year in Lexington compared to recent standards, but getting a top-10 win over your rival and spoiling their party is always nice. Devin Leary and Jack Plummer made this thing a QB duel, with Leary getting the last laugh. Leary finished the day with three TDs and an INT while Brohm threw for two TDs and an INT. Ray Davis didn’t have a banner day but he did add the final TD on a 37-yard run with 1:02 left in the fourth to give the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish. Louisville had one more chance but Brohm threw an interception to Jordan Lovett to seal the game on the final play. That wasn’t the only win for Kentucky on the weekend, who ended up keeping Mark Stoops after it looked like he was bound for College Station. While 7-5 isn’t what Kentucky fans hoped for to start the season, it looks a helluva lot better than 6-6. For me, this one hurts because it seals the regular season Straight Up column for Hammer - had Louisville won, the crown for both columns was mine. But I’ll never complain about an SEC win over an ACC foe.
Hammer: Boom! Another one I called. Louisville is a good team, but I didn't see anything from them that made me think they would win this game by more than 7 points, plus it was rivalry week so I had a hunch we’d see some chaos. Kentucky is one of the most athletic and physical teams Louisville played all year, and I thought they had a good chance to win. Though Louisville held their own physically and was actually the more physical team in many respects, they made too many mistakes. The Cards had three turnovers compared to one from Kentucky, and the Wildcats stud wide receiver Barion Brown returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD. It’s hard to win a game when you allow a special teams touchdown and lose the turnover battle by two. That’s the perfect recipe to lose a game even when Louisville outgained Kentucky 403 to 289, respectively. Louisville did not have a real shot at the CFP given how low the committee had been ranking them, but this second loss solidified their position on the outside looking in. Still a phenomenal season for Jeff Brohm in his first year at Louisville. Kentucky finishes 7-5 but beating their in-state rival has to help the fanbase cope with an otherwise disappointing season.
Bossman Slim: Whether it’s the Iron Bowl or the Egg Bowl, just throw everything you think you know out the window, man. I picked Alabama by 27. Not to score 27, but to WIN by 27. I didn’t think Auburn would come even close to winning this game, but Jordan-Hare for some reason is blessed by the football gods, yet at the same time it’s somehow cursed. The Crimson Tide were dead to rights and going in the wrong direction before one of the most insane plays you’ll ever see was carried out. It will go down in infamy, “the Milroe Miracle” or “4th & 31,” or “the Push Off,” depending on who you root for. Whatever you want to call it, it’s just another unbelievable chapter in this rivalry that produces incredible games seemingly every season. Alabama somehow won this game, but credit to Auburn for not throwing in the towel after an embarrassing loss to New Mexico State the week prior. They played their tails off and found a weakness in the Bama defense, running Jarquez Hunter straight into the teeth of that defense as the team racked up 244 total yards on the ground. In the end, Bama makes ONE more play than Auburn to get the win and keep their thin playoff hopes alive.
Hammer: I doubted the Iron Bowl and Jordan-Hare voodoo. Shame on me. I thought Bama would roll in this one and they actually should have lost. That sequence leading up to the 4th and 31 miracle was horrendous. Penalties, errant snaps, etc. It was a mess. They didn't look at all like a top team in the country with their season on the line. But, as soon as Isaiah Bond came down with Milroe’s miracle throw, none of it mattered. Alabama won the game and escaped what would have been one of the worst losses for the Tide in years. Auburn has been average all year long and I was really surprised with how well they ran the ball in this game. Credit to Hugh Freeze and that staff for dialing up a game plan that worked when they knew their passing game was essentially nonexistent, as it has been all year. I hated the defensive play call from Auburn on that 4th and 31 play, but overall the staff did a hell of a job to put the Tigers in that position. They were a miracle away from winning the Iron Bowl and just didn’t make the one play when it mattered. Alabama made the play when it mattered, as they often do. Auburn finishes the year 6-6, while Alabama will head back to Atlanta to take on Georgia for the SEC title with an 11-1 record. Hell of a coaching job this season from Nick Saban and that staff.
Bossman Slim: They say you play the games because they don’t always go how you expect on paper. The Iron Bowl is a testament to that. But this game? We didn’t need to play this one. Everyone knew the outcome before the players even laced up their shoes. Vanderbilt is still hapless and it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Commodores. Clark Lea has the most difficult job in the country. Next.
Hammer: I said this game was a formality in the preview, and that’s exactly what it was. Sure, Vandy covered and somehow scored 24 points but this game was 45-10 at the end of the third quarter. It was over and Vandy scored a few touchdowns in garbage time. Bravo.
Bossman Slim: I was close to nailing this score. Early last week I was leaning towards picking Florida, but I just couldn’t do it at the end of the day. Glad I didn’t. It wasn’t pretty, but when it mattered, the Seminoles got it done, scoring 10 fourth-quarter points and blanking the Gators in the final frame. Tate Rodemaker was serviceable for FSU, who relied heavily on RB Trey Benson, who rushed for three TDs. Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne played their tails off, accounting for 150 yards rushing combined and a TD. Johnson broke off a 52-yarder, but the Seminoles defense held the Gators passing game in check all night which is what I thought would happen going into this one. Eugene Wilson was the Gators leading receiver with just 36 yards on three catches. Back to the drawing board in the offseason for Billy Napier as the Gators are likely to miss a bowl for the first time since 2017.
Hammer: I thought this game would be closer than it was, but unfortunately for Florida not having Graham Mertz was just as impactful to them as FSU missing Jordan Travis. Both backup QBs played below-average games, and FSU bowed up on defense. They flexed their muscles and Florida showed why they are a 5-7 team. The Gators tried to run the ball (44 carries for 146 yards) but never found enough running room to hurt the Seminoles. And Max Browne was a non-threat in the passing game. On the other side, Tate Rodemaker was just 12/25 for 134 yards but he didn’t turn the ball over. FSU also struggled to run the ball as a team (31 carries, 90 yards), but Trey Benson carried the load and put FSU’s season on his back. Benson finished with 95 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. If Mertz was available, maybe this game would have turned out differently but he wasn’t and the better team won. Billy Napier and Florida have a long offseason ahead of them.
Bossman Slim: Okay, Yellow Jackets! Moral victory here, hang the banner in Bobby Dodd. After it was 7-0 Georgia Tech, fans should have been chanting “STOP THE COUNT!” Tech hung in this one until late in the third quarter before Georgia scored in five plays to make it 31-13. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Dawgs took care of business and set up a massive showdown with Alabama in Atlanta, a place they’ve never beaten the Tide.
Hammer: This was a weird game. Georgia played with their food and let Georgia Tech hang around, but it never felt like the Dawgs were really in danger of actually losing. They just couldn't pull away. Carson Beck had his worst game in quite a while going just 13/20 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Georgia’s struggle to throw the ball effectively and two turnovers are really what allowed Georgia Tech to stay in this ball game because Georgia ran the ball for 262 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. As we have seen so far this year, the Bulldog defense did allow some rushing yards, but kept tight coverage in the secondary and never allowed the Yellow Jackets to throw the ball effectively. At the end of the day, Georgia won and didn't have their fastball. They finished the regular season unbeaten and have won 29 games in a row. They will need to play better this weekend to beat Alabama in the SEC title, but something tells me the Dawgs will be up for the challenge and we will see a better game from the Dawgs.
Bossman Slim: I know a win over your rival is always something to brag about, but Clemson beat a bad South Carolina team by 12 and acted like they had just blown them out of the water. A little ridiculous to watch. The Clemson defense is as advertised, holding South Carolina to just 169 yards of total offense and just 57 yards rushing. The Gamecocks defense played admirably as well, holding the Tigers to just nine offensive points and zero TDs. Ugly game, but a good revenge game win for Clemson. Shane Beamer and the crew have a ton of work in the offseason to get this thing back on track.
Hammer: This was a pretty tough game to watch. South Carolina had nothing going on offense the entire game. They couldn't block Clemson and they couldn’t get separation on the back end, either. The Tigers defense outclassed the Gamecocks offense in every facet, leading to South Carolina only gaining 169 total yards. Clemson’s offense is not very good though, and the Gamecocks held their own on that side of the ball, keeping this one somewhat within reach. But if you watched this live, it never felt like the South Carolina offense would score enough to win. Really tough finish for the Gamecocks who end up 5-7 and will miss a bowl for the first time under Shane Beamer.