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Now that Week 13 is officially in the books, let’s look at the 10 biggest stories you may have missed during the weekend, in no particular order:
1. Is he in or is he out? Well, he’s in. The future of Les Miles was in question for what seemed like a never-ending week. We have seen reports and reports denying those reports and speculation after speculation about who will replace Miles and who most certainly will not. We have heard LSU fans cry about the prospect of Miles leaving them, and we’ve gotten yet another report that there are people ready to save his job. It seemed that the only thing we knew for sure until late Saturday night is that this controversial rumor mill was costing LSU valuable recruits.
2. In head coach Gary Pinkel’s last game, Missouri suffered its worst loss of the year Friday night in Fayetteville. The 28-3 thrashing left the Tigers with only five wins on the season, likely dashing their bowl season hopes. If Missouri is invited to a bowl game, it will be led in the interim by former quarterbacks coach Andy Hill. It seems that the Tigers already know whom they want to be hired as the permanent head coach: defensive coordinator Barry Odom. On the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Josh Henson is not getting the same love.
3. Georgia head coach Mark Richt lost his job Sunday. The athletic director explained in a long statement that Richt will coach through the bowl game. We’re already talking about the top candidates to replace Richt in Athens. Alabama coach Nick Saban, though, is flabbergasted that Richt lost his job.
4. South Carolina made a convincing early run at No 1. Clemson, but it still lost a 37-32 heartbreaker despite a number of Tigers turnovers. And now the Gamecocks will be losing interim head coach Shawn Elliott. In his post game presser Elliott expressed his appreciation for the opportunity. While Elliott and his players may have handled the loss with some sort of grace, South Carolina fans most certainly did not.
5. The Wildcats jumped off to a surprisingly impressive start against Louisville, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter, including a pick six. Kentucky had a commanding 24-7 lead going into halftime, but the Cardinals ran the board in the second half, securing a 38-24 victory. The loss again locks the Wildcats out of bowl season, and it was also hard on the fans, some of which resorted to parking lot violence.
6. Field goals were the center of the 2015 Iron Bowl with No. 2 Alabama winning 29-13 on the Plains. Tide QB Jake Coker made some remarkable plays, and PK Adam Griffith redeemed himself after his 2013 performance, sinking five field goals and two PATs. But the real star was Tide RB Derrick Henry who carried the ball a whopping 46 times and was praised by his teammates for consistently being a team player. Though Tigers RB Peyton Barber still wasn’t convinced by Alabama’s performance.
7. Moments after finding out the Crimson Tide had clinched the SEC West, No. 18 Ole Miss went out and took care of business in Starkville to tune of 38-27. For the first time in more than a decade, the Rebels left Starkville with a win, and that can be attributed in large part to Rebels QB Chad Kelly who was 21 of 30 for 236 yards and 2 TDs in the air and 11 carries for 74 yards and 1 TD on the ground. The Landsharks also had a big game, racking up 6 sacks on Bulldogs QB Dak Prescott. The Golden Egg will remain in Oxford for another season.
8. LSU finally broke its losing streak with a 19-7 win over the Aggies, despite an unimpressive passing game. Not knowing whether or not head coach Les Miles would return as their head coach, Tigers players carried him off the field on their shoulders following the win. After the game, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva announced the school would be keeping Miles as the head coach of the Tigers, and Miles echoed Alleva’s commitment to building a 2016 championship team.
9. The two kings of the SEC ground game set more records in rivalry week. Tide RB Derrick Henry carried the ball an “enviable” 46 times (school record) for 271 yards (Iron Bowl record) and 1 TD, bringing him to 295 carries (school record) for 1,797 yards (school record) and 22 TDs (school record) on the season. He now has four games in which he rushed for more than 200 yards (ties school record). In Death Valley, Tigers RB Leonard Fournette broke a 38-year-old record for single-season rushing yards with 1,741 total yards on the ground this season.
10. The No. 12 Gators suffered a crushing 27-2 loss to No. 13 Florida State in front of their own record crowd. The best catch of night for the home team came by the hands of a local police officer. Despite the obvious troubles, Florida head coach Jim McElwain insists he will stick with struggling QB Treon Harris and that the team will eventually find a good kicker.
