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Of the 122 SEC football games played this season, only eight — or 6.6% — went to overtime. These contests were memorable for one reason or another, and here’s a look at the Great — or not-so-great — 8:
1. Auburn 27, Jacksonville State 20: In his first start at tailback, Peyton Barber rushed for 125 yards, including his 4-yard touchdown run that capped Auburn’s first possession in overtime.
The Tigers trailed 20-13 with less than 6 minutes left in regulation, but Melvin Ray’s leaping 10-yard catch in the right corner of the end zone with less than a minute to go propelled the Tigers into the extra session.
Jacksonville State became the first FCS team to take a ranked FBS team to overtime. Believe it or not, the Tigers were actually ranked sixth entering the Week 2 game, which was the first meeting between the Alabama schools that are just 108 miles apart.
2. Oklahoma 31, Tennessee 24: Baker Mayfield threw an 18-yard TD pass to Sterling Shepard in double overtime as the Sooners rallied from a 17-point deficit.
Tennessee went ahead 17-0 in the first 18 minutes and still led 17-3 before Mayfield directed two TD drives in the fourth quarter. Mayfield’s 2-yard pass to Samaje Perine made it 17-10 with 8:20 left in the fourth. The Sooners forced overtime with Mayfield’s 5-yard scoring strike to Shepard in the right corner of the end zone with 40 seconds to go in regulation.
Jalen Hurd’s 8-yard TD run in the first OT helped the Vols go back ahead 24-17 before Oklahoma, which was ranked No. 19 entering the game, tied it again on Mayfield’s 1-yard keeper on fourth-and-goal.
Zack Sanchez sealed the Sooners’ victory intercepting a Joshua Dobbs in the second OT as the Vols fell to 1-28 in their past 29 games against ranked teams.
Tennessee linebacker Jaylen Reeves-Maybin made a career-high 21 tackles in front of a Neyland Stadium crowd of 102,455 – also the largest gathering Oklahoma’s ever played before.
3. Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21: Kyle Allen threw for a career-high 358 yards and two TDs to Christian Kirk, the second scoring strike a 20-yarder in the OT as Texas A&M won 28-21. Allen is now transferring.
Even though Taylor Bertolet’s 38-yard field-goal attempt on the final play was wide right, Allen connected with Kirk in the end zone on the second play of overtime. DeVante Harris sealed the win by tipping away Brandon Allen’s pass to Drew Morgan on fourth-and-4 from the 19.
Tra Carson’s 2-yard run – followed by Allen’s two-point conversion pass to Josh Reynolds – with 2:50 left in regulation tied the score at 21. The Aggies survived despite allowing a 151-yard rushing outing by Alex Collins and a 155-yard receiving game by Morgan.
4. Kentucky 34, Eastern Kentucky 27: Patrick Towles, who like Allen is also transferring, finished with 329 yards passing and 3 TDs, including one in the final minute of regulation and one in overtime for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats trailed 27-13 with 7:39 left in regulation, but JoJo Kemp’s 7-yard TD run with 4:59 to go followed by Towles’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Baker with 52 seconds left in regulation tied the score.
Kentucky scored first in OT on Towles’ 3-yard pass to Baker. The Wildcats then stopped EKU on downs to win the game.
5. Arkansas 54, Auburn 46: In the longest SEC game of the season, Brandon Allen’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Drew Morgan on the first play of the fourth overtime was the difference.
Auburn rallied from a 14-point, first-half deficit, and QB Sean White led the Tigers on a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a 41-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson. But eight dropped passes, including one by Ricardo Louis that would have gone for a touchdown in the fourth OT, were too much to overcome.
The teams traded TDs in the first three extra sessions, with both squads also converting two-point conversion in the third OT. Arkansas scored on fourth down twice – including Allen’s 6-yard TD pass to Morgan on fourth-and-3 in the first overtime.
6. Arkansas 53, Ole Miss 52: Brandon Allen capped a career night by running for a game-winning 2-point conversion – while jumping past a Rebels defender at the goal line – to lift the Razorbacks.
Two wild plays kept the Hogs alive. On fourth-and-25 in overtime on the most incredible play of the season, Allen connected on a pass to tight end Hunter Henry, who heaved the ball backward. Collins picked up the ball on a bounce and ran for 31 yards before fumbling, but teammate Dominique Reed recovered.
The Hogs, who eventually scored their TD in OT on Allen’s 9-yard pass to Morgan, got a huge break when the Rebels’ Marquis Haynes was called for a face-mask penalty, which gave Arkansas another shot. Allen, who threw for a career-high 442 yards and six scores, ran in the decisive conversion on the next play.
Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly accounted for 6 TDs of his own, including three on the ground.
7. Florida 20, FAU 14: The Gators needed a TD pass from Treon Harris to Jake McGee in OT to avoid a huge upset at home.
Florida’s Austin Hardin hit an upright on a 33-yard field-goal attempt and was wide right on another from 34. On top of that, his extra-point attempt after McGee’s TD was blocked, but Florida stopped the Owls, a 31-point underdog, on downs to give Jim McElwain his 10th win of the season, a Florida record for first-year coaches that moved him past Ray Graves, Galen Hall, Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier.
Florida won despite two turnovers by Harris, who was sacked 5 times. Despite leaving the game twice due to injuries, defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard finished with four tackles and knocked down a pass.
8. Georgia 23, Georgia Southern 17: Sony Michel ran for a 25-yard TD on the Bulldogs’ only offensive play of overtime.
On the Eagles’ possession in OT, Leonard Floyd made 2 tackles for losses and combined with Jordan Jenkins to stop L.A. Ramsby for a three-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 direct snap.
It would turn out to be Mark Richt’s next-to-last game at Georgia. Despite finishing 9-3 after beating Georgia Tech 13-7 the following week, the longtime coach was fired by the Bulldogs before taking the head-coaching job at Miami, his alma mater.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
