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Now that Week 12 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. Former Gators QB Will Grier lost his NCAA suspension appeal, so his one-year suspension for violating NCAA rules on banned substances will stand.
2. In a poor offensive showing, Florida barely survived a rainy upset to FCS Florida Atlantic, but the Gators held onto a 20-14 win in overtime. Florida didn’t score until the third quarter, K Austin Hardin missed two field goals, QB Treon Harris was sacked five times, and Hardin’s PAT in overtime was blocked.
3. The Citadel stunned South Carolina 23-22. The Gamecocks tried to mount a comeback against their FCS opponent, but it wasn’t enough, and the failed 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter sealed their fate and caused fans to start a play-calling petition.
4. With a huge 56-6 victory over FCS No. 8 Charleston Southern, Nick Saban has now led No. 2 Alabama to its eighth straight 10-win season, which is the most in school history, by far.
5. Saban wasn’t the only one setting records for Alabama. Tide CB Cyrus Jones set a school record after returning two punts for touchdowns in Alabama’s Week 12 game against Charleston Southern. And Tide RB Derrick Henry is now tied with former Tide RB Trent Richardson for most touchdowns in a single season after scoring two in the first quarter against Charleston Southern.
6. No. 15 LSU was devastated in a 38-17 loss to No. 22 Ole Miss, where Tigers RB Leonard Fournette was held to 108 rushing yards. The Tigers haven’t lost three in a row since 1999, and fans and board members alike continue to call for LSU to fire Les Miles. Oh, and did we mention the bench-clearing brawl?
7. Urban Meyer and his No. 3 Buckeyes fell to No. 9 Michigan State when Spartans K Michael Geiger hit a 41-yard field goal as time expired, snapping Ohio State’s 30-game (regular season) winning streak. Buckeyes RB Ezekiel Elliott threw his coaches under the bus in the aftermath.
8. Gary Pinkel and his Missouri Tigers fell 19-8 to Tennessee in Pinkel’s last home game, but the players and fans still love him, and they had a good time showing him.
9. Georgia narrowly escaped an upset between the hedges to Georgia Southern. The Bulldogs offense struggled throughout, and the only real showing was Georgia RB Sony Michel’s game-winning 25-yard run in overtime.
10. Mississippi State avoided becoming Hog bait with a blocked field goal in the final minute of the matchup in Fayetteville. The Bulldogs held on for a 51-50 victory in a game that spouted massive offensive numbers: 101 total points, 14 total TDs and 1,041 yards of combined offense for Mississippi State and Arkansas. There was even more excitement in the stands with fans getting into a physical altercation.
