SEC Football

Report: Texas A&M's Denver Harris, Chris Marshall, PJ Williams Suspended Indefinitely

Oct 25, 2022
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies walks off the field after taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first half of the 2022 Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies walks off the field after taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first half of the 2022 Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

A trying season for the Texas A&M football team continued on Tuesday after news broke of indefinite suspensions for a trio of true freshman players.

Defensive back Denver Harris, receiver Chris Marshall and offensive lineman PJ Williams have all been sidelined due to a violation of team rules, per ESPN's Chris Low. A postgame locker room incident reportedly led to the suspensions.

TexAgs.com executive editor and co-owner Billy Liucci first reported the news regarding the suspensions:

Marshall and Harris were previously suspended for the team's 17-9 win over Miami on Sept. 17 due to a curfew violation, per Low. Wide receiver Evan Stewart and defensive back Deyon Bouie were also suspended for the same reason.

The 3-4 Aggies, who started the season ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, have lost three in a row.

The team has suffered a tremendous amount of ailments, including a season-ending leg injury for Ainias Smith. Offensive linemen Bryce Foster, Aki Ogunbiyi and Jordan Moko are all out for the year as well, head coach Jimbo Fisher to reporters on Monday. Quarterback Max Johnson is also out with a broken bone in his left (throwing) hand.

Despite the trying season, the Aggies have fought hard and been in every game late save for a 42-24 defeat at Mississippi State. They nearly picked off then-No. 1 Alabama on the road but ultimately fell 24-20.

The team's offense ultimately hasn't been able to get off the ground, which has been an arduous task sans Smith. The Aggies are No. 109 in points per game out of 131 Division I FBS teams.

The Aggies will look to move to .500 when they host No. 15 Ole Miss on Saturday evening.

CFB Twitter Praises Alabama's Win vs. Mississippi State After Tennessee Loss

Oct 23, 2022
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws the ball during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws the ball during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

The No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Tennessee Volunteers with a 30-6 win over the No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young had a respectable performance, completing 21-of-35 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, which were thrown to receivers JoJo Earle and Traeshon Holden.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 10 carries for 37 yards and one touchdown, in addition to four catches for 33 yards. Ja'Corey Brooks led receivers with three catches for 74 yards.

It wasn't the most flashy game from the Crimson Tide offense, but they got the job done. The Alabama defense also stepped up, limiting the Mississippi State offense to just 293 total yards and forcing a fumble.

Following Saturday's win, fans praised the Crimson Tide on social media for bouncing back just one week after that upsetting loss to Tennessee:

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Following Saturday's win, Alabama is now 7-1. The Crimson Tide have four games remaining against LSU, Ole Miss, Austin Peay and Auburn.

Nick Saban's squad will be back in action on Nov. 5 against LSU in Baton Rouge.

Alabama WR Jermaine Burton in Anger-Management Counseling After Striking Woman

Oct 23, 2022
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 10: An Alabama Crimson Tide helmet sits on the sideline at the conclusion of the Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship, on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 10: An Alabama Crimson Tide helmet sits on the sideline at the conclusion of the Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship, on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton has been receiving anger-management counseling after video emerged of him appearing to strike a female fan following last week's loss to Tennessee.

During the ESPN broadcast of Saturday's Alabama-Mississippi State game (h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com), Chris Fowler reported head coach Nick Saban said during a production meeting that Burton has been working with anger-management counselors.

The move comes after a fan video posted on social media appeared to show Burton striking a female fan.

Following the release of the video, Saban said in a statement Wednesday the program was looking into the matter.

"We are aware of the situation with Jermaine Burton as he was exiting the field Saturday," the statement read. "We are currently working to gather more information."

During his weekly press conference Wednesday evening, Saban further addressed Burton's status with the team:

"We handle discipline issues internally, and that's the way we'll handle this. But as I said today when I was asked about the whole [how] the league is trying to control people rushing the field. It's a difficult circumstance for the league. It's a difficult circumstance for the people who are on the field. But we got to go through those difficult circumstances and still respect other people. And I think that's on us to do that, and that's certainly a lesson for all of us to learn relative to this."

Amid questions about his status for this week's game, Burton was on the field for pregame warmups. The junior wideout caught one pass for 23 yards in the first half against Mississippi State.

Burton is in his first season with the Crimson Tide. He spent the previous two seasons playing at Georgia before transferring in January. The 21-year-old has appeared in each of Alabama's first eight games, including Saturday's contest.

Brian Kelly, LSU Rout Lane Kiffin, No. 7 Ole Miss 45-20 in SEC Upset

Oct 22, 2022
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 22: Jayden Daniels #5 of the LSU Tigers throws the ball during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Tiger Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 22: Jayden Daniels #5 of the LSU Tigers throws the ball during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Tiger Stadium on October 22, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Brian Kelly and the unranked LSU Tigers defeated Lane Kiffin and the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels 45-20 on Saturday at Tiger Stadium in what was one of the biggest upsets in college football this weekend.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was one of the best players on the field, completing 21-of-28 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 121 yards and three scores on 23 carries.

Daniels outdueled Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who completed 19-of-34 passes for 284 yards, no touchdowns and one interceptions in the loss. He also rushed for just six yards on 10 carries.

Jaray Jenkins and Mason Taylor were LSU's leading receivers against Ole Miss, catching five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns combined. However, Rebels receiver Malik Heath was arguably the best pass-catcher of the day, catching eight passes for 145 yards.

The LSU defense was also a significant factor in Saturday's win, limiting Ole Miss to 404 total yards in comparison to the Tigers' 500 total yards. In addition, the Rebels only converted 4-of-13 third-down attempts and finished with just two total touchdowns, a testament to how well the Tigers defense played.

Ole Miss dropped to 7-1 with the loss. The Rebels have a difficult schedule to end the 2022 campaign, including games against Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State.

LSU, meanwhile, improved to 6-2 with the win. They'll face Alabama on Nov. 5 before taking on Arkansas, UAB and Texas A&M to close the season.

LSU HC Brian Kelly Says Instant Replay 'Ruining the Game'

Oct 21, 2022
GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 15: LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly argues with a referee over a call during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators on October 15, 2022 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 15: LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly argues with a referee over a call during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Florida Gators on October 15, 2022 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

LSU head coach Brian Kelly hasn't changed his opinion on instant replay within a few days to think things over.

Speaking on his weekly radio show (h/t Koky Riley of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser), Kelly said replay reviews are "ruining the game" because they slow things down.

"Here's how it was explained to us: If you break it down to the millisecond by a frame, his hand is slightly moving forward by a frame," he explained. "So, if we're going to get to that level, it's amazing. Like, instant replay is ruining the game."

Coming out of Saturday's 45-35 win over Florida, Kelly expressed dissatisfaction with how long the game took because of a string of replay reviews.

"My biggest concern is that we’re just slowing the game down," Kelly said on Monday. “Look, we’ve got to pay the bills, I get it. It’s four, three, four, three, with timeouts. That’s not going away or we’re going to be obviously not paying anybody anything.

Citing StatBroadcast, On3.com noted there were at least five reviews during the game that played a role in it taking nearly four hours to complete.

Three of the reviews listed stood as called.

Kelly noted he would like to see the replay process discussed and potentially reviewed after the season.

Coming into this season, Cam Mellor of Pro Football Network noted the average college football game took nearly 3.5 hours to complete.

Some of this is explained by the college game allowing a longer halftime (no longer 20 minutes) than the NFL (12 minutes). There are also clock stoppages to move the chains after every first down.

Given how much time it can take to complete a game and how often there are stoppages, it's not a surprise Kelly would be frustrated by the amount of replay reviews during games.

Kelly is in his first season as LSU's head coach. He signed a 10-year, $95 million deal with the Tigers in November after spending the previous 12 seasons at Notre Dame.

The 60-year-old has LSU off to a 5-2 start and tied with Alabama for second place in the SEC West.

Tennessee Fined $100K by SEC After Fans Stormed Field Following Upset of Alabama

Oct 16, 2022
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 15: Tennessee Volunteers fans celebrate a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide on the field with cigars at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 15: Tennessee Volunteers fans celebrate a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide on the field with cigars at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)

It's not too often an institution will gladly pay a $100,000 fine, but the University of Tennessee surely fits under that category following Saturday's 52-49 victory over Alabama.

As soon as Chase McGrath's game-winning field goal knuckled over the crossbar as time expired, the fans at Neyland Stadium stormed the field in celebration. There were plenty of cigars to go around, fans riding the goalposts as they were carried out of the stadium and a party-like atmosphere that has been unmatched in college football this season.

The only catch is the celebration came with a cost.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported Tennessee was fined $100,000 by the SEC because fans stormed the field. It is a conference rule that was put in place in an effort to prevent the type of potentially dangerous scenes like Saturday's.

Tennessee President Randy Boyd didn't seem to mind:

It was arguably the Volunteers' biggest win since they won the 1998 national championship, and it propelled them to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 and right into the middle of the College Football Playoff discussion.

If Tennessee keeps the momentum rolling all the way to a national title, it will have quite the celebration to live up to.

Tennessee Starts Donation Page to Fund New Goalposts After Alabama Upset

Oct 16, 2022
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Josh Heupel of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide with a cigar at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Josh Heupel of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide with a cigar at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 52-49. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)

The Tennessee Volunteers pulled off their biggest win in more than two decades with Saturday's victory over Alabama, and the fans responded accordingly by storming the field, tearing down the goalposts and taking them out of the stadium.

The only problem is Neyland Stadium needs those goalposts to host UT Martin this coming Saturday.

With that in mind, the football program announced it was starting a donation page to raise money for new goalposts with the following message:

"Y'all remember how we tore the goalposts down, hauled em out of Neyland and dumped em in the Tennessee River?

"Yeah that was awesome.

"Anywho, turns out that in order to play next week's game, we need goalposts on our field. Could y'all help us out?"

Two of the donation options are $16, representing the 16 years since Tennessee had defeated Alabama, and $52.49, representing the 52-49 final score.

The game was one of the most memorable in recent college football history with Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker and Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young going back and forth in an offensive explosion.

However, Alabama kicker Will Reichard missed a field goal in the final seconds on his team's last possession when the game was tied. Rather than taking a knee and going into overtime, Hooker responded with multiple clutch passes to set up a 40-yard field goal from Chase McGrath.

McGrath's kick knuckled over the crossbar, setting off one of the most passionate celebrations in college football in years.

Nick Saban Says Alabama Defense Was 'Too Soft' in Upset Loss vs. Tennessee

Oct 16, 2022
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 01: Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts to an officials call during the college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks on October 1, 2022, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 01: Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban reacts to an officials call during the college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Arkansas Razorbacks on October 1, 2022, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide were upset by the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers 52-49 on Saturday in Knoxville, and head coach Nick Saban is blaming his defense for not being good enough late in the game.

"We played way too soft at the end to let them go down the field and get in field goal range," Saban said, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough. "So, I think that the big thing that our players need to do is learn from this experience, have more respect for playing with discipline so you don't help the other team."

The Tennessee offense drove down the field with 13 seconds remaining before kicker Chase McGrath entered to kick a 40-yard field goal with time on the clock running out to secure the win.

Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker connected with Ramel Keyton for 18 yards to reach the 50-yard line before he connected with Bru McCoy on a 27-yard pass to the Alabama 23-yard line to set up the field goal.

It was a forgettable afternoon for the Alabama defense, which allowed 567 total yards to Tennessee. Hooker completed 21-of-30 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns against one interception while the team's rushing offense combined for 182 yards and two scores.

The 52 points Alabama allowed to Tennessee were the most allowed by a Saban team dating back to 1996 when he was at Michigan State, per Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.

Saban added that despite the adjustments the team made on defense throughout the game, the Tennessee offense was able to capitalize on big plays too often:

“I don’t think the no-huddle offense was the issue for us. I think it was covering their receivers and allowing way too many big plays. They created a lot of mismatches. We were trying to play nickel, so they were trying to get their best receivers on our safeties and they did it a couple of times and we gave up big plays. … We made some good adjustments in the game but just gave up too many big plays. Even in the second half, they scored on big plays.”

Some of the biggest plays the Alabama defense allowed came on passes from Hooker to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who finished the game with six catches for 207 yards and five touchdowns.

Saturday's game was a huge learning experience for the Crimson Tide, who are now 6-1 on the season entering next weekend's matchup against No. 16 Mississippi State.

Ex-NFL QB Jay Cutler Provided Tennessee Football Team with Cigars After Alabama Upset

Oct 16, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 05: Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler stands on the field prior to the game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 05, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 05: Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler stands on the field prior to the game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 05, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

The No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers upset the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide 52-49 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, and former Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler surprised the team with an awesome gift after the win.

Cutler was one of the people who supplied the Vols with postgame victory cigars, per Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.

The victory cigar has existed in the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry since the 1960s.

A back-and-forth second half ended when Tennessee kicker Chase McGrath drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired to seal the win for the Volunteers. The victory ended a 15-game losing streak to Alabama and pushed Tennessee's record to 6-0.

Hendon Hooker, Tennessee Hyped as CFP Contenders After Alabama Upset in Epic Game

Oct 16, 2022
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) throws to a receiver during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) throws to a receiver during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Tennessee is suddenly a legitimate national title contender after their shocking 52-49 win over No. 3 Alabama.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker needed just 15 seconds to drive 45 yards to set up the game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired.

After the thrilling victory, fans called the Volunteers one of the best teams in college football.

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The high-scoring battle represented a showcase for several offensive players, some of them boosting their Heisman Trophy profile in the highly anticipated game.

Hooker especially impressed against a loaded Alabama defense with 385 passing yards and 56 rushing yards, connecting with receiver Jalin Hyatt for five touchdowns.

Adding the game-winning field goal drive and many were calling him an early Heisman Trophy favorite.

https://twitter.com/JordanCrammer/status/1581414927935295488

Not to be outdone, reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young totaled 455 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Of course, the most impressive player on Alabama's offense was arguably running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who tallied 151 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

Fans were drooling over the versatile runner's highlights during the game:

https://twitter.com/Jordan_Reid/status/1581389275127431171

Gibbs made his own case for the Heisman in this one as a productive and talented player on an elite team.

In the end, it wasn't enough for Alabama as Tennessee came out on top in the thrilling back-and-forth matchup.

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