Nov 12, 2018

Big Ten SEC Week 11 Recap: Gators rally to win, Northwestern clinches division

Big Ten

SEC

AP Top 10 

  1. Alabama
  2. Clemson
  3. Notre Dame
  4. Michigan
  5. Georgia
  6. Oklahoma
  7. West Virginia
  8. Washington State
  9. Ohio State
  10. LSU

Florida scores 21 unanswered to top South Carolina

Florida overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat South Carolina 35- 31 on Saturday in Gainesville. With the win, the Gators locked in a third-place finish in the SEC East.

Early on, it was all Gamecocks, and in the third quarter, quarterback Jake Bentley connected with Deebo Samuel for an 89-yard pass play — the longest non-touchdown pass in school history — to set up a Rico Dowdle to score that gave South Carolina a 31-14 lead.

The Gators responded following the touchdown, however, and scored 21 unanswered points to close the game. Gators quarterback Felipe Franks connected with Kadarius Toney for an 18-yard touchdown to jumpstart the Florida comeback, and fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Lamical Perine and Franks later put the Gators on top.

Franks finished with 161 passing yards, but it was the Florida run game that stole the show. In addition to two touchdown carries by Franks, Jordan Scarlett posted a career-high 159 yards and Perine finished with 107 and two scores. Overall, the Gators ran for a season-high 367 yards.

Next week the Gators look to continue their momentum at home against Idaho, while South Carolina hosts Chattanooga before heading to No. 2 Clemson on Nov. 24.

Northwestern tops Iowa, Clinches Big Ten West

A 14-10 victory over Iowa combined with losses by Wisconsin and Purdue gave Northwestern its Big Ten West title in program history on Saturday. The Wildcats have now won 10 straight games against Big Ten West opponents and improved to 6-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1996.

The Hawkeyes opened the scoring with less than a minute left in the first half off kicker Miguel Recinos’ 46-yard field goal. The Wildcats then got on the board on their second possession of the third quarter when Isiah Bowser ran for 34 yards down the left sideline to score. Bowser finished with a career-high 165 yards on the ground, his third career 100-yard game.

The Hawkeyes retook the lead late in the third quarter on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Nate Stanley to Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Stanley finished the game 27-41 for 269 yards. Northwestern answered in the fourth quarter when Bennet Skowronek made a diving 32-yard touchdown catch to give the Wildcats the advantage for good.

Northwestern takes on Minnesota on the road next week, while Iowa also hits the road to face Illinois.

Vols upset Wildcats

Tennessee upset Kentucky 24-7 in Knoxville Saturday, extending a streak of 17 straight wins over Kentucky in Neyland Stadium — a run that dates back to 1986.

Tennessee has also won 32 of the last 34 games overall in the series, and with the victory, the Vols have also now defeated two ranked opponents this season — just the second season since 2008 that the Vols have registered two regular season wins over ranked teams.

The contest was all Vols, as Tennessee scored 24 straight points to start the game before Kentucky finally got on the board with 1:56 left in the third quarter. Tennessee totaled 241 yards of offense in the first half with quarterback Jarrett Guarantano averaging 21.9 yards per completion. The Vols also held Kentucky to just 68 total yards in the first half, only giving up 26 yards on the ground. The Wildcats were limited to three third down conversions on nine attempts and forced to punt five times.

Overall, UT held Kentucky and running back Benny Snell, Jr. to just 77 yards rushing, marking only the second time this season that the Wildcats had gained fewer than 80 yards on the ground. ‘Cats quarterback Terry Wilson was also held to just 172 passing yards.

Despite the loss, Kentucky still finishes tied for second in the SEC East. The Wildcats will return home next weekend to face Middle Tennessee, while the Vols will host Mizzou next Saturday.

Penn State beats Wisconsin

Penn State held Wisconsin to its lowest point total since 2016 in a 22-10 win over the Badgers Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The win marks Penn State’s 10th straight win over a Big Ten West Division opponent and fourth straight win over Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s Johnathan Taylor opened the scoring with a 71-yard touchdown run on the team’s first possession — part of a 185-yard effort on the ground. Following the Badgers’ touchdown, Penn State outscored the Badgers 22-3 over the remainder of the game. The Nittany Lions only allowed 190 additional yards for the rest of the game and held the Badgers to 269 yards of total offense — 178.2 yards below the Badgers’ season average.

On offense, Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley finished 19-for-25 passing with 160 yards and a touchdown, while running back Miles Sanders rushed for 159 yards and a score. The Badgers were playing without starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook who was out due to a head injury. Hornibrook’s replacement, Jack Coan attempted just four passes in the first half and finished 9-20 for 60 yards.

Wisconsin travels to Purdue next Saturday while Penn State travels to take on Rutgers.

Vote for the Play of the Week!

Week 11 was filled with memorable plays and moments in the Big Ten and SEC. Here were two of our favorites. Make sure you vote for the best in the poll below

1.) Northwestern’s Ben Skowronek makes an incredible diving touchdown catch.

2.) Tennessee’s Marquez Callaway hauls in QB Jarrett Guarantano’s Hail Mary pass.

Click here to check out weekly recaps from earlier this season.

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