The fifth week of the SEC’s 88th season features four conference games – Alabama at Tennessee, Auburn at Ole Miss, Kentucky at Missouri and South Carolina at LSU. Here are 10 numbers, along with the schedule, TV and odds, to get ready for the SEC’s fifth football Saturday of 2020:
0 Passes have been thrown in a college game by TJ Finley, who will start at QB for LSU on Saturday against South Carolina in place of Myles Brennan, who was injured in the Tigers’ previous game. Brennan has passed for 1,112 yards this season to become the first player in school history with at least 300 in each of his first three starts and extend LSU’s school record of consecutive games with 300 passing yards to 12. Finley is a true freshman.
5 Consecutive victories for Kentucky against Missouri, one short of the Wildcats’ longest winning streak against a conference opponent. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt every season from 1976 through 1981. Kentucky visits Missouri on Saturday.
6 Consecutive LSU games have featured a TD reception by WR Terrace Marshall Jr. and 11 consecutive Alabama games have featured a TD run by RB Najee Harris. With seven among his 21 catches in three games, Marshall is tied for second nationally in TD receptions this season. With 11 among his 83 rushing attempts in four games, Harris leads the nation in TD runs this season.
7 Victories without a loss in the fifth game of the season for Auburn since Gus Malzahn became the Tigers’ head coach. Since 2013, Auburn has defeated Ole Miss, LSU, San Jose State, Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss once and Mississippi State twice in Game No. 5 under Malzahn. The Tigers face Ole Miss on Saturday in their fifth game of the 2020 campaign.
11 Years since LSU lost a home game in October. Since a 13-3 defeat by Florida at Tiger Stadium on Oct. 10, 2009, LSU has won 25 consecutive home games in the 10th month. The Tigers host South Carolina on Saturday.
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13 Consecutive SEC regular-season games have featured at least 30 points for Alabama, one short of the conference record. The Crimson Tide has not scored fewer than 30 points against a league rival in regular-season play since a 24-0 victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 10, 2018. Florida scored at least 30 points in 14 consecutive SEC regular-season games, starting with a 41-34 victory over Tennessee on Sept. 18, 1993, and extending until a 24-7 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 19, 1994.
13 Consecutive victories for LSU after losing its previous game. The Tigers lost 45-41 to Missouri their last time out on Oct. 10. LSU hasn’t had back-to-back losses since dropping three games in a row to Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss in 2015. The past 11 of the victories have come under current coach Ed Orgeron, who took the reins at LSU in the fifth game of the 2016 season with the Tigers coming off an 18-13 loss to Auburn.
18 Consecutive games have been played by Tennessee against Alabama without scoring more than 21 points in regulation. The Volunteers most recently scored more than 21 points in four quarters against the Crimson Tide in their 35-24 victory in 2001. Tennessee defeated Alabama 51-43 in five overtimes in 2003, but the Vols had 20 points at the end of the fourth quarter in that game.
34 Consecutive games against teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll have been lost by Tennessee. The Volunteers have the longest such active streak in the nation, with Indiana second at 25 in a row. Tennessee hasn’t defeated a top 10 team since Oct. 7, 2006, when No. 13 Tennessee downed No. 10 Georgia 51-33 in Athens. The Volunteers play No. 2 Alabama on Saturday. The Crimson Tide has been responsible for 12 of the losses in Tennessee’s streak. Saturday’s game will be the third time during the streak that the Vols have played a second-ranked Alabama team. The Tide also has been ranked No. 1 seven times and No. 4, No. 7 and No. 8 once when playing Tennessee during this period.
600 SEC regular-season games for Auburn when the Tigers kick off against Ole Miss on Saturday. Auburn has compiled a 326-255-18 record against conference competition since the SEC started in 1933. Saturday’s game also will be the 500th October outing for Auburn. The Tigers have compiled a 315-166-18 record in the 10th month. Under current coach Gus Malzahn, the Tigers have a 17-10 October record, including 10-2 at home and 7-8 on the road.
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This week’s SEC schedule includes (all times are CDT with point spreads from vegasinsider.com):
Saturday
· Auburn (2-2) at Ole Miss (1-3), 11 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi (SEC Network). Line: Auburn by 3.5.
· No. 2 Alabama (4-0) at Tennessee (2-2), 2:30 p.m. at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee (CBS). Line: Alabama by 22.
· Kentucky (2-2) at Missouri (1-2), 3 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri (SEC Network). Line: Kentucky by 5.
· South Carolina (2-2) at LSU (1-2), 6 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (ESPN). Line: LSU by 6.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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