The SEC went 16-0 in Week 1, including nationally televised wins by LSU and Ole Miss. The undefeated opening weekend marked the first time since 1996 that every SEC school won its season opener.
LSU, ranked 11th, ransacked Clemson and Dabo Swinney at Tiger Stadium, while Ole Miss kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to knock off No. 24 Louisville. Oklahoma, ranked No. 10, and No. 25 Missouri also got wins on Friday and Thursday nights.
South Carolina and LaNorris Sellers looked impressive in their win over Kent State.
Below is what happened around the SEC in Week 1.
No. 3 Georgia 63, Tennessee State 3
Gunner Stockton passed for three touchdowns, Nate Frazier ran for three scores and No. 3 Georgia overwhelmed Tennessee State 63-3 on Saturday.
The temperature was 101 degrees at kickoff and the heat was likely a factor in some fans leaving Sanford Stadium at the end of the first quarter when the Bulldogs already led 28-0.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the key was how his players handled the sweltering conditions.
Georgia scored touchdowns on its first five possessions, all with Stockton at quarterback. Frazier scored on a 48-yard run on his first carry and added a 14-yard touchdown run on his second carry.
He completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game after the first possession of the second quarter.
No. 5 Texas 59, Texas State 7
Arch Manning passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Cam Coleman, and No. 5 Texas eased into the season with a 59-7 win over Texas State on Saturday.
Manning connected with Coleman for Texas’ first touchdown and with Ryan Wingo on the Longhorns’ next possession. Graceson Littleton’s 59-yard fumble return touchdown put Texas ahead 28-0 in the second quarter.
Coleman played his first two seasons at Auburn and was one of the top transfers in the country when he signed with Texas. He caught three passes for 70 yards in his Longhorns debut. Raleek Brown, who transferred from Arizona State, also scored twice.
Texas will host No. 1 Ohio State next week. The programs have an intense recent history. Ohio State beat Texas in the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinals, and again in the 2025 season opener.
And while Texas earned a relatively easy win Saturday, it wasn’t a perfect one.
Manning killed a touchdown drive at the end of the first half with a poor throw into triple coverage in the end zone. Texas’ first play was a 45-yard run by Hollywood Smothers, but the Longhorns managed just 111 yards rushing the rest of the way behind an offensive line that struggled to push the undersized Bobcats.
No. 6 Texas A&M 50, Missouri State 0
Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in just over three quarters to help No. 8 Texas A&M roll to a 50-0 win over Missouri State on Saturday night.
Reed was replaced by Brady Hart with about 13 minutes left and the Aggies up 40-0.
Isaiah Horton, a transfer who played at Miami and Alabama, had four receptions for 76 yards. His first catch as an Aggie was a 15-yard grab for a touchdown on the opening possession.
Reed is thrilled to have added such a big target to help boost the offense in Horton, who is 6-foot-4, and 215 pounds.
The Aggies thoroughly dominated the game despite not playing their best at times. Missouri State, which is in its second season in the FBS, was outgained 505-67 and had just four first downs to 35 by Texas A&M.
After giving up 46 points combined in its first two games last season, coach Mike Elko was pleased with Saturday’s shutout.
No. 13 Alabama 48, East Carolina 10
Keelon Russell accounted for 335 yards and a touchdown, and No. 13 Alabama opened the season with a 48-10 victory over East Carolina on Saturday.
Russell, a sophomore making his first career start after beating out Austin Mack during training camp, ran for 86 yards and a score. He also threw for 249 yards, including 130 of those to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Coleman-Williams dropped two passes in the second quarter, but Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer says his big bounce back is indicative of the trust they have in the newly named team captain.
Alabama’s new quarterback also showed why Alabama entrusted him with the offense. His ability to escape pressure and create plays with his legs was apparent from the opening drive when he broke free from pressure for a 23-yard run.
Russell directed five consecutive scoring drives to start the game, and Alabama (1-0) finished with 480 yards and 27 first downs.
The Crimson Tide, who ranked 15th in the Southeastern Conference in rushing last season, totaled 227 yards on the ground.
East Carolina managed just 162 total yards and five first downs. The Pirates were 0-for-9 on third down and gained 2 yards on the ground on 22 carries.
Mitch Griffis completed 10 of 16 passes for 137 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. For Alabama’s defense, the 2 rushing yards are the fewest they have allowed against an FBS opponent since Mississippi State had (minus)-1 in 2021.
Kentucky 45, Youngstown State 13
Kenny Minchey threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns to lead Kentucky to a 45-13 win over Youngstown State Saturday.
Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, led the Wildcats to three straight touchdowns to give Will Stein a win in his Kentucky head-coaching debut. Stein, former offensive coordinator at Oregon, played at Louisville (2008-12) and his father, Matt Stein, is a former Kentucky defensive end.
Texas transfer C.J. Baxter ran for two touchdowns, while returnee Jason Patterson paced the rushing attack with 78 yards.
Minchey completed seven of his first eight passes, including a 33-yard completion to Kenny Darby to set up Kentucky’s first touchdown. Baxter capped Kentucky’s first scoring drive of the season with a 15-yard touchdown run. Baxter added a 5-yard scoring run in the first half.
Behind Minchey, the Wildcats finished with 506 yards offense and limited Youngstown State to 305, including 43 in the opening quarter.
Youngstown State (1-1) scored its first touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half. Beau Brungard connected on 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards. The Penguins were held to 59 yards rushing.
Auburn 17, Baylor 16
Safety Eric Winters spared Auburn from a Week 1 upset, stopping Baylor inches short of a two-point conversion with nine seconds remaining on the clock and preserving the Tigers’ 17-16 win on Saturday.
Quarterback Byrum Brown dodged a pile-up in the middle of the field and ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:21 remaining in the fourth, giving Auburn a 17-10 lead.
Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway saved his best drive of the day for last, finding Gavin Freeman 27 yards downfield on a crucial fourth down and then four plays later hit Freeman again for a 5-yard touchdown.
But Winters stopped tight end Matthew Klopfenstein short of the end zone on the two-point try and sealed Alex Golesh’s first victory as coach of the Tigers.
In a matchup featuring two transfer quarterbacks making their debuts, it quickly became a defensive battle.
Lagway’s first drive for Baylor resulted in a lost fumble, which seven plays and 45 yards later, Auburn turned into a field goal to take an early lead.
The Florida transfer’s next two drives resulted in an interception and a missed field goal. Auburn went three-and-out after both of them.
Auburn found the end zone with 3:21 remaining in the second quarter when Brown led a five-play, 57-yard drive culminating in a 15-yard rushing touchdown from Jeremiah Cobb.
Baylor promptly responded with its most efficient drive, going 75 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Lagway connected with Louis Brown IV on a 14-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 10-7 before halftime.
Baylor capitalized off of an Auburn interception with a game-tying field goal midway through the fourth, and then Brown led the game-winning 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Brown finished 26-of-35 for 259 yards, with three interceptions, 27 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Lagway was 27-of-54 for 333 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Lagway connected with Freeman for 154 yards and a touchdown.
Arkansas 31, North Alabama 14
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson threw three touchdown passes to lead the Razorbacks to a 31-14 win over North Alabama on Saturday.
Jackson, in his second career start, completed 24 of 35 passes for 267 yards and ran for 27 more. His three scores went to three different receivers, one in each of the first three quarters. Eleven different players caught passes for the Razorbacks, who returned just two of their top seven receivers from 2025.
North Alabama (1-1) picked up its first touchdown late in the third quarter after a Sutton Smith fumble gave the Lions the ball in Razorbacks territory for the first time in the game.
North Alabama managed just 17 yards of total offense in the first half and just five first downs through the first three quarters. A Wade pass to Xavier Johnson went for 59 yards in the fourth and Wade followed with two straight scrambles for 16 yards, the second of which resulted in his second rushing touchdown.
Wade finished 12-of-23 passing for 113 yards. Johnson caught six passes for 82 yards.
Vanderbilt 28, Austin Peay 9
Blaze Berlowitz threw for 149 yards and ran for 45 yards and a touchdown as Vanderbilt beat Austin Peay 28-9 in the Commodores’ season opener Saturday night that ended with 2:16 left after lightning near the stadium stopped play.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and Austin Peay coach Jeff Faris huddled with the referees and officials on the field.
Berlowitz made the first start of his career with some of the biggest cheers were reserved for freshman quarterback Jared Curtis, who flipped his commitment from Georgia last December. Curtis made his debut just before halftime and finished up in the fourth quarter after Vanderbilt went up 28-9.
Chris Parson threw for 116 yards and a TD to Denver Harper giving the FCS-level Governors (1-1) a 6-5 lead in the first quarter. Hamilton DiBoyan also added a 51-yard field goal.
Brock Taylor kicked two field goals, his second from 37 yards putting Vanderbilt ahead to stay at 8-6 in the second quarter. Martel Hight returned a blocked extra point for a 2-point conversion, and Sedrick Alexander ran for 60 yards and an 18-yard TD.
Josiah Broxton returned a rushed punt after a high snap 27 yards for a TD to pad Vanderbilt’s lead to start the fourth quarter.
Curtis showed off his strong arm on his first play, a 17-yard pass to Ja’Cory Thomas. He finished 7 of 9 for 60 yards passing and ran three times for 22 yards. Lea said Vanderbilt will play two quarterbacks as long as needed.
Mississippi State 62, UL Monroe 13
Kamario Taylor passed for 354 yards and four touchdowns, added 59 yards and a score on the ground, and Mississippi State cruised past Louisiana-Monroe 62-13 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.
Mississippi State’s 762 total yards of offense set a new program record. The Bulldogs scored on all seven of their first half drives and eight straight overall, finally punting with 6:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Taylor was electric from the opening kickoff. The sophomore completed 21 passes in the first two quarters, including a 6-yard TD pass to Sanfrisco Magee, a 22-yard strike to Zion Ragins, and a 10-yard score to Anthony Evans III for a 28-3 lead with 13:15 to play in the second quarter.
Evans, the Bulldogs’ returning leading receiver, picked up where he left off, catching seven passes for 118 yards. Johnson was right on his heels with three grabs for 99 yards.
For Louisiana-Monroe, yards were few and far between. Aiden Armenta was 10 for 16 for just 63 yards and the Warhawks mustered just 278 total yards.
Florida 66, FAU 21
First-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall stepped into the Swamp minutes before the opening kick and was admittedly surprised. It was even more intense than what he experienced as a Kentucky linebacker more than two decades ago.
Jadan Baugh ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns, juking defenders nearly every time he touched the ball, and Florida opened the Sumrall era with a 66-21 win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday night.
Aaron Philo added 275 yards passing and four total scores as the Gators won their seventh consecutive home debut for a new coach. This one was Florida’s highest-scoring season opener since 1994.
Florida scored on its first six possessions. Philo connected with Vernell Brown III for a 49-yard score and then found former Georgia Tech teammate and current roommate Bailey Stockton for a 12-yarder.
Philo scrambled for a score on fourth down to make it 24-7.
—briefs courtesy of the SEC / photo courtesy of LSU