SEC Week 4: Bulldog Matchup Has Big Appeal, No. 20 Gators Looking For Offense

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – It going to be hard for the Florida Gators to top what they did last week.

The last second touchdown against rival Tennessee had Gators fans in a frenzy, but where do they go from here.

Florida's offense has been nearly non-existent this season and will to wake up this week in a tough road matchup against Kentucky, a team that the Gators have had a great deal of success against for a long time.

Things to watch in the Southeastern Conference in Week 4:

GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 17 Mississippi State at No. 11 Georgia: The first matchup between the SEC's two sets of Bulldogs since 2011 features a pair of undefeated teams. This is the first time Georgia and Mississippi State have met when both teams were ranked. Mississippi State is coming off a 37-7 blowout of No. 25 LSU, which was ranked 12th at the time of the game. Mississippi State is the only team in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Georgia has beaten Mississippi State nine straight times. Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald directs an offense that scores an SEC-leading 47.7 points per game , while Georgia has an exceptional defense that already silenced Notre Dame's potent rushing attack this season.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Alabama rushing attack vs. Vanderbilt run defense: Vanderbilt has allowed the fewest points per game (4.3) and yards per game (198.3) of any Football Bowl Subdivision team. That defense clearly faces its toughest test Saturday against the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Alabama averages 6 yards per carry with a backfield that includes quarterback Jalen Hurts and running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough. Hurts has a team-high 312 yards rushing and has gained 8.7 yards per carry. Hurts has run for over 100 yards in each of the Tide's last two games. This should be a busy day for Vanderbilt linebacker Emmanuel Smith, who had a team-high 12 tackles in the Commodores' victory over Kansas State last week.

NUMBERS GAME: No. 20 Florida is seeking to beat Kentucky for the 31st straight time this week. Florida's 30 straight victories over the Wildcats represent the longest active winning streak by any team in an uninterrupted annual series. The NCAA record is owned by Notre Dame, which beat Navy 43 straight times from 1964-2006. ... Texas A&M's 45-21 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette last week marked the first time the Aggies ever had four true freshmen score touchdowns in one game. The touchdowns came from Kellen Mond, Jhamon Ausbon, Jacob Kibodi and Camron Buckley. ... LSU has won 48 straight nonconference home games heading into Saturday's game with Syracuse. Harvard owns the NCAA record with 55 straight nonconference home wins from 1890-95. ... Vanderbilt has outscored its first three opponents 63-7 in the first half. ... Auburn's defense is allowing just 3.18 yards per play to lead the nation. Ranking second is Mississippi State (3.34) and third is Vanderbilt (3.44).

UPSET WATCH: Florida is a 2 ½-point favorite at Kentucky and obviously has history on its side in this annual series, but the Wildcats arguably have looked more impressive thus far. Kentucky is coming off a 23-13 victory at South Carolina , while Florida is still missing nine suspended players. Kentucky is seeking its first victory over Florida since 1986 and its first 2-0 start in SEC competition since 1977.

IMPACT PERFORMER: Tennessee running back John Kelly leads the SEC with 349 yards rushing and also has 16 catches to match the second-highest total in the conference. He's averaging 180 all-purpose yards per game to rank sixth among all FBS players.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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