SEC Football: Best Performances of Week 2
Week 2 of the college football season didn't go according to plan for several SEC teams.
Arkansas lost in Little Rock to Toledo. Auburn got taken to overtime by Jacksonville State. Florida struggled with East Carolina, and Tennessee blew a two-touchdown lead in the final frame to fall to Oklahoma.
With that said, though, some stars shined bright within the conference.
Which players shined brightest? Our picks based on production and importance to their teams are in this slideshow.
Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly
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Are you a believer yet?
For the second straight week, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly lit it up against a lesser foe. The junior college transfer for the Rebels completed 20 of 25 passes for 346 yards, four touchdowns and zero picks, and he added 26 rushing yards and another score to lead his team to a 73-21 win over Fresno State.
He's been a perfect fit for head coach Hugh Freeze and his tempo-based offense.
"Chad likes to stay on schedule," Freeze said in quotes released by Ole Miss. "That is what I always meant for us to do last year, but we did not do that. You could argue that the tempo was really good for most of the year. We enjoy moving the ball fast. Chad does it well. All of our kids enjoy it and it was very efficient early on."
Kelly has flown under the radar for the majority of the season, but that will change this week when his Rebels will travel across the border to take on No. 2 Alabama with ESPN's College GameDay in the house. If he makes it three weeks in a row, get ready for the Chad Kelly experience to be the prevailing theme of September.
Kentucky LB Josh Forrest
2 of 10
Very quietly, all Kentucky has done is jump out to a 2-0 start and set up a big-time showdown with Florida in Lexington in Week 3.
On Saturday night in Columbia, South Carolina, linebacker Josh Forrest was a big reason why.
The 6'3", 255-pound senior tallied seven tackles in the 26-22 win over South Carolina in a game that broke the Wildcats' 22-game road losing streak. He also had a big pass breakup in the end zone to hold South Carolina to a field goal, as Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal noted:
"And a big-time, diving pass breakup in the end zone by senior linebacker Josh Forrest dropping into coverage. Great play.
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) September 13, 2015"
For now, Kentucky is living right and relied on its defense on the road Saturday night in its SEC opener.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
3 of 10
Ho hum, another week, another 100-yard performance from stud Georgia running back Nick Chubb.
The 220-pound sophomore reeled off 189 yards in a 31-14 win over Vanderbilt in which Georgia's offense struggled to get going outside of its superstar. It was the 10th straight game in which Chubb has topped the century mark, and he got the Bulldogs off on the right foot in the SEC East.
"He did a lot today," Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said in quotes released by Georgia. "It's hard to bring him down with just one guy. Any time you're trying to tackle a running back of his caliber with one person, it's tough."
Sometimes, the obvious answer for a star of the week is the right answer, and Chubb was that on Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida DB Jalen Tabor
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In a night in which star cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III sat out with a leg injury, Florida needed somebody to step up and become the star of the secondary.
Jalen Tabor obliged.
The 6'0", 191-pound sophomore had three tackles, two pass breakups and a 39-yard pick-six late in the third quarter that extended the Florida lead to 10 and help the Gators earn a hard-fought 31-24 win over East Carolina.
"They came to [my zone] before the half so I felt they were going to come back to it," said Tabor, according to Taryn Bray of GatorZone.com. "I just got a good read and got a great pick."
The extent of Hargreaves' injury is unknown at this time, but first-year head coach Jim McElwain now knows that Tabor can be a true No. 1 cornerback for his defense and make the big plays this defense needs.
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
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How would LSU's offense look in year two?
Tiger fans had to wait a week to find out after last week's rainout against McNeese State, but what they discovered is that it's still the Leonard Fournette Show.
The 6'1", 230-pound sophomore from New Orleans ripped off a career-high 159 yards and three touchdowns in the 21-19 win over Mississippi State, providing the Tigers with much-needed offensive stability.
Dating back to last year, Fournette has become one of the nation's most reliable running backs, as Ross Dellenger of the Advocate notes:
"#LSU RB Leonard Fournette's last three games: - Carries: 58 - Yards: 448 - Avg a carry: 7.7 - Rushing TDs: 6
— Ross Dellenger (@DellengerAdv) September 13, 2015"
It was the right move for head coach Les Miles to rely heavily on Fournette on Saturday night in Starkville, Mississippi, considering sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris was making just his second career start. Fournette came through with flying colors.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry
6 of 10
No, Middle Tennessee isn't exactly a juggernaut, and yes, Alabama had its way with the Blue Raiders. That shouldn't take away from the fact that Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry was quite busy doing Derrick Henry things.
The monster junior rushed for 97 yards and three more touchdowns in the 37-10 win on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
As Marq Burnett of the Anniston Star noted on Twitter, after matching his same touchdown output from Week 1, Henry is on a pretty good touchdown pace:
"Derrick Henry is on pace to score 36 rushing touchdowns this season.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) September 13, 2015"
That, of course, is just for the 12-game regular season. If he keeps it up, his Crimson Tide team will be playing a few more games in the postseason.
Georgia LB Jordan Jenkins
7 of 10
Outside of running back Nick Chubb, Georgia's offense struggled to get going on Saturday in the 31-14 win over Vanderbilt.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, linebacker Jordan Jenkins was there to save the day.
The 6'3", 253-pound senior was all over the field in Nashville. He finished the afternoon with 11 tackles, 5.5 for loss and two sacks, according to stats released by Georgia.
"After the second quarter I saw how many plays I was making and how it was affecting their quarterback so I wanted to keep that going and put everything on the line," he said in quotes released by Georgia." This is my senior season and I feel like when people come back for their senior year they're always going to play different in critical situations."
He did that on Saturday and established himself as one of the best linebackers in the country.
Missouri LB Kentrell Brothers
8 of 10
For the second straight week, Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers provided one of the best defensive performances of the weekend.
This time, though, it was in a close game in which his team really needed it.
Brothers tied his career high with 16 tackles (which he set last week) and 1.5 for a loss and picked off two passes in the fourth quarter to help lead the Tigers to a 27-20 road win over Arkansas State.
Former Mizzou wide receiver T.J. Moe was impressed:
"Not sure when the last time I've seen a more dominating stat line out of a defensive player. Kentrell Brothers: 16 tackles, 2 int, 1.5 TFL
— T.J. Moe (@TJMoe28) September 13, 2015"
Missouri is going to fly under the radar for a while thanks to a rather manageable early-season schedule, but Brothers has established himself as one of the most reliable players in the SEC. If he keeps it up once SEC play starts, he'll become a household name across the conference.
Tennessee LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
9 of 10
Even in a loss, Tennessee linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin announced himself as a superstar.
The 6'0", 225-pound junior notched 21 tackles (with three for loss), had one sack, forced one fumble and broke up a pass in the 31-24 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma, according to stats released by Tennessee.
Wes Rucker of 247Sports has covered Tennessee for more than a decade, and he put Reeves-Maybin's performance in proper perspective:
"#Vols' Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who just played one of the best games I've seen from a TN LB, is now on the post game podium.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 13, 2015"
Don't blame JRM for the loss. He did all he could to keep Oklahoma out of the end zone.
Auburn RB Peyton Barber
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The lone bright spot during Auburn's 27-20 overtime scare against Jacksonville State was running back Peyton Barber. The redshirt sophomore rushed for 125 yards and the game-winning touchdown in overtime to help the Tigers escape with the win.
While he was impressive on the ground, his best work came on his one catch of the game. On 3rd-and-9 from the 13-yard line in Auburn's overtime possession, Barber took a swing pass from quarterback Jeremy Johnson and ran through three defenders to get the first down and set up his game-winning score.
"I just put my faith in God and just let his will be done. I have a lot of satisfaction and a lot more confidence than I had last week," Barber said in quotes released by Auburn. "I just have to keep moving forward. I’m looking forward to the future. I feel that I get stronger as the game goes on."
Johnson is a mess, and Auburn's defense struggles with the most basic plays, and yet the Tigers are still 2-0.
Barber is the man to thank for that.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBstats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
