SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 3
Week 3 of the college football season is in the books, and over the weekend, several stars rose to the top of the SEC pack.
LSU running back Leonard Fournette was the star of the weekend, as the 230-pound monster from New Orleans rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers' rout of Auburn.
Naturally, he's one of the top performers. Who else made the cut? Want to relieve Fournette's masterful performance? Our list of the top players of Week 3, based on production and what that production meant to the team, are in this slideshow.
Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
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Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche came to Ole Miss with a ton of hype. While his impact has been felt from day one, rarely has he made a major dent in the stat sheet.
That changed on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, when the Grayson, Georgia native notched six tackles, 2.5 for loss, 0.5 sacks and routinely disrupted plays behind the line of scrimmage.
As Chris Low of ESPN noted during the game, this one will go on the reel the junior shows NFL scouts when he decides to make the jump to the next level.
"Robert Nkemdiche was already going to be a rich man. But the NFL is salivating at this performance. Wow.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) September 20, 2015"
He's the centerpiece of the Rebel defensive line. He demands double-teams, sometimes beats them and always helps out his teammates thanks to the attention he commands.
When combined with quarterback Chad Kelly—whom I had No. 4 in our updated Heisman top five after his sizzling week—the Rebels are one of the most dangerous teams in the country.
Georgia QB Greyson Lambert
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All Georgia QB Greyson Lambert did in Georgia's 52-20 win over South Carolina Saturday night between the hedges was break records—plural.
He broke Georgia's single-game record of consecutive completions (Mike Bobo, 19) by connecting on his final 20 attempts, and set the NCAA record for single-game completion percentage (min. 20 attempts) by connecting on 24 of his 25 attempts (96 percent).
"It feels great," Lambert said in quotes released by Georgia. "We kind of just got going pretty quickly and I got going with three-straight passes. Everybody did their role and we were able to get great execution as a team."
Not bad for a guy who woke up Saturday morning not knowing how long he'll hold down the starting quarterback job. After that performance, something tells me he's going to have it for a while.
Missouri LB Kentrell Brothers
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Making his weekly appearance in "performances of the week" is Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers.
In what was a down week by Brothers' standards, all he did in the 9-6 win over UConn was notch 10 tackles, break up a pass and block a field goal, according to stats released by Missouri.
"They poured through the left shield and the person protecting," UConn coach Bob Diaco said in quotes released by Missouri.
Through three games, Brothers leads the SEC with 42 tackles—eight more than second-place "Rudy" Ford of Auburn. In a year with so much transition on the Missouri defense, Brothers has provided the stability that the unit desperately needed.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
4 of 9Leonard Fournette didn't have a "Heisman moment" on Saturday afternoon in Death Valley in the 45-21 win over Auburn.
He had two.
He ran through defensive back Blake Countess during his first touchdown run of the afternoon, and then followed it up by sending defensive back Tray Matthews flipping over his back on his second journey to the end zone.
"Make him miss," Fournette said in quotes released by LSU. "That’s our job. One person can’t tackle us. Coach Frank (Wilson) always tells us we have to make the guy miss."
Fournette finished the day with 228 rushing yards and three scores, solidifying his spot in the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Florida DL Jonathan Bullard
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Florida went old-school during its 14-9 victory over Kentucky on Saturday night in Lexington, leaning heavily on its defense to lead the charge.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard is the leader of that defense.
The 6'3", 277-pound senior made a living in the backfield, sacked quarterback Patrick Towles twice and finished the night with five total tackles. His final sack came with under a minute to go to force a 4th-and-long for Kentucky that essentially iced the game.
"JONATHAN BULLARD (@JBullard90) IS AN ABSOLUTE MONSTER https://t.co/DeZaFfi6vC
— #InAllKindsOfWeather (@AllKindsWeather) September 20, 2015"
Don't sleep on Bullard and the Gators. The defense hasn't dropped off at all, and the offense isn't making mistakes.
South Carolina QB Lorenzo Nunez
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There wasn't a whole lot to brag about in South Carolina's 52-20 loss to Georgia in Athens on Saturday night, but at least head coach Steve Spurrier found a quarterback.
True freshman Lorenzo Nunez completed four of five passes for 18 yards and rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in the loss, serving mostly as the changeup quarterback behind Perry Orth.
As Matt Connolly of the State noted during the game, he was the most impressive Gamecock in an otherwise mediocre night.
"Lorenzo Nunez walks into the end zone for his first career touchdown. I've really been impressed by him tonight.
— Matt Connolly (@MattatTheState) September 20, 2015"
South Carolina was at its best when dual-threat quarterback Connor Shaw was taking the snaps, and Nunez is the only dual-threat quarterback on the Gamecocks' roster. Expect more from Nunez as the season progresses, because at this point with an 0-2 conference record, they have to build for the future rather than chase an SEC East title.
Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen
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Texas A&M quarterback Kyle Allen split snaps with true freshman sensation Kyler Murray in the Aggies' season-opening romp over Arizona State, but since then, it's been all Allen in Aggieland.
The sophomore completed 18 of his 31 passes for 270 yards, four touchdowns and one pick in Texas A&M's 44-27 win over Nevada on Saturday, and he added 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
He earned high praise from SEC Network analyst Booger McFarland after the game.
"Texas AM- Kyle Allen is the best qb in SEC right now, Mack flashes at DT , Carson over 100 yards changes how we see them got 2 keep it up
— Booger (@SECbooger) September 20, 2015"
He'll fly under the radar over the next two weeks thanks to Arkansas' woes and the fact that Mississippi State isn't where it once was. That game against Alabama on Oct. 17, though, could be Allen's Heisman coming-out party.
Tennessee DB/KR Evan Berry
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If you're looking for the wildest kick return of the week, Tennessee's Evan Berry is here for you.
With his brother Eric in attendance—star of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and the man who recently returned to action after fighting cancer—Evan Berry took off on an 88-yard scamper in which he disappeared in the pack only to re-emerge and take it down near the sideline in Tennessee's 55-10 win over Western Carolina.
"VIDEO: Tennessee’s Evan Berry returns punt for TD with brother Eric Berry watching http://t.co/0jHm9NReiQ pic.twitter.com/rlzZgEJc37
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 20, 2015"
"A lot of people assumed he was down and he's very, very strong as we all know and once you get him in the open field he has great speed," head coach Butch Jones said according to quotes released by Tennessee.
Despite the speed the younger Berry showed, his brother had to let him know his place in the family, according to Wes Rucker of 247Sports.
"#Vols' Evan Berry: Eric told me he would have caught me on that kick return.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 20, 2015"
It was an awesome return by Berry, and the fact that his brother was there to watch made it even better.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
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While quarterback Greyson Lambert received the bulk of the praise in Georgia's 52-20 victory over South Carolina on Saturday night, running back Nick Chubb was busy doing Nick Chubb things.
He rushed 21 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over the Gamecocks, and he topped the century mark for the 11th straight game.
Chubb gave the credit to the big men up front.
"It was a great night. South Carolina stacked the box and our line did good as always," according to quotes released by Georgia.
While LSU's Leonard Fournette was the superstar of the weekend, Chubb quietly went about his business. If he keeps it up and Lambert takes some pressure off him and opens up those running lanes, Chubb could run his team all the way to the Georgia Dome as SEC East champions.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
