SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 11
Instead of walking into a trap in Starkville, Mississippi, on Saturday afternoon, Alabama broke the trap's hinges, threw it in the trash and lit the dumpster on fire.
Well, perhaps more specifically, running back Derrick Henry and the Crimson Tide front seven did.
Alabama rolled Mississippi State 31-6 on the heels of another 200-yard rushing performance from Henry and one of the most impressive performances from a defense that college football has seen this year.
What were the best performances from Week 11? Our picks based on production and importance to the outcome of a game are in this slideshow.
Tennessee RB Alvin Kamara
1 of 10
No, Tennessee's 24-0 victory over North Texas wasn't exactly a thing of beauty.
Thanks to running back Alvin Kamara, it didn't have to be.
The 5'10", 210-pound junior college transfer rushed 15 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the win and provided the only offensive spark of the afternoon for the Vols—who are now bowl-eligible for the second straight season.
"We needed him," head coach Butch Jones said, according to Tennessee's official site. "He did a great job of really making the second-level defender miss and getting the ball north and south. He provided a spark for us. That was great to see because we needed that. We needed some momentum plays."
Kamara has been a solid "changeup" option alongside fellow running back Jalen Hurd all year. On Saturday, though, he brought the heat.
Missouri QB Drew Lock
2 of 10
Missouri endured a hectic week with the player protest followed by the announcement that head coach Gary Pinkel will retire following the season. Through all of it, there was a slightly enormous game versus BYU on Saturday night that the Tigers desperately needed to win in order to keep their bowl hopes alive.
True freshman Drew Lock came up big when it mattered most.
The hot-shot quarterback completed 19 of his 28 passes for a career-high 244 yards, one touchdown and one pick, and he added 26 yards on the ground to lead Mizzou (5-5) to a 20-16 win over the Cougars.
"Pinkel said tonight was a "glimpse" at what Drew Lock could be. Said MU should play all its games in Kansas City.
— David Morrison (@DavidCMorrison) November 15, 2015"
The future of Missouri is suddenly in doubt with the news of Pinkel's retirement, but whoever takes over will have a solid prospect in Lock to build around.
Florida RB Kelvin Taylor
3 of 10
Florida's offense is still a work in progress with Treon Harris taking the snaps in place of suspended redshirt freshman Will Grier, but luckily for the Gators, running back Kelvin Taylor is there to provide a little insurance.
The junior carried the ball 20 times for 105 yards and a touchdown, including a 53-yarder that set up his one-yard plunge that iced the game and gave the Gators a 24-14 win over South Carolina.
"We ran an angle-block play," head coach Jim McElwain said of Taylor's big run, according to Florida's official site. "They were pinching, and we were able to get them out of gaps. Our guys did their job. As boring as that sounds, guys, there’s something beautiful about when all 11 guys do their job and trust each other."
The Gators are still hanging around as a one-loss team that could crash the playoff party. As long as they can rely on Taylor, they'll have a puncher's chance.
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Georgia LB Jordan Jenkins
4 of 10
When Georgia needed a big play in the fourth quarter against Auburn in a game dominated by defense, it was senior linebacker Jordan Jenkins who provided it.
After taking its first lead of the game at 17-10 with an Isaiah McKenzie punt return for a touchdown with just less than 10 minutes to play, Jenkins hit Tigers quarterback Sean White on the back, forcing a fumble that the Bulldogs recovered, and that led to a field goal that put the game out of reach.
""There's no prayers in Jordan-Hare this time." -- #UGA OLB Jordan Jenkins from @JordanDavisHill
— Jake Rowe (@Rowe247) November 14, 2015"
The 6'3", 253-pounder finished the day with six tackles and that one sack, which was the biggest play of the 2015 edition of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.
Arkansas RB Alex Collins
5 of 10
While LSU's Leonard Fournette and Alabama's Derrick Henry have drawn all of the publicity at the running back position in the SEC in 2015, all Alex Collins has done is become a steady superstar for the surprising Arkansas Razorbacks.
With Fournette looking on, Collins was the best running back in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night when he rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the Razorbacks' 31-14 win over Fournette's Tigers.
"Feel like Arkansas' Alex Collins is a taller Kevin Faulk. Going to be valuable all around player in NFL.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 15, 2015"
What's more, the emergence of quarterback Brandon Allen has made it impossible for opposing defenses to key on Collins, which is a big reason why Arkansas has caught fire down the stretch in 2015. He has speed and the moves of a home run hitter but isn't afraid to lower his shoulder and dole out some punishment when needed.
Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb
6 of 10
While Texas A&M's John Chavis and Auburn's Will Muschamp got all of the publicity, the best coordinator of the offseason was Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason naming himself defensive coordinator.
The offense has been inconsistent in year two.
Luckily for Mason, though, Ralph Webb is around to be the workhorse at running back for the Commodores.
With freshman Kyle Shurmur going the whole way at quarterback, Mason needed Webb to set the tone against Kentucky, and he came through with flying colors. Webb finished the afternoon with 33 carries for 113 tough yards in a 21-17 win for the 'Dores.
"Ralph Webb with another first down. He is over 100 yards for 3rd time this year. 1st time with back-to-back 100-yd games.
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 15, 2015"
Very quietly, Webb has become one of the best backs in the entire conference. If Mason's defense continues to evolve and Mason can find a quarterback, year three might be interesting in the Music City.
Alabama Front Seven
7 of 10
Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott will probably be spending some time in the hot tub, cold tub and just about every kind of tub on Sunday, because he was battered and bruised by a relentless Alabama front seven that racked up nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss in Alabama's 31-6 win over the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa.
"Alabama’s front 7 is scary, Alabama’s front 7 with a 21 point lead is legally banned in 34 states.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) November 14, 2015"
What's scary is there wasn't really one star.
Jonathan Allen had a team-high three sacks, fellow defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson had 2.5, and Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams each had two for the Tide. They were so good that Allen even got a piece of his own head coach.
"Saban said Jonathan Allen barreled into him on his way to the sideline. That caused the scar on his face.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) November 15, 2015"
It's an old adage that holds true for this year's Alabama team—to win games, you have to run the ball and stop the run. Saban's crew did both incredibly well Saturday afternoon.
Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk
8 of 10
Texas A&M needed a spark from somewhere—anywhere—to kick-start its offense. It came from the guy who provided it in September.
True freshman receiver Christian Kirk was a stud on Saturday night in College Station in Texas A&M's 41-17 win over Western Carolina, catching nine passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns and returning two kickoffs for 30 yards and one punt for 46 yards.
"Welcome back, Christian Kirk! Great game...despite the fumble-6. Caught career-high 9 balls for 122 yards and 2 TDs.
— Gabe Bock (@GabeBock) November 15, 2015"
Despite the quarterback issues, Kirk has been one of the more reliable weapons in the arsenal for head coach Kevin Sumlin. With Speedy Noil and Josh Reynolds both suspended for violation of team rules on Saturday night, it needed to become the Christian Kirk Show.
The Arizona native delivered.
Arkansas LB Dre Greenlaw
9 of 10
The Arkansas defense came to play Saturday night in Death Valley, and it was linebacker Dre Greenlaw doing the most damage.
The 6'0", 222-pound freshman racked up 12 tackles, had one sack and forced a fumble by LSU quarterback Brandon Harris in the 31-14 win in Death Valley.
"With 12 tackles on the night, @DreGreenlaw led the Hogs against LSU and now moves in to the team lead on the year with 84 tackles. #WPS
— RazorCoverage (@RazorCoverage) November 15, 2015"
Arkansas needed to find playmakers on its defense after the departure of key players from last year's squad, and the future looks bright for Greenlaw. If he can build on this performance, he'll be a star in no time for the surprising Razorbacks.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry
10 of 10
Derrick Henry's Heisman Trophy campaign?
Yep, it's alive and well.
After getting off to a slow start against Mississippi State, Henry broke loose and ripped off a 74-yard touchdown scamper straight up the gut to give the Crimson Tide a 21-3 lead late in the first half in a game they eventually won 31-6.
Later in the game, Henry cruised 65 yards for his second score of the game to all but cement his spot in New York City as a Heisman finalist.
"Alabama fans are chanting "Heisman, Heisman" after Derrick Henry's touchdown run.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 14, 2015"
The Heisman Trophy is won and lost in November. Henry rolled up 204 yards against the Bulldogs and has topped the 200-yard mark in both of his games during the final month of the season.
Go ahead and book those hotel rooms in New York.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. 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")
