SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 12
Week 12 in the SEC was supposed to be "cupcake Saturday."
Instead, The Citadel stole all the cupcakes from South Carolina, Florida Atlantic had several off the plate in its overtime loss to Florida, and Georgia Southern nearly stole the whole bakery in an overtime loss at Georgia.
On top of that, LSU stumbled to its third straight loss—a 38-17 debacle at the hands of Ole Miss.
Who had the best performances of the week in the SEC? Our picks based on output and importance to the team are in this slideshow.
Arkansas QB Brandon Allen
1 of 10
Arkansas looked lost in September. New offensive coordinator Dan Enos was lost, quarterback Brandon Allen was essentially a game manager, and the Razorbacks were on a crash course with a two- or three-win season.
And then Allen turned into Tom Brady, Enos found his play-calling groove, and Arkansas became a force to be reckoned with.
The senior signal-caller for the Hogs threw for 407 yards, tossed seven touchdown passes and caught a two-point conversion pass in the 51-50 loss to Mississippi State in Fayetteville Saturday night.
"Arkansas' Brandon Allen becomes first QB this season to throw for 400 Yds & 7 TD. pic.twitter.com/XuEVHteIok
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) November 22, 2015"
It wasn't too long ago when Arkansas fans were clamoring for somebody to replace Allen, and somebody went so far as to egg his truck. Now, there's egg on that vandal's face, as Allen as emerged as one of the nation's best quarterbacks.
South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper
2 of 10
South Carolina fell to The Citadel 23-22 Saturday afternoon, but don't blame wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.
He did all he could to prevent the embarrassment from happening.
Cooper caught 11 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown in the loss and had the potential game-winning touchdown called back on fourth down with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a 94-yard catch and run due to a questionable illegal-procedure penalty.
"All this being said... I'd really like to see the All-22 of that TD pass to Pharoh Cooper that was called back for a #Gamecocks false start.
— Daren Stoltzfus (@DarenStoltzfus) November 21, 2015"
It's a shame that South Carolina's season has tanked, because Cooper will likely go down as one of the more underrated players in SEC history. He is eligible for the draft following this season and has still had a phenomenal season despite being essentially the only weapon on the Gamecocks offense.
Florida DB Jalen Tabor
3 of 10
In a perfect world for Florida head coach Jim McElwain, he probably didn't want one of his impact starting defensive backs to have a say in the outcome of Florida's game against Florida Atlantic.
It's not a perfect world, though, and defensive back Jalen Tabor was the most important player on the field in the Gators' 20-14 overtime victory over the Owls.
The sophomore had four tackles, broke up five—yes, five—passes and wrestled an interception away from an Owls receiver in the fourth quarter with the Gators clinging to a 14-7 lead. Not bad on any day, much less with star corner Vernon Hargreaves III out of action.
"While Vernon Hagreaves is in the training room, Jalen Tabor is putting on a show today for #Gators
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) November 21, 2015"
While Florida's offense is a work in progress (which is putting it nicely), its defense is loaded with stars. Tabor shined brightest Saturday.
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Georgia RB Sony Michel
4 of 10
Georgia's passing game has been a constant struggle for head coach Mark Richt this year, and that problem became exaggerated with the loss of starting running back Nick Chubb in October.
No worries, though. Sony Michel is there to save the day.
The sophomore rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown in the 23-17 Bulldogs victory in overtime over Georgia Southern. Michel put the game away with a 25-yard scamper in the bottom of the lone overtime frame to end what became quite a scare between the hedges.
"Good blocking was the key to Sony's touchdown," head coach Mark Richt said, according to the school's official site. "He hit the crease and he hit it full speed. He split the safeties and had the speed to take it to the house."
Michel isn't the same kind of back as Chubb, but he's getting the job done for a team that still has hopes of notching its fourth 10-win season over the last five years.
Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly
5 of 10
Ole Miss still has hope in the SEC West but needed to take advantage of a reeling LSU Tigers squad that limped into Oxford as losers of two straight.
Quarterback Chad Kelly did just that.
The junior from Buffalo, New York, threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 81 yards and two more scores and lit up a Tigers defense that clearly couldn't handle his dual-threat capabilities.
"If Chad Kelly keeps playing this hard & flipping out, Ole Miss fans can #LeaveWorryBehind! #HottyToddy https://t.co/QNzdT5Ecmi
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) November 22, 2015"
The Rebels need to take care of Mississippi State in next week's Egg Bowl and get help from Auburn, which hosts Alabama, if they're going to make their first SEC Championship Game appearance in program history. Kelly is a big reason why they're in the discussion in late November, and he played his tail off Saturday afternoon in Oxford.
Alabama DB/PR Cyrus Jones
6 of 10
Nothing ran through a tin horn Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. In fact, defensive back and punt returner Cyrus Jones ran through FCS foe Charleston Southern en route to Alabama's 56-6 win.
Jones returned two punts for touchdowns—one for 43 yards and another for 72, recovered an option pitch and notched three tackles for loss for the surging Crimson Tide.
"Cyrus Jones (@CyJones_) can do it all. He just scooped up an option pitch for a turnover. Wonder if he'll make an appearance on offense too.
— Alex Byington (@abyingtonTD) November 21, 2015"
That gives Jones three punt returns for touchdowns on the season—one in which he has established himself as one of the best special teams weapons in the country in addition to contributing solid work in the defensive backfield.
"Cyrus has got really good running skills as he was a receiver when he first came here, and he did a really good job at that," head coach Nick Saban said in quotes emailed by Alabama. "Last two weeks, we’ve made some big plays in the punt return game, and I think that’s something that we want to continue to build on.”
Auburn RB Jovon Robinson
7 of 10
Auburn was desperately searching for an offensive identity throughout the majority of the season, and when running back Peyton Barber got banged up, somebody had to step up.
Jovon Robinson did.
The junior college transfer has been awesome for the Tigers over the last three weeks, and he put up 99 more yards and a touchdown in their 56-34 win over Idaho on Saturday afternoon.
"Just a different bounce to the Auburn offense when Jovon Robinson's in the backfield. Tigers now up 21-10.
— Kevin Scarbinsky (@KevinScarbinsky) November 21, 2015"
His physical running style is perfect for head coach Gus Malzahn's power attack out of the spread, which thrives with tempo and takes advantage of worn-out defenses. With the quarterback situation still up in the air, Robinson gives Auburn a nice insurance policy.
Will that matter in next week's Iron Bowl? It'll take Robinson's best effort to give his team a chance, but he's peaking at the right time.
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
8 of 10
All Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott did was throw for 508 yards, toss five touchdowns, run for two more and lead his team to one of the most thrilling wins of the season—a 51-50 shootout over Arkansas in Fayetteville.
According to Mississippi State's postgame notes, that makes Prescott just the fourth player in FBS history to pass for 60 touchdowns and rush for 40 touchdowns in a career. He joins Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan (2006-09), Tim Tebow of Florida (2006-09) and Colin Kaepernick of Nevada (2007-10).
Where does that put him in the mind of Mullen?
"Dan Mullen on Dak Prescott: "I'd say he might be the best player I've ever coached. If you look at my resume, that's pretty impressive."
— Bob Carskadon (@bobcarskadon) November 22, 2015"
Keep in mind that Mullen also coached Tebow when he was the offensive coordinator of the Gators under Urban Meyer. Through the air or on the ground, Prescott will go down as an SEC legend, and he proved why on Saturday night in northwest Arkansas.
Texas A&M S Armani Watts
9 of 10
Very quietly, Texas A&M safety has been putting together an All-SEC-caliber year for the Aggies.
The sophomore notched nine more tackles including one for a loss in the 25-0 shutout at Vanderbilt, which gives him 105 on the season and makes him the first Aggies defensive back since 2003 to break the 100-tackle mark, according to game notes emailed by the school.
Former Aggies wide receiver Terrence Murphy is impressed:
"Armani Watts is a animal. Plays my kind of ball. @GGPR_BANGER5
— Terrence Murphy™ (@TerrenceRealtor) November 22, 2015"
The Texas A&M defense under first-year coordinator John Chavis has had its ups and downs this year, but regardless of what's going on up front, Watts has held down the back end. He's a big reason why the Aggies will find their way to a decent bowl and a big reason why they shut out Vanderbilt Saturday night.
Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd
10 of 10
The downfield passing attack wasn't really clicking for Tennessee during Saturday night's 19-8 win at Missouri, but luckily running back Jalen Hurd brought his game to Columbia.
The sophomore took 34 carries, gained 151 yards and paced the Volunteers to their seventh victory of the season.
"JONES: Jalen Hurd ran hard. He squared his shoulders and turned upfield. Our offensive line opened holes.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 22, 2015"
It was the fourth 100-yard game of the season for Hurd, who also became the first true sophomore in program history to top the 1,000-yard mark in a single season, according to game notes emailed by Tennessee.
When you combine Hurd with the run ability of fellow running back Alvin Kamara and the dual-threat capabilities of quarterback Joshua Dobbs, this Tennessee ground attack is tough to stop.
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")
