SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 13
It seems like only yesterday that the assembled members of the media gathered in Hoover, Alabama, for media days, and here we are in late November with rivalry week in the books.
During the final weekend of the regular season, one star running back made his Heisman Trophy case, another wrapped up his regular season in style and bragging rights were earned throughout the region.
Who had the best performances of Week 13?
Our picks based on statistical output, importance to the outcome of games and individual effort are in this slideshow.
Alabama QB Jake Coker
1 of 10
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker grew up in a family divided by the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Something tells me the Auburn Tigers side of his family isn't very happy with him at the moment.
The Mobile, Alabama, native completed 17 of his 26 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown in Alabama's 29-13 win over Auburn. What's more, he did his best work outside of the pocket, continually evaded an Auburn pass rush that was consistently in his face and came up with a clutch touchdown throw to ArDarius Stewart on the run early in the third quarter.
"Jake Coker is like car insurance. Not exciting, but clutch when you need it.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) November 28, 2015"
Coker is the perfect quarterback for this offense. He's tough as nails, comes up big when the team needs him to and doesn't force the issue and put his team in tough spots. As a result, his Crimson Tide will take on Florida in the 2015 SEC Championship Game next week in Atlanta.
Georgia RB Sony Michel
2 of 10
Despite squaring off with a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team that boasts the run-heavy triple option attack, Georgia running back Sony Michel was the star of the show in "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate."
The sophomore from Florida rushed 24 times for 149 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs' 13-7 win over the Yellow Jackets.
"Sony Michel has been very good this year in his role. He has another gear
— Rusty Mansell (@Mansell247) November 28, 2015"
With the performance, Michel broke the 1,000-yard mark on the season and finished the 2015 regular season with 1,076 and a bowl game still to be played.
His emergence as a reliable every-down running back has been important for the Bulldogs, who lost star tailback Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 10 vs. Tennessee.
Auburn WR Jason Smith
3 of 10In what seems like a prerequisite in late-season home games against rivals, Auburn went "full-Auburn" in the Iron Bowl.
Late in the third quarter while down two scores and facing a 3rd-and-12, Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson hit receiver Jason Smith over the middle. Smith tipped the ball twice, caught the last tip in stride and took it to the house to bring Auburn within one score and swing momentum back to the Tigers' sideline.
It was a play that was eerily reminiscent of the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare"—the 4th-and-long prayer late in Auburn's 2013 victory over Georgia in which two Bulldog players tipped a long touchdown to wide receiver Ricardo Louis.
The acrobatic play from Smith kept the Tigers close to their rivals entering the fourth quarter and was one of the top individual plays of the season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Ole Miss DB Tony Bridges
4 of 10
The Ole Miss Rebels jumped out to a big early lead on the cross-state rival Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi, and then held on for a 38-27 win over the Bulldogs.
Cornerback Tony Bridges was a big reason why the Rebels were in control.
He picked off a Dak Prescott pass and returned it 45 yards for a pick-six late in the first quarter to extend the Rebels' lead to 21-0 and put Prescott in a hole that he was incapable of digging out of.
"Former (MGCCC) JUCO Star CB Tony Bridges with the Pic Six #JUCOPRODUCT https://t.co/RovAUnjo80
— JUCO Football Frenzy (@JUCOFFrenzy) November 29, 2015"
It was a huge win for Ole Miss, which looked like the defense of old early in the Egg Bowl. Now at 9-3, they have a shot at earning a New Year's Six bowl berth for the second straight season and, at the very worst, will wind up in Orlando in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
After injuries contributed to their midseason swoon, head coach Hugh Freeze's crew has come on strong and wrapped up the regular season on a high note.
Arkansas RB Alex Collins
5 of 10
Cold? Rain?
No problem for Arkansas Razorbacks running back Alex Collins.
All he did was tote the rock 30 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-3 demolition of the Missouri Tigers on Friday afternoon in soggy Fayetteville, Arkansas.
"I grabbed him in pregame and told him through the course of the week and let him know that if the weather pans out the way it looks, that we are going to ride him," head coach Bret Bielema said in quotes emailed by Arkansas. "It was fun to see him have that kind of a game."
It was needed.
The weather made passing a challenge, even for the suddenly pass-happy Hogs, who had been slinging it all over the field in the month in November. In the final game of the regular season, Arkansas went old school with Collins, who was up for the challenge.
South Carolina WR Pharoh Cooper
6 of 10
South Carolina Gamecocks junior wide receiver Pharoh Cooper walked with the seniors on "Senior Day," and while he didn't lead his team in receiving in the 37-32 loss to the No. 1 Clemson Tigers, he did give the fans in Columbia a fine performance on his way out the door to the NFL.
Cooper caught four passes for 86 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown from quarterback Perry Orth to keep the showdown with the in-state rival Tigers close for a full four quarters.
"Pharoh Cooper sure has been fun to watch.
— Jay Philips (@JayPhilips1075) November 28, 2015"
While South Carolina got buried in the headlines after former head coach Steve Spurrier's resignation, all Cooper did was keep chugging along despite not having much of an offense around him. He finished his junior season with 973 yards, eight touchdowns and one special place in Gamecock football history.
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
7 of 10
The month of tumult in Baton Rouge is over now that head coach Les Miles will remain as the LSU Tigers' head coach, and to celebrate, star running back Leonard Fournette decided to set some records.
The sophomore sensation from New Orleans rushed 32 times for 159 yards and a touchdown in the 19-7 win over the Texas A&M Aggies, finished the regular season with 1,741 rushing yards in just 11 games and made LSU history in the process.
"Leonard Fournette has broken LSU's school record for most rushing yards in a single season. pic.twitter.com/6fVd0b62I1
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) November 29, 2015"
What's even more impressive is that Fournette has done so with a spotlight on him from Day 1 and enough attention from opposing defenses to fill Tiger Stadium.
It didn't matter.
Fournette made history and kept his coach employed on a memorable night in Death Valley.
Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
8 of 10
One look at the box score of the Tennessee Volunteers's 53-28 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores and you'll immediately think "no defense."
Wrong.
Tennessee actually played well on the defensive side of the ball, with reliable sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett doing the most damage. Barnett finished the afternoon with five tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and one safety, upping his season sack total to nine after notching 10 as a freshman in 2014.
"[ESPN Video] K. Shurmur sacked by D. Barnett for -5 yds for a SAFETY: Kyle Shurmur sacked by Derek Barn... https://t.co/xoYuLNZgex #Vols
— Tennessee Vols (@BR_Volunteers) November 29, 2015"
There are a lot of weapons returning on both sides of the ball for the 2016 Vols, and if Barnett can carry this momentum into next season, he should be in consideration for preseason All-American honors as a junior.
Florida DB Keanu Neal
9 of 10
The Florida Gators needed every bit of their defense clicking at an elite level in order to hang with the Florida State Seminoles in their 27-2 loss on Saturday, and defensive back Keanu Neal was a big reason why the Gators hung around despite the absence of any kind of offense.
The Bushnell, Florida, native registered nine tackles and one sack for defensive coordinator Geoff Collins' crew, including this bone-jarring hit on Seminole running back Dalvin Cook.
"Dalvin Cook runs straight into Keanu Neal. Neal doesn't budge. He and Jarrad Davis bring Cook to the ground. 3rd down.
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) November 29, 2015"
It was a great season for the Gator defense, but it can't do it all by itself. Neal tried his best, though, in what was a solid performance for the junior.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry
10 of 10
Alabama running back Derrick Henry was like the old Energizer bunny on Saturday afternoon vs. Auburn—he just kept going, and going, and going and going.
The junior from Yulee, Florida, finished the 29-13 win with a career high 46 carries for 271 yards and a touchdown that served as the icing on the Iron Bowl cake.
As Aaron Suttles of TideSports.com noted, those stats only tell part of the story.
"Stat you should know: Derrick Henry ran the ball 46 times and was only stopped for a loss once.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 29, 2015"
While the individual performance was special, Henry also ran his way into the Crimson Tide record book.
"Derrick Henry is now Alabama's single season rushing leader passing Trent Richardson's 1,679.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) November 28, 2015"
Heisman Trophies are won and lost in November, and the Iron Bowl was Henry's third 200-yard performance this month. That sound you hear off in the distance is Henry's ticket being punched to New York as a finalist for college football's most prestigious individual award.
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")
