SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 4
With September nearing an end, several teams established themselves as legitimate SEC contenders Saturday thanks to statement wins in Week 4.
In the SEC East, Tennessee looks to be the clear favorite after overcoming a slow start and recent history to down Florida 38-28. The Volunteers finally started rolling on both sides of the ball after spotting the Gators a 21-point lead, as all of the preseason hype for Tennessee seemed to finally manifest itself in the second half at Neyland Stadium.
Mississippi and Texas A&M look to be the only threats to knock off Alabama from its SEC West throne after monster wins. The Rebels annihilated Georgia 45-14 behind an offensive explosion, and the Aggies continued their stellar all-around play with a 45-24 win over a stout Arkansas team.
Players on these teams certainly had some memorable performances, but so did guys on other squads throughout the league. Fantastic quarterback play was the headline of the day, but explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball stood out as well.
With that in mind, let us take a look at the SEC's top performers in Week 4. As always, this list is based off of statistical output as well as the impact of that player's outing for his team moving forward.
Honorable Mentions
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With September nearing an end, several teams established themselves as legitimate SEC contenders Saturday thanks to statement wins in Week 4.
In the SEC East, Tennessee looks to be the clear favorite after overcoming a slow start and recent history to down Florida 38-28. The Volunteers finally started rolling on both sides of the ball after spotting the Gators a 21-point lead, as all of the preseason hype for Tennessee seemed to finally manifest itself in the second half at Neyland Stadium.
Mississippi and Texas A&M look to be the only threats to knock off Alabama from its SEC West throne after monster wins. The Rebels annihilated Georgia 45-14 behind an offensive explosion, and the Aggies continued their stellar all-around play with a 45-24 win over a stout Arkansas team.
Players on these teams certainly had some memorable performances, but so did guys on other squads throughout the league. Fantastic quarterback play was the headline of the day, but explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball stood out as well.
With that in mind, let us take a look at the SEC's top performers in Week 4. As always, this list is based off of statistical output as well as the impact of that player's outing for his team moving forward.
QB Austin Allen, Arkansas Razorbacks
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Arkansas has proven itself to be a very good football team through one month of the season as it went into Fort Worth and beat TCU in Week 2 and battled well with Texas A&M on Saturday. Quarterback Austin Allen has been a catalyst for that effort.
Despite taking a beating all night from the Aggies, Allen was excellent as he nearly willed his team to victory. He finished with 371 yards and two touchdowns on 28-of-42 passing. He did so under tremendous pressure, as the Aggies were in the Arkansas backfield all night with a sack, multiple quarterback hurries and 10 players recording at least a half of a tackle for loss.
Per ESPN's Holly Rowe (via SB Nation), Allen also suffered a bruised chest muscle during the game, but he continued to push through to put together a great night. The Razorbacks definitely have a baller at quarterback, and the team could push for 10 wins this season as a result.
DE Derek Barnett, Tennessee Volunteers
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Tennessee came alive in the second half against Florida with an enormous defensive effort, particularly along the defensive line.
Derek Barnett entered this season as one of the premier pass-rushers in the SEC, and he showed why Saturday. He finished with five total tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss as he helped push the Volunteers past the Gators.
This is a huge win for Tennessee for its SEC East hopes, and Barnett was a main piece in the triumph. If he and the Volunteers can find this type of performance on a weekly basis, they will certainly contend for a conference and national title.
Statistics are courtesy of Tennessee athletics.
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K Daniel Carlson, Auburn Tigers
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How does a team beat LSU without a single touchdown? Having one of the best kicking games in the country certainly helps.
Daniel Carlson lifted the entire Auburn team Saturday, nailing all six of his field goal attempts to give the Tigers a thrilling 18-13 win. Carlson hit three 29-yard kicks to go with conversions from 31, 37 and 51 yards out.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn heaped praise on his kicker following the win, per 247Sports' Ryan Black.
"Daniel is the best kicker in college football. I think he confirmed that tonight. What did he make, a 50-yarder? And then he made some pressure kicks in the fourth quarter. Those are the hardest ones. I don’t care how far it is when you’re taking the lead. He kicked every one in the end zone. We were worried about their returners. He’s a huge weapon and he came through tonight and helped us win the game.
"
Auburn is struggling a bit offensively this season, averaging 24.5 points per game, which is tied for 99th nationally. With that in mind, it is not unrealistic to think Carlson is the Tigers' best offensive player.
Statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.
QB Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee Volunteers
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Tennessee's defense was huge in its win, but the play of quarterback Joshua Dobbs was just as instrumental.
Against a tremendous Florida defense, Dobbs recovered from a shaky first half to turn in one of the best performances of the week. The senior threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns to go with 80 yards and a score rushing. He used his dual-threat ability extremely well, which makes him one of the more difficult quarterbacks to defend in college football.
Dobbs' 50 percent completion rate and two picks could have been better Saturday, but he was unstoppable in the second half, which bodes well for Tennessee moving forward.
DL Darius English, South Carolina Gamecocks
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South Carolina struggled mightily on offense in its 17-10 loss to Kentucky, amounting just 268 yards against a Wildcats unit that allowed over 40 points in its three previous games. Yet some Gamecocks played well enough defensively to give the team a chance to pull out a win.
Defensive lineman Darius English led this charge, as he created havoc all night. The senior racked up eight total tackles to go with three sacks and a forced fumble. South Carolina could be in for a long season, but the defense should be solid moving forward behind English and defensive back Chris Lammons.
Statistics are courtesy of South Carolina athletics.
QB Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State has been a team with immense struggles in consistency, and that was on full display in a 47-35 win over Massachusetts. This also applies to the team's quarterback position.
Nick Fitzgerald was excellent in Week 2 but then was benched last week against LSU. He arose again on Saturday with a stout dual-threat effort. He threw for 299 yards and three scores while also rushing for 110 yards.
The performance seemed to help Fitzgerald's confidence, per Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger.
“I think (my comfort level) increases every day,” Fitzgerald said. “My comfortability with my teammates increases. Just everything overall.”
This could be huge for Mississippi State's fortunes this season, as it will need Fitzgerald to play well to reach a bowl game.
QB Chad Kelly, Mississippi Rebels
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Chad Kelly entered this season as arguably the top passer in the SEC and proved this against a hapless Georgia defense.
Kelly was pretty much flawless Saturday, displaying elite arm strength and ruthless efficiency to guide the Rebels to a dominating win. With only about three quarters of playing time, Kelly finished 18-of-24 for 282 yards and two touchdowns throwing while leading Ole Miss in rushing with 53 yards and a touchdown.
This is the complete offensive performance this team was looking for after blowing leads of at least 21 points to Alabama and Florida State earlier this season. The Rebels should definitely be considered a factor in the SEC West moving forward.
QB Trevor Knight, Texas A&M Aggies
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The rest of college football needs to be put on notice, because Texas A&M is a legitimate national championship contender.
The team boasts a fast and physical defense, but its offense is now rolling thanks to a slew of playmakers and its emerging star quarterback.
Trevor Knight operated the Aggies offense to perfection Saturday, turning in a monstrous performance of 225 yards and two touchdowns passing and 157 yards and two scores rushing. Texas A&M has an outstanding receiving group, which Knight is utilizing well in addition to making plays with his legs.
He continues to become more comfortable, which makes Texas A&M one of the most complete teams in the nation.
QB Drew Lock, Missouri Tigers
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The quarterback trend continues on this list, and while it is not ideal to a have so many players at the same position featured, there is no way to ignore the massive performances the previous signal-callers and Missouri's Drew Lock put on Saturday.
Lock seems to have officially broken out for Missouri, posting his third consecutive outing of over 300 yards passing. The sophomore went for 402 yards and five touchdowns in an absolute rout of Delaware State. The Tigers cruised into halftime with a 58-0 lead before winning 79-0.
The Tigers have one of the more explosive aerial attacks in the country, which could allow them to sneak up on some teams in the SEC East this season.
WR J'Mon Moore, Missouri Tigers
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Who was the main beneficiary of Lock's performance? J'Mon Moore, who lands on this list for the second straight week.
Moore was a wrecking ball all afternoon, bringing in eight catches for 114 yards and four touchdowns. The junior already has 26 receptions, 434 yards and six touchdowns receiving this season, which makes him an early favorite to earn All-SEC honors at his position.
RB Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt Commodores
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LSU's Leonard Fournette receives most of the attention at running back in the SEC, but Vanderbilt's Ralph Webb is quietly one of the conference's best rushers.
Defenses center their game plans around Webb when facing the Commodores, but he continues to produce. Webb ran for 95 bruising yards on 27 carries while finding the end zone three times to lead his team to a win over Western Kentucky.
Any chance Vanderbilt has at earning a bowl bid falls on Webb's shoulders, and he proved once again he is capable of carrying the offense for head coach Derek Mason.
RB Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M Aggies
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Texas A&M already had the dynamic receivers to go with a quality quarterback. Now, it appears the Aggies can boast a sensational running game as well.
Freshman Trayveon Williams broke the century mark for the second straight week, this time roasting the Arkansas defense with a dazzling display of speed and elusiveness to turn in a big play seemingly every time he touched the ball. Williams finished with 153 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries.
Williams gives the Aggies a home run threat to go with its bruising rusher Keith Ford. This offense is downright scary, as it can score a ton of points in a variety of fashions. With Williams' emergence, Texas A&M has an additional weapon to threaten defenses down the road.
All offensive statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise noted.
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