SEC Football: Best Performances from Week 6
The Week 6 SEC schedule was light, with only four games on Saturday and one on Sunday, but it certainly did not lack any excitement.
The Tennessee Volunteers were once again involved in the game of the day, as they traveled to take on Texas A&M in a battle of conference heavyweights. The Aggies were in control for most of the afternoon, but the road team staged an epic comeback as it scored with under a minute left after Malik Foreman forced a fumble that went for a touchback.
However, Tennessee ran out of magic and Texas A&M was able to prevail 45-38 in double overtime.
Several of the week's top performances definitely came from this game, but others also balled out in the SEC's remaining matchups.
Alabama rolled over Arkansas 49-30 thanks to some dynamite defensive play, Auburn established itself as a player in the SEC West with its 38-14 thrashing of Mississippi State, and Kentucky outlasted Vanderbilt 20-13 in a defensive struggle.
Let us now take a look at which SEC players turned in extraordinary outings in Week 6. As always, this list is based on statistical output and the impact of the player's performance on his team moving forward.
Honorable Mentions
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- DT Montravius Adams, Auburn
- QB Austin Allen, Arkansas
- QB Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
- S Justin Evans, Texas A&M
- CB Taurean Ferguson, Vanderbilt
- DE Tim Williams, Alabama
The players above put on solid performances on Saturday, but each just missed out on making this list for various reasons.
Montravius Adams is already one of the SEC's top interior lineman, as he is able to stuff the run with his size and strength while also having enough quickness to pressure opposing quarterbacks. On Saturday, he was a magnet for loose balls, recovering two fumbles on the day, including one he returned 22 yards for a score to seal the game near the end of the first half. Yet fumble recoveries were his only meaningful contributions on the day, as he totaled two tackles otherwise.
There may not be a tougher quarterback in the SEC, or all of college football for that matter, than Arkansas' Austin Allen. He again took a beating on Saturday, this time from the vaunted Alabama defensive front, but he still kept his team in the game with 400 yards and three touchdowns passing. Turnovers are the reason Allen only earns a mention this week, as he threw three picks, one of which was returned for six points, and lost a fumble that was also returned for a score.
Joshua Dobbs is in a similar boat, as he continues to will his team back from late deficits every week. He went for 398 yards and a passing touchdown to go with 57 rushing yards. However, turnovers also doomed the senior, as he threw a pair of interceptions and was part of Tennessee losing five fumbles on the day.
Justin Evans is part of Texas A&M's phenomenal defense, and he was strong again on Saturday. He led the team with 11 total tackles while also coming down with an interception, but another teammate slightly outshone him in the secondary.
The last two mentions did not make the final cut for similar reasons. Taurean Ferguson returned a fumble 22 yards for a touchdown, but he did not do much else on the stat sheet. Tim Williams also returned a fumble for a score, and while he also had a sack on the day, that was his only tackle.
LB Richie Brown, Mississippi State
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Mississippi State was throttled by Auburn's offense, as the Tigers rushed for 228 yards in Starkville. But linebacker Richie Brown did his part to try and slow down the road team.
Brown led all SEC defenders in Week 6 with 14 total tackles from his spot at the heart of the Bulldogs defense. He also forced a fumble, but it was not enough for his team to pose any kind of threat against Auburn.
Mississippi State's defense, led by possible All-SEC candidate Brown, ranks a decent 46th nationally in total yards allowed per game. However, its offense struggles against quality competition, which was evident in its 289-yard performance against Auburn. This puts a huge burden on the defense, so the Bulldogs will need production like this from Brown seemingly every week.
Mississippi State defensive statistics are courtesy of its athletics department.
DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama
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Alabama's defense once again put on a show on Saturday, as it forced five turnovers against Arkansas. One man was responsible for over half of that production.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was all over the field for the Crimson Tide. He recorded three interceptions, including one he ran back for 100 yards for a score to ice the game in fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick also contributed five total tackles from his defensive back spot. Alabama allowed Allen to throw for 400 yards, so it was not a shining day for the secondary. However, Fitzpatrick was the only player in the secondary to earn praise from head coach Nick Saban, per 247Sports' Charlie Potter.
“I think he had a fantastic game,” Saban said. “Making those big plays are something that certainly has an impact on the game. The 14 points from the defense was pretty significant in this game, and Minkah made three big plays, really big plays.”
Alabama consistently churns out stud defensive back prospects, and it looks like Fitzpatrick is among those players.
Alabama defensive statistics are courtesy of its athletics department.
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Georgia's Running Backs
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Georgia was able to take down South Carolina 28-14 on Sunday, as the game was moved due to weather. Quarterback Jacob Eason completed just 29 percent of his throws for a pitiful 29 yards and an interception, so how did the Bulldogs put up so many points?
Well, the running game finally got going again, as Nick Chubb was back to form after being hobbled the last two weeks. The dynamic junior carried the ball 16 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, but he did not gash the Gamecocks alone. Sony Michel also had a big day, going for 133 yards on 21 rushes.
Moving forward, Georgia will undoubtedly lean on this rushing duo. The Bulldogs had lost two straight coming into this one, and Chubb being limited was a main reason why. He showed Sunday that when healthy, Georgia can control games on the ground, which is huge for any lingering SEC East prospects the team still has.
QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama
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Despite being the consensus top team in college football, Alabama is continuing to improve thanks to the development of its freshman quarterback.
In a hostile road environment against a good Arkansas team, Jalen Hurts paced the Crimson Tide offense. He displayed his dual-threat ability again, going 13-of-17 for 253 yards and two passing touchdowns with 20 yards and two rushing scores.
Hurts did throw an interception, so he was not perfect on Saturday, but he has certainly proven he possesses the poise to lead Alabama to wins in big games, with his Week 6 play being just another example.
LB Colton Jumper, Tennessee
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Stars like Derek Barnett, Khalil McKenzie and the now-injured Cam Sutton get most of the attention on Tennessee's defense, but Colton Jumper is the glue that keeps this unit together.
The junior is always among the leading tacklers for the Volunteers, and he was all over the field again at Texas A&M. He racked up 10 total tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception to help spearhead Tennessee's comeback effort.
If he continues his play from the first half of the season, Jumper could definitely sneak into the all-conference selections by the end of the year.
Tennessee defensive statistics are courtesy of its athletics department.
RB Alvin Kamara, Tennessee
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Tennessee entered this game without top running back Jalen Hurd, but its all-purpose star rose to the occasion to finish with arguably the SEC's best performance of the weekend.
Alvin Kamara carried the Volunteers offense, coming up with huge plays all afternoon. He finished with 18 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns rushing while adding eight catches for 161 yards and the late score that sent the game to overtime. Kamara also handled return duties, totaling 24 yards on kick and punt returns.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones was nearly at a loss for words when describing the impact of Kamara's performance to his team's effort, per Grant Ramey of the Tennessean.
“What can I say about Alvin?” Jones asked. “From running the football and also receiving the football, but also from a punt-return standpoint too.
“His grittiest performance of his career, at least being at Tennessee.”
Kamara is typically used in a complementary role to Hurd, but his play Saturday put the rest of the conference on notice of his elite talents. He should definitely be in line for more touches moving forward, with or without Hurd.
QB Trevor Knight, Texas A&M
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Texas A&M entered Saturday's game having posted a 5-0 start for the third straight season, but the previous two years ended with 8-5 records. The Aggies look poised to break that mold after another big win in Week 6, and its quarterback is a key reason why.
Trevor Knight displayed the grit and leadership Texas A&M's previous signal-callers were missing as he willed his team to victory. The graduate transfer from Oklahoma was nearly unstoppable, going for 239 yards and two touchdowns throwing and 110 yards and three scores rushing. He also powered into the end zone on what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown in double overtime.
Knight did throw two picks while completing 17 of his 34 passes, so there is still plenty of room for improvement as his completion rate has hovered around 50 percent all season. Yet he still looks comfortable in this offense, and Saturday showed that he is capable of leading the Aggies on a College Football Playoff run.
DE Carl Lawson, Auburn
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One of the early surprises in the SEC has been the play of Auburn's defense. The unit is fast and physical and looks like one the conference's best. The health of Carl Lawson is undoubtedly a main reason for this.
Lawson has struggled with injuries in each of the past two seasons, but the junior has played in every game this season and is looking like the dominant pass-rusher the team expected. The junior recorded his second straight game with multiple sacks, racking up two against Mississippi State. He also forced the fumble that was returned by Adams.
Lawson looks primed to land on the All-SEC list at season's end, which should precede a first-round selection in the NFL draft. Auburn has a chance to play spoiler in the SEC West if its top player can remain healthy through the second half of the year.
RB Kamryn Pettway, Auburn
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Kerryon Johnson left the Mississippi State game early with an injury, but Auburn fared just fine without its top rusher.
Running back Kamryn Pettway carried a heavy load while running all over the Bulldogs. He finished with 169 yards and three touchdowns on a startling 39 rushing attempts. The sophomore wore down the defense with power rushes between the tackles, but he also showed some pep by bouncing some runs outside.
The extent of Johnson's injury is not yet known, but the Tigers showed they still have a capable rusher, which is vital to the success of the offense.
S Armani Watts, Texas A&M
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With the game on the line in double overtime, Texas A&M needed somebody to step up defensively and end Tennessee's Cinderella run of comebacks. Armani Watts was that guy.
On the Volunteers' first play of double overtime, Watts baited Dobbs into a throw down the middle over the linebackers, and the junior stepped in front of the pass to end the game. The pick not only sealed the win on Saturday, but it firmly established the Aggies as a national title threat.
Watts was an impact player all afternoon. He finished with nine total tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and the game-winning interception. The star safety came through in his team's biggest game of this early season, and he made the difference for Texas A&M.
RB Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M
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Traditionally a passing-focused team under head coach Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M has moved to a run-first scheme in large part because of the emergence of a star freshman running back.
Trayveon Williams was a force again on Saturday, with his blend of blazing speed and quick cuts proving to be no match for Tennessee's defense. He went for 217 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, averaging a stout 7.8 yards per rush.
His fumble for a touchback near the end of the fourth quarter was costly, but Texas A&M would have never been in a position to win if not for Williams' play. He is definitely one of college football's budding superstars, and he could be the difference for the Aggies' championship hopes moving forward.
All offensive and team statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.
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