SEC Football: All-Conference Team for October
With two months of the season in the books, the race for college football's top individual awards has come into focus.
Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen has established himself as a legitimate Heisman contender after two months of stellar play. Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season, and Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk has proved he's one of the top special teams threats in the country.
Who were the best players in the SEC during the second month of the season? Our picks based on statistical output and importance to the team are in this slideshow.
Quarterback
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Arkansas QB Austin Allen
Playing behind an offensive line that's a work in progress, Arkansas junior Austin Allen has balled out in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks. He has completed 62.2 percent of his passes (155-of-249) for 2,048 yards, 18 touchdowns (tied for the SEC lead) and seven interceptions. He's second in the SEC in passer rating at 149.58 behind Auburn's Sean White and third in yards per attempt at 8.2.
Is the interception total concerning? Absolutely. But Chad Kelly has been much more of a threat downfield throwing for 2,532 yards for Ole Miss, but his eight picks are inexcusable for a second-year starter.
It was the month of October that vaulted Allen into the spotlight. He tied for the SEC lead with nine touchdown passes in the month with Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald, threw for 1,022 yards in four games and helped the Hogs to a big win over Ole Miss.
Allen is in his first year, doesn't have much help up front and is still having aerial success in a system that isn't necessarily designed for quarterbacks to put up video game numbers.
Running Backs
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Auburn RB Kamryn Pettway
Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway was pretty much an afterthought early in the season, as Auburn stumbled out of the gate with a 1-2 record. Since then, he's been a monster.
The 240-pound sophomore from Montgomery, Alabama, leads the SEC in rushing with 933 yards (133.29 YPG), is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and has topped the 160-yard mark in each of his last three games.
"Kamryn Pettway is starting to establish himself as one of the top guys in the country," head coach Gus Malzahn said after the Ole Miss win, according to Ole Miss' website. "He is getting better every time out."
He's a load to bring down, seeks out punishment at the line of scrimmage and downfield, and is getting better as the season progresses.
LSU RB Derrius Guice
With star running back Leonard Fournette on the shelf for the majority of the month, it was up to sophomore sensation Derrius Guice to bridge the gap from former head coach Les Miles to interim coach Ed Orgeron at LSU.
He did just fine.
Guice averaged 127.33 yards per game in three October games (7.8 yards per carry) and tied Pettway, Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts with six rushing scores in the month despite playing one fewer game than the two quarterbacks.
He's a lightning bolt in space, better in traffic than he gets credit for and proved during the second month of the season that the running back position in Baton Rouge is in good hands if Fournette bolts after his junior season.
Wide Receivers
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South Carolina WR Deebo Samuel
Very quietly, South Carolina has established an offensive identity, and sophomore wide receiver Deebo Samuel is a big reason why.
The 6'0", 205-pounder missed the first game of the month but caught 20 passes for 279 yards over the last three games of the month including eight for 83 yards in the 24-21 win over Tennessee Saturday night. It was the second win in a row for South Carolina—and a sign that it could be climbing out of a yearlong offensive funk.
Combined with true freshman quarterback Jake Bentley, freshman wide receiver Bryan Edwards and freshman running back Rico Dowdle, Samuel knows how important the month was to the development of the program.
"I’m very excited, but we are still going to worry about this year before we worry about the future," he said, according to GamecockCentral.com. "The future is bright for us."
Arkansas WR Jared Cornelius
Nobody had more receiving yards in the SEC in October than Arkansas' Jared Cornelius, who hauled in 14 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns for the Hogs. At 5'11", 212 pounds, Cornelius plays bigger than his frame, is a weapon over the middle and has the speed to burn defenses deep.
As Vinnie Ronca of Pro Football Focus noted on Twitter prior to Week 9 (which Arkansas has off), he has quietly put together one of the best seasons in the conference and was the top-graded wideout in the SEC entering Week 9.
Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk
When it comes to reliability, nobody in the conference had more of it in October than Texas A&M's Christian Kirk.
The sophomore from Scottsdale, Arizona, had an SEC-best 33 catches (nine more than second-place Calvin Ridley of Alabama) for 235 yards and three touchdowns. What's more, he did that while teammate Ricky Seals-Jones was banged up, which shifted more attention to Kirk.
He runs crisp routes, is one of the best in the country on quick screens and has breakaway speed when he gets into the open field.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Tight End
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Ole Miss TE Evan Engram
Another month, more domination from Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram.
The senior finished second in the SEC in receiving yards with 303 during the second month of the season, scored three times and further solidified himself as one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country.
At 6'3", 235 pounds, Engram has the size to present matchup problems up the seam on safeties, and he is too athletic for linebackers when they find themselves in coverage.
At 3-5, Ole Miss has sputtered this year, but don't blame Engram. He's not only the best receiving threat at the tight end position in the country but he also routinely bails out quarterback Chad Kelly when the pass rush gets into the backfield.
Offensive Line
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Alabama OT Jonah Williams
Mystery swirled preseason about the right tackle position at Alabama, and freshman Jonah Williams has answered those questions with authority.
The freshman won SEC offensive lineman of the week honors for his work in Alabama's 49-7 win over Tennessee, where he graded out at 90 percent, didn't allow a sack or hurry and didn't commit a penalty.
As Gordon McGuinness told 102.9 in Tuscaloosa, he's actually better than his teammate on the other side of the line.
Auburn G Braden Smith
A big part of Auburn's return to the Top 15 has been the play of the offensive line and, in particular, guard Braden Smith.
The junior right guard has played a big role in the emergence of Kamryn Pettway as a star running back. Smith is counted on to pull and get into the hole for the Tigers running backs and is solid every week in pass protection.
LSU C Ethan Pocic
Pocic bounced out to tackle when injuries hit the LSU offensive line and then moved back to center once those issues worked themselves out.
Wherever he has played this year, he's been awesome.
The 6'7", 302-pound senior won offensive lineman of the week honors from the SEC for his work in the Week 5 win over Missouri and the Week 8 win over Ole Miss.
Auburn G Alex Kozan
Kozan is the veteran of the Auburn offensive line, having played a big role on the 2013 SEC championship team and then fighting through injuries to help the Tigers get back into the national spotlight.
He graded out at 93 percent in Auburn's win over Arkansas in Week 8, had 10 blocks that went for first downs or touchdowns and had three knockdown blocks, according to the SEC.
Alabama OT Cam Robinson
Cam Robinson has been rock solid this year at left tackle, as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide have evolved into a multidimensional, offensive juggernaut that can go pro-style when it needs to or crank up the tempo with run-pass options at the drop of a hat.
As Marq Burnett of SEC Country noted on Twitter, Robinson was a monster against Texas A&M on Oct. 22.
Defensive Line
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Tennessee DE Derek Barnett
There's just no other way to put it: Derek Barnett is a freak.
The junior for Tennessee led the conference with seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss in October, and he did so with every offensive coordinator devoting attention to him during game preparation.
He placed second among the top-rated SEC edge-rushers heading into Week 9 action, according to Ronca.
With Texas A&M's Myles Garrett out for the majority of the month with an ankle injury, Barnett established himself as one of the best in the nation.
Auburn DT Montravius Adams
Speaking of the best in the nation, can we talk about Auburn senior tackle Montravius Adams for a moment?
The 6'4", 309-pounder notched 1.5 sacks during the second month of the season, had four tackles for loss, blocked two kicks including a critical extra point in the win over Ole Miss and notched five quarterback hurries, per cfbstats.com.
A disruptive force up the middle, Adams play has solidified Auburn's defense as legit. He is the best interior lineman on the Plains since Nick Fairley.
Alabama DE Jonathan Allen
Jonathan Allen ranked fifth in Bleacher Report's Heisman top five for the second straight week on Sunday morning thanks in large part to his ability to impact the opposing offense on virtually every drive.
Whether it's a fumble return for a touchdown (he had his second of the season against Texas A&M), the superman sack on Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight or the attention he demands from the opposing offensive lineman, Allen has entrenched himself as one of the best players at any position in the country.
Auburn DE Carl Lawson
With Adams demanding some attention inside, Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson has thrived outside.
The redshirt junior notched 4.5 sacks in October, had nine tackles for loss and an eye-popping 13 quarterback hurries during Auburn's four October wins, per cfbstats.com.
During wins over Mississippi State and Arkansas, he essentially paid a mortgage living in the opposition's backfield. PFF College Football tweeted Saturday: "Auburn will win if Carl Lawson continues to dominate. Averaged a pressure every 3.5 rushes over the past 2 games."
The scary thing is that he's actually getting better as the season goes on thanks to his teammates thriving on the other side of the line.
Linebackers
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Alabama LB Tim Williams
Alabama's defense is a scoring machine, and linebacker Tim Williams got into the act earlier this month with a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown in Fayetteville in the Crimson Tide's win over Arkansas.
Oh, he also notched five sacks and eight tackles for loss in the month—second-most in the SEC in both categories—had five quarterback hurries, forced a fumble and broke up a pass, per cfbstats.com.
On a team that boasts defensive lineman Jonathan Allen as a Heisman candidate, Williams is also making a strong case.
Vanderbilt LB Zach Cunningham
Zach Cunningham has been one of the best linebackers in the conference over the last two seasons and just kept going about his business in October.
He led the SEC with 47 tackles and 11.75 per game during the second month of the season and helped the Commodores earn a big road win at Georgia with a critical 4th-and-1 stop on wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie as the Bulldogs were driving late in the 17-16 win.
LSU LB Kendell Beckwith
Lost in the hoopla of LSU's offensive explosion under interim head coach Ed Orgeron has been the play of linebacker Kendell Beckwith. The 6'3", 247-pound senior averaged 11 tackles per game during the Tigers' three games and was incredibly disruptive in the 38-21 win over Ole Miss, as Jacques Doucet of WAFB in Baton Rouge noted on Twitter: "Kendell Beckwith was an animal the last time Ole Miss visited #LSU in 2014. He is again tonight. Everywhere."
Defensive Backs
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Alabama CB Minkah Fitzpatrick
Minkah Fitzpatrick had a season's worth of fun during one night in northwest Arkansas.
The sophomore defensive back for the Crimson Tide picked off three Austin Allen passes in the 49-30 win over Arkansas, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown that broke the game open for the top-ranked Tide. That performance earned him Jim Thorpe National Player of the Week honors.
A versatile corner who could play safety if asked, Fitzpatrick broke up two passes and added 16 tackles during the second month of the season.
Florida CB Jalen "Teez" Tabor
Like Fitzpatrick, Florida star corner Jalen "Teez" Tabor also found the end zone in October.
Tabor returned a Drew Lock pass 39 yards for a score in Florida's 40-14 win over the Missouri Tigers.
The junior has four picks on the season including one on October 1 versus Vanderbilt. He is the centerpiece on one of the best secondaries in the country and a big reason why Florida finds itself in the College Football Playoff hunt as the calendar turns to November.
Texas A&M S Armani Watts
When Texas A&M needed it most, safety Armani Watts showed up.
The junior picked off Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the bottom of the second overtime to seal the Aggies' 45-38 win in walk-off fashion.
It was the culmination of a game in which Watts notched nine tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass.
Tennessee S Todd Kelly
Quietly on a defense that has been riddled with injuries, Tennessee safety Todd Kelly has become rock-solid.
The junior from Knoxville picked off a pass against Texas A&M, topped the double-digit tackle mark in two games during October and finished tied for third in the SEC with 33 tackles during the month.
Tennessee's departure from the national conversation has made Kelly more of a secondary figure in the SEC this year, but his play during a tough time on Rocky Top shouldn't go unnoticed.
Specialists
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Texas A&M PR Christian Kirk
Christian Kirk established himself during his first collegiate game in 2015 as a special teams weapon when he returned a punt for a touchdown against Arizona State.
He hasn't stopped.
Kirk returned two punts for touchdowns in Texas A&M's 52-10 win over New Mexico State in Week 9, averaged 33 yards per return in October and has played a big part of Texas A&M's success in 2016.
Tennessee KR Evan Berry
Evan Berry is one of the most dangerous special teams weapons in the country, and he made South Carolina pay Saturday night when he finally got his chance. Berry scampered 100 yards for a touchdown against the Gamecocks to make it a one-score game.
He averaged 32.45 yards per return on 11 returns during the month of October, proved that he has the clutch gene on special teams and provided a spark for a Tennessee team that has sputtered offensively of late.
Kentucky K Austin MacGinnis
Austin MacGinnis connected on eight of his 10 kicks in the month of October, which doesn't make him the most accurate kicker in the SEC.
But when it mattered most, MacGinnis shined.
He hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired to give the Wildcats a 40-38 win over Mississippi State in Week 8, which helped head coach Mark Stoops' crew stay in the thick of the SEC East race.
Florida P Johnny Townsend
While Florida's offense has struggled to find an identity, punter Johnny Townsend has emerged as a weapon. The junior averaged 45.65 yards per punt during October, averaged 51.86 during Florida's 13-6 win over Vanderbilt and is a big reason why the Gators enter November with just one loss.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
