You know the saying: “Respect your elders.”

It seems like every year, underclassmen are becoming more and more prominent in the college game. In recent years, we’ve seen the younger crowd take home prestigious awards that had always been held down by juniors and seniors.

Here at Saturday Down South, we don’t overlook the old men of the college game. Let’s run down five of the best seniors from this past week:

BUD DUPREE

Kentucky’s star senior defensive end/linebacker hybrid dominated his matchup with the Mississippi State offensive line Saturday, even in a 45-31 defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs. Dupree led Kentucky with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and two more quarterback hurries, wreaking havoc in the Mississippi State backfield for most of the afternoon. Dupree is considered one of the top defensive end draft prospects for next year’s NFL Draft, and he showed why with his incredible play on Saturday. The Bulldogs still ran for 326 yards, but Dupree helped limit Heisman frontrunner Dak Prescott to one of his worst outings of the year with just 304 total yards through the air and on the ground.

MATT HOCH

Hoch had his best game of the season in Missouri’s 10-point home win over Vanderbilt, recording a team-high six tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. His numbers alone were better than Shane Ray and Markus Golden’s numbers combined, which goes to show just how much depth Mizzou has along the defensive line. Vanderbilt gave Missouri a true test, and without Hoch’s consistent play in the trenches, the Commodores may have shocked the world with an upset win over the defending SEC East champs in Columbia. Instead, Hoch helped limit Vandy to 44 yards rushing on 27 carries, and the Tigers won by 10 to stay alive in the SEC East race.

NICK MARSHALL

Marshall was as dynamic as any athlete in the SEC in quarterbacking Auburn past South Carolina Saturday night on the Plains. He torched an overmatched Gamecocks defense with his arm and his legs, running 10 times for 89 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing an impressive 12 of 14 passes for 139 yards and another touchdown in a 42-35 victory. After Auburn punted on its first drive of the game, Marshall led the Tigers on six straight touchdown drives to put his team in front for good, and South Carolina never had an answer for Auburn’s explosive dual-threat quarterback. The senior has faced questions about his abilities as a quarterback since his arrival at Auburn, but he proved Saturday he is more than just an athlete in a run-heavy offense.

CODY PREWITT

Ole Miss may have lost to LSU Saturday night, but its defense played as well as it has all season before eventually being worn down by a lopsided time of possession battle. Prewitt was once again a huge difference-maker on defense, recording eight tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in a 10-7 loss. As always, he made plays all over the field and had a role in stopping LSU’s downhill rushing attack, as well as in limiting LSU to just eight completions all game. His efforts were not enough to secure another Ole Miss victory, but he continues to back up last season’s All-America campaign with another strong showing in 2014.

DEMARCO ROBINSON

It is interesting that a team as young as Kentucky’s has two senior studs this week, but Robinson is just as worthy of recognition as Dupree following the close loss to the nation’s No. 1 team. Robinson caught four passes for 86 yards, and he took one catch 67 yards for Kentucky’s first touchdown of the game to awaken Commonwealth Stadium and inspire Kentucky to its near-upset of MSU. On the play, Robinson made a great catch and an even nicer move after securing the ball, eluding a defender while tiptoeing the sideline, all before bursting down the field for a touchdown. The senior has finally developed into the explosive playmaker Kentucky fans hoped he’d be, and he’s making big catches in big moments as Kentucky continues its best season of Robinson’s career.

BUD SASSER

Missouri’s star wideout played a huge role in Saturday’s win over Vandy, catching five of Maty Mauk’s 11 completions for 74 yards and two touchdowns in the 24-14 victory. Sasser has carried the Tigers’ passing game all season, and Saturday’s game was no different, as he accounted for 45 percent of Mauk’s completed passes and 52 percent of Mauk’s yardage by himself. A mere 74 yards normally doesn’t stand out on a box score, but 74 yards in Missouri’s current offense is a tremendous achievement, even against Vanderbilt. It turned out the Tigers needed both of Sasser’s touchdowns to stave off the Commodores, making him one of the most important seniors in Week 9.

PRESTON SMITH

Smith is having one of the best seasons of any senior defender in the SEC, and he continued his fabulous 2014 campaign with another big performance in the win over Kentucky. The three-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week made six tackles with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win, and he even batted another pass at the line of scrimmage in the victory (Smith’s batted passes led to a handful of explosive plays earlier this season). Once again, he appeared to be the most complete player on the MSU defense aside from star middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney, and although Kentucky managed to score 31 points in a near-upset of the Bulldogs, it might have been much worse without Smith’s efforts in the trenches.

DYLAN THOMPSON

Thompson has made the most of his only season as South Carolina’s undisputed starting quarterback, even if the rest of his teammates (namely the defense) haven’t cooperated. He played the game of his life against Auburn Saturday night, throwing for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns to single-handedly carry South Carolina to within 45 yards of overtime in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Gamecocks simply could not stop Auburn’s offense, but Thompson matched the Tigers score for score for most of the night, making huge throws in pressurized moments. He did throw three interceptions, but he did so on 50 pass attempts with little margin for error. Those interceptions did not cost South Carolina nearly as much as the defense did, and without Thompson the Gamecocks would have been blown out. If the senior can continue to play this well in command of the South Carolina offense, the Gamecocks can still salvage something out of this season in a weak SEC East.