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With Week 8 officially in the books, let’s take a look at the best performances of the weekend in this week’s All-SEC Team.
OFFENSE
QB Blake Sims (Alabama): Sims completed 16 of 27 passes for 268 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 59-0 rout of Texas A&M last weekend. He led the Tide to the most points scored by any SEC team in Week 8, and threw for the most yards of any SEC signal caller in a winning effort (Arkansas’ Brandon Allen threw for 296 yards but his team lost 45-32 to Georgia). Sims’ three touchdowns without an interception helped Alabama blow past the Aggies, justifying their place in the top 10 of this week’s rankings.
RB Nick Chubb (Georgia): Chubb started in place of Todd Gurley for the second straight week, and for a second straight week he lifted the Georgia offense to a big win on the road. Chubb amassed 202 yards and two touchdowns on his 30 carries, maintaining his dominance despite a heavy workload in Gurley’s absence. If Chubb can continue this level of production, it could keep Georgia alive in the College Football Playoff discussion.
RB Terrence Magee (LSU): Leonard Fournette started at tailback for LSU in its win over Kentucky, but Magee was the brightest star on offense in the 41-3 rout. He only needed nine carries to rack up 127 yards and two touchdowns in the victory, averaging better than 14 yards per carry in the process. He had fewer than 220 yards all season entering the weekend’s action. He also caught three passes for 44 yards to lead the team in both categories. He had just five catches all season entering Week 8.
WR Amari Cooper (Alabama): After his streak of 100-yard games was snapped against Ole Miss earlier this month, Cooper had posted back to back sub-100 yard performances in a 1-1 stretch for the Crimson Tide. Cooper burst back on the scene in Week 8, pulling in eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the win over A&M, making plays all over the field to reestablish himself as the best wideout in the conference. When Cooper is at his best, so is the Alabama offense, and ‘Bama will need Cooper in a big way as it aims to close the regular season with just one loss.
WR Chris Conley (Georgia): The Bulldogs only beat Arkansas by 13 points, but the game was more lopsided than the score indicates (it was 38-6 at halftime). Conley was a big part of Georgia’s successful performance in Week 8, catching five passes for 128 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs in a winning effort. Conley’s five catches were the most he’s had in a game all year, and his 128 yards marked his first 100-yard performance of 2014.
O-line LSU: The Tigers ran for a whopping 303 yards in a 38-point win, and only allowed two tackles for loss against a Kentucky defense that had averaged six per game prior to Week 8. LSU dominated the Cats up front, resulting in a lopsided victory in Death Valley. Other offensive lines played well, but no line controlled the game as effectively as LSU’s last weekend.
DEFENSE
DL Leonard Floyd (Georgia): Floyd dominated a talented Arkansas offensive line in Week 8, recording 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in the win. The Razorbacks could not keep Floyd out of their backfield, and his constant pressure on quarterback Brandon Allen limited an already inconsistent Razorbacks’ passing attack. Floyd has been a disruptive force all season, and Saturday’s statement win was no exception.
LB Ramik Wilson (Georgia): The Bulldogs middle linebacker was a monster in the win against Arkansas, registering 14 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry in the 13-point victory. Wilson had his nose in every play, and helped hold the Razorbacks’ SEC-leading rushing attack to 126 yards on the ground. When a team can hold Arkansas to fewer than 150 yards rushing, it has a great chance to win, and that’s exactly what Georgia did last weekend.
LB A.J. Johnson (Tennessee): Johnson led Tennessee’s defense in the loss to Ole Miss just as he has all season, posting team-highs with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss in defeat. The Volunteers defense kept the Ole Miss offense in check for most of the night, and it was ultimately the Vols’ lack of a productive offense that cost them. Johnson did his part to aid Tennessee’s upset bid, and although UT fell short he was still a star on Saturday.
CB Senquez Golson (Ole Miss): The Rebels’ top cornerback pulled in two more interceptions to elevate his total to seven on the season, helping his team to a 31-point victory on a day it struggled mightily on offense. Golson did not record a single tackle for the game, but he helped limit Tennessee to just 191 yards through the air. The SEC’s best cornerback improved his stats in the victory, and more importantly he helped Ole Miss improve to the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense.
S Jamal Adams (LSU): Adams was the star of LSU’s secondary in its win against Kentucky, recording eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the victory. He made plays in the run game and the passing game, limiting the Kentucky offense to just 217 yards of total offense and 3.4 yards per play. Adams is only a freshman, but he looked like a developed veteran in his dynamic performance against the Wildcats, helping LSU move back into this week’s rankings.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
