Arch Manning is used to being recognized, though with his last name and the expectations that go along with it, the Texas quarterback is always held to a higher standard than most.
But in Week 10, Manning reached that standard, as he hasn’t always done for the past few seasons. Manning was spectacular in leading the Longhorns to a 34-20 victory over a ranked Mizzou team, on the road, and the victory kept Texas firmly in the College Football Playoff discussion.
Another thing Manning’s performance did is elevate him to the SEC honor roll for Week 10, with the conference on Monday announcing Manning as its SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Manning was the star among stars in the SEC during a stacked week where there was a reckoning among contenders and pretenders, and Manning showed off his stellar talents against the Tigers, going 28 of 38 for 297 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
Manning helped the Horns improve to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, as he answered his critics on Saturday and then was rewarded on Monday.
But Manning was only the headline name among a cast of SEC stars in Week 10. Also leading the way among that cast of elite players was Tennessee senior linebacker Arion Carter, who was an instrumental force in the Volunteers’ dominant 34-6 victory in a huge, ranked showdown against Kentucky in Knoxville. For his supreme efforts, Carter was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
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Carter was all over the field on Saturday as part of a stifling defensive performance for the whole team. He piled up a whopping 13 total tackles, 10 of them solo, and had 4 tackles-for-loss. Those numbers alone would have been enough, but Carter didn’t just make tackles all night, he got to the quarterback, posting 2 sacks.
Like Manning did with the SEC team that wears burnt orange, Carter similarly helped keep Tennessee firmly in the Playoff discussion by leading the Vols to a critical Week 10 win.
Manning and Carter were the headliners in the SEC in Week 10, but there were more stellar performers who were recognized by the league on Monday.
Here’s the complete list of SEC Player of the Week honors:
- Offensive player of the week: Arch Manning, Texas
- Defensive player of the week: Arion Carter, Tennessee
- Special teams player of the week: Brock Taylor, Vanderbilt
- Co-offensive lineman of the week: Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma
- Co-offensive lineman of the week: Earnest Greene III, Georgia
- Co-defensive lineman of the week: Devan Thompkins, Alabama
- Co-defensive lineman of the week: Anthony Addison, South Carolina
- Freshman of the week: Shadarius Toodle, Auburn
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
