Week in and week out, players and teams surprise us with their performances. We saw several surprises this weekend with an incredible slate of conference games.
Who or what made our cut of the biggest surprises of Week 11?
Kyle Allen’s performance at Auburn: How good was the true freshman in his first road and conference start? Granted, he didn’t face a very good defense, but Kyle Allen looked like the quarterback that should’ve had the job all along in College Station. Allen and the Aggies offense came out aggressive and jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and never really looked back. Allen finished 19 for 29 for 277 yards and four touchdowns. He did throw one interception, but didn’t seem phased by it. Allen finished with a quarterback rating of 83.6 on a scale of 100.
Georgia’s 63-point burst at Kentucky: The Bulldogs went eight for eight on third downs en route to 559 yards of total offense. Hutson Mason had his best game throwing the football, going 13 of 16 for 174 yards and 4 touchdowns. Georgia got Sony Michel back, and Nick Chubb continued his stellar play with a 13-carry, 170-yard effort on the ground. Isaiah McKenzie returned the opening kickoff and a punt back for a touchdown. It was arguably the Bulldogs’ most efficient offensive performance of the season.
Leon Orr-Florida: Now to an off-the-field issue. How weird is this story? Defensive lineman Leon Orr found out prior to Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt that he wasn’t starting. He then got on a bus, went home and head coach Will Muschamp later announced he was no longer with the team. It’s not every day you see a player dismissed from the team because he was upset he didn’t start.
When the dust clears, Alabama still stands: Many counted the Crimson Tide out after its loss at Ole Miss last month. Several counted them out down three with under a minute to play against LSU. Now, after the ravaging of the SEC West, Alabama is still standing. The Tide have two more tests against Mississippi State and Auburn, both of which are at home. With the way Nick Saban’s team played Saturday night in Death Valley, it looks as if when the dust settles, Alabama will be right there. Have we learned our lesson? Never count out a Saban-coached team.
After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.
