Ranking the SEC’s Top 10 performances from Week 12

Can you believe it? We’re already through Week 12.

There is now one week left in the college football regular season, and that means SEC teams will soon be getting ready for bowl games, finishing up coaching searches, and finally — at some point — resting.

But there was no rest on Saturday. This weekend’s games weren’t all that thrilling — Alabama played Mercer, Auburn played Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia played Kentucky, etc. — but there still were some solid efforts across the conference.

Here are the top performances of Week 12, with players, coaches and teams eligible for consideration:

10. Georgia

The Bulldogs had no trouble bouncing back from last week’s blowout defeat at Auburn. Georgia responded like a division champion should, pounding Kentucky 42-13. The Dawgs controlled the game from the second quarter on and never let the Wildcats get close. It was a complete effort against a 7-3 team, as Georgia racked up 504 yards of offense and held Kentucky to 262. Coach Kirby Smart had to be happy with his team’s bounceback effort.

9. Alabama defense

The Alabama defense looked like an Alabama defense is supposed to in a 56-0 shutout against Mercer. Sure, the opponent wasn’t great, but coach Nick Saban’s team did what it should have. Despite tons of injury issues at linebacker, the Crimson Tide allowed the Bears to gain just 161 yards. The Tide also intercepted Mercer quarterback Kaelan Riley three times. The Bears could never mount an attack against the mighty Tide.

8. Jordan Wilkins

Over the past few seasons, Ole Miss has often lit up the scoreboard with its passing game, but its running game has often struggled. On Saturday, the Rebels flipped the script a bit in a 31-24 loss to Texas A&M. Senior running back Jordan Wilkins had an impressive game with 147 rushing yards on 19 carries. That effort included a sterling 64-yard touchdown burst in the first quarter, which put Ole Miss ahead 14-7 at the time.

7. Missouri

Mizzou just keeps rolling through the latter part of its schedule. After starting 1-5, the Tigers are in position to finish 7-5. That would be a remarkable feat for coach Barry Odom’s squad, which is bowl eligible after winning five in a row — against Idaho, UConn, Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The most recent win was a 45-17 victory over the Commodores on Saturday. All five consecutive wins for Mizzou have been convincing blowouts. The Tigers finish the regular season on Friday at Arkansas.

6. Nick Fitzgerald

Mississippi State’s quarterback is essentially viewed as a running back. Fitzgerald rushed for more than 100 yards again on Saturday, the fifth time he has done so in his past six games. However, in a 28-21 win over Arkansas, Fitzgerald also made passing plays when his team needed them most. He tossed two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter to help the Bulldogs squeak out a comeback win. All in all, Fitzgerald threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 101 yards and another score.

5. Albert Okwuegbunam/Richaud Floyd

These two were obviously Mizzou’s biggest playmakers in the win over Vanderbilt. Okwuegbunam caught five passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns — one to give Mizzou its first points of the game and another from 57 yards for the Tigers’ final points. Floyd had one reception, for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter. However, he also made a big play moments later on special teams when he took a punt back for a 74-yard touchdown before halftime.

4. Auburn rushing attack

It was a collective effort for the Tigers on offense, as is usually the case with this incredibly balanced team. Kerryon Johnson led the way on the ground, unsurprisingly, with 137 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Kam Martin added 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. All in all, Tiger ballcarriers accounted for 317 rushing yards. It was the fourth time this season Auburn has rushed for more than 300 yards.

3. Nick Chubb/Sony Michel

Georgia’s usual tandem of outstanding running backs showed off again against Kentucky. Chubb rushed 15 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats. Michel complemented that effort with 12 carries for 87 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. As a team, Georgia rushed for 381 yards. It has been special watching the veterans, Chubb and Michel, running over SEC defenses the past few seasons.

2. Derrick Tucker

Freshman defensive back Derrick Tucker made a name for himself Saturday in Texas A&M’s 31-24 win over Ole Miss. Tucker was a force, leading the Aggies with 14 total tackles. Eleven of those were solo stops. Even better for A&M, he scored a touchdown on a 19-yard interception return in the third quarter to give the Aggies their first lead, 28-24.

1. Eddy Pineiro

Here you have it — the top performer of Week 12. Pineiro’s 18 points helped vault Florida past UAB 36-7 on Saturday. The veteran Florida kicker was 5-for-5 on field goals and added three extra points. He had all of the Gators’ points in the first quarter and scored 13 of the team’s 19 first-half points. Florida consistently relied on Pineiro, and he consistently kept the momentum in the Gators’ favor.

Cody McClure

Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.