With the last weekend of the regular season in the books, the SEC league office has officially named its final SEC Players of the Week awards.
Given their teams big weekends, Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Missouri all had players recognized this week:
Offensive Player of the Week (tie) – Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
- Rushed for a school-record 285 yards to go along with 4 TDs in LSU’s 54-39 win over Texas A&M.
- Became just the 2nd player in SEC history to have two 250-yard rushing games in the same season joining Moe Williams of Kentucky as the only two players in league history to accomplish the feat.
- Guice rushed for 252 yards in win over Arkansas two weeks ago … Averaged 7.7 yards on 37 carries against the Aggies.
- The 37 carries rank No. 4 in school history … His 285 yards vs. Texas A&M bettered Leonard Fournette’s previous record of 284 set vs. Ole Miss earlier this year.
- It’s also the 10th-highest total in SEC history and the most in the league since 2013.
Offensive Player of the Week (tie) – Nick Fitzgerald, QB, Mississippi State
- Fitzgerald accounted for 367 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in leading Mississippi State to its largest Egg Bowl victory since 1916.
- Fitzgerald rushed for an MSU single-game school record 258 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns, breaking Anthony Dixon’s previous mark of 252 in 2009.
- He averaged a school-record 18.4 yards per carry, which is the second-best mark by a player in SEC history (min. 10 carries – LSU’s Harvey Williams 19.6 vs. Rice ion 1987). The 18.4 yards per carry was the highest by an SEC player in a conference game in league history (min. 10 carries).
- The 258 rushing yards was the most by an FBS quarterback since Navy’s Keenan Reynolds rushed for 277 on Nov. 14, 2014. Fitzgerald also threw for three touchdowns. His 1,243 rushing yards this season is the third most by a QB in SEC history, trailing only Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel. Fitzgerald also broke Dak Prescott’s old mark of rushing yards by a QB in a season, becoming the first QB in MSU history to go over 1,000.
Defensive Player of the Week (tie) – Mike Edwards, S, Kentucky
- Had two pass interceptions of Heisman Trophy candidate Lamar Jackson while making six tackles and one-half quarterback sack in Kentucky’s 41-38 upset at No. 11 Louisville • His interception in the third quarter set up a Kentucky touchdown drive
- His interception on the final play of the game sealed the win for the Wildcats
- Combined with Josh Allen for an eight-yard quarterback sack
- Edwards’ two interceptions tied the record for most pickoffs in a Governor’s Cup game, also tied the record for most Governor’s Cup interceptions in a career
- The Kentucky defense held Louisville – the nation’s leader in scoring offense – to eight points below its season average
- It is Kentucky’s first win over a ranked opponent on the road since 2002 and the highest-ranked opponent UK has defeated on the road since 1977.
Defensive Player of the Week (tie) – Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt
- Cunningham continued his remarkable defensive campaign by registering 10 total tackles, including nine unassisted stops, along with a fumble recovery and forced fumble, in Vanderbilt’s 45-34 upset win over Tennessee.
- Cunningham sparked a Commodore defense that held UT’s vaunted offense to just three points in the second half.
- Cunningham’s forced fumble of UT QB Josh Dodds, which came on the final play of the third quarter, created the possession that led to Vanderbilt’s game-deciding touchdown.
- Cunningham, a Butkus Award finalist, leads all SEC players with 119 total tackles and four fumble recoveries, and is tied for second with 16.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams Player of the Week – Austin MacGinnis, K, Kentucky
- Split the uprights with a game-winning 47-yard field goal with only 12 seconds remaining in Kentucky’s 41-38 upset at No. 11 Louisville
- Made every kick during the game, also a 35-yard field goal and all five extra points
- Totaled 11 points on the day, moving into second place on the Kentucky career scoring list with 253 points
- Broke a Governor’s Cup record with six field goals made during his career
- It is his second game-winning field goal of the season, also a 51-yarder as time expired in the 40-38 win over Mississippi State
- It is Kentucky’s first win over a ranked opponent on the road since 2002 and the highest-ranked opponent UK has defeated on the road since 1977.
Freshman Player of the Week – Leo Lewis, LB, Mississippi State
- Lewis gathered six tackles, one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss in MSU’s largest Egg Bowl victory since 1916.
- The 1.5 tackles for loss was his most in a league game this season.
- The Bulldog defense shutout Ole Miss in the second half in Oxford.
- Lewis extended his season tackle total to 72, the most of any freshman in the SEC (only freshman in the SEC’s top 50 overall in tackles).
Offensive Lineman of the Week – Cam Robinson, OL, Alabama
- The junior left tackle cleared a path for 203 rushing yards in the Tide’s 30-12 win over No. 13 Auburn and 501 total yards.
- Posted a grade of 89 percent and did not allow a quarterback hurry or a sack.
- Recorded a team-high five knockdown blocks.
- Helped provided time for QB Jalen Hurts to throw for 286 yards (298 as a team) and two touchdowns while completing 75.0 percent of his passes and rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown.
- Opened holes for 90 yards on the ground for Bo Scarbrough and 47 for Damien Harris.
Defensive Lineman of the Week – Marcell Frazier, DE, Missouri
- Provided numerous impact plays as he helped key Mizzou’s 28-24 upset win over Arkansas to close out the 2016 season.
- Finished the game with 4 tackles, and they all came behind the line of scrimmage, including 4 TFLs (accounting for 42 yards in losses).
- Three of those were QB sacks (35 yards), including one on Arkansas’ final offensive play, with the Razorbacks facing 4th down on Mizzou’s 20-yardline in the final minute. His sack ended the Arkansas threat, and gave Mizzou the ball back to kill the clock and close out the win.
- Was credited with a 4th quarter QB pressure, and earlier in the game drew a holding call due the pressure he got on the play.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
