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Saturday Sleepers: Jones and Taylor fuel Florida’s upset of Georgia
By Ethan Levine
Published:
After every weekend of games, you always hear about the performances of stars like Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. But there are also the performances you don’t hear as much about, coming from some under-the-radar SEC players — the sleepers.
Who were the best of the Saturday Sleepers from Week 10? Take a look.
MATT JONES/KELVIN TAYLOR
Florida was a heavy underdog entering Saturday’s showdown with Georgia, but the Gators managed to stun the Bulldogs thanks to their tailback tandem of Jones and Taylor. The two backs had nearly identical stat lines — Jones carried the ball 25 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns, while Taylor carried the ball 25 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns — and the Gators outrushed Georgia by 277 yards for the game. More importantly, Florida held an advantage of more than five minutes in time of possession, thanks to a stout rushing attack led by Jones and Taylor. Both back have plenty of talent, but entering Week 10 no one saw their dominating performances coming.
KENTRELL BROTHERS
On a defense loaded with stars, Brothers shined the brightest in a dominant 20-10 win over Kentucky on Saturday. Brothers led Mizzou with 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, adding a quarterback hurry to his already impressive stat line while helping limit Kentucky to just three points for most of the game. His 13 tackles were a season-high, and Kentucky’s 258 yards of total offense were its second-fewest in a game this season. Brothers has proven himself a valuable member of the Tigers’ defense this season, but his performance Saturday went above and beyond most fans’ expectations.
EVAN ENGRAM
Engram had been relatively quiet as Ole Miss’ starting tight end this season, but that all changed with his huge performance in a losing effort Saturday. Engram caught eight balls for 123 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Auburn, marking season-highs in all three categories. Engram’s 50-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was his first touchdown of the season, and Saturday’s game was just his second game with more than four catches as well as his second 100-yard game of the year. The Rebels will be without top wideout Laquon Treadwell for the rest of the regular season, and Engram will need to have more showings like he did Saturday to help Ole Miss end the year on a high note.
FRED ROSS
Ross came out of nowhere to play a major role in the Mississippi State offense in Saturday’s seven-point win over Arkansas. The sophomore caught just four passes on the day, but amassed 107 yards for the game including a 67-yard touchdown pass in the second half to put Mississippi State ahead for good. He also took over for the struggling Jamoral Graham as the team’s punt returner, although he never got a chance to run a punt back. If Ross can continue to emerge in the Bulldogs’ offense in the backstretch of the regular season, he could make Dak Prescott and the offense even more dangerous as they aim to lock down a playoff berth.
HUNTER HENRY
Henry was the most productive member of an otherwise stagnant Arkansas offense Saturday, catching seven passes for 110 yards in a 17-10 loss to Mississippi State. He accounted for 46 percent of the Razorbacks’ passing offense by himself, and consistently extended drives with big catches in critical moments. The Hogs only mustered 10 points for the game, but Hunter was a star against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team. Without him, the final result might have been much worse.
MARTRELL SPAIGHT
Spaight led an energized Arkansas defense Saturday, posting a season-high 15 tackles in helping limit MSU to a season-low 17 points for the game (the Bulldogs had scored at least 34 points in every game this season). He added a tackle for loss to his 15 tackles, and served as the emotional leader for the Hogs’ defense most of the night. The Razorbacks’ 17-game SEC losing streak dating back to 2012 would kill most teams’ confidence, but with Spaight leading the defense Arkansas won’t need to worry about that happening this year. He was a star and a leader on Saturday, and he nearly led what would have been the biggest upset of Week 10 in Starkville.
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.
