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SEC Saturday Sleepers: Week 7’s top under the radar performers
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 7? Take a look.
STANLEY “BOOM” WILLIAMS, RB, KENTUCKY
Williams missed Kentucky’s Week 6 win over South Carolina while serving a one-game suspension, but he returned to the lineup in a big way in Saturday’s win over Louisiana-Monroe. The freshman tailback returned the game’s opening kickoff 75 yards to set up the Wildcats’ first score, then amassed 104 yards on the ground on just seven carries, adding a touchdown in the Cats 34-point victory. Williams is the most versatile member of Kentucky’s offense as a rusher, receiver and returner. He’s an emerging star, and he won’t be a sleeper in the SEC for much longer.
DE’RUNNYA WILSON, WR, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Wilson is a big, physical receiver who has emerged as Mississippi State’s top option in the passing game in 2014. He pulled in four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ win over Auburn, and did so without fellow starting wideout Jameon Lewis in the lineup. Wilson and quarterback Dak Prescott have a great rapport, which will only serve to benefit both players in the second half of the season. State’s star wideout is capable of out-running defenders or winning jump balls over top of them, making him a true weapon opposing defenses must gameplan around the rest of the year.
TONY CONNER, DB, OLE MISS
Conner is a versatile defensive back who can line up in the box or on the outside depending on what an opposing offense presents at the line of scrimmage. He led Ole Miss with 11 tackles in its win over Texas A&M, and did a little bit of everything for the Rebels in silencing the SEC’s most potent offense. Conner is a great tackler and is very capable as a run-stopper, adding a tackle for loss to his dynamic performance Saturday. He can blitz off the edge or fall back in coverage depending on where he’s needed, and Ole Miss has used him in a few different ways to add a wrinkle to its “Landshark” defense. Most fans know of stars like Senquez Golson and Cody Prewitt, but Conner has been as valuable as any member of the Rebels defense this year.
KWON ALEXANDER, LB, LSU
The Tigers linebacker has been a bright spot in what has been a difficult start to LSU’s season, and his magnificent 2014 campaign continued in Saturday’s win over Florida. Alexander led the Bayou Bengals with 10 tackles against the Gators, flying from sideline to sideline in limiting Florida’s above-average rushing attack to just 123 yards for the game. There has not been a more consistent member of the LSU defense this season than Alexander, who leads the team with 46 tackles in six games. Alexander also added 1.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble in the Tigers’ victory in the Swamp, adding a handful of impact plays to his tremendous performance. If LSU hopes to use Saturday’s win to turn its season around, it’ll need Alexander to continue to lead its defense in the second half of the season.
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.
