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You know the saying: “Respect your elders.”
It seems like every year, underclassmen are becoming more and more prominent in the college game. In recent years, we’ve seen the younger crowd take home prestigious awards that had always been held down by juniors and seniors.
Here at Saturday Down South, we don’t overlook the old men of the college game, especially not following a week in which six SEC teams celebrated Senior Day.
Let’s run down five of the best seniors from this past week:
CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE
Auburn’s star tailback had a standard day at the office in Week 13, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ 31-7 win over Samford. Artis-Payne continues to lead the SEC in rushing by more than 250 yards, and he actually finished Saturday’s game close to his weekly average of 128 yards per game on the ground this season. He averaged better than 5.4 yards per carry against Samford, and helped lead an Auburn rushing attack that hit 200 yards for the ninth time in 11 games this season.
QUINTON DUNBAR
Dunbar’s streak of more than 30 straight receptions with a catch was snapped earlier this season, but he didn’t let a quiet senior year keep him from having a breakout performance in Saturday’s win over Eastern Kentucky. Florida’s star wideout amassed 107 yards and two touchdowns on just three catches, including a spectacular 70-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first quarter. His other touchdown came from 29 yards away, and Saturday’s win marked his first 100-yard game since last season. Florida threw for 300 yards for the first time since its opener against Eastern Michigan, thanks in large part to Dunbar’s contributions.
TREY FLOWERS/MARTRELL SPAIGHT
The veteran tandem of Flowers and Spaight led a dominant Arkansas front seven in Saturday’s 30-0 rout of Ole Miss, marking the Hogs’ second straight shutout performance against a ranked opponent. Flowers recorded a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in the victory, while Spaight added a team-high 11 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Together they helped limit Ole Miss to just 1.9 yards per rush and just 63 yards on the ground for the game, carrying Arkansas to its second straight SEC victory after snapping a 17-game losing streak in the conference.
MARKUS GOLDEN
Missouri’s star defensive end continued his recent tear on Saturday in a critical win over Tennessee. Golden registered 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in the win, limiting the Tennessee offense to one of its worst performances in SEC play. The Vols amassed just 53 yards on the ground at 1.8 yards per carry, and Golden contributed to a whopping six sacks of quarterback Joshua Dobbs in Neyland Stadium. Mizzou is now one win away from a second straight SEC East title, and it can thank the play of Golden and the rest of its star-studded defensive line.
HUTSON MASON
Georgia’s senior signal caller has spent most of the season serving as a game-manager to supplement an explosive rushing attack, and he filled that role perfectly in Saturday’s win over Charleston Southern. Mason completed 10 of his 12 pass attempts (an 83 percent completion rate), and posted 187 yards and three touchdowns on those 10 completions. For those keeping score at home, that’s an average of 18.7 yards per completion and one touchdown pass every four pass attempts. Not bad numbers for a guy who spent most of his career as a backup to Aaron Murray. Mason’s efficiency helped lead Georgia to its best performance in the passing game all season, allowing the Dawgs to maintain their top 10 ranking for another week.
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.
