Our list of the SEC’s best and worst in Week 8:
STUDS
1. Dak Prescott: Remember this guy? Mississippi State’s senior quarterback isn’t dominating headlines like he did during the Bulldogs’ memorable start to the 2014 season, but he’s playing just as well as he did then, if not better. Prescott was in peak form against Kentucky, accounting for six touchdowns while passing for 348 yards and rushing for 117.
2. Derrick Henry: There’s no longer any doubt that the Alabama offense begins with its 240-pound junior tailback. Henry has now carried at least 26 times in four straight games and has scored in a school record 13 consecutive contests. He churned out 143 yards and two scores on 28 rushes Saturday as the Tide survived a stiff challenge from Tennessee.
3. Brandon Allen: The one flaw in Allen’s game this season had been execution in the red zone. Multiple times, Arkansas’ senior quarterback has put his team in position to win only to come up short in the clutch. He had no such problem in Saturday’s four-overtime win over Auburn. He squeezed the game-tying touchdown into a tight window on fourth down in the first overtime, and did so again on a two-point conversion in the third OT. Allen finished 19 of 31 for 233 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. More importantly, he was 7 of 10 for 63 yards and two touchdowns in overtime, and the Hogs were 6 of 6 with five touchdowns in red zone opportunities.
DUDS
1. Kyle Allen: A little over a week ago, the Texas A&M sophomore had a strong claim on the title of the best quarterback in the SEC. After ugly games in back-to-back losses, some might be wondering if he’s best quarterback on the Aggies’ roster. He followed his three pick-sixes against Alabama with a brutal effort against Ole Miss, completing just 12 of 34 for 88 yards with one interception in a 24-3 loss to Ole Miss. Allen threw 13 straight incompletions before getting benched in the fourth quarter.
2. Missouri offense: The problems at Missouri are too widespread to pin on any one player. The offensive line can’t generate a consistent push, no wide receiver has emerged to replace last year’s stars, and true freshman Drew Lock hasn’t completed 50 percent of his passes since the first start of this career back on Oct. 3 against South Carolina. That was also the last game in which the Tigers scored a touchdown. Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt was the second straight in which the two-time defending East champ failed to gain 200 yards.
3. Auburn wide receivers: A would-be touchdown pass that a leaping Ricardo Louis couldn’t coral in the fourth overtime dominated the highlight reels, but there were many more drops that also cost Auburn dearly. The Tigers wide receiver corps simply didn’t give quarterback Sean White enough help — especially early in the game when Arkansas built a 14-0 lead. Unofficially, Auburn receivers dropped seven passes in the game.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
