Here is a look at some of the SEC’s top performing position units in Week 10:
QUARTERBACKS — Arkansas: Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott was excellent as usual in a Thursday night win against Missouri, and Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly had a day good enough to get the nod in this category most weeks, but we have to give this category to Arkansas this week. Brandon Allen threw for 442 yards and six touchdowns in a 53-52 overtime win against Kelly’s Rebels. The senior was on point all day, going without a turnover and extending drives again and again when the Razorbacks needed it most.
RUNNING BACKS — Alabama: The Georgia and Auburn backfields had very nice days in Week 10, but we’re going to give some credit to Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake for conquering an LSU defensive front that was allowing just 93.7 yards per game on the ground entering the contest. Henry ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns, and Drake chipped in 68 yards on 10 carries as a change of pace.
WIDE RECEIVERS — Mississippi State: We spend a lot of time praising the work of Bulldogs QB Dak Prescott, but it is time to give some love to the guys who catch his passes. Missouri’s defense entered this game ranked No. 1 in the league in pass defense, allowing just 161.6 yards per game. But the Bulldogs wideouts were up to the challenge, as Fred Ross caught 11 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown and De’Runnya Wilson hauled in four catches for 102 yards and two scores. Fred Brown also had a touchdown reception in the victory.
OFFENSIVE LINE — Georgia: The Bulldogs offense had a productive afternoon in a 27-3 win against Kentucky thanks in big part to the work that was done up front on the offensive line. The Georgia big guys paved the way for 300 yards on the ground on 52 attempts, and while the passing game was limited to 19 pass attempts, the quarterback were kept clean. Kentucky did not record a sack or even a quarterback hurry.
DEFENSIVE LINE — Alabama: LSU RB Leonard Fournette, once thought to be superhuman based on his performance in his seven previous games this season, carried the ball 19 times for 31 yards against the Alabama defensive front. That’s a “drop the mic” stat if I’ve ever seen one, so we’re moving on.
LINEBACKERS — Georgia: Kentucky simply couldn’t get anything done against the Bulldogs defense on Saturday and the linebacking corp played a big role in that. The Wildcats scored only three points and produced 180 yards of total offense. Jake Ganus led the Bulldogs with eight tackles, and fellow linebackers Leonard Floyd (five tackles) and Juwan Taylor (four tackles) finished second and third respectively.
DEFENSIVE BACKS — Auburn: Texas A&M has one of the league’s better passing attacks thanks to a stable full of talented receivers, but the Aggies’ aerial attack was shut down during a 26-10 home loss thanks in part to the work of the Auburn secondary. The group held Texas A&M to just 137 yards passing, and Aggies starting QB Kyler Murray threw three interceptions. The Tigers broke up six more passes.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
