SEC Weekly Awards: Missouri RB garners Offensive Player of the Week honors
By Drew Laing
Published:
Earlier tonight, the Southeastern Conference handed out its weekly football honors to the top performers from this past week of SEC football.
Here are the following Week 12 award winners.
Offensive Player of the Week
Russell Hansbrough, RB, Missouri
When Missouri needed a big offensive performance in a crucial game, running back Russell Hansbrough took on that responsibility. The junior tailback ran 20 times, but averaged 9.9 yards per carry. His 199 rushing yards were a career-high and he also added two touchdowns of 49 and 45 yards, respectively. He led the Tigers to a huge 34-27 win over Texas A&M, keeping Missouri in first place in the SEC East.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Nick Perry, S, Alabama
In the marquee SEC game of the weekend, Alabama safety Nick Perry recorded a career performance against Mississippi State. He amassed a game-high 12 tackles as well as one interception and helped the Crimson Tide defense in stopping the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Martrell Spaight, LB, Arkansas
Arkansas’ defense turned in its best performance of the season against LSU this past weekend, en route to the Hogs’ first SEC win in more than two years. Linebacker Martrell Spaight led the Razorbacks with 10 tackles and also recorded one sack, one tackles for loss and forced a fumble. In the end, Arkansas shut out LSU 17-0.
Special Teams Player of the Week
JK Scott, P, Alabama
It was somewhat of a defensive battle between Alabama and Mississippi State and defensive battles often mean lots of playing time for punters. Alabama’s punter JK Scott took advantage of his opportunities, punting seven times for an average of 45.6 yards. Five of his seven punts fell inside the 20-yard line and Scott played a huge role in winning the field position battle for Alabama.
Freshman of the Week
Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
Nick Chubb doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The freshman running back recorded 144 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in Georgia’s big 34-7 win over Auburn. His big night put him over the 1,000-yard mark, making him the 12th UGA running back to amass more than 1,000 yards. With Todd Gurley’s injury, Chubb figures to be the featured back for UGA throughout the rest of the season.
Offensive Lineman of the Week
Dan Skipper, OT, Arkansas
The 6-foot-10 lineman graded out at 83 percent, the highest of any Arkansas offensive lineman. Arkansas’ offensive line has generally been one of the toughest lines to beat and Skipper plays an important part as one of the tackles. The Hogs allowed just one sack to LSU, the SEC’s best pass rush.
Defensive Lineman of the Week
Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
Chubb wasn’t the only SEC freshman to shine in Week 12. Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss in the Vols’ blowout win over Kentucky. Barnett owns the Tennessee freshman record in both sacks and tackles for loss. He ranks third in the SEC in sacks (9) and is tied for first in tackles for loss (18).
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
