SEC Weekly Awards: Prescott, Cooper share 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 4 award winners:
Offensive Player of the Week
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State
The Mississippi State quarterback took his unranked Bulldogs squad into Death Valley and led them to a 34-29 victory over LSU. Prescott amassed 373 total yards of offense against the Tigers, including an impressive 56-yard touchdown run. His three touchdowns keyed a performance by Mississippi State that demoralized LSU on their home field and gave Mississippi State its first win over LSU in Baton Rouge since 1991. It also snapped a 17-game losing streak for the Bulldogs against LSU.
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
The star junior wideout did it again for the Crimson Tide, racking up an incredible 201 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 10 catches. Cooper was able to take advantage of some gigantic Florida defensive miscues as well as dominate the 1-on-1 battle against defensive back Vernon Hargreaves, one of the best defensive backs in college football. His performance against the Gators vaulted his name into serious Heisman consideration at this point in the season.
Defensive Player of the Week
Joshua Holsey, DB, Auburn
Hosley was instrumental in limiting the potent Kansas State offense to just 14 points last Thursday night and ultimately an Auburn road win. He recorded a career-high 11 tackles for the Tigers. Auburn’s defense held Kansas State to just 285 total yards of offense.
Freshman of the Week
Sony Michel, RB, Georgia
In a blowout win for the Bulldogs, it was true freshman running back Sony Michel that stole the show. Michel dominated Troy, rushing for 155 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. He also had a 75-yard run in the midst of Georgia’s 66-0 win. It was just Michel’s third college game.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Darrius Sims, DB, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt kept it close against South Carolina virtually all night and a big reason why was the play of defensive back Darrius Sims. The sophomore made a huge impact on the special teams unit, taking two kickoffs back for a touchdown, including the opening kickoff. He racked up 217 return yards on three returns. According the official SEC release, Sims became the first player in modern-day Vanderbilt history to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Offensive Lineman of the Week
Ben Beckwith, OL, Mississippi State
Mississippi State’s offense had its way against LSU Saturday night as the Bulldogs racked up 570 total yards of offfense. Ben Beckwith graded out the highest of any offensive lineman for Mississippi State and recorded five knockdowns versus the Tigers.
Defensive Lineman of the Week
Trey Flowers, DE, Arkansas
Trey Flowers continued to live up to his reputation this weekend, disrupting the Northern Illinois’ backfield all night. The senior defensive end recorded nine tackles, including one sack and two tackles for loss. Flowers also forced a fumble early in the first quarter that led to a 14-yard return for a touchdown by defensive tackle Darius Philon. He is currently the SEC’s active leader in tackles for loss with 36 and second on the active sack list with 13.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
