The SEC begins to see a slew of byes in Week 6 as four teams take a respite from the gridiron. That still leaves six games, including conference matchups between Georgia and Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas, as well as Florida and Missouri. Despite less games on the docket, there are plenty of opportunities for some players to succeed, leaving plenty of room for others to fail miserably.
Here is a look at several players who could either “boom” or “bust” during Week 6 action in the SEC.
BOOM
- Alex McCalister: Florida’s Alex McCalister terrorized Ole Miss in the Gators’ Week 5 upset win over the then No. 3 Rebels with 4 tackles, a tackle for loss and sack to go along with a forced fumble and recovery. The strong-side linebacker is part of a Florida run defense that ranks No. 15 in the nation with 97.8 ypg. The Gators travel to Columbia in Week 6 to face a Missouri rushing attack that ranks last in the SEC — way last, by about 100 yards. Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and Alex Collins all have more rushing yards than the Tigers’ 581 team yards, plus Alabama’s Derrick Henry only trails them by a mere 10 yards. The redshirt junior McCalister expands upon his team-high 4 quarterback hurries and 4 sacks on the season as Florida has its way with the embattled Mizzou running game.
- Cam Robinson: Robinson and the Alabama offensive line shook off some early-season rust to hold firm against Georgia in Week 5 — yielding a mere 4.0 tackles for loss, no sacks and no quarterback hurries. The Crimson Tide left tackle has another solid game in Week 6 against an Arkansas team that doesn’t put much pressure on opposing quarterbacks with four sacks all season. Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett, by comparison, had 3.5 sacks against Nevada, alone. Fact is, don’t expect much in the way of sacks for either team in this game as Arkansas has given up a measly two sacks all season. Look for another sack-less game for Robinson and the Tide offensive line.
- Darrin Kirkland Jr.: Four-star defensive end Darrin Kirkland Jr. has lived up to the hype during his freshman year, registering 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in Tennessee’s first five games. Kirkland Jr. has seen his tackles per game climb each contest from three in the opener to a career-high seven last week against Arkansas. Look for the Indianapolis native to follow in the footsteps of fellow middle linebacker Reggie Ragland of Alabama — who registered a team-high 8 tackles in the Crimson Tide’s 38-10 win over Georgia last week — and have a big game against the Bulldogs. While Kirkland Jr. isn’t exactly on the same plane as the senior Ragland, yet, he does benefit from playing alongside and learning from Vols’ linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin; one of the best at his craft in the SEC. Tennessee might not defend its home turf in Week 6 against Georgia, but not before Kirkland Jr. leaves his mark.
BUST
- Jordan Wilkins: From the outside, a matchup against New Mexico State’s 122nd-ranked run defense should be a cure-all for an ailing Ole Miss rushing attack that posted just 69 yards on the ground last week against Florida — 23 of them from starting running back Jaylen Walton. But that might not be the case in Week 6 when the Rebels’ play host to the Aggies. The senior Walton will sit out this week with an undisclosed injury, leaving Jordan Wilkins as the starter when New Mexico State and Ole Miss square off for the first time ever. The Aggies give up 275.5 rushing yards per game, but actually held Florida to roughly 50 yards below that average in the season opener. With no word yet on the reinstatement of left tackle Laremy Tunsil and injuries to OLs Justin Bell, Robert Conyers and Javon Patterson, Wilkins will be running behind a Rebels offensive line that will likely be without four of its starters. That’s a tough task for any tailback. Ole Miss should have no problem dispatching New Mexico State, just don’t look for big numbers from Wilkins.
- Lorenzo Nunez: South Carolina quarterback Lorenzo Nunez has led the Gamecocks in rushing in each of the last three weeks, averaging 86.3 ypg. But the true freshman has an uphill battle in front of him in Week 6 when the Gamecocks travel to Death Valley to face LSU in a game relocated to Baton Rouge after devastating floods soaked much the Palmetto State. The Tigers possess one of the staunchest run defenses in the nation, holding opponents to 109.0 YPG, while the Nunez-led South Carolina offense rushes for a 190.2 ypg. Gamecocks leading running back Brandon Wilds is expected to return to the lineup this week after missing time to a cracked rib suffered against Georgia. But even his return doesn’t spell success in the run game against LSU.
- Dak Prescott: When you stop rolling your eyes, I’ll explain why Dak Prescott winds up on the “bust” list going up against Troy. The Mississippi State quarterback is coming off a season-low 210 passing yards against Texas A&M — his lowest total since throwing for 211 yards in September of 2014 against Alabama-Birmingham. The senior is facing a Troy defense that ranks No. 31 in the nation against the pass with a 179.3 ypg average (Texas A&M gives up 192.2 ypg). Of course, the Trojans might give up so few yards in the air, because teams are having too much fun running all over them on the ground to the tune of 218.3 ypg. Prescott gets low passing yards again this week, not because he can’t, but rather because he won’t be needed to as the Bulldogs bulldoze their way to their fourth win of the season.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
