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With Week 10 officially in the books, let’s take a look at the best performances of the weekend in this week’s All-SEC Team.
OFFENSE
QB Josh Dobbs (Tennessee): Dobbs was electric in his first start of the season, completing 23 of 40 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-42 overtime win against South Carolina. The dynamic dual-threat quarterback also ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns as the Vols rallied from two touchdowns down in the final minutes of the game to earn their first SEC win of the year. Tennessee took a risk burning Dobbs’ redshirt in a Week 9 loss to Alabama, but so far the move has paid off.
RB Matt Jones (Florida): Florida ran right over the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, and Jones was one of the men leading the way. He carried the ball 25 times for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the Gators’ 38-20 win on Saturday, and helped UF earn a five minute advantage in time of possession. He also caught a 12 yard pass, one of just three completed passes by the UF offense all game.
RB Kelvin Taylor (Florida): It would be inappropriate to credit Jones’ terrific day in Jacksonville without also crediting fellow Florida tailback Kelvin Taylor. The sophomore had nearly identical stats to Jones — 25 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns — helping Florida to its biggest win of the season. Georgia never found an answer to Jones and Taylor’s dominance, and it suffered a crushing second loss as a result.
WR Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina): Cooper did a little bit of everything in South Carolina’s loss to Tennessee. He caught 11 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, carried the ball three times for 23 yards and a touchdown and even completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Wilds in the loss. For those lacking a calculator, that’s 286 yards of total offense and five total touchdowns. Unfortunately, it was not quite enough to carry the Gamecocks to victory, but it did lead their offense to 42 points in defeat.
WR Sammie Coates (Auburn): Coates finally had the breakout game Auburn fans have been waiting for all season in Saturday’s win over Ole Miss. He caught just five passes but amassed 122 yards and a 57-yard touchdown reception in the win. More impressive, he did so against the Rebels’ highly touted Landshark defense. Coates finally made use of his big-play abilities on his long touchdown reception, and it helped provide balance to Auburn’s lightning fast offense, making it that much harder to stop.
O-line Florida: The Gators rushed for 418 yards at seven yards per carry in their win over Georgia, and they never allowed a sack on the day. To be fair, Florida only attempted six passes, so Georgia didn’t have many opportunities to rush the passer, but the low number of pass attempts also make the Gators’ yards per carry average look even more impressive. Florida’s offense controlled the line of scrimmage all game long, resulting in 38 points and a monumental victory.
DEFENSE
DL Shane Ray (Missouri): Ray added two sacks to his SEC-leading total in Saturday’s win over Kentucky, bringing his total to 12 in nine games this season. He set a school record for sacks in a single season, breaking the previous record of 11.5 held by Aldon Smith and Michael Sam, and helped limit Kentucky’s offense to fewer than 260 total yards for the game. Missouri is now in control of the SEC East, and Ray is a big reason why.
DL Dante Fowler (Florida): Fowler looked like his dominant self in the win over Georgia, recording six tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry. The junior made himself at home in the Georgia backfield, and routinely gave UGA quarterback Hutson Mason fits as he struggled to command the Bulldogs’ offense for most of the game. Fowler saved his best game of the season for Florida’s biggest SEC East rivalry, and it helped lead UF to victory.
LB Kris Frost (Auburn): Frost was a nightmare for a shaky Ole Miss offensive line playing without star left tackle Laremy Tunsil on Saturday night. The junior made nine tackles with a tackle for loss and a sack, and added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery (on separate plays) in the win over the Rebels. The fumble recovery came on the Rebels’ second-to-last possession, as Bo Wallace was stripped inside the Auburn 5 yard line. The forced fumble came one drive later, as Frost forced Ole Miss wideout Laquon Treadwell to fumble as he crossed the goal line, saving the game for the Tigers.
LB Brooks Ellis (Arkansas): Ellis was fantastic in his return to the Razorbacks lineup Saturday, recording 12 tackles and an interception in a seven-point loss on the road against Mississippi State. Ellis picked off Heisman hopeful Dak Prescott late in the first half as the Bulldogs were driving for a score before halftime, and was all over the field in limiting the MSU rushing attack to one of its worst outputs of the season.
DB Aarion Penton (Missouri): Penton intercepted Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles and broke up two more passes in a 20-10 win over the Wildcats in Columbia on Saturday. Towles hadn’t been intercepted in 159 straight pass attempts before Penton snagged one of his passes, and the ball-hawking defensive back disrupted Kentucky’s quarterback all game one week after he threw for 390 yards against Mississippi State. The UK offense never found a rhythm, and Penton’s play in the secondary kept the Cats from mounting a comeback on the road.
DB Senquez Golson (Ole Miss): Golson recorded yet another interception in Saturday’s loss to Auburn, bringing his total to nine picks in nine games this season. Golson had a chance at another interception in the second half, but in a rare instance couldn’t hang on to the football (he was credited with a pass defended). Golson has had a nose for the football all season, and he was the lone bright spot for an otherwise struggling secondary Saturday night against the Tigers.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
