Ad Disclosure
Here’s a look at the SEC’s top position groups from Week 11:
QUARTERBACKS — Georgia: Texas A&M starter Kyle Allen may have had the best individual performance by a quarterback in Week 11, but the Bulldogs showed their depth at the position in Saturday’s win over Kentucky. Hutson Mason started the game and completed 13 of 16 passes for 174 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. He was relieved by Brice Ramsey, who completed all five of his passes for 80 yards and another touchdown. All in all, the two signal callers combined to complete 85.7 percent of their passes without committing a turnover, and the offense responded to the tune of 63 points in a huge road win.
RUNNING BACKS — Auburn: The Tigers have boasted one of the SEC’s best rushing attacks all season, and the same held true in Saturday’s disappointing loss to Texas A&M. Cameron Artis-Payne led the way with 221 yards and two touchdowns, but Auburn’s other tailbacks also contributed 10 carries for 76 yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry. The Tigers rushed for 363 yards as a team (67 of which came from quarterback Nick Marshall) to lead all SEC offenses in Week 11 despite falling short against the Aggies.
WIDE RECEIVERS — Texas A&M: The Aggies wideouts caught 17 of 19 Kyle Allen completions for 268 of his 277 yards and all four of his touchdowns in their win over Auburn, averaging better than 15.7 yards per catch in the victory. Josh Reynolds caught six passes for 88 yards, Ricky Seals-Jones added six more catches and Malcome Kennedy caught just four passes but amassed 118 yards and a touchdown in the process. The A&M passing game finally returned to prominence, thanks to a strong showing by the Aggies’ wideouts.
OFFENSIVE LINE — Georgia: The Bulldogs offensive line paved the way for a dominant UGA rushing attack Saturday against Kentucky. Georgia rushed for 305 yards at nearly eight yards per carry, and Nick Chubb rushed for at least 140 yards for the fourth straight game as Todd Gurley’s replacement in the starting lineup. The Bulldogs also kept their quarterbacks upright the entire game, holding Kentucky without a sack or even a quarterback hurry in a 32-point Georgia victory.
DEFENSIVE LINE — Alabama: The Crimson Tide defensive line was a disruptive force in Saturday’s overtime win against LSU, limiting the Tigers to one of their worst rushing outputs of the season. LSU averaged fewer than four yards per carry for the first time since Oct. 11, and the Tigers were never able to find an answer for Alabama’s constant pressure in the trenches. The Crimson Tide added two sacks and six tackles for loss in the victory, keeping their playoff hopes alive for at least one more week.
LINEBACKERS — Georgia: The Bulldogs linebackers wreaked havoc on the Kentucky offense, limiting UK to just seven second half points in a 63-31 rout. Ramik Wilson led all UGA defenders with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss, Lorenzo Carter added 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, and Amarlo Herrera contributed seven tackles and a tackle for loss in the victory. As a result, only one Wildcat (Boom Williams) averaged better than 3.7 yards per carry, and the quarterback Patrick Towles was only able to throw for 139 yards in the face of constant pressure from the fierce Bulldogs linebacking corps.
DEFENSIVE BACKS — Florida: The Gators recorded two fourth quarter interceptions and limited Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary to a 46 percent completion percentage in a 34-10 victory in Nashville on Saturday. Vernon Hargreaves and Jalen Tabor both picked off McCrary as the Commodores desperately tried to mount a rally, and both defensive backs were among the five Gators to record a pass breakup in the victory. Hargreaves leads the SEC in passes defended this year, and Florida held an SEC opponent to fewer than 250 passing yards for the fourth time in seven conference games this season.
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.
