Key players rise to the occasion and are at their best when the spotlight is brightest. Here is how the top quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers performed when their teams met opponents who finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

QUARTERBACKS

Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
In 2015, the Rebels’ signal-caller was at his best when he faced teams ranked in the AP Top 25 as he finished the season with 1,182 yards, 10 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against the four nationally ranked opponents Ole Miss met. Kelly’s best performance came against No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 19. For the second consecutive year, Kelly helped Ole Miss topple the Crimson Tide after throwing for 341 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The win catapulted the Rebels from No. 15 to No. 3 in the polls, while Alabama dropped all the way to No. 12.

Jake Coker, Alabama
Although the Crimson Tide quarterback wasn’t always at his best against teams ranked in the AP Poll — he posted a season-low 97.3 quarterback rating after throwing two interceptions in the early season matchup against Ole Miss — Coker was among the best in the SEC when playing nationally ranked teams. In addition to the SEC-best 67.7 completion rate and 1,670 passing yards he threw against the seven AP Top 25 opponents Alabama faced, Coker also recorded 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in those games. The senior took care of business in the College Football Playoff, where he lit up No. 3 Michigan State (25-of-30, 286 yards, 2 touchdowns) and top-ranked Clemson (16-of-25, 335 yards, 2 touchdowns) to guide Alabama to a national title.

Brandon Allen, Arkansas
After the Razorbacks fell to Texas A&M and Alabama in their first two meetings against nationally ranked teams, the Arkansas quarterback rebounded to help lift the team to back-to-back victories over Ole Miss and LSU in November. Allen stunned the Rebels’ defense when the two teams traded punches during an overtime thriller in Oxford as he ultimately finished with 442 passing yards and 6 touchdowns after completing 33-of-45 pass attempts. His 153.1 passer rating was the best of any SEC quarterback against an AP Top 25 team, although pedestrian performances against No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 8 Alabama prevented the Razorbacks from earning a pair of upsets.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Dominique Reed, Arkansas
Drew Morgan may have been Allen’s favorite target in 2015, but Reed shined against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Five of the six touchdowns Reed caught last season came against the Razorbacks’ four nationally ranked opponents as he finished with 14 catches and 298 yards in those games. While he was stellar against Ole Miss (7 catches, 105 yards, 2 touchdowns), Reed also came to play at Alabama, when he finished with 3 receptions, 77 yards and a score against the Crimson Tide.

Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina
After posting a breakout year as a sophomore, Cooper continued to give SEC defensive coordinators headaches in 2015. Even though the junior was held to 1 catch for 6 yards when the Gamecocks met No. 7 Georgia in September, Cooper rebounded to post strong performances against other teams ranked in the AP Top 25 as the season progressed. His best game came in Baton Rouge on Oct. 10 as he lit up LSU for 105 yards and a touchdown after making seven catches. However, even though Cooper tied for an SEC-best five scores against ranked teams, South Carolina went 0-5 against opponents that finished in the AP Top 25 in 2015.

Calvin Ridley, Alabama
As a freshman, the Crimson Tide pass-catcher only caught two touchdowns in the seven regular season games Alabama had against teams residing in the AP Top 25 at season’s end. But even if he struggled to get in the end zone against premier talent, Ridley was consistently one of Coker’s favorite targets in 2015. In all, he finished first in the SEC in receptions (45) and second in yards (443) against nationally ranked teams —Alabama tight end O.J. Howard led the conference with 447 yards. The first-year receiver was unstoppable against No. 3 Michigan State in the College Football Playoff semifinal as he finished with two touchdowns after catching 8 passes for 138 yards.

RUNNING BACKS

Derrick Henry, Alabama
The Crimson Tide ball-carrier was dominant throughout the 2015 season, but there is no denying that Henry was at his best against top-notch competition. In seven regular season games against teams in the AP Top 25, the Heisman Trophy winner raced for 1,049 of the 2,219 rushing yards he finished the season with. He also scored an SEC-best 15 touchdowns against ranked opponents. Henry played a key role in Alabama’s national championship run as he combined for 233 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on 56 carries against No. 3 Michigan and No. 1 Clemson in the College Football Playoff.

Leonard Fournette, LSU
The New Orleans native is the clear-cut favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy, which should come as no surprise after he dominated opposing defenses throughout the 2015 season. Fournette failed to gain 100 rushing yards in just two games last year, though one of those games came when he ran for only 31 yards against No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 7. Aside from his hiccup against the Crimson Tide, Fournette was hard to contain for the four other nationally ranked opponents the Tigers faced in 2015. In those games, Fournette combined for 438 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against Florida, Western Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Jalen Hurd, Tennessee
Even though the underclassman’s numbers paled in comparison to Henry’s and Fournette’s, Hurd turned in strong performances for the Volunteers when Tennessee met teams in the AP Top 25 last season. The sophomore averaged 108.3 yards in four games against nationally ranked opponents, ultimately finishing with 433 yards on 94 carries. After starting the season with an impressive outing against No. 19 Oklahoma (24 carries, 109 yards, 1 touchdown) in Week 2, Hurd finished the year on a high note when he ran for 130 yards and a touchdown in the Vols’ 45-6 thrashing of No. 13 Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.

Brad Joyal