A smattering of out-of-conference patsy games remain on the SEC slate in Week 3, but they’re overshadowed by several huge matchups, including No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama and No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 LSU, as well as rivalry game South Carolina at Georgia.

While many players will rise to the occasion, others will be outmatched.

Here are three candidates to “boom” on Saturday, and three candidates to bust:

Booms

  1. RB Alex Collins, Arkansas: Texas Tech and Patrick Mahomes II bring the nation’s No. 2 passing offense to Fayetteville in Week 3. They’ll face Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen, who leads the SEC in passing with 720 yards. While both squads barrage each other through the air, look for Arkansas running back Alex Collins to rebound from a poor performance in Week 2 against Toledo in which he rushed for a measly 54 yards. Texas Tech might have one of the best passing offenses, but they also possess one of the worst rushing defenses in the country — yielding 272.0 yards per game. In case you’re not sure if Collins can do it, all you have to do is look back to last year’s Razorbacks-Red Raiders contest in which the junior torched Texas Tech for 212 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns.
  2. RB Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt: In the days leading up to Vanderbilt’s Week 2 matchup against Georgia, Commodores offensive lineman Jake Bernstein boasted that he’d prefer to have teammate Ralph Webb on his side over Bulldogs’ SEC-leading rusher Nick Chubb. While the praise is lofty, it might be a bit of a stretch. The redshirt sophomore Webb — who set just about every freshman rushing record on Vandy’s books — has rushed for 138 yards on the year for 3.2 yards per carry. Fortunately, Webb gets a favorable matchup this week when Vanderbilt plays host to Austin Peay. The Governors defense has surrendered exactly 500 yards in blowout losses to Mercer and Southern Mississippi by an average score of 40 to 6.5. Look for Webb to get his first 100-yard rushing game since going for 166 yards on Nov. 1, 2014, against Old Dominion. He’ll also get the Commodores their first rushing touchdown on the year.
  3. OT Avery Gennesy, Texas A&M: You’re bound to improve when every day in practice you have to go up against one of the SEC’s top pass-rushers. Such is life for Texas A&M left tackle Avery Gennesy. The junior is a first-year starter along an Aggies offensive line that has yielded a conference-worst seven sacks on the season. The unit gets a bit of a reprieve in Week 3 with Nevada visiting College Station. The Wolfpack have just three sacks on the season. Gennesy and the Aggies’ line will get a confidence builder and help No. 17 A&M move to 3-0. Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin had plenty of praise for Gennesy at his weekly press conference. “We knew we needed to fill a void,” Sumlin said. “(He) had ability to come in, we redshirted him, traveled to away games; he’s probably our most-athletic OL. One reason for his success is he goes up against Myles Garrett every day. Has a lot of fun. Ceiling is pretty high for that kid.”

Busts:

  1. QB Jake Coker, Alabama: He’s been remarkably consistent in his first two games as Alabama’s starting quarterback. The senior completed 15 passes and tossed for a touchdown in both Weeks 1 and 2, while collecting 213 and 214 yards, respectively. Coker has been steady as Alabama has relied heavily on its vaunted run game to beat opponents into submission. The Florida State transfer has a tough matchup in Week 3, facing an Ole Miss secondary led by Tony Conner and Trae Elston (2 interceptions). The Rebels have a national-best three pick-six interceptions this season, the same amount as the rest of the SEC combined.
  2. RB Peyton Barber, Auburn: Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn finally rewarded Peyton Barber on Tuesday, naming the sophomore as his official starting running back. What is Barber’s first task as “official” starter? Go up against one of the SEC’s and, potentially, nation’s best rush defenses on the road in Death Valley against LSU. Barber has 240 yards and a rushing touchdown on the year, including 128 yards and a score in Week 2’s scare against Jacksonville State. But he’ll be going up against an LSU squad that opened its season last week by allowing Mississippi State to accumulate a stingy 43 yards on the ground as a team. Granted, the Bulldogs aren’t the strongest of running teams. The LSU secondary should be able to hold struggling Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson in check, allowing Les Miles’ team to focus on shutting down the Barber and the run. Look for the junior to rush for less than 100 yards for the first time this season.
  3. RB Ish Witter, Missouri: Ish Witter will make his first career start for Missouri, subbing in for No. 1 tailback Russell Hansbrough, who will sit with an injured ankle, during the Tigers’ Week 3 matchup against Connecticut. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound sophomore rose to No. 2 on the Tigers’ depth chart thanks to his speed, shifting and cutting abilities. He has 83 yards on the season, tying him with quarterback Maty Mauk for the team. Unfortunately for Mizzou, UConn isn’t a push-over on defense. The Huskies defense ranks No. 36 in the nation and yields 147 yards on the ground. They’re stronger against the pass, so Mauk doesn’t have the aerial attack to necessarily fall back on. Missouri wins the game, but look for the Tigers’ rushing woes to continue.