TexAgs All-SEC team of the week: Week Two

Alabama and Florida showed off their explosiveness. Georgia offered a reminder of its toughness. LSU played defense again.

The second week of Southeastern Conference football unfolded as most would have anticipated, with big-play threats making big plays and having big games.

Here’s a look at some of the players who had outstanding performances in the All-SEC team of Week Two.

Offense

Quarterback: Mac Jones (Alabama)

He's not nearly as talented as his predecessor at quarterback, but, hey, he has a ton of weapons with which to work. Jones threw for 435 yards and four touchdowns, including three of at least 63 yards, as the Tide dismantled the Aggies

Running Back: Eric Gray (Tennessee) and Chris Rodriguez Jr. (Kentucky)

Tennessee definitely is a run-first team on offense this season, and Gray — the Vols' backup tailback — rushed for 105 yards and a score on 16 carries in a thrashing of Missouri. Tennessee rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns as a team. Rodriguez, a sophomore, rushed for a career-high 133 yards and two touchdowns as UK ran all over Ole Miss. He was one of three UK players with 100 rushing yards. Alas, the Wildcats still lost.

Wide Receiver: Kearis Jackson (Georgia), John Metchie (Alabama) and Jonathan Mingo (Ole Miss)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Kearis Jackson cut up the Auburn secondary for 147 yards as the Bulldogs cruised to a 27-6 victory.

There were all sorts of questions about Georgia's receiving corps entering the season, but Jackson, a sophomore, may have done enough Saturday against Auburn (nine receptions for 147 yards, both career-highs) to establish himself as the No. 2 guy behind George Pickens. He had 143 career receiving yards coming into the game. Metchie, a native of Canada, is also a sophomore and hadn't done much in his career until Saturday, when he burst onto the scene with five receptions for 181 yards and two scores (a 78-yarder and a 63-yarder) in the Tide's win. And Mingo is yet another sophomore who hadn't done much until Saturday. He went into the game at Kentucky with 12 career receptions, then added eight catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels' win.

Offensive Line: G Ben Cleveland (Georgia), C Drake Jackson (Kentucky), Evan Neal (Alabama), Wayna Morris (Tennessee) and Alex Leatherwood (Alabama)

Cleveland was a big reason Georgia pushed around Auburn up front, and the Bulldogs rushed for 202 yards in their 21-point victory. Jackson, who is the best center in the SEC, helped pave the way for a devastating rushing attack against Ole Miss as the Wildcats rushed for 408 yards and six touchdowns but still lost. Neal did a good job on A&M’s DeMarvin Leal, who did not post a tackle. Morris did not allow a sack and was the lead blocker for more than 230 rushing yards. Leatherwood allowed pressure on a couple of plays, but overall rarely allowed Mac Jones to be pressured from the blindside.

Defense

Defensive Line: Andre Anthony (LSU), Zachary Carter (Florida) and Jordan Davis (Georgia)

Anthony has six tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in LSU's easy win. Florida's defense has barely been adequate this season, but Carter played well in the Gators' victory against South Carolina, finishing with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. Davis can be almost unmovable at nose tackle in the middle of the Bulldogs' defense, and he and his linemates played at a high level in Georgia's surprisingly easy win against Auburn. Davis had four tackles as the Bulldogs limited the Tigers to 39 rushing yards and 216 total yards.
 
Linebacker: Christian Harris (Alabama), Jabril Cox (LSU), Azeez Olujari (Georgia) and Bumper Pool (Arkansas)

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, his name really is Bumper Pool, and he had 20 tackles vs. Mississippi State this week.

Harris played at a high level for the second week in a row, leading the Tide with 10 tackles against A&M. Cox, a touted transfer from FCS power North Dakota State, has acclimated well to the SEC, and he had seven tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry in the win over Vandy. Ojulari was a force off the edge for the Bulldogs against Auburn, finishing with five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss. Pool, a junior, had the game of his life as the Hogs upset Mississippi State, finishing with 20 tackles and two pass breakups. (For those wondering – and even those who weren't – "Bumper" is his real first name. He was born James Pool, then legally changed his first name when he was 16.)

Defensive Back: S Jordan Battle (Alabama), CB Greg Brooks Jr. (Arkansas), S Trevon Flowers (Tennessee) and S Ja'Coby Stevens (LSU)

Last week, Alabama safety Daniel Wright – a sophomore from Fort Lauderdale – had a huge game. This week, Battle – a sophomore from Fort Lauderdale – had a huge game for the Tide, with nine tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Brooks had five tackles and a 69-yard pick-six in Arkansas' upset of Mississippi State. His INT came on the first drive of the game and served notice that the Hogs' zone was going to give Bulldogs QB K.J. Costello trouble all game. Flowers, a junior, had 17 tackles in a reserve role in 2019. Now a starter, he had had team-high 10 tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the rout of Missouri. The hard-hitting Stevens played his high school ball in the Nashville area, and he had a productive homecoming against Vandy, leading LSU with 11 tackles.

Specialists

Kicker: Cade York (LSU)

York, a sophomore, kicked two field goals, including a career-long 53-yarder, in the Tigers' rout of Vanderbilt.
 
Punter: Mac Brown (Ole Miss)

Brown averaged 49.0 yards on five punts in the Rebels' win. He had three of 50-plus yards and dropped two inside Kentucky's 17.

Returner: Donovan Kaufman (Vanderbilt)

Kaufman, a true freshman from New Orleans, played well against his home-state school, with three kickoff returns for 101 yards in the Commodores' loss. He also led Vandy with 10 tackles from his starting safety spot.