TexAgs All-SEC team of the week: Week Four
As the Southeastern College football season nears the midway point, an obvious line is developing between the haves and have nots.
The top teams are winning, typically in dominant fashion. The explanation isn’t difficult. Their players are just better.
Still, sometimes individuals on lesser teams have great performances, too. That was the case last Saturday and is reflected in the All-SEC Team of the Week.
Offense
Quarterback: Mac Jones (Alabama)
Jones, a junior, had his third consecutive 400-yard outing, going 24-of-32 for 417 yards and four touchdowns in the Tide’s dominant win against Georgia.
Running Back: Najee Harris (Alabama) and Isaiah Spiller (Texas A&M)
Harris, a senior, was a workhorse in the Tide’s win, carrying 31 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-highest yardage total of his career, behind only last week’s 206-yard output against Ole Miss. Spiller, a sophomore from Klein Collins, had his third 100-yard game of the season, rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries in the victory over Mississippi State. He rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games for the second time in his career.
Wide Receiver: Treylon Burks (Arkansas), DeVonta Smith (Alabama) and Shi Smith (South Carolina)
Burks, a sophomore, had by far the best game of his career in the Razorbacks’ win over Ole Miss; he had 11 receptions for 137 yards and a score, which was an incredible one-handed grab midway through the fourth quarter. DeVonta Smith, a senior, had 11 receptions for 167 yards and two scores in the win over Georgia. He has 27 career touchdown receptions, four off the league record shared by Florida’s Chris Doering and Alabama’s Amari Cooper. Shi Smith, who is South Carolina’s only real receiving threat, had eight receptions for 76 yards and a score in the Gamecocks’ upset of Auburn. His impressive leaping catch of a 10-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter gave South Carolina the lead for good.
Offensive Line: G Deonte Brown (Alabama), G Sadarius Hutcherson (South Carolina), T Landon Young (Kentucky), Carson Green (Texas A&M) and Darian Kinnard (Kentucky)
Brown, a senior, helped pave the way for Harris to run for 152 yards in the Tide’s win. Some lineup changes against Auburn helped South Carolina’s line play its best game, and Hutcherson, a senior, played at his usual high level as the Gamecocks controlled the clock and were 7-of-13 on third down. Young, a fourth-year junior who was a consensus national top-100 prospect in the five-star prospect in the 2016 signing class, and Kinnard helped a one-dimensional UK offense rush for 187 yards in the Wildcats’ first win in Knoxville since 1984. Green played extremely well for an absolutely dominant A&M line.
Defense
Defensive Line: Ryder Anderson (Ole Miss), Jayden Peevy (Texas A&M) and Keir Thomas (South Carolina)
Ole Miss’ defense has been woeful this season, but Anderson, a senior from Katy High, played at a high level in the loss to Arkansas. He had a career-high 13 tackles, added a sack and another tackle for loss, as well as a quarterback hurry. Peevy, a senior from Bellaire High, led a big-time A&M defensive effort in the win over Mississippi State. He tied a career-high with five tackles, had one of the Aggies’ six sacks, added another tackle for loss and also rumbled 19 yards on a fumble return. Thomas, a senior, had one of the best games of his career in the win over Auburn, with eight tackles and two sacks, including a huge takedown of Bo Nix in the waning moments on the Tigers’ final drive.
Linebacker: Buddy Johnson (Texas A&M), Zakoby McClain (Auburn), Grant Morgan (Arkansas) and Henry To’o To’o (Tennessee)
Johnson, a senior from Dallas Kimball, continued his strong play, leading the Aggies with 12 tackles in the win over Mississippi State. He also had a sack, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. Johnson has had double-digit tackles in three of A&M’s four games. Auburn allowed just 297 yards to South Carolina in its loss, and Nix’s poor play was the major reason for the setback. McClain, a junior, and the rest of the Tigers’ defense played well. He had 13 tackles and a sack. He has had double-digit stops in three consecutive games. Arkansas was without leading tackler Bumper Pool against high-powered Ole Miss, but it didn’t matter: Morgan — a senior who is just 5-11 and 222 pounds — was seemingly in on every play in the Razorbacks’ win. He finished with a career-high 19 tackles to go along with a sack, two more tackles for loss, an interception and two pass breakups. Morgan leads the SEC with 52 tackles. As with Auburn, Tennessee’s defense played well in a loss, but it’s just hard to overcome your quarterback throwing two pick-sixes in a three-minute span early in the second quarter. To’o To’o, a sophomore, had eight tackles, a sack and one other tackle for loss as the Vols held UK to 294 total yards.
Defensive Back: CB Hudson Clark (Arkansas), CB Jaycee Horn (South Carolina), CB Myles Jones (Texas A&M) and CB Kelvin Joseph (Kentucky)
Clark, a redshirt freshman walk-on from Dallas Highland Park, had a game that likely will earn him a scholarship. He had three interceptions and five tackles in the upset of Ole Miss. Horn, a junior, had the first two interceptions of his career and four pass breakups in the Gamecocks’ win, and he spent most of his day locked in a duel with star Auburn receiver Seth Williams. Horn’s coverage skills always have been above average, but his ball skills have been questioned. Jones, a senior from Magnolia West who has been criticized throughout his career, played one of his best games as an Aggie in the win against Mississippi State. He had an interception (the fourth of his career), six tackles and a tackle for loss. Joseph, a sophomore transfer from LSU, had one of UK’s pick-sixes in the win at Tennessee. He added four tackles and a pass breakup in helping the Wildcats limit the Vols to seven points and 287 total yards.
Specialists
Kicker: Will Reichard (Alabama)
Reichard, a sophomore, made two field goals in the Tide’s win, including a 52-yarder on the final play of the first half to give Alabama momentum heading into the second half.
Punter: Kai Kroeger (South Carolina)
Kroeger, a freshman, had a big day, averaging 49.5 yards on four punts. He dropped three of them inside the 20.
Returner: Zamir White, Georgia
White, a sophomore who had a rushing touchdown, had two kick returns for 58 yards for the Bulldogs. One of the biggest bright spots for Georgia this season has been its kickoff return unit. The Bulldogs are averaging 32.2 yards on 10 returns.
