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With nine matchups involving Southeastern Conference teams on the docket, here’s a list of the players to watch in each SEC game for Week 4 (all kickoff times are for Eastern Standard Time):
Noon ET, Southern at No. 7 Georgia, SEC NETWORK
Malcolm Mitchell, WR , Georgia
Mitchell is Greyson Lambert’s go-to guy in Athens. Within the SEC, he’s currently in the top five for receptions (15), receiving yards (210) and receiving touchdowns (2), and a matchup in Week 4 against Southern should help him pad those stats. Mitchell is also about as versatile of a player as you’re going to find. He has played offense, defense and special teams for the Bulldogs at some point in his career.
Noon ET, No. 8 LSU at Syracuse, ESPN
Davon Godchaux, DT , LSU
Godchaux is just a sophomore, but he has been arguably the most productive player in the Tigers’ front seven so far this year. His three sacks lead LSU and put him in a tie for third-most in the SEC through the first three weeks. He also showed his ability to use his length at 6-foot-4 by deflecting a pass at the line of scrimmage against Auburn in Week 3.
Noon ET, UCF at South Carolina, ESPNU
Lorenzo Nunez, QB, South Carolina
The Gamecocks have turned to Nunez, a true freshman, to help dig them out of the 1-2 hole they’ve put themselves in this season. Nunez was a four-star, dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, and it will be interesting to see what kind of schemes Steve Spurrier comes up with to try and best utilize his skill set.
3:30 p.m. ET, Tennessee at Florida, CBS
Jalen Reeves-Maybin, OLB, Tennessee
Reeves-Maybin is enjoying a phenomenal year for the Volunteers so far this season. His 33 tackles (21 in Week 2 against Oklahoma) are good for third in the SEC and he has also recorded two sacks and a pass deflection. It’s no secret that Florida likes to run the football, so the Tennessee linebackers should be in for a busy day on Saturday.
4 p.m. ET, Louisiana Monroe at No. 12 Alabama, SEC NETWORK
O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
Howard is leading the Crimson Tide in receiving yards this season with 175. He’s a 6-foot-6, 242-pound, athletic tight end that has been primarily used by Alabama to stretch the field (15.9 yards per catch). However, look for Nick Saban to start using this giant more in the red zone and get the touchdowns to start piling up for Howard, who has yet to find pay dirt this season.
7 p.m. ET, Vanderbilt at No. 3 Ole Miss, ESPNU
Johnny McCrary, QB, Vanderbilt
McCrary’s 880 passing yards are good for third in the SEC, but as a result of usually playing from behind, he is also leading the conference in pass attempts, having 16 more than the next-closest passer (Dak Prescott, 101). McCrary will need to cut down on the turnovers to give the Commodores any sort of chance at pulling off the upset over the Rebels . He has thrown five interceptions to just four touchdowns through the first three games.
7 p.m. ET, No. 14 Texas A&M at Arkansas (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas), ESPN
Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M
The only thing better than having a defensive end like 6-foot-5 Myles Garrett rushing the passer for your defense is having another defensive end that’s 6-foot-6 and can also get after the quarterback coming off the edge on the other side. The Aggies are spoiled in this regard with Daeshon Hall, whose 4.0 sacks are second in the SEC only to Garrett’s 5.5. Not sure where they keep finding them, but Texas A&M seems to have a knack for bringing in pass-rushers of this ilk.
7:30 p.m. ET, No. 25 Missouri at Kentucky, SEC NETWORK
J.D. Harmon, CB, Kentucky
Harmon is tied for third in the SEC with two interceptions this season and had one last week against Florida that helped the Wildcats get back in the game in the second half. Harmon is a huge cornerback at 6-foot-2 and clearly has good ball skills, but he actually has not started a game yet for Kentucky this season. If he keeps making plays, that reserve role might not last too much longer.
7:30 p.m. ET, Mississippi State at Auburn, ESPN2
Sean White, QB, Auburn
Like South Carolina, Auburn also decided to make a change at quarterback this week and opted to go with redshirt freshman Sean White over junior Jeremy Johnson, who has struggled in three starts. A lot was expected of Johnson, but White is said to be much more of a pure passer. If he can overcome being inexperienced, White could end up saving the Tigers’ offense, and possibly, their season. A win at home against Mississippi State would be a great start.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
