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Week 1 in the SEC was full of entertaining games, and it’s not even over yet. Tennessee still has to play Georgia Tech tonight. But for the action that has already happened, we’ve managed to rank the Top 10 performances. And we will continue to do this throughout the season.
Players, teams, head coaches and coordinators are eligible for consideration. Here are the most impressive SEC performances from Week 1:
10. Florida corners
Sort of like with Texas A&M, it’s hard to find any positives from Florida’s Week 1 game. The Gators were dominated 33-17 by Michigan and the offense only mustered a field goal. But how about those two pick-sixes in the first half? Florida corners Duke Dawson and C.J. Henderson took interceptions to the house in back-to-back possessions – from 48 and 41 yards out respectively. They gave Florida a 17-10 lead and momentum in the game.
If only Florida’s offense had a pulse … or an offensive line.
9. Kerryon Johnson/Kam Martin
Auburn’s running back depth appears to be just fine. Usual starter Kamryn Pettway was suspended for the opener against Georgia Southern, but Kerryon Johnson stepped up in his absence, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the first half. The bad news is that Johnson also went down with an injury to his right leg in the first half.
However, Kam Martin filled in nicely, rushing for another 136 yards and a score. That’s good news for Auburn, as Martin might be relied on more heavily in the coming weeks.
Clemson looms on Saturday.
8. Todd Grantham
During spring practice, Mississippi State’s defense appeared to be significantly better. It was obvious in the spring game. But until Saturday, it remained to be seen how well that would carry over into the season.
Week 1 was a great start. State’s defense yielded just 33 total yards and allowed 0.7 yards per play, setting a 118-year school record. While Charleston Southern isn’t the toughest opponent Mississippi State will face, a debut shutout is a positive start for the new defensive coordinator.
7. Shea Patterson/A.J. Brown
Ole Miss and new interim coach Matt Luke had a solid debut in Week 1, especially after an offseason of pure misery. The Rebels put up 47 points on South Alabama, a team that upset their Mississippi brethren Bulldogs last season. Quarterback Shea Patterson was incredible, completing 80 percent of his passes and racking up 429 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. A.J. Brown caught eight passes for 233 yards and a couple touchdowns. He’s pacing the SEC in receiving.
6. Vanderbilt
After losing three in a row to Middle Tennessee in the early 2000s, Vandy has ripped off three consecutive wins. The past two have been impressive. The Commodores were only a 2-point favorite coming into this one, but won 28-6. It was a dominant performance against a quality opponent, as Vandy allowed just 166 passing yards to lethal MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill. Finally, Derek Mason was able to get a season-opening win after starting 0-1 in each of the past three seasons.
5. Trayveon Williams
When you blow a 44-10 lead in the third quarter to lose 45-44, it’s pretty difficult to find any positives. That’s what Texas A&M did Sunday night, and it may end up costing Kevin Sumlin his job. But it wasn’t all negative. Williams was one of the SEC’s top individual performers in Week 1, rushing for 203 yards (to lead the conference) and a pair of touchdowns. As a team, A&M gained 382 yards on the ground and rushed for five TDs. It wasn’t Williams’ or the offense’s fault the Aggies blew it Sunday.
4. Ed Orgeron
The “full-time” debut for LSU head coach Ed Orgeron couldn’t have gone much better. All during the offseason, some fans speculated whether Orgeron was the right guy, or just an easy hire. They questioned whether he would be even as good of a football coach as Les Miles. And given Orgeron’s head coaching record, it seemed fair to wonder. While all of those questions have not been answered, LSU’s shutout over BYU Saturday was impressive. The defense played especially well, allowing under 100 total yards.
3. Mizzou offense
The Tigers’ 815 yards of offense were the second-most in SEC history. Mizzou put up 72 points on a Missouri State defense that had no answer. Drew Lock threw for 521 yards and seven touchdowns. J’Mon Moore had 187 yards receiving and caught two of those touchdown passes, while running back Damarea Crockett rushed for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mizzou’s offensive performance on Saturday was about as good as it gets … about as good as its defensive effort was bad.
2. South Carolina
Remember all the talk about how good N.C. State’s defensive line was? How it ranked No. 8 in the country against the run last year, and how the Gamecocks’ offensive line would be totally out-manned? Well, all of that appeared to be true Saturday, as South Carolina only rushed for 31 yards. But that didn’t mean the Gamecocks couldn’t win the game. Luckily for them, Deebo Samuel and Jake Bentley put on a show, start to finish. Props to the Gamecocks for squeaking out a 35-28 win and holding on at the end in a game they came into as 6-point underdogs.
1. Alabama
In one of the most-watched and highly-anticipated Week 1 games of all time, the top-ranked Crimson Tide made it look easy against No. 3 Florida State. The Seminoles kept pace early. But Alabama’s defense took over in the second half and suffocated the life out of Florida State, forcing three turnovers to set up its offense in scoring position.
The #Alabama D on FSU last 11 possessions:
?
PUNT
PUNT
PUNT
FG Block
PUNT
PUNT
PUNT Block
FUMBLE
INT
INT
PUNT— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 3, 2017
It was as impressive a season opener as Nick Saban has ever coached, and it came against a national championship contender.
Cody McClure is an SEC Football Writer for Saturday Down South. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he also co-hosts a midday sports radio show for FOX Sports. Cody previously worked for Athlon Sports.
