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SEC football – never a dull moment, right?
Week 8 was incredible. Georgia-Texas was full of drama. Alabama-Texas was a close game. Brady Cook played superhero for Mizzou.
And it was one of our first full conference slates of the year, as only Ole Miss wasn’t in action this weekend.
With so much to react to, here are the game balls for each team from a crazy Week 8:
Alabama: Jihaad Campbell, LB
Campbell had 7 tackles and recovered a key fumble in the first half against Tennessee. There wasn’t much that went right for Alabama on Saturday on Rocky Top. Even the guys who played well also made key mistakes (Ryan Williams and Jalen Milroe, for example). Campbell gets the game ball this week, but it wasn’t a great effort from the Crimson Tide.
Arkansas: Andrew Armstrong, WR
Armstrong might be one of the most underrated receivers in the entire SEC. The guy simply makes multiple big plays per game. He had 7 catches for 94 yards and a score in Arkansas’s loss to LSU on Saturday night. He’ll continue to put up big numbers for the Razorbacks’ offense moving forward.
Auburn: Eugene Asante, LB
There wasn’t much to write home about for Auburn on Saturday, but Asante had a strong showing for the Tiger defense. He finished with 7 tackles (6 solo). Two of those tackles were sacks. The senior did his part to keep Brady Cook and Drew Pyne uncomfortable while they tried to run the Missouri offense.
Florida: Jadan Baugh, RB
Wow. What a performance from the freshman RB out of Atlanta. All he did was run for 100+ yards and an incredible 5 touchdowns. Literally every offensive touchdown the Gators scored came from Baugh. This is a night the young man will never forget, and it was a game the Gators absolutely needed to win.
Georgia: Trevor Etienne, RB
Etienne had an incredible night in Austin. He was effective as a runner, galloping for 87 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also involved in the passing game, recording 3 catches for 23 yards. When the Bulldogs needed to score, they gave the ball to Etienne. This was his best game yet in a Georgia uniform and it seems he has plenty more to give.
Kentucky: Barion Brown, WR/KR
The Wildcats lost a tough game in Florida. But Brown had a big game, scoring a TD as a receiver and as a kick returner. He continues to be the most explosive player in this Kentucky offense. The Wildcats need to figure out how to get the ball into his hands even more often moving forward.
LSU: Caden Durham, RB
Durham has been a revelation for the Tigers this year. QB Garrett Nussmeier didn’t throw for a touchdown in this game at Arkansas, but Durham was there to pick up the slack. He had 21 carries for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a big road win over Arkansas. He’s showing he can be the workhorse in the LSU backfield.
Mississippi State: Michael Van Buren Jr., QB
This kid has a bright future in Starkville. Yes, Mississippi State lost again, but Van Buren threw for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns against a tough Texas A&M defense in a 34-24 loss. The Bulldogs aren’t a great team by any means, but they continue to fight against superior opponents. Jeff Lebby has plenty of fighters to work with as he tries to rebuild this program for 2025.
Mizzou: Brady Cook, QB
Who else could this possibly go to? Cook left the game with an ankle injury on the opening drive. He missed the rest of the first half and part of the third quarter before making his triumphant return with Mizzou trailing 17-3. The rest, as they say, was history. Cook led an inspired comeback, emerging with a 21-17 victory in his final Homecoming game as a Tiger.
The Tigers’ defense deserves a ton of credit for locking down the Auburn offense as Cook led the comeback on the other side, but this game ball goes to Mizzou’s veteran QB.
Oklahoma: Danny Stutsman, LB
Stutsman had 16 tackles (5 solo), 1.5 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit on Saturday in a brutal 35-9 loss to South Carolina. He and the Oklahoma defense are trying their best, but the offense is putting them in impossible situations (and giving up plenty of points on fumbles and pick-6s).
Ole Miss: OFF
South Carolina: Nick Emmanwori, DB
Emmanwori was everywhere for the Gamecocks in a 35-9 win at Oklahoma on Saturday. In addition to leading the team with 11 tackles (8 solo), he had 2 interceptions and this pick-6 early in the first half:
A 66-yard pick 6 for the former @Irmo_Football star Nick Emmanwori!!
Nick Emmanwori (@Eman7Nick) with two interceptions & the #Gamecocks with two TDS on defensive turnovers! @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/t7hqZ5UPu7
— Chaz R Frazier (@Chazf_tv) October 19, 2024
The Gamecocks’ defense is legit. They can get after the quarterback, which leads to plenty of opportunities for the secondary to snag interceptions. Emmanwori gets this week’s game ball for taking 1 of his interceptions to the house.
Tennessee: Dylan Sampson, RB
Sampson is probably running out of room on his mantle for all these game balls I’m giving him. Yes, the defense also deserves a ton of credit for how it held Alabama in check all night long (shout out to Will Brooks for his 8 tackles and game-sealing interception). But Sampson continues to be Tennessee’s entire offense at times. He scored the first 2 touchdowns for the Vols in this game and continues to run like a man possessed. Add another game ball to the collection, young man.
Texas: Gunnar Helm, TE
Helm is truly Quinn Ewers’ go-to guy. The Longhorns didn’t get much going offensively on Saturday night, but Helm was his usual steady self, recording 6 catches for 62 yards. Unlike Ewers and backup QB Arch Manning, he managed not to lose a fumble in the game. Helm should receive more and more targets moving forward, especially if Ewers remains QB1.
Texas A&M: Le’Veon Moss, RB
Moss continues to run like a bulldozer. Yards were hard to come by against a surprisingly tough Mississippi State defense, but Moss managed to rack up a team-high 68 yards on the ground and also scored 2 touchdowns. He’s been a workhorse for this offense and shows no signs of slowing down.
Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, QB
Pavia’s game ball collection rivals Sampson’s of Tennessee. He had 275 passing yards and 1 touchdown. He ran for 82 yards and another score. Vanderbilt is 5-2 and a win away from bowl eligibility. The Commodores are 4-0 at home. This is a tough team and Pavia is the tone-setter.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
