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Even with 4 teams off this weekend, the SEC saw plenty of great performances. Vanderbilt-Texas provided some drama. LSU-Texas A&M was a back-and-forth game. Auburn had a breakout win over Kentucky.
In this article, we’ll focus on the individual performances as we hand out game balls to the players who had the best efforts on Saturday.
Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s SEC game balls:
Alabama: Justice Haynes, RB
Haynes showed his strength and speed in a shutout win over Mizzou on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. He broke off a long 35-yard TD run as part of a 79-yard day. He averaged nearly 10 yards per carry, though, as he only toted the tater 8 times. Maybe he’ll get some more work moving forward.
Arkansas: Braylen Russell, RB
With Ja’Quinden Jackson out, Arkansas needed someone to step up. That someone was Russell. Though QB Taylen Green was incredible, throwing for 5 touchdowns, Russell (who is only a freshman) carried the ball 16 times for 175 yards. What an effort for the Arkansas native!
Auburn: Jarquez Hunter, RB
A third-straight RB to start off the game balls? You’d better believe it. Hunter had the best performance of the bunch, turning in a whopping 278 yards on just 23 carries. He also had 2 scores in Auburn’s road win at Kentucky. That’s one of the best RB performances we’ve seen in the entire SEC this year.
Florida: OFF
Georgia: OFF
Kentucky: Dane Key, WR
Key continues to be a steady presence for the Wildcats. On a night when not much went right for Kentucky, Key plugged away out wide, making 4 catches for 87 yards. He’s doing his part for this offense that doesn’t have many explosive plays this year.
LSU: Aaron Anderson, WR
The LSU offense was inconsistent all night, but Anderson continues to make big plays for the Tigers. He racked up 126 yards on just 3 catches, including 1 that went for 75 yards and a touchdown. He’s continuing to earn a larger role alongside Kyren Lacy and the other LSU receivers.
Mississippi State: Kevin Coleman Jr., WR
It was another disappointing loss for the Bulldogs, but Coleman had a strong showing. He made 8 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi State has some intriguing weapons on offense. With another year in Jeff Lebby’s system, Coleman and company should be a force to be reckoned with.
Mizzou: Johnny Walker Jr., Edge
Saturday wasn’t a day anyone wants to remember in Mizzou country. The Tigers were shut out by Alabama 34-0. However, the defense made Alabama QB Jalen Milroe uncomfortable during the first half when the game was still close. Walker posted 4 tackles and 2 sacks, which is enough to earn him this week’s game ball.
Oklahoma: Jovantae Barnes, RB
Oklahoma’s offense continues to flounder, though it did have a couple of decent drives against Ole Miss on Saturday. Barnes gets this week’s game ball for finishing both as the Sooners’ top rusher and receiver. He ran 16 times for 67 yards and added 5 catches for 57 yards.
Ole Miss: Suntarine Perkins, LB
With Patrick Willis in attendance, Perkins turned in a performance that surely made the Ole Miss legend proud. He recorded 11 total tackles (8 solo). Of those tackles, 5 were for a loss and Perkins had an incredible 4 sacks. This Ole Miss defense is really good, y’all.
South Carolina: OFF
Tennessee: OFF
Texas: DeAndre Moore Jr., WR
It was another up-and-down day for Texas QB Quinn Ewers, who threw 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. But he was great when he targeted Moore. The sophomore receiver from Anaheim posted 6 catches for 97 yards and 2 scores. It was his best effort of the year in a narrow victory for the Longhorns.
Texas A&M: Marcel Reed, QB
Reed came in for Conner Weigman and was incredible. With Texas A&M trailing, Reed provided a major spark, leading the Aggies to a come-from-behind win. He finished the game with 70 pass yards, going 2-for-2 through the air. His real contributions came as a runner, as he put up 62 yards on the ground and 3 much-needed touchdowns.
Vanderbilt: Randon Fontenette, LB
Fontenette and the Vanderbilt defense did all they could to help the Commodores stay close to the Longhorns and nearly pull off another shocking upset. Though they came up short, Fontenette deserves recognition for his 8 tackles (2.5 for a loss), 1.5 sacks and 2 pass breakups.
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.
