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The SEC was once again a mixed bag in Week 2. There was some good, with Tennessee thumping NC State and Texas routing Michigan. And there was some bad, with Auburn losing to Cal and Arkansas blowing a lead at Oklahoma State.
But there were positives to take away from each game that was played in the conference in Week 2, and we’re here to hand out game balls to the top performers.
With apologies to Mississippi State, who kicked off at 10:30 p.m. ET, here’s a look at who earned the game ball for each SEC team this weekend:
Alabama: Ryan Williams, WR
I’m going to avoid giving game balls to players 2 weeks in a row later in this column, but I’m making an exception for Williams. At only 17 years old, he’s already emerged as the Tide’s WR1. He had 4 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown in what should be called a “struggle win” for Alabama against USF. His longest catch went for 44 yards and a huge momentum-shifting touchdown. He’s the real deal, folks.
Arkansas: Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB
Arkansas blew a lead against Oklahoma State, but Jackson has been elite for the Hogs so far this year. He out-dueled Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II today, who many consider to be the best running back in the country. Jackson ran for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24 carries, keeping Arkansas in the game until the bitter end.
Auburn: Keldric Faulk, DL
The offense had an afternoon to forget, but Faulk did all he could for the Auburn defense. He led the Tigers with 8 total tackles (7 solo). He had 2 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss. It was an impressive performance from the sophomore, even as the team around him struggled against Cal.
Florida: DJ Lagway, QB
After last week’s blowout home loss to Miami, in which starting QB Graham Mertz was injured, the Gators needed something to be excited about. DJ Lagway provided plenty of it in his first start at the college level. He connected on a 77-yard pass early in the game and finished with 456 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 16 yards and didn’t commit a turnover. There’s reason for optimism in The Swamp!
Georgia: Carson Beck, QB
Beck played about as well as you can possibly play in today’s romp over an overmatched Tennessee Tech squad. He completed 18 of his 25 pass attempts for 242 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He was clean and efficient, spreading the ball around to 5 different receivers on his touchdown passes. Yes, it was an FCS foe, but this is what elite offenses are supposed to do against inferior opponents.
Kentucky: Zion Childress, DB
Look, when you lose the way the Wildcats lost on Saturday, it’s tough to find many positives. But Childress, a senior DB from Houston, had 5 tackles (4 solo) against South Carolina, 1 sack and 3 tackles for a loss. That’s a pretty productive day for a defense that was short on bright spots.
LSU: Garrett Nussmeier, QB
When you throw for 302 yards and 6 (yes 6) touchdowns, you’re almost guaranteed to win the game ball. Nussmeier looks electric this season through 2 games. LSU as a whole hasn’t looked like an elite squad, but the Tigers have a QB. Every time I watch Nussmeier throw, it makes me glad I have a small bet on him to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Crazier things have happened!
Mississippi State: TBD
Sorry, y’all. When you kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET, it’s going to be tough for us to stay up late enough to give out a game ball. We’ll check back with the Bulldogs next weekend.
Mizzou: Theo Wease Jr., WR
I gave the game ball to “the defense” last week, so I guess I can’t do that again. I’ll find someone else, and that someone else is Theo Wease Jr. He had 10 catches and 105 yards at halftime. He finished the game with 13 grabs for 149 yards. Luther Burden III left in the first half and didn’t return with an injury. Hopefully he won’t miss much time (if any at all), but if he does, Wease is a capable WR1 for the Tigers.
UPDATE: It appears to be an illness, not an injury, for Burden:
Eli Drinkwitz: "Luther Burden has been dealing with an illness all week…we didn't feel like it was worth putting him back in the game."
— Power Mizzou (@PowerMizzoucom) September 8, 2024
Ole Miss: Henry Parrish Jr., RB
This could also go to Jaxson Dart, who completed an SEC-record 24-straight passes. However, Dart got the game ball last week, so we’ll give this one to Parrish. He is back in Oxford after a 2-year sabbatical in Miami. And he was electric today in a blowout win over Middle Tennessee. He ran 14 times for 165 yards and a whopping 4 touchdowns. Color us impressed.
Oklahoma: Danny Stutsman, LB
It was an ugly 16-12 win for the Sooners over Houston, but as we say in this business, a win is a win. The defense is what won Oklahoma this game, and Stutsman is what makes this defense go. He recorded an impressive 14 tackles (11 solo) and 1 tackle for a loss. Houston couldn’t do much offensively in this game, and Stutsman was the biggest reason why.
South Carolina: LaNorris Sellers, QB
Sellers gets the game ball after putting up solid numbers in Lexington in a huge win for the Gamecocks’ program on Saturday afternoon. Last week, he was… well, he was horrible. He even should have been credited for a tackle on his own teammate. This week, he put all of that behind him and balled out. He threw for 159 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception and didn’t lose either of his fumbles. He’s still a work in progress, but he took a big step forward on Saturday.
Tennessee: Dylan Sampson, RB
The defense was elite against NC State, but I’ll give the game ball to Sampson this week. He ran 20 times for 132 yards and 2 scores and added 3 catches for 37 yards. He was almost impossible to bring down, showcasing his value as both a runner and a receiver. He is going to be a key piece to this offense all year long. If he has big games, the Vols will roll over just about anyone.
Texas A&M: Le’Veon Moss, RB
Moss had a highly efficient day on the ground, running 9 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Aggies combined to score 5 rushing touchdowns against McNeese State. Yes, it was a lesser opponent, but beating up on FCS teams is what SEC squads should do. Moss led the charge for the Aggies on Saturday.
Texas: Gunnar Helm, TE
Helm was Quinn Ewers’ go-to guy on Saturday afternoon in a huge game at Michigan. Helm caught 7 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Longhorns’ 31-12 road win over the reigning national champions. Many expected Amari Niblack to be the top tight end in Austin this year, but Helm didn’t get that memo, it seems.
Vanderbilt: Diego Pavia, QB
Who else could it be? Pavia has rejuvenated this Vanderbilt program. The Commodores won 55-0 over Alcorn State on Saturday and Pavia was magnificent. He completed 10 of his 13 passes for 83 yards and also ran 13 times for 51 yards and a score. The important thing this week was he didn’t turn it over. Vanderbilt has itself a QB, y’all.
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.
