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Garrett Nussmeier delivers a pass during LSU's game against UCLA on Saturday.
College Football

SEC Game Balls for Week 4

Adam Spencer

By Adam Spencer

Published:

Sure, Alabama and Georgia were off on Saturday as they prepare for a Week 5 showdown Tuscaloosa.

But the SEC still provided plenty of excitement in Week 4. We had a double-overtime game between Mizzou and Vanderbilt. We had a turnover-fest between Auburn and Arkansas. We had Tennessee and Oklahoma go toe-to-toe defensively. We had Arch Manning make his first start for Texas.

Yes, there was plenty of great (and some not-so-great) football played in the SEC on Saturday.

Here were the players who earned game balls for each team this weekend:

Alabama: OFF

Arkansas: TJ Metcalf, DB

I could give this game ball to Ja’Quinden Jackson yet again, but I’ll show some restraint and give it to the sophomore DB instead. He snagged 2 of Arkansas’s 4 interceptions on Saturday. The Hogs’ defense kept them in the game and Metcalf’s ball-hawking skills were a big reason for that.

Auburn: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR

Lambert-Smith was a rare bright spot on offense for the Tigers on Saturday in a loss to Arkansas. He finished with 5 catches for 152 yards and both of Auburn’s touchdowns:

He’s a big-play threat in an offense that desperately needs more big plays. We’ll see if he can do it again in the Tigers’ next game.

Florida: Graham Mertz, QB

There are many out there (including me) who think the Gators are harming their future by not playing DJ Lagway more. The problem? Mertz is still out there giving his absolute all for Florida. That’s incredibly admirable and it’s hard to say he shouldn’t play, especially in his last year of eligibility. He was great on Saturday in a 45-28 win over Mississippi State. He completed 19-of-21 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Georgia: OFF

Kentucky: Dane Key, WR

The Wildcats need more big plays in the passing game. Key provided a few on Saturday in an easy win over Ohio. He finished with 7 catches for 145 yards. While he didn’t find the end zone, he averaged 20.7 yards per grab and had a longest catch of 42 yards. The Wildcats can build off of that.

LSU: Garrett Nussmeier, QB

If LSU looked better as a team, Nussmeier would be getting some Heisman buzz. He’s been incredible. He threw for 352 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on Saturday against UCLA.

This pass was absolutely insane:

He’s thrown for 1,247 yards, 13 touchdowns and 2 interceptions through 4 games. All the games have been close and exciting, but that’s more on the LSU defense, not Nussmeier and the offense.

Mississippi State: Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth, RBs

The Bulldogs are atrocious this year, but at least they have a running game. We haven’t been able to say that in recent years. Daniels ran for 77 yards and 1 touchdown, while Booth added 75 yards and a score. Again, this isn’t a good season for Mississippi State by any means, but this is a solid rushing duo.

Mizzou: Nate Noel, RB

Mizzou doesn’t deserve much praise for a struggle win over Vanderbilt in double OT. But Noel does deserve a shoutout. He ran 24 times for 199 yards. Though he didn’t score, he consistently moved the chains for the Tigers when not much else was working offensively, especially in the red zone.

Oklahoma: Robert Spears-Jennings, DB

The junior DB from Oklahoma was impressive on Saturday against Tennessee. The Sooners were impressive as a whole on defense, but the offense couldn’t keep its end of the deal in a 25-9 loss to the Vols. When you hold Josh Heupel’s Vols to 25 points, you’ve done something right. Spears-Jennings led the charge with 13 tackles (7 solo). He also had a sack and a forced fumble. A standout effort all around for Spears-Jennings.

Ole Miss: Tre Harris III, WR

Tre Harris had a career day for the Ole Miss offense that seems to create career days for players on a weekly basis. Harris was particularly good in the Rebels’ blowout win over Georgia Southern, though, catching 11 passes for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. This offense is clicking as SEC play quickly approaches.

South Carolina: Robby Ashford, QB

With LaNorris Sellers out, Ashford stepped into the QB1 role. Yes, it was only against an atrocious Akron team, but the Gamecocks stood out on Saturday night. Ashford threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also running for a team-high 133 yards and 1 score. He was excellent, and the Gamecocks needed a spark at the QB position.

Tennessee: Bru McCoy, WR

It’s so nice to see Bru McCoy back after a leg injury ended his 2023 season. He caught 4 passes for an impressive 92 yards on Saturday against Oklahoma. While he didn’t score a touchdown, he was instrumental in making some big plays to set the Vols up to score. People may have forgotten just how talented McCoy was due to his injury.

Texas: Jaydon Blue, RB

Arch Manning was … fine … during his first start for the Longhorns. But Blue was excellent in his return from injury. He ran for 124 yards and 3 touchdowns and also had 1 catch for 3 yards and a score. That’s a great showing for the Texas running game that desperately needs someone to stay healthy. Blue gets the game ball this week.

Texas A&M: Marcel Reed, QB

It wasn’t pretty, but Reed managed to avoid a devastating mistake in Texas A&M’s narrow home win over Bowling Green. This will probably knock the Aggies out of the top 25, but Reed continues to play capably in Conner Weigman’s absence. He threw for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running for a team-high 91 yards in the 26-20 win. He didn’t commit a turnover, and that’s important. Any turnover from him could have led to an embarrassing loss.

Vanderbilt: Bryan Longwell, LB

The sophomore from Nashville was all over the place on Saturday in Columbia. He led the Commodores with 12 tackles. Six of those were solo takedowns. He had 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. The Commodores faltered in double-OT in a loss to Mizzou, but Longwell did all he could to keep Vanderbilt in the game.

Adam Spencer

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.

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