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With eight matchups involving Southeastern Conference teams on the docket for this Saturday, here’s a list of the players to watch in each of those games for Week 11 (all kickoff times are for Eastern Standard Time):
NOON ET, NO. 11 FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA, ESPN
Perry Orth, QB, South Carolina
Orth is coming off perhaps his best game of the season in the Gamecocks’ 27-24 Week 10 loss to Tennessee, where he completed 20 of 39 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. South Carolina will need him to build off the momentum from that performance and produce against an even tougher defense this week when the Gamecocks host Florida. Orth has 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions so far this season.
NOON ET, GEORGIA AT AUBURN, CBS
Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn
There were high hopes for Johnson in Auburn to start the season. He began as the Tigers’ starter under center, but in the first three games, he had 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. But he has looked good since regaining the starting role because of an injured Sean White. He looked more confident last week against Texas A&M, completing 13 of 17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
NOON ET, NORTH TEXAS AT TENNESSEE, SEC NETWORK
Evan Berry, KR, Tennessee
Berry is the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who was an All-American that also played for the Volunteers. Evan is now carrying on the family name as he serves as Tennessee’s kick returner. Berry is the best kick returner in college football, averaging an absurd 40.6 yards per return and accounting for 3 touchdowns.
3:30 P.M. ET, NO. 3 ALABAMA AT NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE, CBS
De’Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State
Mississippi State is going to need a few big plays that stun the Crimson Tide in order to pull off the upset against Alabama this Saturday. And no skill player on the Bulldogs has more big-play ability than Wilson. Wilson has had a bit of an up-and-down year, but his dynamic skills were on full display against Missouri last week when the 6-foot-5 receiver ripped down 4 receptions for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.
4 P.M. ET, KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT, SEC NETWORK
Josh Forrest, LB, Kentucky
Vanderbilt’s running back Ralph Webb is coming off an impressive performance last week against Florida where he rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, so Kentucky’s defense better be prepared to stop the run. Forrest is the guy that usually does most of the work for the Wildcats defense and will be there to meet Webb more often than not. Forrest had 10 tackles last week against Georgia, and he’s Kentucky’s leading tackler on the season with 76.
7 P.M. ET, WESTERN CAROLINA AT TEXAS A&M, ESPNU
Tra Carson, RB, Texas A&M
With both of the Aggies quarterbacks — Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray — both struggling, and Texas A&M having lost three of its last four games as a result, Kevin Sumlin’s team gets a much-needed out-of-conference game against Western Carolina. There is uncertainty about which quarterback will start this game, but we know Carson is going to lead the backfield. Carson is coming off two straight games with more than 100 rushing yards and has 5 rushing touchdowns this season for the Aggies.
7:15 P.M. ET, ARKANSAS AT NO. 9 LSU, ESPN
Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Everyone’s always watching one of the leading Heisman candidates, so this one might seem a little obvious. But Fournette is coming off by far his worst outing this season, rushing for just 31 yards on 19 carries in the Tigers’ 30-16 loss to Alabama. Fournette started to separate himself in the Heisman race before that game, but that performance allowed others to creep back into the discussion. If he wants to pull away again, he’ll want to have a monster game this week against the Razorbacks.
7:30 P.M. ET, BYU VS. MISSOURI, SEC NETWORK
Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
Missouri has one of the best defensive fronts in the country, and one of its leaders is Harris. His 7 sacks are tied for 1st on the Tigers defense and 3rd in the SEC. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound pass rusher has recorded a sack in four straight games and will look to make it five in Week 11 against BYU. The game will be played in Arrowhead Stadium, so this will also be a homecoming for Harris, who is from Kansas City.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
