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Here is a look at some of the SEC’s top performing position units in Week 2:
QUARTERBACKS — Ole Miss: Is Chad Kelly the real deal? It sure looked that way as the Rebels scored 73 points against Fresno State on Saturday. Kelly led the way with 346 yards and four passing touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing. He added another 26 yards and a fifth touchdown on the ground. In total, Ole Miss quarterbacks accounted for 392 yards through the air and 77 on the ground. Not a bad day at the office for Kelly, Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade.
RUNNING BACKS — Georgia: Last week, there was an argument to be made for the Bulldogs for this honor and we went with Tennessee instead. This week, we’re giving Georgia the nod instead of LSU, which also had a nice week from its running backs. The Bulldogs’ running backs combined for 255 of Georgia’s 284 rushing yards in a 31-14 win at Vanderbilt on Saturday. They added another 43 yards through the passing game. Nick Chubb averaged nearly 10 yards per carry, totaling 189 yards on 19 attempts. Sony Michel was again productive with 56 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, as well as two catches for 30 yards.
WIDE RECEIVERS — Mississippi State: The Bulldogs may have lost their game against LSU, but it was not due to a lack of effort from this unit. QB Dak Prescott was slinging it on Saturday night, and his receivers were the beneficiaries of 52 passing attempts. De’Runnya Wilson caught eight passes for a team-best 86 yards and a touchdown. Fred Ross caught nine passes for 66 yards and Fred Brown had three catches for 53 yards. Even Bulldogs tight end Gus Walley got in on the action, catching seven passes for 67 yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE — LSU: The whole world knew that Leonard Fournette was getting the football on Saturday night, and still he had holes to run through. That’s a credit to the Tigers offensive line unit, which paved the way for 266 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 47 LSU rushing attempts during a 21-19 win against Mississippi State in Starkville.
DEFENSIVE LINE — LSU: Either Mississippi State could not run against this Tigers defensive front or simply chose not to run, deciding it was better to trust the arm of QB Dak Prescott in attempting to win its SEC opener. The Tigers defensive front held the Bulldogs to just 43 yards rushing, and kept Prescott to negative rushing yards on the evening with sacks included. The line also sacked Prescott three times.
LINEBACKERS — Missouri: The Tigers narrowly escaped a visit to Arkansas State with a 27-20 win, and many thanks belong to the linebacking duo of Kentrell Brothers and Michael Scherer. Brothers had 10 solo tackles, six assisted tackles and two critical interceptions. Scherer chipped in with 10 total tackles and three tackles for loss as the Mizzou defense allowed just 217 yards of offense to the Red Wolves.
DEFENSIVE BACKS — Ole Miss: The whole Rebels crew had a good time in Saturday’s blowout win against Fresno State, and the defensive backs were no exception. Ole Miss defensive backs Trae Elston and Chief Brown each had an interception returned for a touchdown on a day that the Rebels defense picked off Fresno State quarterbacks three times. The Rebels allowed just 151 yards through the air in spite of holding a massive lead early in the game, which accounted for plenty of opportunities for the Bulldogs to fill the stats sheet against someone other than the first team.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
