Best and Worst SEC Football Performances: Week 5

Oct 3, 2015; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Kyle Allen (10) throws the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Florida’s defense & Will Grier, QB

– The biggest upset of the week in college football happened in the Swamp where the Gators took down the Ole Miss Rebels. Yes, the Rebels choked on the big stage and their offense couldn’t get any worse in the red zone, but you still have to credit the defensive effort of the Gators.

The Gators held the Rebels to 69 rushing yards on 33 attempts and were able to disrupt quarterback Chad Kelly, which we will get into later. Along with having a stifling run defense, the Gators forced three fumbles and had one interception leading to points going the other way.

On the offensive side of the ball, the word that best describes quarterback Will Grier’s week 5 performance is efficient. The redshirt freshman went 24 of 29 for 271 yards and four touchdowns and solidified his role as the Gators’ starting quarterback of the future.

Grier attributes the success to the team coming together and meshing well, but I think he has just made good decisions and tried to stay in the pocket instead of looking to run first like he did in weeks 1 & 2. The Gators are leading the SEC East and if they beat Missouri this week and then Georgia to close the month, I think they win that side of the conference.

Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

– While the LSU Tigers continue to let sub-par teams hang around until late in games, Leonard Fournette cannot be stopped.

Sep 26, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs during the fourth quarter of a game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. LSU won the game 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday against Eastern Michigan, Fournette ran for 233 yards on 26 carries for three touchdowns.

If you calculate that out, that is nine yards per carry. That is a sign of a true beast. . .regardless of the competition level.

The game Saturday was Fournette’s third straight with over 200 yards. Fournette is leading the nation in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards per game, over 50 yards more than the next best runner (Tyler Ervin, San Jose State.)

Fournette has become a mainstay on my best and worst lists and is making his way onto most Heisman watch lists if he wasn’t already on them. I think Fournette is the front runner for every postseason offensive award if he can keep producing against SEC teams.

Kyle Allen, QB, Texas A&M

– Leading the Aggies to a 5-0 record, Kyle Allen showed up when the national spotlight was on him against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Allen threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns while going 25 for 41 and leading his team over the then ranked 21st place team.

Allen outperformed Dak Prescott, his counterpart for Mississippi State, who threw for 210 yards . . . and nothing else.

I originally thought that early on this season that Allen would be slowly replaced in the Aggies offense but he is showing that he is the real deal on Saturdays down south. I think that if Allen keeps playing well, the Aggies are the favorite to take the SEC West.  That is, if they can win a big game against Alabama in week 7 after their bye week.

Next: Worst of the Week