Best and Worst SEC Football Performances: Week 11

Nov 14, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Drew Lock (3) hands off to running back Russell Hansbrough (32) during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The winning SEC teams in week 11 were the teams that had great production from both the quarterback and running back spots. Obviously Derrick Henry, as I mentioned earlier, and quarterback Jake Coker from Alabama continued to lead Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide to what looks like another spot in the College Football Playoff after beating Mississippi State 31-6.

In the Best of the Week portion we’ll focus on maybe the surprise combinations that led their teams to victory this week.

Drew Lock & Russell Hansbrough, QB/RB, Missouri

– Following a week of ups and downs for the Missouri football program, including supporting a social movement on campus and finding out that their head coach would be retiring at the end of the year, Missouri picked a great time for their offense to show up on the field.

The Tigers finally scored over 13 points for the first time in over a month in their 20-16 win over BYU on Saturday. The way that they won was mainly due to the play of quarterback Drew Lock and running back Russell Hansbrough.

Lock had the best game of his career as he threw for 244 yards and a touchdown in the win. His previous career high in passing yards was 151 against Florida on Oct. 10. Lock not only showed he can air it out but that he can also lead his team to victory through adversity — even as only a freshman.

The constant to keep Lock steady in the game was Hansbrough (the senior running back), who ran for 117 yards on 26 carries for the Tigers on Saturday. The win was Hansbrough’s only game this season with 100+ yards. A big week for the Missouri backfield produced a big victory.  We will see if they can replicate those types of numbers against SEC opponents down the stretch.

Probably not.

Kyle Shurmur & Ralph Webb, QB/RB, Vanderbilt

– Vanderbilt continued their climb from rock bottom of the SEC football landscape with a 21-17 victory over Kentucky on Saturday.

Oct 17, 2015; Columbia, SC, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores running back Ralph Webb (7) during the game between Vanderbilt and South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. Final score South Carolina 19 – Vanderbilt 10. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Along with some mistakes from Kentucky, the offense for Vanderbilt was clicking in week 11.

Quarterback Kyle Shurmur completed half of his passing attempts for 166 yards and two touchdown tosses.  That may not sound like much.  Check out Vandy’s previous games, though, before you make any judgments.

Running back Ralph Webb had his second consecutive 100 yard game as he 113 yards on 33 carries for the Commodores on Saturday.

The Commodores improved to 2-4 in the SEC and 4-6 on the season.  Bowl eligibility is on the cusp for the Commodores, who are definitely still in a rebuilding phase.

But good news for the Vandy faithful — coach Derek Mason has the Commodores on the right track.  As Shurmur (a freshman) and Webb (a sophomore) continue to get better, so will Vanderbilt’s record.

Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

– The Volunteers backup running back Alvin Kamara received the most carries of the season since he had 15 touches in week one.

Kamara took advantage of his opportunity to touch the ball and ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s 24-0 rout of North Texas.

Kamara, who was averaging 5.4 carries per game over his last eight appearances, really stepped up the plate Saturday and led the Volunteers in rushing yards.

The sophomore averaged 8.5 yards per carry in the victory and had the longest run of either team at 27 yards.

I think he will continue to get a larger share of the workload — splitting carries more often with running back Jalen Hurd.

Next: Worst of the Week