Best and Worst SEC Football Performances: Week 12
By Ryan Summers
Nov 21, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) looks to pass in the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Allen & Dak Prescott, QBs, Arkansas & Mississippi State
– These two senior quarterbacks absolutely tore up the field on Saturday. Before reading the following stats, remember this game finished with a 51-50 scoreline in favor of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Both quarterbacks were responsible for their teams seven touchdowns in a battle of SEC West opponents. That’s right: SEVEN touchdowns each.
Brandon Allen went the conventional route (through the air) for his seven touchdowns, completing 30 of his 43 passing attempts for 406 yards and those seven scores.
Allen used the entire offense; his seven scores were to four different receivers in the Razorbacks’ loss.
Prescott also had an amazing day through the air. Prescott completed 38 of his 50 passing attempts for 508 yards, five touchdowns and an interception.
Being the dual-threat that he is however, Prescott found the end zone twice on the ground — while adding 46 yards to his offensive total.
This game was decided with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Prescott threw a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Fred Ross for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.
These two guys will end up making an NFL team very happy when this year’s draft comes up. They might not turn into starters at the next level, but they definitely showed some promise in week 12.
Jeremy Johnson, QB, Auburn
– Sure, Auburn only played Idaho in week 12. But another good week for Johnson under center can only boost his confidence since returning to the starting role a few weeks ago.
Nov 14, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson (6) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson and the Tigers are getting ready for their biggest game of the season against Alabama in week 13, and are playing to finish the season above .500.
Against Idaho, Johnson threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns while completing 13 of his 19 passing atttempts. He also added 23 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the Tigers’ 56-34 win over the Vandals.
Some may say that game shouldn’t have been that close, but the defensive struggles of this Will Muschamp led defense are nothing new to SEC fans.
Props to the junior quarterback for leading his team to victory, no matter the opponent. It gave the Tigers something positive to build on as Auburn pushes toward the offseason.
Taylor Bertolet, K, Texas A&M
– This week the parallels are simple. If you have a good, solid, reliable kicker — then you can win games handily against a weaker opponent. But if you don’t, it may take overtime or an extreme fear of loss to overcome kicking woes.
This week Texas A&M kicker Taylor Bertolet came through when his team needed him and, put simply, they needed him on his A-game all night against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores defense played pretty well against the Aggies, considering the game ended 25-0. From the very first drive, the Commodores showed that A&M was going to have to do something special to find the end zone.
That something special only happened once late in the second quarter when the Aggies connected on a 95-yard touchdown pass.
That’s where Bertolet comes in. The senior was called on seven times on Saturday and connected on six of them. The Aggies are going through a rotating door at quarterback between Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray and the offense only found the end zone once against Vandy.
That is the difference between having a good kicker and a bad kicker, which is what we’ll talk about next. Let’s look now at the worst of the week.
Next: Worst of the Week