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The SEC league office named its players of the week Monday, and a familiar face is back among the honorees.
OFFENSE: QB Shea Patterson, Ole Miss: Patterson did his best Chad Kelly impression and flung it all over the yard against UT Martin, posting a school-record 489 passing yards and five touchdowns.
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DEFENSE: LB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia: Carter had a mammoth game for the Bulldogs. He logged seven tackles with a strip-sack, forced two fumbles, and then recovered two more — including one that iced a huge victory for Kirby Smart’s crew against Notre Dame. The Gamecocks will have their hands full with this human wrecking ball.
SPECIAL TEAMS: WR/KR Deebo Samuel, South Carolina: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Samuel returned a first-half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and rung up 167 all-purpose yards with another score against Missouri.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: KR Ty Chandler, Tennessee: Samuel wasn’t alone in the kick return department, as Chandler took one back 91 yards for the Vols against Indiana State.
KEEP AN EYE ON ‘EM
Here are some other players to start quietly worrying about, as they appear on South Carolina’s upcoming schedule.
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RB Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky: Snell ran for 103 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats’ surprisingly adventurous win against Eastern Kentucky. Snell is the current star of Kentucky’s rushing attack, and while he’s not Boom Williams, Gamecock fans will certainly remember him scoring the go-ahead touchdown in 2016.
QB Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt: Kyle Shurmur Watch continues, as he lit up the stat sheet again this week versus Alabama A&M. He completed 15-of-18 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns. It remains to be seen if he can carry this into SEC play, but it’s been an impressive start for Shurmur.
RB David Williams, Arkansas: I point this out not because he had a gaudy stat line, but just to note that the former South Carolina running back was the Hogs’ top rusher with 65 yards on 10 carries in their loss to TCU. It’ll be interesting to see him on the opposite sideline in Williams-Brice this season.