SEC Top Performers: Week 4

The SEC league office named its players of the week Monday, and the Gamecocks were shut out once again despite their victory against mighty Louisiana Tech.

OFFENSE: RB Damien Harris, Alabama: Harris had 12 carries for 151 yards and three touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s brutal and systematic destruction of what had been a somewhat hyped Vanderbilt team. (They did not, in fact, want Bama.) It bears repeating that it’s another great year to not have Alabama on the schedule.

DEFENSE: DL Cece Jefferson, Florida: Jefferson notched five tackles with 1.5 sacks in the Gators’ incredible and improbable 31st straight win over Kentucky. Death, taxes, and Florida finding a way to beat the Wildcats, no matter the circumstances.

SPECIAL TEAMS: WR/KR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M: The Deebo Samuel of the SEC West, Kirk returned three kickoffs for 136 yards and a touchdown and also added 100 yards and two receiving scores in the Aggies’ wild overtime win against Arkansas.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: QB Jake Fromm, Georgia: Still filling in for the much-hyped Jacob Eason, Fromm led the Bulldogs to a 31-3 rout of what had so far appeared to be a very good Mississippi State team. Fromm went 9-of-12 passing with 201 yards and two touchdowns.

KEEP AN EYE ON ‘EM

QB Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt: In the interest of consistency, it’s only fair to provide an update on Kyle Shurmur Watch since we’ve been tracking him all season to this point. Against Alabama, Shurmur was 4-of-15 passing for 18 yards and one interception, which is a stat line I had to check multiple times before recording here. It’s safe to say this performance is not indicative of Shurmur’s abilities, but it’s also mind-boggling for all the wrong reasons.

RB John Kelly, Tennessee: Much like South Carolina, Tennessee struggled mightily with its cupcake and eked out a 17-13 win against UMass. Kelly was again the bright spot for the Volunteers, carrying the ball 25 times for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

RB David Williams, Arkansas: The former Gamecock makes the list for the second time this season, courtesy of his two touchdowns and 68 rushing yards on 11 carries. It seems likely that Williams will have plenty of touches against his former team in a couple weeks.