TexAgs All-SEC Team of the Week: Week 12
There were a couple of surprising results in Southeastern Conference football games last weekend. LSU defeated Florida. Georgia struggled with Mississippi State.
Of course, there were some typical blowouts, too.
Consequently, there are a few surprises and some typical selections in this week’s All-SEC team.
Offense
Quarterback: Max Johnson (LSU)
Johnson, a true freshman who is the son of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson, made sure his first career start was a memorable one, guiding LSU to the huge upset of Florida. Johnson guided four scoring drives of at least 63 yards, threw for 239 yards and three TDs and also rushed for 52 yards; he also had zero turnovers. His three TDs and 21 completions were the most of any LSU true freshman in a first career start.
Running Back: Tank Bigsby (Auburn) and Zamir White (Georgia)
Bigsby, a true freshman, rushed for a career-high 192 yards on 26 carries in Auburn’s victory over Mississippi State; it was his fourth 100-yard outing of the season. White, a sophomore, rushed for 126 yards and a TD on just 12 carries in the Bulldogs’ rout of Mizzou. It was the third 100-yard game of the season for White, a five-star recruit in the 2018 signing class.
Wide Receiver: Velus Jones Jr. (Tennessee) George Pickens (Georgia) and Kadarius Toney (Florida)
Jones, a senior transfer from USC, had the best game of his career with seven catches for 125 yards and two TDs in the Vols’ win against Vanderbilt; he had two career TD catches entering the game. Pickens, a talented but … ahem … mercurial sophomore, had five receptions for 126 yards and two TDs in Georgia’s easy win. His 36-yard TD catch in the final minute of the first half gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 21-14, and his 31-yard scoring grab early in the third quarter gave UGA a 28-14 advantage and basically ended any doubt about the outcome. Toney, a senior, was one of Florida’s few bright spots in the embarrassing loss to LSU, finishing with career-highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (182); he had a touchdown catch and also rushed for 52 yards.
Offensive Line: G Ben Cleveland (Georgia), C Warren Ericson (Georgia), G Ed Ingram (LSU), T Alex Leatherwood (Alabama) and G Trey Smith (Tennessee)
Cleveland, a senior, and Ericson, a sophomore, helped put up a season-high 615 yards of offense, including 316 rushing yards. Ericson made his first career start at center in relief of an injured Trey Hill. Ingram, a junior from DeSoto High, helped LSU rush for 179 yards and win the time-of-possession battle in the Tigers’ upset. LSU held the ball for almost 20 minutes in the second half, which was key because Florida ended up with 609 yards of offense but didn’t have the ball enough in the second half. Alabama coaches said Leatherwood, a junior, graded out at 100 percent in the Tide’s rout of Arkansas; he helped Alabama roll up 216 rushing yards and 52 points. Smith, a touted senior who has had an uneven season, played well in the Vols’ win; Tennessee rushed for 212 yards and had 540 total yards.
Defense
Defensive Line: E Matthew Butler (Tennessee), EDGE Derick Hall (Auburn) and E Byron Young (Alabama)
Butler, a senior, had a career-high seven tackles to go with a sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry in the Vols’ win over Vanderbilt. Hall, a sophomore, had three tackles, including two sacks, as Auburn beat Mississippi State. The Tigers allowed season-lows in points (10) and yards (240) in the victory. Young, a sophomore, had seven tackles, a half-sack, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery as Alabama limited Arkansas to 188 total yards.
Linebacker: Quavaris Crouch (Tennessee), Jaylen Moody (Alabama) and Owen Pappoe (Auburn)
Couch, a sophomore, had seven tackles, including two tackles for loss, in Tennessee’s win. Moody, a junior who came into the game with 22 career tackles, had a career-high seven stops, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in Alabama’s win. Pappoe, a sophomore, led Auburn with nine tackles and added a sack and another tackle for loss in the win over Mississippi State.
Defensive Back: S Lewis Cine (Georgia), CB Roger McCreary (Auburn), S Smoke Monday (Auburn), S Shawn Preston Jr. (Mississippi State) and CB Bryce Thompson (Tennessee)
Cine, a sophomore from Cedar Hill Trinity Christian, had a team-high four tackles and a pass breakup as Georgia limited Mizzou to just 200 total yards. McCreary, a junior, had four tackles, an interception and two pass breakups in Auburn’s win. Monday, a junior, had eight tackles and an interception in the Tigers’ victory. Preston, a sophomore, had five tackles and two pass breakups in Mississippi State’s loss. The Bulldogs limited Auburn to 125 passing yards and the Tigers’ Bo Nix completed fewer than half his passing attempts. Thompson, a junior, had two tackles and a pick-six in Tennessee’s win over Vandy. His 18-yard TD return gave the Vols the lead for good midway through the second quarter.
Specialists
Kicker: Cade York (LSU)
York, a sophomore from McKinney Prosper, made three field goals, including a school-record 57-yarder with 23 seconds left to lift LSU to the upset.
Punter: Paxton Brooks (Tennessee)
Brooks, a junior, averaged 47.0 yards on five punts and dropped three inside the 20 in the Vols’ win over Vandy. He also completed a 31-yard pass on a fake punt.
Returner: DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
Smith, a senior, had an 84-yard punt return for a TD that jump-started the Tide in a rout of Arkansas. He had three punt returns for 111 yards.