SEC Football Players Of The Week: Sept. 8
by Staff Reporter
September 8, 20250 Comments
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Southeastern Conference announced the league's Football Players of the Week for September 8.
OFFENSIVE
John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
-Completed 21 of 34 passes (62%) for 270 yards and one touchdown and registered team highs of 19 rushes, 74 yards and two touchdowns (2 and 10 yards) to lead No. 18/24 Oklahoma to a 24-13 win over No. 15/13 Michigan.
-He led OU on a 12-play, 75-yard drive to open the game, which resulted in a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Burks.
-His first rushing TD came with 22 seconds left in the first half and made the score 14-0, and his second extended OU's lead to 21-7 with 10:12 remaining in the third quarter.
-In the fourth quarter while protecting an eight-point lead, he led the Sooners on a 16-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 8:27 and resulted in a field goal and 24-13 lead with 1:44 remaining.
-Through two games this season, Mateer has completed 72% of his passes (51 of 71 for 662 yards and four touchdowns).
-His 662 passing yards are the second most by an OU quarterback through the first two games of a career (Josh Heupel had 773 in the first two games of the 1999 season).
DEFENSIVE
Nick Rinaldi, LB, Vanderbilt
-Led Vandy with six total tackles in earning a road victory over Virginia Tech.
-That total included a career-best 2½ stops behind the line highlighted by one of the team’s three sacks.
-Was also credited with a quarterback hurry on third down from the VU-11 that forced the Hokies to settle for a field goal on their opening drive.
-Part of a Commodore defense that surrendered no points and just 21 yards in the second half to overcome a 10-point deficit at the break
Nic Mitchell, LB, Mississippi State
-Mitchell led the team with nine tackles in the win versus No. 10 Arizona State.
-His biggest stop came inside two minutes remaining, when he kept Arizona State running back Kanye Udoh out of the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line to force a field goal.
-That play set up MSU’s final drive, capped by a 58-yard touchdown to take the lead with 30 seconds left.
-The MSU defense held Arizona State to 82 yards passing, two interceptions and a 43 percent completion rate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lucas Carneiro, PK, Ole Miss
-Accounted for 12 points and helped clinch an SEC road win at Kentucky.
-Connected on 3-of-4 field goals, including a 36-yarder with 1:10 left to give the Rebels a late 10-point lead.?• Drilled a long field goal of 43 yards to improve to 9-of-10 from 40-49 yards out in his career.
-Recorded touchbacks on all seven kickoffs.
-A first-quarter, 51-yard FG attempt that hit the goalpost marked the first miss from 50 yards in his career, entering the day a perfect 6-of-6.
Vicari Swain, DB/PR, South Carolina
-Swain returned two punts for touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 38-10 win over South Carolina State.
-Punt returns went for 65- and 42-yards on back-to-back series in the 2nd quarter, sparking the Gamecocks’ to victory.
-Carolina trailed 3-0 with just five minutes left in the half when he scored from 65 yards out to put the Gamecocks in front, then less than two minutes later, made it a 14-3 lead.
-He became the first player in school history to return two punts for touchdowns in a game.
-After just two games, he has tied the single-season school record with three punt returns for touchdowns and is tied for second on the school’s all-time career list.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Albert Reese, RT, Mississippi State
-Reese started at right tackle due to injury-related shuffling on the offensive line, after starting at left tackle the week prior.
-He logged 66 snaps and earned PFF grades of 80.4 on offense and 82.3 in pass blocking.
-He did not allow a sack or commit a penalty, providing steady protection that helped quarterback Blake Shapen throw for 279 yards and three touchdowns of 45-plus yards each.
Dominick Giudice, G, Missouri
-Giudice led the Mizzou offensive front that controlled the trenches against the Kansas Jayhawks.
-Opened holes for 261 rushing yards, led by two 100-yard rushers (Jamal Roberts – 143 yards; Ahmad Hardy – 112 yards).
-Graded out at a team-best 88 percent with zero penalties and zero missed assignments.
DEFENSIVE LINE
-Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M
-Posted a 78.9 pass rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
-Recorded three consecutive sacks during a single drive in the second quarter, which research indicates is the first FBS player to do so since Wisconsin's Jack Cichy in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
-Became the first Aggie to record 3.0+ sacks in a game since Edgerrin Cooper in 2023.
-The 4 tackles accounted for minus-18 total lost yardage (1.0 tackle for 3 yards, 1.0 sack for minus-6 yards, 1.0 sack for minus-7 yards & 1.0 sack for minus-8 yards).
-Led Texas A&M defense that limited Utah State to an 2-for-14 performance on 3rd down conversions.
FRESHMAN
Parker Livingstone, WR, Texas
-Livingstone caught four passes for 128 receiving yards (32.0 ypr) and two touchdowns in helping Texas to a 38-7 win over San Jose State in the Longhorns' home opener.
-His 128 receiving yards rank 11th on the UT freshman single-game list.
-The touchdowns came within 2:40 of each other on the clock late in the first quarter, providing Texas its first two scores of the game and a 14-0 lead.
-The first was an 83-yard reception, which is the fourth-longest by a freshman in UT history and the longest since 2015 when John Burt had an 84-yarder against Kansas. It was also the longest passing play for Texas since a 90-yard completion against Oklahoma State on Oct. 21, 2017 and the 13th-longest overall in program history.
-Then with 12 seconds left in the quarter, Livingstone pulled in a three-yard touchdown.
-Third Longhorn to have multiple receiving touchdowns in the first quarter of a game in the last 30 years, joining Jaxon Shipley (Sept. 29, 2012) and Joshua Moore (Oct. 9, 2021).
-The 100-yard effort is the first of his career.
-Livingstone now leads the Longhorns with 175 receiving yards, 29.2 yards per reception and three touchdown receptions this season.
-The three touchdown receptions also rank second in the FBS, while the 29.2 yards per catch are fourth.
(Release via LSU Athletics)
OFFENSIVE
John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
-Completed 21 of 34 passes (62%) for 270 yards and one touchdown and registered team highs of 19 rushes, 74 yards and two touchdowns (2 and 10 yards) to lead No. 18/24 Oklahoma to a 24-13 win over No. 15/13 Michigan.
-He led OU on a 12-play, 75-yard drive to open the game, which resulted in a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Burks.
-His first rushing TD came with 22 seconds left in the first half and made the score 14-0, and his second extended OU's lead to 21-7 with 10:12 remaining in the third quarter.
-In the fourth quarter while protecting an eight-point lead, he led the Sooners on a 16-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 8:27 and resulted in a field goal and 24-13 lead with 1:44 remaining.
-Through two games this season, Mateer has completed 72% of his passes (51 of 71 for 662 yards and four touchdowns).
-His 662 passing yards are the second most by an OU quarterback through the first two games of a career (Josh Heupel had 773 in the first two games of the 1999 season).
DEFENSIVE
Nick Rinaldi, LB, Vanderbilt
-Led Vandy with six total tackles in earning a road victory over Virginia Tech.
-That total included a career-best 2½ stops behind the line highlighted by one of the team’s three sacks.
-Was also credited with a quarterback hurry on third down from the VU-11 that forced the Hokies to settle for a field goal on their opening drive.
-Part of a Commodore defense that surrendered no points and just 21 yards in the second half to overcome a 10-point deficit at the break
Nic Mitchell, LB, Mississippi State
-Mitchell led the team with nine tackles in the win versus No. 10 Arizona State.
-His biggest stop came inside two minutes remaining, when he kept Arizona State running back Kanye Udoh out of the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line to force a field goal.
-That play set up MSU’s final drive, capped by a 58-yard touchdown to take the lead with 30 seconds left.
-The MSU defense held Arizona State to 82 yards passing, two interceptions and a 43 percent completion rate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lucas Carneiro, PK, Ole Miss
-Accounted for 12 points and helped clinch an SEC road win at Kentucky.
-Connected on 3-of-4 field goals, including a 36-yarder with 1:10 left to give the Rebels a late 10-point lead.?• Drilled a long field goal of 43 yards to improve to 9-of-10 from 40-49 yards out in his career.
-Recorded touchbacks on all seven kickoffs.
-A first-quarter, 51-yard FG attempt that hit the goalpost marked the first miss from 50 yards in his career, entering the day a perfect 6-of-6.
Vicari Swain, DB/PR, South Carolina
-Swain returned two punts for touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 38-10 win over South Carolina State.
-Punt returns went for 65- and 42-yards on back-to-back series in the 2nd quarter, sparking the Gamecocks’ to victory.
-Carolina trailed 3-0 with just five minutes left in the half when he scored from 65 yards out to put the Gamecocks in front, then less than two minutes later, made it a 14-3 lead.
-He became the first player in school history to return two punts for touchdowns in a game.
-After just two games, he has tied the single-season school record with three punt returns for touchdowns and is tied for second on the school’s all-time career list.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Albert Reese, RT, Mississippi State
-Reese started at right tackle due to injury-related shuffling on the offensive line, after starting at left tackle the week prior.
-He logged 66 snaps and earned PFF grades of 80.4 on offense and 82.3 in pass blocking.
-He did not allow a sack or commit a penalty, providing steady protection that helped quarterback Blake Shapen throw for 279 yards and three touchdowns of 45-plus yards each.
Dominick Giudice, G, Missouri
-Giudice led the Mizzou offensive front that controlled the trenches against the Kansas Jayhawks.
-Opened holes for 261 rushing yards, led by two 100-yard rushers (Jamal Roberts – 143 yards; Ahmad Hardy – 112 yards).
-Graded out at a team-best 88 percent with zero penalties and zero missed assignments.
DEFENSIVE LINE
-Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M
-Posted a 78.9 pass rush grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
-Recorded three consecutive sacks during a single drive in the second quarter, which research indicates is the first FBS player to do so since Wisconsin's Jack Cichy in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
-Became the first Aggie to record 3.0+ sacks in a game since Edgerrin Cooper in 2023.
-The 4 tackles accounted for minus-18 total lost yardage (1.0 tackle for 3 yards, 1.0 sack for minus-6 yards, 1.0 sack for minus-7 yards & 1.0 sack for minus-8 yards).
-Led Texas A&M defense that limited Utah State to an 2-for-14 performance on 3rd down conversions.
FRESHMAN
Parker Livingstone, WR, Texas
-Livingstone caught four passes for 128 receiving yards (32.0 ypr) and two touchdowns in helping Texas to a 38-7 win over San Jose State in the Longhorns' home opener.
-His 128 receiving yards rank 11th on the UT freshman single-game list.
-The touchdowns came within 2:40 of each other on the clock late in the first quarter, providing Texas its first two scores of the game and a 14-0 lead.
-The first was an 83-yard reception, which is the fourth-longest by a freshman in UT history and the longest since 2015 when John Burt had an 84-yarder against Kansas. It was also the longest passing play for Texas since a 90-yard completion against Oklahoma State on Oct. 21, 2017 and the 13th-longest overall in program history.
-Then with 12 seconds left in the quarter, Livingstone pulled in a three-yard touchdown.
-Third Longhorn to have multiple receiving touchdowns in the first quarter of a game in the last 30 years, joining Jaxon Shipley (Sept. 29, 2012) and Joshua Moore (Oct. 9, 2021).
-The 100-yard effort is the first of his career.
-Livingstone now leads the Longhorns with 175 receiving yards, 29.2 yards per reception and three touchdown receptions this season.
-The three touchdown receptions also rank second in the FBS, while the 29.2 yards per catch are fourth.
(Release via LSU Athletics)
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