SEC Football Players Of The Week: Sept. 9 - Week 2
by Staff Reporter
September 9, 20240 Comments
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Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images
SEC Football Players of the Week:
Offensive
Texas QB Quinn Ewers • Jr.
Quinn Ewers delivered an impressive performance in Texas’ 31-12 road win over No. 10/9 Michigan, completing 24-of-36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. This victory marked Texas’ second consecutive top-10 road win, following their triumph over No. 3 Alabama last season. Ewers has now won eight straight true road games since 2022, throwing 15 touchdowns with just one interception. Notably, three of these wins were against top-15 opponents, where he completed 63% of his passes for 792 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. Against Michigan, Ewers guided the Longhorns to scoring on all five first-half possessions—three touchdowns and a field goal—with the only miss being a field goal attempt after a penalty nullified a touchdown. He led Texas to 8-of-10 third-down conversions in the first half, going 6-of-7 passing with a touchdown and rushing for another on a 3rd-and-7. Ewers has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his last 15 starts, dating back to 2022. The win snapped Michigan’s notable win streaks, including 16 overall victories, a Big Ten-record 29 regular-season wins, and 23 home wins. Texas’ 19-point win was its largest margin of victory against a top-10 team on the road since 1979 and the biggest against a top-10 team overall since 2005.
Defensive
South Carolina Safety Nick Emmanwori • Jr.
Nick Emmanwori played a crucial role in South Carolina’s dominant 31-6 win over Kentucky, where the Gamecock defense limited the Wildcats to just 183 total yards of offense, including only 44 passing yards. Emmanwori, a junior safety from Irmo, S.C., was everywhere on the field, recording a game-high seven tackles. He also sealed the victory with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking his third interception in the last four games.
Special Teams
South Carolina punter Kai Kroeger • 5Y
Kai Kroeger showcased his punting prowess in South Carolina’s 31-6 victory over Kentucky. The fifth-year senior punted five times, averaging 51.6 yards per punt. Four of his five punts traveled more than 50 yards (54, 57, 53, 58 yards), including a season-best 58-yarder. Kroeger’s performance included placing two punts inside the 20-yard line, helping the Gamecocks control field position throughout the game.
Offensive Line
Texas Center Jake Majors • Sr.
Jake Majors was Texas’ highest-graded offensive lineman in their 31-12 road victory over No. 10/9 Michigan, which was the Longhorns’ second top-10 road win in as many seasons after defeating No. 3 Alabama the previous year. Majors faced two of the best defensive tackles in college football, All-American Mason Graham and All-Big 12 honoree Kenneth Grant, and did not allow a sack, while the pair managed only four tackles and no quarterback pressures. Majors was instrumental in Texas rushing for 143 yards (4.5 yards per carry) against a Michigan defense that ranked fifth nationally in rush defense last season, allowing only 90.0 yards per game. Under his leadership, the Texas offense accumulated 389 total yards and 31 points. The victory snapped several Michigan win streaks, including 16 overall victories, a Big Ten-record 29 regular-season wins, and 23 home wins. Texas’ 19-point win was its largest road margin against a top-10 team since 1979 and the biggest against any top-10 team overall since 2005.
Offensive Line
Tennessee Center Cooper Mays • Sr.
Cooper Mays, a preseason All-American and first-team All-SEC selection, anchored the offensive line for Tennessee in their 51-10 win over No. 24 NC State in Charlotte. Mays did not allow a sack, penalty, or quarterback hit, extending his streak of not allowing a sack to 16 straight games dating back to 2022. His blocking helped Tennessee rush for 249 yards, the most allowed by NC State in a regular-season game since North Carolina’s 300 yards in November 2021. The Volunteers’ 460 total yards were also the most NC State had allowed since Louisiana Tech’s 480 yards in October 2021.
Defensive Line
Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton • Jr.
Gracen Halton was a defensive standout in Oklahoma’s narrow 16-12 victory over Houston. Halton registered two tackles for loss, including a sack for an 11-yard loss and a five-yard stop that resulted in a safety with 1:42 left in the game, preserving Oklahoma’s slim lead. The safety was Oklahoma’s only scoring play of the second half. Halton’s efforts helped limit Houston to just 58 rushing yards and 1.7 yards per carry. Entering the season with only 3.5 career tackles for loss and no sacks, Halton now ranks second among SEC defensive linemen with 3.5 tackles for loss this season and has 2.5 sacks totaling 20 yards.
Defensive Line
Alabama DL Tim Keenan III • RS-Jr.
Tim Keenan III had a career-defining performance in Alabama’s game against USF, recording a career-high nine tackles, including 2.5 for loss (12 yards) and 1.5 sacks (10 yards)—both career highs. Keenan led Alabama in tackles for loss and sacks while finishing third in total tackles for the game. His impact also included one quarterback hurry, contributing to the Crimson Tide’s total of ten for the game.
Freshman
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava • Fr.
Nico Iamaleava, in his third career start, led Tennessee to a 51-10 win over No. 24 NC State by accounting for 276 total yards of offense and three touchdowns. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and added 65 rushing yards on eight carries, including a 31-yard touchdown run. This was Iamaleava’s second win over a ranked opponent in three starts and the second time in his career that he both rushed for and passed for a touchdown in the same game.
Offensive
Texas QB Quinn Ewers • Jr.
Quinn Ewers delivered an impressive performance in Texas’ 31-12 road win over No. 10/9 Michigan, completing 24-of-36 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. This victory marked Texas’ second consecutive top-10 road win, following their triumph over No. 3 Alabama last season. Ewers has now won eight straight true road games since 2022, throwing 15 touchdowns with just one interception. Notably, three of these wins were against top-15 opponents, where he completed 63% of his passes for 792 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions. Against Michigan, Ewers guided the Longhorns to scoring on all five first-half possessions—three touchdowns and a field goal—with the only miss being a field goal attempt after a penalty nullified a touchdown. He led Texas to 8-of-10 third-down conversions in the first half, going 6-of-7 passing with a touchdown and rushing for another on a 3rd-and-7. Ewers has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his last 15 starts, dating back to 2022. The win snapped Michigan’s notable win streaks, including 16 overall victories, a Big Ten-record 29 regular-season wins, and 23 home wins. Texas’ 19-point win was its largest margin of victory against a top-10 team on the road since 1979 and the biggest against a top-10 team overall since 2005.
Defensive
South Carolina Safety Nick Emmanwori • Jr.
Nick Emmanwori played a crucial role in South Carolina’s dominant 31-6 win over Kentucky, where the Gamecock defense limited the Wildcats to just 183 total yards of offense, including only 44 passing yards. Emmanwori, a junior safety from Irmo, S.C., was everywhere on the field, recording a game-high seven tackles. He also sealed the victory with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, marking his third interception in the last four games.
Special Teams
South Carolina punter Kai Kroeger • 5Y
Kai Kroeger showcased his punting prowess in South Carolina’s 31-6 victory over Kentucky. The fifth-year senior punted five times, averaging 51.6 yards per punt. Four of his five punts traveled more than 50 yards (54, 57, 53, 58 yards), including a season-best 58-yarder. Kroeger’s performance included placing two punts inside the 20-yard line, helping the Gamecocks control field position throughout the game.
Offensive Line
Texas Center Jake Majors • Sr.
Jake Majors was Texas’ highest-graded offensive lineman in their 31-12 road victory over No. 10/9 Michigan, which was the Longhorns’ second top-10 road win in as many seasons after defeating No. 3 Alabama the previous year. Majors faced two of the best defensive tackles in college football, All-American Mason Graham and All-Big 12 honoree Kenneth Grant, and did not allow a sack, while the pair managed only four tackles and no quarterback pressures. Majors was instrumental in Texas rushing for 143 yards (4.5 yards per carry) against a Michigan defense that ranked fifth nationally in rush defense last season, allowing only 90.0 yards per game. Under his leadership, the Texas offense accumulated 389 total yards and 31 points. The victory snapped several Michigan win streaks, including 16 overall victories, a Big Ten-record 29 regular-season wins, and 23 home wins. Texas’ 19-point win was its largest road margin against a top-10 team since 1979 and the biggest against any top-10 team overall since 2005.
Offensive Line
Tennessee Center Cooper Mays • Sr.
Cooper Mays, a preseason All-American and first-team All-SEC selection, anchored the offensive line for Tennessee in their 51-10 win over No. 24 NC State in Charlotte. Mays did not allow a sack, penalty, or quarterback hit, extending his streak of not allowing a sack to 16 straight games dating back to 2022. His blocking helped Tennessee rush for 249 yards, the most allowed by NC State in a regular-season game since North Carolina’s 300 yards in November 2021. The Volunteers’ 460 total yards were also the most NC State had allowed since Louisiana Tech’s 480 yards in October 2021.
Defensive Line
Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton • Jr.
Gracen Halton was a defensive standout in Oklahoma’s narrow 16-12 victory over Houston. Halton registered two tackles for loss, including a sack for an 11-yard loss and a five-yard stop that resulted in a safety with 1:42 left in the game, preserving Oklahoma’s slim lead. The safety was Oklahoma’s only scoring play of the second half. Halton’s efforts helped limit Houston to just 58 rushing yards and 1.7 yards per carry. Entering the season with only 3.5 career tackles for loss and no sacks, Halton now ranks second among SEC defensive linemen with 3.5 tackles for loss this season and has 2.5 sacks totaling 20 yards.
Defensive Line
Alabama DL Tim Keenan III • RS-Jr.
Tim Keenan III had a career-defining performance in Alabama’s game against USF, recording a career-high nine tackles, including 2.5 for loss (12 yards) and 1.5 sacks (10 yards)—both career highs. Keenan led Alabama in tackles for loss and sacks while finishing third in total tackles for the game. His impact also included one quarterback hurry, contributing to the Crimson Tide’s total of ten for the game.
Freshman
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava • Fr.
Nico Iamaleava, in his third career start, led Tennessee to a 51-10 win over No. 24 NC State by accounting for 276 total yards of offense and three touchdowns. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 211 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and added 65 rushing yards on eight carries, including a 31-yard touchdown run. This was Iamaleava’s second win over a ranked opponent in three starts and the second time in his career that he both rushed for and passed for a touchdown in the same game.
Filed Under: SEC Football
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