Dynasty Scouts Conference Review: SEC

Ryan McDowell

Here at Dynasty Scouts, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed about the latest happenings in college football. We watch all of the games so you don’t have to. Here’s some of what we noticed this past weekend.

SEC

Premier Conference Performer

Rawleigh Williams III, RB Arkansas (Sophomore)

26 carries, 148 yards, two touchdowns vs. Florida

After a quiet game in the previous week against Auburn, Razorbacks running back Rawleigh Williams III was back leading the way and Arkansas came out with a huge win against Florida. Williams carried 26 times for 148 yards and a pair of scores. Combined with freshman Devwah Whaley, the Hogs have one of the best duos in the league.

Rising

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Kamryn Pettway, RB Auburn (Sophomore)

25 carries, 173 rushing yards vs. Vanderbilt

It’s not fair to place Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway in the “rising” category. Like Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb and others, he has arrived. Pettway continued his domination of SEC foes last week, gaining over 170 rushing yards and extending his rushing lead in the league. The bad news for the sophomore back is that he suffered a late-game leg injury and his status for this coming weekend is in doubt.

Christian Kirk, WR Texas A&M (Sophomore)

Seven receptions, 144 yards, one touchdown vs. Mississippi State

Second-year speedster Christian Kirk has had an up-and-down season statistically, but for good reason. The Aggies of Texas A&M have some wide receiver depth other teams would be jealous of, so it’s not always the playmaker Kirk who plays a starring role. He did last week though, hauling in seven passes for a team high 144 yards and a pair of scores. Of course, it wasn’t enough as Texas A&M was upset and also lost quarterback Trevor Knight for the foreseeable future with an injury.

Sony Michel, RB Georgia (Junior)

19 carries, 127 yards, one touchdown vs. Kentucky

The Georgia running game, and even the offense as a whole, had been in a funk in recent weeks. Facing off against Kentucky has a way of fixing that though and while it was a tight battle, the Bulldogs pulled out the win. Much of the credit for that win has to go to junior running back Sony Michel, often overlooked as teams and fans focus on Nick Chubb. While Chubb also played better than he had in recent games, Michel torched the Wildcats, rushing 19 times for 127 yards and a score. While we presume Chubb will leave school a year early for the NFL, Michel will also face a very difficult choice about his future.

Falling

Kerryon Johnson, RB Auburn (Sophomore)

Nine carries, 36 yards, one touchdown vs. Vanderbilt

I’ve already mentioned the impressive play of Pettway and that has come at the expense of his teammate Kerryon Johnson, the Auburn starter until an injury forced him from the lineup and Pettway took over. While Johnson’s snaps and touches are obviously being limited, he seems to be settling into a smaller role and any devy value he may have had is fading away.

Chad Kelly, QB Mississippi (Senior)kelly

226 yards, one touchdown, six carries, 23 yards, two touchdowns vs. Georgia Southern

Ole Miss senior quarterback Chad Kelly lands on the “falling” list, not because of any on field play as he once again had huge numbers last week, leading the Rebels to a win over Georgia Southern, but because of a season-ending injury. It remains to be seen how much this injury will affect Kelly’s draft stock in the spring, but I would think he still has a chance to be a Day Two pick. The silver lining in this injury news for devy dynasty players is that it means we likely get to see the debut of freshman quarterback Shea Patterson, although it was initially reported that the team would like to keep the redshirt on their prized freshman.

Alabama Alert

The Crimson Tide got a huge win against host LSU, but they didn’t put up the type of numbers we’ve all grown accustomed to. Instead, Alabama won just 10-0, scoring on a touchdown run from freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts. As he has often done this year, Hurts did more damage on the ground (114 yards) than through the air (107 yards) but still did enough to lead his team to the win.

As you might expect given the score, the usual suspects in the Alabama offense weren’t able to put up video game type numbers in this contest. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught just two passes for 23 yards, while tight end OJ Howard actually lost yards on his one reception. Hurts led the team in rushing, but sophomore Damien Harris had another slid game, rushing 12 times for 53 yards.

In the game, the LSU offense was also held in check. Star running back Leonard Fournette was again shut down by Alabama, as he has been throughout his career. He gained 35 yards on 17 carries. His backfield mate, Derrius Guice only touched the ball twice for eight yards. Wide receiver Malachi Dupre has been much improved since the coaching change, but only had three receptions for 17 yards on this one.

Freshman Spotlight

Benny Snell, RB Kentucky (Freshmen)

21 carries, 114 yards, two touchdowns vs. Georgia

Another week, another huge performance for Kentucky freshman running back Benny Snell, who roasted the Georgia defense for over 100 yards and a pair of scores. Of course, he had help as junior Boom Williams also put up some nice numbers, running 14 times for 77 yards and a score. The pair is certainly underrated, but could be the top RB combo in the SEC right now.

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ryan mcdowell