ESPN College Football

The ESPN.com Power Rankings are in so it's time to check out how Chris and I voted in our Top 25 polls this week:

Edward

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Stanford
4. Ohio State
5. Clemson
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Louisville
9. Florida State
10. LSU
11. South Carolina
12. UCLA
13. Oklahoma
14. Miami
15. Baylor
16. Michigan
17. Florida
18. Washington
19. Northwestern
20. Texas Tech
21. Arizona State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Fresno State
24. Ole Miss
25. Maryland

Chris

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Clemson
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Louisville
9. Florida State
10. South Carolina
11. LSU
12. UCLA
13. Oklahoma
14. Baylor
15. Miami
16. Northwestern
17. Washington
18. Texas Tech
19. Florida
20. Michigan
21. Arizona State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Fresno State
24. Ole Miss
25. Northern Illinois

From defensive struggles to quarterback quandaries to head coach hot-stove talk to even nature walks, there's plenty going on in SEC football this week. Here's a sampling of discussion points from around the league:

• The speed Alabama uses on special teams has helped its kickoff and punt coverage units play better this season.
• Now that they have seen some SEC action, Auburn freshman receivers Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens could play bigger on-field roles moving forward.
• Georgia got a huge defensive stop late to help secure a win over LSU. But if the Bulldogs have national title hopes, their defense can't allow as many points as it did Saturday.
• Texas A&M's defense struggled against Arkansas, but it continued to play hard every snap. And for that, Jackie Sherrill says it deserves credit.
• LSU coach Les Miles said the Tigers have to fix problems in their secondary that contributed to big pass plays allowed in the loss to Georgia.
• South Carolina's ability to close games has to get better and one player -- Jadeveon Clowney -- was making that point clear on the sidelines against Central Florida.
• Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease took his quarterbacks on a nature walk in order to clear their minds during downtime leading up to the Gators' game against Kentucky.
• Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is moving on from the Tyler Siskey controversy and will not ask the SEC to investigate the issue.
• Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said he saw a "feisty, aggressive, angry, competitive" spirit in quarterback Brandon Allen, who returned from a shoulder injury on Saturday against Texas A&M.
• Former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, who attended a Volunteers practice last week, said "it's going to take time" and that Butch Jones "has got lots of challenges" ahead of him in getting Tennessee back where it wants to be.
• Missouri has revenge on its mind against Vanderbilt, a team to which the Tigers lost 19-15 at home last season.
• Kentucky coach Mark Stoops would love to have a definitive answer at quarterback but feels it's "reckless" to name a starter right now just for the sake of naming one.
• James Franklin's name is a hot one being thrown around for the USC job, but the Vanderbilt coach deflected questions on the topic on Monday, saying he's focused on Missouri.

Week 5 featured the first full slate of conference games, and many matchups lived up to their pregame hype. Georgia outscored LSU in a back-and-forth game filled with big plays and superb quarterback play. Alabama found its defense and shut out Ole Miss at home. And Braxton Miller returned from injury to throw four touchdowns and lead Ohio State past Wisconsin.

With the help of ESPN’s new college football metrics (see explanations here), ESPN Stats & Information looks back on Week 5 and ahead to this weekend’s matchup between Northwestern and Ohio State.

First, we look at how a record-setting performance could look rather pedestrian through the lens of our metrics.

Sean Mannion threw for 414 yards and a school record six touchdowns in Oregon State's 44-17 win against Colorado. But he finished with a middle-of-the-road 48.8 Total QBR.

At first glance, Mannion’s stats are outstanding. But he completed 52 percent of his passes, threw an interception and took two sacks, including one sack-fumble. In addition, a lot of Mannion's production came in garbage time: 117 pass yards and three touchdowns when leading by at least 21 points. In sum, that led to a below-average 48.8 Total QBR.

Best Individual Performances
Stephen Morris (97.0 Total QBR) completed 11-of-16 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an ankle injury in Miami's win against South Florida. Morris’ 97.0 Total QBR was the highest by a Miami quarterback against an FBS opponent in the last 10 seasons.

Nathan Scheelhaase (93.7 Total QBR) threw for 278 yards and a career-high five pass touchdowns as Illinois beat Miami (OH). Scheelhaase completed 79 percent of his passes, including five of seven passes in the red zone that resulted in four touchdowns.

Taysom Hill (93.1 Total QBR) became the second player in the FBS to pass for 150 yards and rush for 150 yards in a game this season as BYU beat Middle Tennessee 37-10. Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois is the other quarterback to accomplish the feat this season. Hill ran for 165 yards on 18 attempts, resulting in 5.2 expected points added on rushing plays. This season, Hill leads all FBS quarterbacks with 565 rush yards and has added almost twice as many expected points on running plays than any other quarterback.

Tyler Murphy (93.0 Total QBR) followed up his 98.1 Total QBR in his debut with a 93 QBR in Florida's win against Kentucky. Murphy completed all 11 of his passes in the first half and had a 98.9 Total QBR in the first 30 minutes of play. In 15 career starts, injured Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel has never had a single-game Total QBR of 93 or above or a perfect completion percentage in a half.

View the full list of Total QBR leaders for the season and Week 5.

Best Team Performances
Offense: East Carolina. The Pirates scored seven offensive touchdowns and averaged 4.2 points per drive in their 55-31 victory at North Carolina. They added 32.3 expected points on offense, which was the second-most offensive expected points added in a game against an AQ opponent this season (Oregon: +39.2 EPA against Tennessee on Sept. 14).

Defense: Alabama. The Tide’s defense added 24.4 expected points toward their 25-point victory. That means that if Alabama had an average defense, it would have basically been an equal matchup on Saturday. Ole Miss entered the game averaging 490 yards and 38 points per game, but the Rebels were held to 205 total yards and were shut out for the first time since 1998.

Special Teams: Georgia. Special teams is often overlooked, but it may have been the difference in Georgia’s win against LSU.

The graphic shows the expected points added by each of Georgia’s units to the team's net points in the game. Georgia’s offense and defense basically canceled each other out, but its special teams unit added four expected points, which may have been the difference in the game.

On special teams, Georgia recovered a muffed punt and made all three of its field goals, including a 55-yard field goal by Marshall Morgan in the third quarter.

Looking ahead to Week 6
Ohio State travels to No. 16 Northwestern looking to knock off its second-straight ranked opponent on Saturday. College GameDay will be at Northwestern for the first time since a 1995 showdown against Iowa.

For Northwestern to pull off the upset, the Wildcats must stop Ohio State’s balanced offense. The Buckeyes have passed for 1,070 yards and rushed for 1,436 yards in five games this season. They are one of two teams (Texas A&M) that has added at least 50 expected points on passing and rushing plays.

Ohio State will have its own challenge on defense as it tries to stop Northwestern’s dual-quarterback system. Northwestern quarterbacks Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian are off to hot starts, with each player posting a Total QBR above 70 this season. The only other team that has two quarterbacks with at least 75 action plays and a Total QBR of 70 or above is Ohio State.

Everybody is still recovering from the weekend that was in the SEC. Let's see what people are saying about the top games and performances from Week 5.

• Alabama started the season 3-0, but it didn’t look like the No. 1 team in the nation. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide finally played with passion in a shutout victory over Ole Miss.
• Saturday’s loss to Alabama wasn’t pretty, but all things considered, the Ole Miss defense held its own against the Tide.
• When former roommates Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger competed against each other on Saturday, it was Murray who got the last laugh as Georgia defeated LSU in a shootout.
• Mettenberger and Murray will meet again -- if not in December, in the near future on Sunday.
• LSU coach Les Miles always covers for his players, in victory or defeat, but he can’t cover for the Tigers' defensive woes against Georgia.
• With Johnny Manziel and a balanced rushing attack, the Texas A&M offense keeps getting better, but eventually the Aggies will need their young defense to mature.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is hopeful that quarterback Connor Shaw will return in two weeks. In the meantime, Dylan Thompson will start for the Gamecocks.
• The Florida coaches raved about running back Matt Jones coming into the season. They knew they weren't wrong. Jones stepped up for the Gators with a career-high 176 yards against Kentucky on Saturday.
• Auburn has had a week to prepare for what could be its biggest game of the season.
• For better or worse, Justin Worley is Tennessee’s quarterback. Coach Butch Jones stuck with Worley in Saturday’s win over South Alabama.

Here are the SEC players of the week, as announced by the league Monday:

OFFENSIVE: Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia

• Murray was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in a 44-41 victory over No. 6 LSU.
• He connected on 20 of 34 for 298 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for his third touchdown of the season. This marked Murray’s second victory over an SEC top-10 team in the last three games as he helped generate 494 yards of offense.
• Under Murray’s direction, the Bulldogs have scored at least 35 points in all four of their games this season, including at least 41 vs. both South Carolina and LSU.
• Murray moved into the No. 2 spot in school history in career passing yardage with 11,429 (former Bulldog David Greene holds the school and SEC records at 11,528); in total offense, Murray now has 11,659 yards, which is No. 2 in SEC history.

DEFENSIVE: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama

• Led the team with nine total tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and two QB hurries.
• Put the game out of reach when he made a tackle for a safety with 5:43 left in the game to make it 18-0. Also deflected a pass on a key fourth-and-2 from the Alabama 7-yard line in the third quarter to keep the 16-0 lead.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Marshall Morgan, PK, Georgia

• Morgan scored 14 points during the 44-41 victory over LSU.
• He was 5-for-5 on PATs and drilled all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 55 yarder that put Georgia ahead 27-20 in the third quarter.

FRESHMAN: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida

• Made his third interception of the season, the most by an SEC freshman and the third-most nationally among freshmen.
• Intercepted a pass in the end zone from Kentucky’s Maxwell Smith.
• Leads the Gators in interceptions.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Michael Sam, DE, Missouri

• Was disruptive for most of the night in Mizzou's win over Arkansas State, as he had a career-best three sacks (for 19 yards of loss) and forced a fumble. He ended the game with four tackles.
• The three sacks ties the NCAA single-game high this season, and Sam leads the SEC and ranks 18th nationally with his tackles-for-loss average of 1.5 per game.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina

• Cann led the charge for a Gamecocks' offensive line that helped amass 225 yards on the ground, including 167 from Mike Davis, and four rushing touchdowns. South Carolina added 265 passing yards.
• Played all 80 offensive snaps, grading out at 86 percent with no sacks or pressures against him.

Anybody hot … or not?

It’s that time again as we review the week that was in the SEC.

GLOWING EMBERS

Alabama’s intel: Alabama’s defense was already fired up thanks to what the Tide perceived as smack talk by some of the Ole Miss players leading up to the game. Let’s face it: There’s a fine line sometimes between a player answering a question honestly and his comments mushrooming into full-blown bulletin board material. Either way, the Alabama defense was amped by some of the things Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was quoted as saying earlier in the week, even though what Wallace said was pretty tame. We’re not exactly talking about any “Archie who?” banter here. But where the Crimson Tide really stuck it to the Rebels was with a little inside intel thanks to Tyler Siskey, Alabama’s assistant director of football operations. Siskey was on the Ole Miss staff last season as director of recruiting development. He was in the Alabama coaches' booth for the game with a set of binoculars, and even though Ole Miss changed up its signals, there weren’t many times that the Tide were fooled by what the Rebels were doing offensively. As ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge noted during the broadcast, Siskey’s knowledge of the Ole Miss offense was a big asset to an already imposing Alabama defense in its preparation for the game. The Tide might not have had the Rebels’ signals, but they were sure locked in to the Rebels’ tendencies on offense and played lights-out in shutting out a Hugh Freeze-coached team for the first time in his college career.

HOT

Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines: When you start reeling off the top cornerbacks in this league, don’t forget about Gaines. He’s off to a terrific start to the season. In the 41-19 win over Arkansas State, he had nine total tackles, including one for loss, and his third interception of the season to set up Missouri’s final touchdown. Gaines is more than just a cover guy. He leads the Tigers with 19 solo tackles.

NOT

LSU’s defense: The Tigers have a way to go defensively. When you lose as many good defensive players early to the NFL draft as they have over the last couple of years, that kind of talent drain has a way of catching up with even the best defenses. Veteran coordinator John Chavis knew this defense would be a work in progress, but seeing all the blown coverages in the 44-41 loss at Georgia and wide-open receivers running free in the LSU secondary was difficult for anybody on that LSU staff to stomach.

HOT

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray: So much for the “can’t win the big game” label. Murray has been fabulous in Georgia’s two wins over top-10 teams this season, with eight touchdown passes and just one interception. There’s no substitute for his experience, and it shows in the way he’s carving apart defenses right now.

NOT

SEC defenses: Only one SEC team (Florida at No. 2) is ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense this week. For that matter, only two are ranked in the top 20. Mississippi State is 20th. In scoring defense, Alabama is still among the national leaders at No. 13. The offenses have taken center stage this season in the SEC, and suddenly the defenses are trying to catch up. Keep in mind, too, that six of the seven national champions during the SEC’s streak have finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense.

HOT

South Carolina running back Mike Davis: He’s the SEC’s rushing leader heading into the month of October and seemingly gets better every week. He carried the Gamecocks in the 28-25 win over UCF after Connor Shaw went down, and finished with a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns. He has had a run of 50 yards or longer in three of his four games.

NOT

Schedule balance: Talk about a contrast in October schedules. Alabama doesn’t play anyone that should come within 20 points of the Crimson Tide (and that’s being kind) until LSU comes to town on Nov. 9. Arkansas, meanwhile, has Florida, South Carolina and Alabama over the next three weeks, and Florida and Alabama are on the road. Tennessee gets Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama in October. Ole Miss also has a tough October stretch that will go a long way toward shaping the Rebels’ season. They travel to Auburn this weekend and then come back home for back-to-back games against Texas A&M and LSU. Georgia gets a little bit of a break, although the Bulldogs do have to go on the road to face both Tennessee and Vanderbilt in October. Given their September gantlet (three top-10 opponents), nothing should seem too daunting the rest of the way.

FREEZER BURN

Staying healthy: Geez, what a bad week on the injury front for a handful of SEC teams and players. Florida was already reeling after losing starting quarterback Jeff Driskel to a season-ending injury two weeks ago against Tennessee. And then last week in practice, star defensive tackle Dominique Easley was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Easley was playing as well as any defensive lineman in the league. This past weekend, we saw South Carolina quarterback Shaw go down with a right (throwing) shoulder sprain that will sideline him for two to three weeks. Alabama will be without starting center Ryan Kelly for two to three weeks after he suffered an MCL injury to his knee, and Georgia running back Todd Gurley injured his ankle in the win over LSU. Georgia coach Mark Richt said Gurley would be “day-to-day” in preparation for Saturday’s game at Tennessee and wouldn’t need any kind of surgery. The Bulldogs played the final three quarters without Gurley. Texas A&M defensive tackle Kirby Ennis had to leave the Arkansas game with a left knee injury. Depending on the severity of Ennis’ injury, he will have some extra time to recover. The Aggies are off this week before traveling to Ole Miss on Oct. 12.

Well, the top team in our Power Rankings certainly made sure everyone knew exactly why it was No. 1:

1. Alabama (4-0, 2-0 SEC; last week: 1): The Crimson Tide defense was tired of hearing how good it wasn't. It didn't like hearing that Ole Miss was going to score on it. So it shut the Rebels out and held them to just 205 yards of offense and 11 first downs. The Alabama offense rolled up 434 yards of offense as well, quieting a lot of doubters in the process.

2. Georgia (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 4): Well, it's pretty clear that the SEC Eastern Division is now Georgia's to lose. After a thrilling 44-41 win over LSU, the Bulldogs showed that no matter how bad their defense plays, the offense will be there to rescue it. The only real defensive test remaining for this unit is Florida. But can Florida's offense keep up with the Dawgs if they score?

3. Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 3): Like Georgia, the Aggies are equipped with an offense that can bail out its struggling defense. The Razorbacks gave A&M quite the scare in Fayetteville over the weekend, but Johnny Manziel and Co. didn't have much trouble piling on points against a struggling Arkansas defense. Still, that rushing defense has to improve with SEC play heating up.

4. LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 2): The Tigers' defense showed its youthful age against Georgia on Saturday, especially in the secondary. Georgia churned out nearly 500 yards and averaged 7 yards per play. It didn't help that the front seven didn't generate enough pressure on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who threw four touchdowns. But we learned that LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is the real deal. He delivered some NFL throws and might have outplayed Murray between the hedges.

5. South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 5): I don't know what it is with this South Carolina team. It overcame the loss of starting quarterback Connor Shaw by scoring 28 straight points on UCF Saturday, but then turned around and let the Knights end the game on a 15-0 run. The good news for the Gamecocks is they might have one of the most underrated players in the SEC in running back Mike Davis, who leads the SEC in rushing yards per game (127).

6. Florida (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 7): This is officially Tyler Murphy's team, and he's been solid since replacing Jeff Driskel at quarterback. No one really expects much from the passing game going forward, so the running game has to carry this team (again). It did just that with its 246 yards in the win over Kentucky. That defense might be missing Dominique Easley, but it was fantastic against the Wildcats.

7. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 6): Quarterback Bo Wallace took some heat for saying the Rebels' offense would score some points on Alabama. Well, he ended up scoring for the Crimson Tide with his safety in the fourth quarter. The high-flying offense we saw in the first three games didn't make it to Tuscaloosa, and now the Rebels are gearing up for a crucial conference game at Auburn this weekend.

8. Missouri (4-0, 0-0 SEC; LW: 8): We still don't know a ton about this team, but the Tigers scored at will against their nonconference foes, averaging 45.5 points and 549 yards through the first four games. But SEC play starts now with a trip to Vanderbilt this weekend. We'll find out very soon if there was any substance to the Tigers' fast start to the season.

9. Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 9): The Tigers had the week off after their loss to LSU. That gave this team time to rest and try to get the passing game in better shape for the Rebels. What Gus Malzahn and his running backs had to be excited about was seeing Ole Miss' defense give up 254 rushing yards and rushing touchdowns of 68 and 50 yards to the Tide.

10. Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2 SEC; LW: 10): The offense is only getting better, and wide receiver Jordan Matthews is getting closer and closer to breaking SEC records for career receiving yards and career receptions. With eight catches for 115 yards and touchdown in Vandy's 52-24 win over UAB, Matthews has had 100-plus yards or a touchdown in four of Vandy's five games.

11. Arkansas (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 11): After a rough loss at Rutgers, the Hogs made things interesting in their 45-33 loss to the Aggies. This running game bounced back against A&M with 201 yards, while Brandon Allen's return at quarterback led to 282 passing yards. Still, this team has to clean things up on defense. The Aggies averaged 7 yards per play.

12. Mississippi State (2-2, 0-1 SEC; LW 12): The Bulldogs were off after their 62-7 win over Troy. It was an impressive win for a team looking for more of an offensive spark at the beginning of the season. The way quarterback Dak Prescott is playing, this offense has to feel confident going into this weekend's matchup with LSU. But do the Bulldogs have the horses to keep up with an LSU team that has to be frustrated after its loss to Georgia?

13. Tennessee (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 13): Somehow, the Volunteers tried to give it all away late against South Alabama on Saturday. Tennessee was outscored 17-7 in the second half of its 31-24 win and even blocked its own field goal. A win is a win, especially for a program with a new head coach, but the Vols now have to regroup and face a Georgia team capable of scoring 50 in Knoxville this weekend.

14. Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC; LW: 14): The Wildcats' only real positive from Saturday's 24-7 loss to Florida was that their touchdown came on a fake field goal. Other than that, the Gators dominated Mark Stoops' team. When your kicker is your leading rusher in a game (25 yards), you know you have major problems in the playmaking department.

Not much movement in this week's SEC bowl projections.

Alabama's shutout win over Ole Miss and LSU's shootout loss at Georgia shed some light on the true pecking order in the SEC West. And while we gave some thought to moving Georgia up a spot into a BCS bowl, the Aggies haven't done anything to lose the honor just yet.

VIZIO BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 6: Alabama
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Texas A&M
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1: Georgia
AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 3: LSU
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1: South Carolina
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Florida
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Ole Miss
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Missouri
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn
BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 4: Vanderbilt
AdvoCare V100 Bowl, Dec. 31: Arkansas

It was another wild weekend in the SEC. Here are five things we learned around the conference in Week 5.

Georgia and LSU are title contenders: Everything about the game lived up to the hype. Well, except maybe the defenses, but we'll get to that later. LSU and Georgia nonetheless played a game for the ages Saturday afternoon, with quarterbacks Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray trading blows seemingly every time their teams got the football. Georgia ultimately prevailed, of course, but it's impossible to walk away not feeling like both teams are well positioned to make a run at an SEC championship. It's only LSU's first loss, and we've seen how that's no deterrent to making a run at the postseason. The Tigers will get their shot at No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 9. And Georgia, by winning, avoided a dreaded second loss on its resume. The Bulldogs seasoning-opening loss to Clemson actually might end up adding some style points in the end. With Florida's offense struggling and South Carolina playing inconsistent football, Mark Richt has to feel good about his program's position in the East.

Get used to high scoring games: Calm down all you doomsday sayers: The SEC isn't imploding before your very eyes. Yes, it is very unusual to see this many shootouts in a league that's long prided itself on dominating defense. Georgia and LSU used to win in knockdown drag-outs, but Saturday was so much different as the schools combined for 943 yards and 85 points. But what happened in Athens, Ga., wasn't the final nail in the coffin of SEC defenses. Let the season progress. Mettenberger and Murray are two of the best passers in the country, and the LSU and Georgia defenses are very young. They're talented. They'll learn. And they're not going to be happy with what happened, neither one of them. Alabama pitched a shutout against a high powered Ole Miss offense, and Florida gave up just one touchdown to Kentucky. When it comes to defense, maybe not all is lost. Not yet.

Alabama showed why its No. 1: The week was all about questioning Alabama -- everything from the secondary to the offensive line to whether the Tide was actually worthy of being ranked No. 1. Nick Saban asked for positivity from his fan base and warned against playing to expectations. Alabama's head coach wasn't worried about answering any one question in particular, just the simple matter of whether his team could beat No. 21 Ole Miss. As it turns out, his team won and answered most of the questions in the process. The Tide's defense was dominant once again, pitching a shutout against Ole Miss' high powered offense, and the offense, which couldn't move the ball consistently or effectively on the ground before, suddenly rediscovered both. Alabama ran for a season-high 254 yards against the Rebels and moved the chains, converting on 8 of 17 third-downs. In short, Alabama looked like itself again, thumping a ranked team at home.

Mike Davis belongs in the conversation: He doesn't usually come up much when discussing the league's top tailbacks. T.J. Yeldon and Todd Gurley usually dominate that conversation. But Mike Davis' name belongs in that group. The South Carolina sophomore has earned his stripes through four games this season, rushing for 508 yards and six touchdowns. The Gamecocks needed every one of his 167 yards Saturday afternoon against UCF, 150 of which came in the second half of the 3-point win on the road in Orlando.

Tennessee is a ways off: This was supposed to be the much needed breather before returning to its gauntlet of a schedule. The Vols, fresh off beatings at the hands of Oregon and Florida in consecutive weeks, couldn't get out of their own way against lowly South Alabama at home on Saturday, winning by the skin of their teeth, 31-24. Maybe they were looking ahead to Georgia and South Carolina, which come to town the following two weeks. Whatever the reason, Butch Jones shouldn't be happy. Tennessee wasted a 24-point lead before holding on with a late interception on fourth-and-goal. Justin Worley and the Vols offense turned the ball over three times and were just 4 of 11 on third downs.

It had been a rough week for Florida from an injury standpoint, but the Gators didn’t miss a beat with a 24-7 win over Kentucky on the road Saturday. Now let’s hand out some helmet stickers from the game.

QB Tyler Murphy: If Murphy was nervous in his first start, he didn’t show it. The junior quarterback, who replaced the injured Jeff Driskel, completed his first 12 passes and became the first player since Teddy Bridgewater last October to complete at least 10 passes in the first half without an incompletion. Murphy was 11 of 11 for 121 yards and a touchdown at the intermission. He also rushed for 20 yards and a score. The Gators’ offense slowed down in the second half, but Murphy still finished 15 of 18 for the game. It’s too early to say the offense is better with him under center, but there’s clearly no regression.

RB Matt Jones: There was talk before the season that Jones could be one of the top running backs in the SEC, but he missed all of fall camp and the season opener because of a viral infection he contracted over the summer. Florida eased him back against Miami and Tennessee, but they went to him early and often on Saturday. Jones ran the ball 28 times for 176 yards and a touchdown against Kentucky. His most impressive run came on a 67-yard scamper in the second quarter where he showed off his speed in the open field. He’s now back in the mix with the rest of the league’s top backs and could be the key to the Gators’ offense going forward.

DE Dante Fowler Jr.: As hard as it was to lose Driskel for the season, the loss of defensive tackle Dominique Easley was even more devastating for the Gators. He was one of the team’s top pass rushers and the leader of the defense. When he went down, he passed off his famous Chucky doll to Fowler, asking the sophomore defensive end to step up, be active and play crazy. On Saturday, Fowler stepped up. He finished with five tackles including back-to-back sacks in the second half that killed a Kentucky drive. He’ll have to continue to make plays for this Florida defense, but he showed he was up for the challenge with his play against the Wildcats.