SEC names Football Players of the Week after Week 9

The SEC has named their Football Players of the Week following the action that took place this past weekend in Week 9.

Alabama and Texas A&M were among the big winners over the weekend, defeating Missouri and LSU, respectively. Meanwhile, Texas scraped by a gritty Vanderbilt squad, as Arkansas took Mississippi State behind the woodshed in Starkville. With all that in mind, here’s who the SEC chose to be honored following Week 9.

• Offensive — Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn & Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
• Defensive — Suntarine Perkins, DE, Ole Miss & Michael Taaffe, DB, Texas
• Special Teams — Tyler White, P, Texas A&M
• Offensive Line — Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama & Izavion Miller, OL, Auburn
• Defensive Line — Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn
• Freshman — Braylen Russell, RB, Arkansas & Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M

First, Jarquez Hunter delivered a record-setting performance in Auburn’s win over Kentucky, so he makes sense he was honored by the conference this week. He rushed for a career-high 278 yards, marking the highest single-game total by any FBS player this season.

He wasn’t alone on the offensive side of the football, as quarterback Taylen Green led Arkansas to a dominant 58-25 win at Mississippi State. The conference noted he was almost perfect in the performance, completing 23 of 30 pass attempts for 314 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, plus an additional rushing touchdown on eight carries for 79 yards.

On the defensive side of the football, Suntarine Perkins showed out for Ole Miss as they shut out Oklahoma in the second half. He posted career highs with 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks, which was the most by a Rebel since 1993.

Additionally, Michael Taaffe played a crucial role in Texas’ 27-24 win over Vanderbilt. He forced two turnovers at opportune times, including an interception and a forced fumble. The SEC noted his interception at Texas’ 22-yard line halted a Vanderbilt drive, while his forced fumble at the 43-yard line stopped another scoring attempt just before halftime.

Finally, one of the more impressive performances in Week 9 came from freshman quarterback Marcel Reed, as he ignited Texas A&M’s offense in their comeback win against LSU. He finished with three rushing touchdowns and went 2-for-2 passing for 70 yards, including a 54-yard strike on the way to a huge victory for the Aggies.