SEC names Football Players of the Week after Week 5

The SEC has named their Football Players of the Week after Week 5. There were some awesome performances throughout the southeast, so it wasn’t easy to discern who should be chosen. Check out the selections from the conference below.

Offensive

• Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama & Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

Simpson powered Alabama past Georgia with three total touchdowns, throwing for 276 yards and two scores while spreading the ball to eight different receivers. He added a rushing touchdown, converted key first downs, and helped the Crimson Tide convert 13-of-19 third downs — the most against Georgia in 30 years.

Chambliss delivered a career performance to lead Ole Miss past LSU, piling up 385 yards of total offense with 314 passing and 71 rushing. He became the first SEC player in 30 years with 300 passing and 50 rushing yards in three straight games, while also surpassing 4,000 overall career passing yards in the win.

Defensive

• Arion Carter, LB, Tennessee

Carter was the difference-maker in Tennessee’s 41-34 overtime win at Mississippi State, piling up a career-best 17 tackles and sealing the game with a pass breakup at the goal line. His 17 stops tied for the most by any FBS player in a game this season, and he now leads the SEC with 49 tackles — 15 more than the next closest defender.

Special Teams

• Brock Taylor, PK, Vanderbilt

Taylor was perfect in Vanderbilt’s win over Utah State, going 2-for-2 on field goals and 6-for-6 on PATs while scoring a season-best 12 points. His 46-yarder before halftime gave the Commodores control, extending his streak to 16 straight makes and helping Vandy start 5-0 for the first time since 2008.

Offensive Line

• Patrick Kutas, OL, Ole Miss & Kadyn Proctor, LT, Alabama

Kutas anchored the Ole Miss offensive line in the Rebels’ win over LSU, leading a unit that didn’t allow a sack against one of the SEC’s top defenses. Behind him, Ole Miss piled up 480 yards of offense — the most surrendered by LSU this season — and controlled nearly nine minutes of the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

Proctor dominated at left tackle in Alabama’s win over Georgia, grading out at a team-best 89 percent while not allowing a single pressure or sack. He even added an 11-yard reception that set up the Crimson Tide’s final touchdown, lowering his shoulder through Bulldog defenders on a play that proved to be the game’s difference-maker.

Defensive Line

• Bryan Thomas Jr., EDGE, South Carolina & Tyre West, DE, Tennessee

Thomas Jr. set career highs with seven tackles and 2.0 sacks in South Carolina’s 35-13 win over Kentucky, while also adding a quarterback hurry. His disruptive play helped anchor a Gamecocks defense that held the Wildcats to just 13 points and 232 total yards, with only three points and 91 yards coming after the first quarter.

West made the game’s defining play in Tennessee’s 41-34 overtime win at Mississippi State, recording three tackles, a career-high two sacks, and a momentum-swinging forced fumble. His fourth-quarter strip sack set up a scoop-and-score to tie the game, adding to Tennessee’s nation-leading 20 sacks through five weeks.

Freshman

• Oscar Bird, P, Ole Miss

Bird flipped the field for Ole Miss in the Rebels’ win over LSU, averaging 47.5 yards on a career-high four punts with three traveling 50-plus yards. He pinned the Tigers inside their own 27-yard line on three of those kicks, helping limit LSU’s offensive opportunities.