The Southeastern Conference announced its players of the week from last weekend’s games. Alabama was well represented once again. UA Athletics and the SEC provided the releases below with the details and the full list. The Tide coaching staff players of the week are listed in this post as well. Be sure to sign-up for e-mail alerts, so you never miss a post on Alabama or the SEC, by selecting subscribe on my main page.
Javier Arenas Named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama senior return specialist Javier Arenas has been named the Southeastern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the Tide’s 45-0 win over Chattanooga on Saturday, the league office announced Monday morning.
Arenas became the SEC’s all-time leader with his seventh career punt return touchdown when he recorded a 66-yard return in the second quarter that put the Crimson Tide in front 28-0. He finished the day with two punt returns for 68 yards. On defense, he added three tackles, a half tackle for loss, a 21-yard interception return and two quarterback pressures. He totaled 89 all-purpose yards in less than two quarters of playing time on Saturday.
The Tampa, Fla., native is the eighth different Crimson Tide player to earn SEC weekly honors this season. In fact, Alabama has had at least one SEC Player of the Week winner in 10 of its 11 games this season, including Mark Ingram (Virginia Tech and South Carolina), Trent Richardson (Florida International and Arkansas), Rolando McClain (Kentucky), William Vlachos (Mississippi), Leigh Tiffin (Tennessee), Terrence Cody (Tennessee), Mike Johnson (Mississippi State) and Arenas (Chattanooga).
The Alabama coaching staff recognized seven players of the week following the win over Chattanooga, including Drew Davis, Julio Jones and Trent Richardson on offense, Rolando McClain and Arenas on defense and Robert Lester and Leigh Tiffin on special teams.
Davis helped clear a path for a season-high 313 yards rushing for the Tide and did not give up a sack or a hurry as the Tide cranked out 422 yards of offense. Jones caught three passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. He first snared a 44-yard reception before following with a 19-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter, his fourth of the season. Trent Richardson ran nine times for 60 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry while only playing in the first half.
McClain claimed his seventh defensive player of the week honor from the coaching staff. He accounted for a team-high seven tackles, half of a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries in just one half of play on Saturday.
Tiffin connected on five extra-point attempts and nailed his only field goal, a 42-yarder in the third quarter, while averaging 68.7 yards on kickoffs with two touchbacks. Robert Lester made three special teams tackles on coverage units.
SEC FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (Games of Nov. 21, 2009)
SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
RYAN MALLETT
Quarterback
ARKANSAS
6-7 • 238 • Sophomore
Texarkana, Ark. (Texas HS)
• Mallett completed 18-of-34 passes for 313 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, leading Arkansas to a 42-21 win against Mississippi State.
• Mallett matched his own school record for touchdown passes in a single game with five. He also set school marks for TD passes in a season (28), and touchdowns responsible for in a season (30). He has now set or matched 12 different school records in his 11 games as a Razorback.
• Three of Mallett’s touchdown passes were from 39 yards (Joe Adams) 58 and 64 yards (Cobi Hamilton).
• He completed passes to nine different receivers with four different receivers catching touchdown passes.
SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SAM MAXWELL
Linebacker
KENTUCKY
6-3 • 248 • Senior
Hartwell, Ga. (Hart County HS)
• Maxwell led Kentucky with a career-high 11 tackles, including one for a loss, in the Wildcats’ 34-27 win at Georgia.
• In the final two minutes of the game, Maxwell made two game-saving plays for the Wildcats. With Georgia driving for the potential tying touchdown, he stopped Georgia tailback Caleb King at the one-yard line. On the next play, Kentucky recovered a Bulldog fumble.
• With 1:45 remaining in the game, Maxwell intercepted a pass, clinching the win for the Wildcats.
• His tackle for loss game on a third-and-one, forcing the Bulldogs to attempt a field goal.
SEC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JAVIER ARENAS
Defensive Back/Return Specialist
ALABAMA
5-9 • 195 • Senior
Tampa, Fla. (Robinson HS)
• Arenas set an SEC career record with his seventh punt return for a touchdown in Alabama’s 45-0 win against Chattanooga.
• His 66-yard return for a touchdown came early in the second quarter and gave the Crimson Tide a 28-0 lead. He finished the game with two punt returns for 68 yards.
• Arenas has 1,658 career punt return yards, which is second in SEC history. He trails only Vanderbilt’s Lee Nalley, who had 1,695 career punt return yards from 1947-49.
• On defense, Arenas had three tackles, with 0.5 for loss, and interception and two pass deflections.
SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK
REID NEELY
Guard
OLE MISS
6-6 • 320 • Senior
Jackson, Miss. (Jackson Academy)
• Neely played a key role in Ole Miss gaining 426 total offensive yards against LSU in the Rebels’ 25-23 win.
• The Rebel offense averaged 6.4 yards per play while the offensive line did not give up a sack.
• Neely was credited with 14 finishes, four knockdown blocks and two pancakes, grading out at 98 percent in the run game and 94 percent in the pass plays.
SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK
WES BROWN
Tackle
TENNESSEE
6-4 • 257 • Senior
Athens, Ala. (HS)
• Brown accounted for three total tackles, including sack for minus 9 yards, an interception and a quarterback pressure in Tennessee’s 31-16 win against Vanderbilt.
• Brown returned the interception 25 yards for a touchdown on the game’s final offensive play, providing the winning margin for the Vols.
• The Vol defense held Vanderbilt to 297 total offensive yards, including 123 on the ground
SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
WARREN NORMAN
Running Back/Return Specialist
VANDERBILT
5-10 • 188
Stone Mountain, Ga. (Chamblee HS)
• Norman accumulated 152 all-purpose yards at Tennessee, breaking an SEC freshman all-purpose yardage record, in the Commodores 31-16 loss at Tennessee.
• Norman finished the season with 1,941 all-purpose yards, breaking a mark set by Georgia’s Herschel Walker in 1980.
• Against the Vols, Norman had 73 rushing yards on 17 carries and three catches for 18 yards. He also had three kickoff returns for 61 yards.
• Norman also is Vanderbilt’s single-season all-purpose leader and ranks 11th in SEC history.
OTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES FROM WEEK 12
RB TRENT RICHARDSON (Alabama) -- True freshman rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown against Chattanooga.
WR COBI HAMILTON (Arkansas) -- Had three catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State.
QB TIM TEBOW (Florida) -- Completed 17-of-25 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 102 yards on seven carries against Florida International.
DT JAYE HOWARD (Florida) -- Logged seven tackles against Florida International with half-sack.
LB RENNIE CURRAN (Georgia) – Collected a game-high 13 total tackles against Kentucky.
TB DERRICK LOCKE (Kentucky) -- Accounted for 245 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns against Georgia.
P/PK JOSH JASPER (LSU) -- Hit a 50-yard field goal, was successful on an onside kick and had his only punt attempt downed inside the 20-yard line against Ole Miss.
RB DEXTER McCLUSTER (Ole Miss) -- Rushed for 148 yards on 24 carries and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass against LSU.
RB ANTHONY DIXON (Mississippi State) -- Rushed for 176 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns, including long of 70 yards, against Arkansas.
RB MONTARIO HARDESTY (Tennessee) -- Rushed for 171 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown against Vanderbilt.
PK RYAN FOWLER (Vanderbilt) -- Hit three field goals (27, 31 and 32 yards) to tie team record for field goals in a season (16) against Tennessee.
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