Two weeks ago, there were whispers about the window still being open for somebody to catch LSU running back Leonard Fournette in the Heisman trophy race and at least make for a conversation surrounding the award. Those whispers turned to legitimate discussion when running back Derrick Henry starred in Alabama’s lopsided win over LSU and after another brilliant performance in the Tide’s 31-6 drubbing of Mississippi State, there is no doubt Henry has a legitimate chance. He might even be the favorite. Leaving the Heisman discussion aside for a minute, here is a look at the best SEC performances from Week 11 of the college football season.
Derrick Henry, Alabama Crimson Tide
Running Back
The Bulldogs looked like they had the right plan in place to keep Henry in check early on in their matchup with Alabama until he ripped off a 74-yard touchdown run late in the first half. That blew the game wide open and gave the Tide a 21-3 lead. Henry added another 65-yard score later in the game and finished with 204 yards to send the crowd in to a frenzy as they chanted “Heisman! Heisman! Heisman!”…in Starkville. It’s not often that a home crowd supports the opponent’s running back. Henry has rushed for 414 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games and is up to 1,458 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. With Alabama on the rise and LSU on the downswing, there is no doubt now that he is in the Heisman mix along with – if not ahead of – Fournette.
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Dre Greenlaw, Arkansas Razorbacks
Linebacker
While Henry dominated Mississippi State, Fournette’s struggles continued against Arkansas as he was held to 91 yards and a touchdown in a 31-14 loss. The Razorbacks defense did an excellent job keeping Fournette and the LSU offense in check and nobody was better for them then freshman linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who had 12 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the win. Greenlaw has really stepped up as a playmaker in the Arkansas front-seven this season.
The unit has been much-maligned – especially coming into the game as they had allowed 42 points per game over their previous three – but he’s been strong. He was outstanding again in Week 11 leading the charge against LSU.
Alex Collins, Arkansas Razorbacks
Running Back
It wasn’t just the defense that stepped up in the Razorbacks’ win as their junior running back Collins topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth straight game with 141 yards and two touchdowns against LSU. It’s no surprise that Alabama is 4-0 in that span.
Arkansas must have watched the tape from what Henry did to the Tigers the week before as they repeatedly attacked the heart of the LSU defense with Collins and dominated them on the ground. Collins has averaged 6.1 yards per carry for 1,209 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and has quietly crept up the ranks of the best running backs in the nation. Fournette only has 265 more yards and three more touchdowns. It doesn’t seem like there’s much between them when you consider one is a Heisman frontrunner and the other is supposed to be a middle-of-the-pack SEC runner. A big performance in Week 11 got him on the radar as one of the top running backs in the SEC. He’s one of the main reasons Arkansas has turned their season around.
Christian Kirk, Texas A&M Aggies
Wide Receiver
The Aggies got the spark they needed on offense with their true freshman receiver Kirk catching nine passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-17 win over Western Carolina this week. Kirk was all over the field and it wasn’t just limited to the offense as well as he had two kickoff returns for 30 yards as well as a punt return for 46 yards. Texas A&M dominated the game from start to finish and Kirk was a big reason for the lopsided victory.
