BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WTVA/UM Athletics/SEC Athletics) – After a record-setting performance that propelled Ole Miss to a 41-24 Egg Bowl victory on Saturday, Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief was tabbed Southeastern Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the league office Monday.
The sophomore posted seven catches for a career-high 173 yards and a school record-tying three touchdowns in leading Ole Miss over Mississippi State. The Rebels’ sixth win of the season made them bowl eligible for the first time since 2009.
The 173-yard performance ranks fourth in a game in school history, the most ever against MSU, and the most by a Rebel since 1993. Moncrief had touchdown catches of 77, 21 and 16 yards. He used his 6-foot-3, 216-pound frame to overpower a Bulldog defensive backfield that includes cornerbacks Johnathan Banks and Darius Slay, as well as his breakaway speed to run by them.
A native of Raleigh, Miss., Moncrief moved into a tie for the Ole Miss record with 10 TD catches this season and rose to fifth place in a career with 14 TD grabs as just a sophomore. It was his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season and his career, which ties him for second in school history for a season and fourth in school history for a career.
He moved up to third place in Rebel history in both receiving yards (948) and receptions (60) in a season.
His 10 TD catches this season are second-most among SEC players behind Mississippi State's Chad Bumphis. Moncrief now ranks fifth in the SEC and 43rd in the NCAA with 79.0 receiving yards per game, and he’s sixth among league players with 5.0 catches per game. In league play, his six TD catches are tied for third-most.
Moncrief shared this week’s honor, the first of his college career, with Florida running back Mike Gillislee.
The Rebels now await a bowl selection. Hugh Freeze’s team is expected to be chosen by the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (Dec. 31 in Nashville), AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31 in Memphis) or BBVA Compass Bowl (Jan. 5 in Birmingham).
OTHER SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
SEC Co-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
MIKE GILLISLEE - Running Back - FLORIDA
• Gillislee rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in Florida’s 37-26 win at Florida State. His 37-yard run in the fourth quarter put the Gators ahead to stay, 23-20. Gillislee becomes the first Gator to rush for more than 1,000 yards since Ciatrick Fason in 2004.
DONTE MONCRIEF - Wide Receiver - OLE MISS
• See above.
SEC Co-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
BACARRI RAMBO - Free Safety - GEORGIA
• Rambo tallied eight tackles, forced two fumbles, recovered one and had an interception in Georgia’s 42-10 win over Georgia Tech. Rambo returned fumble 49 yards and interception 27 yards, both setting up Bulldog offensive touchdowns.
JADEVEON CLOWNEY - Defensive End - SOUTH CAROLINA
• Clowney set the school reord for sacks in a game with 4.5 and broke the school record for sacks in a season with 13.0 in the Gamecocks’ 27-17 win at Clemson. He totaled seven tackles, including six solo stops, and was also credited with a quarterback pressure. The sack total was also a Clemson Memorial Stadium record.
SEC Co-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
CAREY SPEAR - Kicker - VANDERBILT
• Spear was perfect on field goals and PATs, hitting field goals of 52 and 50 yards and converting on all four PAT tries in Vanderbilt’s 55-21 win at Wake Forest. Spear also had four touchbacks on eight kickoffs. He becomes the first Vanderbilt kicker to make two 50+ yard field goals in a game since 1996.
CALEB STURGIS - Kicker - FLORIDA
• Sturgis was perfect on three field goals and three PAT tries in the Gators’ 37-26 win at Florida State. He also had two touchbacks on eight kickoffs. The Seminoles average starting field position on Sturgis’ 8 kickoffs was its own 26 yard line.
SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK
BARRETT JONES - Center - ALABAMA
• Jones had the highest grade (96 percent) for any Alabama offensive lineman this season in the Tide’s 49-0 win against Auburn. The Alabama offensive line did not allow a sack in the game and Jones did not have any pressures, penalties or missed assignments. Alabama scored a touchdown on each of its first seven drives of the game.
SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK
JADEVEON CLOWNEY - Defensive End - SOUTH CAROLINA
• Clowney set the school reord for sacks in a game with 4.5 and broke the school record for sacks in a season with 13.0 in the Gamecocks’ 27-17 win at Clemson. He totaled seven tackles, including six solo stops, and was also credited with a quarterback pressure. The sack total was also a Clemson Memorial Stadium record. The Gamecocks held Clemson to 17 points and 328 yards, well below their season averages of 44.6 poitns and 535.6 yards per game.
SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
JOHNNY MANZIEL - Quarterback - TEXAS A&M
• Manziel completed 32-of-44 passes for 372 yards with three touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns in Texas A&M’s 59-29 win over Missouri. With the effort against Missouri, Manziel became the SEC’s single-season total offensive yardage leader with 4,600 yards, breaking old mark of 4,327 yards set in 14 games by Auburn’s Cam Newton in 2010. Manziel is responsible for 43 touchdowns this season, which is tied for third in SEC history. He has generated five-or-more TDs in six games this season.
OTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES FROM WEEK 13
SAF ROBERT LESTER (Alabama) - Led team with five total tackles (4 solos) with an interception against Auburn.
QB TYLER WILSON (Arkansas) - Completed 31-of-52 passes for 359 yards with a touchdown and interception against LSU.
RB TRE MASON (Auburn) - Rushed for 82 yards on 21 carries against Alabama.
DB MATT ELAM (Florida) - Had team-high seven tackles (all solos) with a sack and interception against Florida State.
QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) - Completed 14-of-17 passees for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Tech.
WR LA’ROD KING (Kentucky) - Caught game-high 10 passes for 78 yards against Tennessee.
WR JARVIS LANDRY (LSU) - Had eight catches for 75 yards with a 22-yard TD reception against Arkansas.
LB LAMIN BARROW (LSU) - Had team-high 12 tackles with a forced fumble, pass deflection and a quarterback pressure against Arkansas.
DE C.J. JOHNSON (Ole Miss) - Had three tackles including two sacks (-16 yards) against Mississippi State.
WR CHAD BUMPHIS (Mississippi State) - Caught team-high six passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns against Ole Miss.
RS MARCUS MURPHY (Missouri) - Had 164 return yards against Texas A&M, including 107 on six kickoff returns and 28 yards on two punt returns.
QB DYLAN THOMPSON (South Carolina) - Completed 23-of-41 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns and added 38 yards on 14 carries at Clemson.
QB TYLER BRAY (Tennessee) - Completed 20-of-34 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns against Kentucky.
LB A.J. JOHNSON (Tennessee) - Had 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, including a sack against Kentucky.
SAF HOWARD MATTHEWS (Texas A&M) - Had game-high 13 tackles, including one for a loss, against Missouri.
RB ZAC STACY (Vanderbilt) - Rushed for 180 yards and two TDs on 21 carries at Wake Forest.
