1. Tyler Russell, Mississippi State (13/16 for 256 yards, and 4 TD's)
Russell, the redshirt freshman for Dan Mullen's Bulldogs, made a case for why he may very well supplant Chris Reif before long. In helping lead the Bulldogs to their very convincing 49-7 victory over the Memphis Tigers. Russell completed over 80 percent of his passes and finished with a near-perfect pass efficiency rating (298.15).
2. Cameron Newton, Auburn (9/14 for 186 yards, and 3 TD's—15 carries for 171 yards, and 2 TD's)
Newton turned out to be all that was adverstised—and then some. The JUCO transfer was as impressive running the ball as he was passing it, and he brought the home crowd to its feet when he broke one run off for a 71-yard touchdown run. The Auburn Tigers definitely have the duel-threat they were hoping for in Newton—who accounted for 357 of the teams 608 total yards on the day.
3. Greg McElroy, Alabama (13/15 for 218 yards and 1 TD)
Greg McElroy didn't have to do much to lead his team to victory, but the Tide rolled even without their Heisman winning running back out there to carry the ball. McElroy was concise on every throw and left little doubt where his focus will be this season—a third trip to the Dome for the SEC Championship.
4. Ryan Mallet, Arkansas (21/24 for 301 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT)
Ryan Mallet was nearly perfect in the opening quarter of his first game of the season—a sure sign that his broken foot will not be an issue this season. The senior, a potential Heisman candidate, was in good form on Saturday as his Razorbacks mauled Tennessee Tech 44-3.
5. Aaron Murray, Georgia (17/26 for 160 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT—4 carries for 42 yards, and 1 TD)
The redshirt freshman was better than expected in his home debut as he led the Georgia Bulldogs to an impressive 55-7 win over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Some of his most impressive plays came while he was on the run—a 21 yard scramble to the end zone to end the half brought the fans to their feet. He still has some learning to do but, if he can remain healthy, Georgia could have a special player on their hands.
6. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina (16/23 for 193 yards—5 carries for 38 yards, and 2 TD’s
Garcia made a lot of high-percentage completions last Thursday night in the Gamecock's season opener, but it would have been nice to see him get a couple in the end zone—utilizing the obvious height advantage his receivers had over the Southern Miss secondary. However, he did manage to showcase his scrambling ability in netting two rushing touchdowns.
7. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt (19/33) for 244 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT)
It's safe to say that Vanderbilt played the toughest opponent in the SEC this week and nearly ended up with the win. Smith performed notably better than expected given the holes in his offensive line—passing and running for nearly 300 yards on the day.
8. Mike Hartline, Kentucky (17/26 for 217 yards)
Hartline didn't walk away with any touchdowns on the day, but he did manage the game well on Saturday in helping to lead his team to a win over their in-state rival—Louisville.
9. Jordan Jefferson, LSU (15/21 for 151 yards, 2 TD's, and 1 INT)
The Tigers got the victory, but it was sloppy and unimpressive—much like Jefferson. The junior quarterback didn't necessarily do anything to hurt his team—save the silly interception—but he made several throws in the game that could be his undoing later. He's going to have to do better than he did on Saturday against the Heels because there is little that indicates he's remarkably better than 2009.
10. Nathan Stanley, Ole Miss (6/10 for 133 yards and 3 TD's)
You can say this much for Stanley: he made every completion count. The sophomore was forced to split time with Jeremiah Masoli, but not before netting 21 points off three of his six completions. Too bad for him, though, his performance will be erased by the overwhelming embarrassment that was the Rebels' loss to Jacksonville State—an FCS team.
11. John Brantley, Florida (17/25 for 113 yards and 2 TD's)
Brantley looked rather pedestrian calling the shots this weekend—he certainly didn't strike fear into the hearts of the SEC East. By the fourth quarter, his Gators had exactly 26 total yards of offense entering the fourth quarter—ouch.
12. Matt Simms, Tennessee (14/24 for 181 yards and 1 TD)
Simms performed fairly decent for his first time out, but he will need to do a lot better if he expects to make a game of it next week against the Oregon Ducks.
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