Bryce Young, Henry To'oTo'o Named SEC Players of the Week
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Henry To'oTo'o both earned weekly honors for their efforts against Arkansas, the Southeastern Conference announced on Monday morning.
Young was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week while To'oTo'o was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
Young broke the Alabama school record for passing yards in a game with 559 this past weekend, surpassing Scott Hunter's 53-year-old record. Young also finished the game having completed 31-of-40 passes and recorded five touchdowns on the day.
To'oTo'o led all Alabama defenders with 13 tackles, with three of those tackles being for a loss. Of those three tackles for loss, two of them were sacks.
Here is the full list of SEC Players of the Week, courtesy of the Southeastern Conference:
Week 12: Football Players of the Week
OFFENSIVE
Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
- The sophomore quarterback turned in a performance unlike any in school history
- He broke the Alabama school record for passing yards in a game with 559, surpassing Scott Hunter's 52-year-old record
- His 40-yard touchdown strike to Jameson Williams on 3rd and 10 late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in a 42-35 win that clinched the SEC Western Division title
- Young tied his career high with five touchdown passes while also running for a two-point conversion
- He completed 77.5 percent of his passes (31-of-40) without an interception • Recorded a passer rating of 236.1
- Accounted for 13 passing plays of 20 yards or more, including touchdown strikes of 20, 79, 32 and 40 yards
- Was 5-of-6 passing on third down for 100 yards and a touchdown • Converted 22 first downs for the game with 20 through the air & two rushing
DEFENSIVE
Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama
- To'oTo'o was all over the field in a 42-35 victory over Arkansas that clinched the SEC Western Division crown
- Earned Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against the Razorbacks
- Led the Crimson Tide in tackles, matching his career-best with 13, including eight solo stops
- His 3.0 tackles for loss (-17 yards) were a career high as the Tide notched 10 TFL for the game
- Set a career best with two sacks (-16 yards)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Velus Jones Jr., KR/WR, Tennessee
- Jones Jr. finished with a career-best 246 all-purpose yards, including 47 yards on three punt returns and a dazzling 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter as Tennessee became bowl eligible with a 60-14 win over South Alabama.
- It was UT's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Ty Chandler had a 91-yard return vs. Indiana State on Sept. 9, 2017. It was the second of Jones' college career as he had a 100-yarder while at USC in 2019.
- It was also the longest kickoff return by a Vol since Evan Berry had a 100-yarder at South Carolina on Oct. 29, 2016. The 96-yard return pushed Jones' career kickoff return yardage total to 2,851, which is tops among all active FBS players.
- Jones' performance also kept him as the SEC leader in both kickoff return average (28.11) and punt average (13.88) this season. He is one of only two FBS players this season with 500+ yards in kickoff returns and 200+ yards in punt returns.
Harrison Mevis, PK, Missouri
- Mevis was responsible for Mizzou's first nine points scored in the game, hitting field goals of 39, 46 and 31 yards in the first two quarters. He went for 3-for-4 in field goals in the game.
- On the season, Mevis is 17-of-19 in field goals, including 8-of-10 from 40-49 and 3-of-3 from 50+.
- Against the Gators, Mevis stayed perfect on PATs, going 1-for-1 on the day, improving to 40-for-40 on the season and 68-for-68 in his career.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Trajan Jeffcoat, DL, Missouri
- Jeffcoat paced a much-improved defense with four tackles and a quarterback hurry.
- He also racked up 3.5 TFL of 13 yards, a new career high for the lineman, with a sack for eight yards, giving him 3.5 on the season.
- The six three-and-outs forced by the Tiger defense is a new season high.
- Mizzou held Florida to 93 yards rushing, marking back-to-back games holding opponents below 100 yards rushing.
- The Tiger defense has now forced a sack in 10 of 11 games this season, and in 15 of their last 16 games.
- Mizzou racked up 11 TFL, marking the first time since 2017 the Tigers produced three games with 10 or more TFL in a season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Caleb Warren, OL, Ole Miss
- Paved the way for 470 offensive yards in leading Ole Miss past Vanderbilt.
- Helped the Rebels average 5.0 yards per rush.
- Protected Matt Corral for his fourth 300-yard passing game of the season.
Jovaughn Gwyn, RG, South Carolina
- Gwyn graded out at 92 percent in the Gamecocks' 21-17 win over Auburn.
- He recorded three knockdown blocks as the Gamecocks put up 306 yards of offense, including 149 on the ground.
FRESHMAN
Trai Jones, FB, South Carolina
- Jones, an offensive lineman by trade, has been used this season as a blocking fullback.
- In Saturday's 21-17 win over Auburn, Jones caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Jason Brown in the final minute of the first half, sending the teams into the locker room in a 14-14 tie.
- It was the first time Jones has touched the ball in a game situation since before he was a teenager.
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In addition to the SEC naming its players of the week, the Alabama football coaching staff also named its players of the week for the team's 42-35 win over Arkansas.
On offense, five players were named including wide receivers John Metchie III and Jameson Williams, offensive lineman Evan Neal, running back Brian Robinson Jr. and quarterback Young.
On defense, To'oTo'o was named alongside fellow linebacker Will Anderson Jr. and defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis. On special teams, place kicker Will Reichard and linebacker Demouy Kennedy were named players of the week.
Here is the full press release courtesy of Alabama Athletics:
Alabama Coaching Staff Selects 10 Players of the Week following Win over Arkansas
Five on offense, three one defense and two on special teams were recognized
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama coaching staff selected 10 players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s 42-35 win over then-No. 21/21/22 Arkansas to close out the home schedule last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. John Metchie III, Evan Neal, Brian Robinson Jr., Jameson Williams and Bryce Young on offense; Will Anderson Jr., Phidarian Mathis and Henry To’oTo’o on defense; and Will Reichard and Demouy Kennedy on special teams were all recognized for their play in UA’s final home matchup of the 2021 campaign.
OFFENSE
John Metchie III
- Led all wideouts in targets (14) and receptions (10) against the Razorbacks
- Totaled 173 yards and a touchdown from 20 yards out
- Converted six first downs to go with his score
Evan Neal
- Did not allow a sack or pressure on 40 pass attempts
- Tied his season-high total for knockdown blocks with six
- Helped the Tide rack up 559 yards passing and 671 total yards by day’s end
Brian Robinson Jr.
- Posted his fourth 100-plus yard performance of the season with 122 yards on 27 carries
- Added three receptions for 18 yards
Jameson Williams
- Finished with a career-best 190 yards and three touchdowns across his eight receptions
- Found the end zone from 32, 40 and 79 yards away
- His 79-yard receiving score made Williams the first wideout in Alabama history to record four scores of 75-plus yards in the same season
Bryce Young
- Completed 31-of-40 passes for 559 yards and a career-high tying five touchdowns
- Broke the Alabama school record for passing yards in a game with his impressive performance
- Recorded 13 passes of 20 yards or more, including touchdowns from 20, 79, 32 and 40 yards away
DEFENSE
Will Anderson Jr.
- Contributed 11 tackles to tie for second on the UA defense
- Notched 3.5 tackles for loss (-17 yards) and one sack (-7 yards) to add to his NCAA-leading totals in each category
- Has totaled at least 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack in each of his last three contests
Phidarian Mathis
- Made an impact along Alabama’s defensive front in his final game at Bryant-Denny Stadium
- Finished with five tackles, including one for loss (-1 yard) as part of the Tide’s 10.0 TFLs on the day
- Also added one quarterback hurry to his stat line
Henry To’oTo’o
- Led the Crimson Tide in tackles, matching his career-best of 13, including eight solo stops
- Posted an Alabama career-high three tackles for loss (-17 yards) to go with his two sacks (-16 yards)
SPECIAL TEAMS
Demouy Kennedy
- Continued his consistent play on special teams
- Played a key role on the Tide’s special teams units that did not allow a Razorback return on the afternoon
Will Reichard
- Contributed 10 points on the afternoon thanks to four made PATs and two field goals
- Hit from 48 and 30 yards out on his three-point tries
- Added eight kickoffs for 507 yards and five touchbacks
