SEC Players of the Week: Week 1

OFFENSIVE

Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Accounted for 296 yards of total offense and 3 TDs in Vandy’s win over Virginia Tech
12-of-16 passing for 190 yds and 2 TDs
Game-high 104 yds on 26 carries, including GW 4-yd run in OT
Only Power 4 QB to throw for and run for over 100 yards this weekend
First Commodore QB to throw for and run for over 100 yards in a game since 11.12.22
Helped Vandy win a game when trailing by seven-plus points in the 4th quarter for the first time since 9.24.16

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia

Connected on 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns during #1 Georgia’s 34-3 win over #14 Clemson
Hit nine different targets, including three newcomers, and had eight completions and two touchdowns during limited time in the fourth quarter
Added a 13-yard run to help the Bulldogs pile up 447 total yards and have no turnovers

DEFENSIVE

Keon Sabb, DB, Alabama

SPECIAL TEAMS

Peyton Woodring, PK, Georgia

Tallied 10 points during #1 Georgia’s season opening 34-3 win over #14 Clemson
Opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter
Returned to drill a career-long 55 yarder to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 edge headed into halftime
This marked the longest field goal for Georgia since All-American Rodrigo Blankenship connected on a 55 yarder versus Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl
Also handled kickoffs for Georgia

Tyler Keltner, PK, Oklahoma

In his Oklahoma debut, redshirt senior kicker Tyler Keltner made field goals of 50, 42 and 24 yards and all six PAT attempts to help the Sooners to a 51-3 win over Temple on Friday.
The 50-yarder came on his first attempt of the game, was OU’s first 50-yard field goal make since the 2021 season and just the fourth in a season opener in program history.
Keltner became only the second OU kicker to convert a 50-yard field goal on his first attempt as a Sooner. The other occurrence came in 1973.
Keltner’s 15 points tied for the most by an SEC kicker on the wee. Among the three SEC kickers who made three field goals, he was the only won with a 50-yarder.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Cameron Williams, OT, Texas

Graded the highest of Texas’ offensive linemen and allowed no sacks and no quarterback pressures from his right tackle position against Colorado State in a 52-0 win.
Williams and the offensive line paved the way for 545 total yards, including 190 rushing and 355 passing.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers threw three touchdown passes behind the line’s play, while three players rushed for a touchdown, including freshmen Jerrick Gibson and Arch Manning.
In all, five players scored their first touchdowns as Longhorns with the support of the offensive line, when also adding in transfer wide receivers Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Silas Bolden.

Fernando Carmona Jr., OL, Arkansas

Carmona was an integral part of the Razorbacks’ 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night as the Razorbacks accumulated an astounding 687 yards of total offense, including 279 yards on the ground.
The Hogs’ 687 yards of total offense were the third most in a single game in program history. Carmona and the Arkansas offensive line paved the way for eight rushing touchdowns during the win, nearly matching last season’s rushing touchdown total of nine.
According to Pro Football Focus, the San Jose State transfer graded out at 78.0 in his 49 offensive snaps during the victory. Most impressively, the Razorbacks scored a touchdown on all 10 offensive drives in the season opener, becoming the first FBS team in 20 years to accomplish the feat.
The Razorbacks’ 70 points were the third most nationally during week one, and the 70-point margin of victory was the largest achieved by an Arkansas team since 1928. Arkansas also did not allow a single sack in the win.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Kyle Kennard, DE, South Carolina

Kennard, a fifth-year senior from Atlanta, recorded four tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the Gamecocks’ 23-19 win over Old Dominion.
The 6-5, 254-pound Georgia Tech transfer was also credited with a forced fumble. His strip sack on the second play of the game was recovered by the Gamecocks on the 3-yard line, setting up Carolina’s first touchdown of the season and an early lead.
His 3.5 tackles for loss accounted for 18 yards of lost yardage for the Monarchs.

Dylan Stewart, DE, South Carolina

Stewart, who was named the 247Sports True Freshman of the Week, came up big in the Gamecocks’ 23-19 win over Old Dominion.
The 6-6, 248-pound true freshman from Washington, D.C., was credited with four tackles including 1.5 sacks, a quarterback hurry and two forced fumbles in the contest.
Stewart’s strip sack midway through the fourth quarter inside the Monarchs’ 10-yard line set up the Gamecocks’ winning score.
According to PFF College, the five-star prospect posted a 97.4 PFF grade in his collegiate debut.

FRESHMAN

Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee

Iamaleava, making his second career start and first in Neyland Stadium, set a Tennessee school record for passing yards in a half (314) to lead the No. 15 Vols to a 69-3 season-opening victory over Chattanooga.
He only played the first half and finished 22-of-28 for 314 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. The first-half passing yards broke the previous record of 313 set by Tyler Bray in the first half vs. Troy on Nov. 3, 2012.
Nico’s performance was the fourth 300-yard passing total in a half in Tennessee history.
Iamaleava opened the game 10-of-10 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Iamaleava was the first UT freshman – redshirt or true – to start at quarterback in a season opener since true freshman Brent Schaeffer did vs. UNLV on Sept. 5, 2004.
His 78.6 completion percentage was the sixth-best in the country for Week 1 and the best by any freshman in the nation.

Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama

Starred in his Crimson Tide debut, getting start at wideout
Led all Crimson Tide receivers with 139 yards and two scores on only two catches
Found the end zone from 84 and 55 yards away while accumulating 78 yards after the catch