The regular season has come and gone, meaning we hand out helmet stickers one more time:
Mississippi State running back LaDarius Perkins: Doing a little bit of everything, Perkins rolled up 319 all-purpose yards in Mississippi State’s 31-23 win over Ole Miss to keep the Egg Bowl trophy in Starkville. The redshirt freshman closed the first half with back-to-back touchdown catches of 33 and 36 yards to make it a 21-9 game. He finished with three catches for 140 yards and just missed 100 yards rushing, totaling 98 yards on 13 carries.
Tennessee receiver Denarius Moore: Playing his final game at Neyland Stadium, Moore had seven catches for 205 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, in the Vols’ 24-14 win over Kentucky. He became the first player in Tennessee history to have two 200-yard receiving games, in either a season or a career. He had 228 receiving yards earlier this season against South Carolina. Moore has nine touchdown catches on the season and is averaging 21.2 yards per catch.
Auburn defensive end Antoine Carter: There’s something to be said for never giving up and playing to the whistle. Carter’s hustle play in the first half to chase down Alabama running back Mark Ingram from behind and poke the ball loose for a touchback is where Auburn’s comeback ignited. Alabama was already leading 21-0 and well on its way to making it 28-0 when Carter knocked the ball loose from Ingram at the Auburn 19. It was the first sign of life Auburn had shown in the game and a play that kept the Tigers within striking distance to make their improbable comeback in the second half before winning 28-27.
South Carolina’s defense: The Gamecocks allowed a touchdown pass on the fourth play from scrimmage Saturday night and then went the next 58 minutes without allowing another point. They held Clemson to 251 total yards and scored a touchdown of their own when Antonio Allen took an interception back 37 yards in the third quarter. The Gamecocks forced three turnovers in the game and also had three sacks in the 29-7 win, only the third time in school history that they’ve won nine or more games in a season.
Arkansas receiver Cobi Hamilton: He’s been Mr. Big Play for the Hogs all season, but his 80-yard touchdown catch on the final play of the first half was the play that broke the game open for the Hogs. With only six seconds remaining, Hamilton hauled in a deep pass down the middle when two LSU defenders collided and he was able to get into the end zone with no time showing on the first-half clock. Hamilton also had an 85-yard touchdown catch earlier in the second quarter and finished with three catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-23 win over LSU.