Two Mississippi State Players Earn SEC Honors Against Southern Miss

The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Southern Miss Eagles 41-20 on Saturday, behind a dominant defensive performance from start to finish.

MSU linebacker Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson recorded 21 tackles (including 1.5 for loss), and a strip sack that gave the Bulldogs the ball in plus territory. His performance earned him the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week award, as his tackles total was the most by a member of the conference since 2017.

Watson only trails teammate Jett Johnson for the most tackles in the SEC, as the fellow linebacker has the eighth-most in the FBS. Johnson also had a stellar outing against Southern Miss by forcing an Eagle to the ground 18 times, but couldn't claim an honor this week. Watson shares the honor with Arkansas linebacker Alfahiym Walcott, who finished with five tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six in a 44-20 victory over Florida International.

Nevertheless, another Bulldog was recognized by the SEC, as kicker Kyle Ferrie was the conference's Co-Freshman of the Week.

The Bulldogs may have tallied a jaw-dropping 41 points, but offensive touchdowns weren't the main scoring catalysts. Ferrie converted on all four of his field goal attempts, including two from 40-plus yards out, and split the uprights on each of his three point after attempts.

Ferrie shares the honor with Arkansas running back Isaiah Augustave, who rushed for a season-high 101 yards on just 14 carries (7.2 yards on average).

Other winners this week:

Co-Offensive Players of the Week: LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels tied the school record for touchdowns responsible for in a game with eight (six passing, two rushing) in a 56-14 win over Georgia State. He also had more touchdown passes than incompletions (5); Missouri quarterback Brady Cook turned in one of his best performances of the season during the nail-biting win against Florida, as he threw for 334 yards, a touchdown and ran in for another score.

Special Teams Player of the Week: Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis converted on all four of his field goal attempts against Florida, including a game-winning kick from 30 yards out as time expired.

Offensive Lineman of the Week: Missouri's Xavier Delgado's blocking gave Cook more time to throw for 334 yards, and paved holes for running back Cody Schrader to run 148 yards through.

Defensive Lineman of the Week: South Carolina's Jordan Strachan tallied two sacks, including a strip that secured a 17-14 win over Kentucky.