Skipper, RW3 Continue To Pile Up SEC Honors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Arkansas senior offensive lineman Dan Skipper helped pave the way for sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III to run for a career-high 205 yards and four touchdowns Saturday night at Mississippi State, and on Monday the duo was each recognized by the SEC. Skipper earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for the third time in his career while Williams’ Offensive Player of the Week honor is his third this season.
Williams is just the 13th running back in SEC history to win the league’s Offensive Player of the Week nod three times in a season, joining the likes of Emmitt Smith (Florida – 1989), Garrison Hearst (Georgia – 1992), Madre Hill (Arkansas – 1995), Shaun Alexander (Alabama – 1999), Carnell Williams (Auburn – 2003), Knowshown Moreno (Georgia – 2008), Trent Richardson (Alabama – 2011), Derrick Henry (Alabama – 2015) and Leonard Fournette (LSU – 2015).
Skipper’s three career SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week awards have all come over the last 15 weeks of SEC regular season action and he is one of two players to win the honor twice this season. He also earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week earlier this season after recording his seventh career blocked field goal.
Williams’ career-night Saturday at Mississippi State featured four runs of 20 or more yards, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown on the second play of the game. All four of Williams’ rushing TDs came in the first half as he finished the opening 30 minutes with 191 yards on just eight carries. He is just the fourth running back in program history to run for 200 yards in an SEC game while Arkansas improved to 7-0 all-time when he reached the 100-yard mark. Williams is also just the sixth SEC player to run for 200 yards and score four rushing touchdowns since 2000.
With Arkansas holding a 38-21 lead in the fourth quarter, Williams completed a one-yard jump pass to Austin Cantrell for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal to account for his fifth TD in the game. Williams is the only non-QB in college football this season to rush for four touchdowns and pass for a TD in the same game.
After missing the final six games of his freshman campaign in 2015 due to a neck injury, Williams has returned to lead the SEC in rushing with 1,209 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns. The Dallas native also leads the SEC in total first downs (52) and is tied for the most 100-yard rushing games with six.
All four of Williams’ first half rushing touchdowns came behind Skipper and the left side of the offensive line. Playing all 69 of Arkansas’ offensive snaps at left tackle, Skipper graded out at a career-best 97 percent with four knockdowns. Skipper and the offensive line held Mississippi State without a sack for first time in seven games while paving the way for a combined 661 yards, good for Arkansas’ most ever in an SEC game.
Skipper made his 45th consecutive start along the offensive line on Saturday night, which is the second-longest current streak in the FBS and in program history. To go along with program SEC records for total yards and points scored in regulation (58), Arkansas also averaged 9.9 yards per play – good for fourth-most in program history – and 8.7 yards per rush.
2016 SEC Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Austin Allen, QB (Sept. 12)
Rawleigh Williams III, RB (Oct. 17)
Rawleigh Williams III, RB (Nov. 7)
Rawleigh Williams III, RB (Nov. 21)
Offensive Lineman of the Week
Dan Skipper, LT (Sept. 12)
Frank Ragnow, RG (Sept. 19)
Dan Skipper, LT (Nov. 21)
Defensive Lineman of the Week
Deatrich Wise Jr., DE (Sept. 6)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Dan Skipper, OL (Oct. 3)
