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SEC Heisman watch: Week 4

Todd Gurley needed just six carries on Saturday.

Georgia's game with Troy was over before Gurley suited up, but the coaching staff wanted him to at least sweat in his uniform, so he touched the ball six times and ended up with 73 yards, including a pretty 48-yard run, on just two drives.

With that, your Heisman Trophy favorite from the SEC has 402 rushing yards with four touchdowns in three games and is averaging 9.8 yards per carry.

We know what Gurley can do, so today we'll focus on someone whom I had on my ESPN.com Heisman ballot after Week 2: Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper.

All he's doing is leading the nation with 43 receptions and 655 yards. He's tied for first in the SEC with five receiving touchdowns.

Stats are great to look at, but you know what's even prettier? That grown-man performance in Tuscaloosa against Florida's defense. Now, let's not kid ourselves and think this is the same ol' elite Florida defense the league has grown accustomed to, but this defense has arguably the nation's best cornerback in Vernon Hargreaves. Cooper faced his toughest test yet and might have had his best performance of the season.

What exactly did this magnificent football specimen do in front of the entire country? Well, how about 10 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns, including a 79-yarder in which Florida's defense somehow lost him. Florida tried different ways to contain Cooper and failed more often than not. Hargreaves did what he could, and it wasn't enough. Just check out that fade to the end zone where Cooper mossed Hargreaves, who couldn't have been in better position, for a touchdown.

At this rate, there's no way Cooper won't be traveling to New York for the Heisman ceremony in December. The kid is too good, too talented and is on pace to get far too many catches (129), yards (1,965) and touchdowns (15) not to party in the city that never sleeps in early December.

Cooper has yet to be held under 130 yards receiving this season and has just started his run of embarrassing defenses.

Godspeed, SEC West secondaries. Godspeed.

Here are four other SEC players to keep an eye on in our Heisman watch:

  • Kenny Hill, QB, Texas A&M: He finally showed that he's human by throwing his first interception of the season in a blowout win over SMU, but still leads the SEC with 1,359 passing yards and has 13 touchdown passes.

  • Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State: What a performance on the road and at night in Tiger Stadium. Prescott was the force to be reckoned with Saturday, not that environment, as he registered 373 total yards and three touchdowns. This was the signature win Prescott needed to vault himself into real Heisman contender talk. He has thrown for 964 yards and is fifth in the SEC with 378 rushing yards. He has 14 total touchdowns on the season.

  • Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas: Collins had only 79 rushing yards and was held out of the end zone in the Hogs' route of Northern Illinois, but like Gurley, his team didn't really need much out of him. Collins leads the SEC with 490 rushing yards and has five touchdowns.

  • Josh Robinson, RB, Mississippi State: Who? Oh, how about the bowling ball who rammed his way through LSU's defense for 197 yards and a touchdown. He stands just 5 feet 9 inches, and short folks need love, too. He's second in the SEC with 485 rushing yards and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry.