College Football: Midseason Report Cards for Every SEC Team

The 2011 college football season started with high hopes for all 12 SEC teams. Eight teams were ranked in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. Alabama topped the listed ranked second in the nation followed by LSU (4), South Carolina (12), Arkansas (14), Georgia (19), Mississippi State (20), Florida (22), and Auburn (23).

Natural attrition during the first half of the 2011 season would weed a few teams out of the rankings. Mississippi State and Georgia are the only two teams to no longer in the AP rankings.

All an SEC team feels they need to do is win the conference championship game for a shot at the national title as a SEC team has won each of the last five BCS Championships after winning the SEC title game. With half of the season left to play, the SEC East and West races are still undetermined.

LSU and Alabama are undefeated in the West with Arkansas and Auburn on their heels with one conference loss each.

In the East, South Carolina and Georgia are tied for first place with one conference loss a piece. Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt are tied for second place each with two conference losses.

First Half Storyline in the SEC: Injuries

Injuries to key players have been the main story for many SEC teams during the first half of the 2011 season. Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt have seen their starting quarterbacks knocked out of game action at some point during the season.

Florida lost their first and second string quarterbacks against Alabama and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray has a broken thumb that could keep him out of action for six weeks.

Mississippi State has been plagued with injuries along their offensive line.

Justin Hunter, the Vols top wide receiver and Kentucky’s true freshman running back Josh Clemons each tore their ACL and are out for the season.

Arkansas played without four starting defensive players against Alabama and Texas A&M. The Hogs were without three of their top four running backs until the A&M game as well.

The top running backs for Ole Miss have been hampered by various injuries all season.

Defensive standouts Collins Ukwu (Kentucky), C.J. Mosley (Alabama), and Melvin Ingram (South Carolina) have missed the majority of the first half of the season but appear to be healthy for the second half run.

Grade for Nonconference Games: B

In games against notable nonconference opponents the SEC turned in a 7-4 record. Their 4-1 record against ranked opponents is impressive.

Arkansas, LSU, and Alabama made loud statements with big wins, LSU twice, over Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12, and Big East teams.

Vanderbilt’s win over Connecticut, the 2010 Big East champs, was a signature win for the Commodores and new head coach James Franklin.

Georgia took a tough loss at home to Boise State 35-21. Auburn’s loss to Clemson, not ranked at the time, in Death Valley ignited a Tiger’s team now ranked in the top 10.

Key Nonconference Games in the First Half

*Teams/Date/Site (off-campus location)

Boise State at Georgia, September 3, in Atlanta, Georgia

BYU at Ole Miss, September 3

Oregon vs. LSU, September 3, in Arlington, Texas

Alabama at Penn State, September 10

Cincinnati vs. Tennessee, September 10

Connecticut vs. Vanderbilt, September 10

Auburn at Clemson, September 17

Louisville at Kentucky, September 17

LSU at West Virginia, September 24

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M, October 1, in Arlington, Texas

Ole Miss at Fresno State, October 1

Key nonconference games yet to be played

Florida State vs. Florida, November 26

Clemson vs. South Carolina, November 26

Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest, November 26

Grade for In-conference Games: C-

Many of the first half games have been disappointing. Injuries or not, LSU and Alabama have not been tested by the rest of the conference.

Here’s a list of games that looked like great matchups before the season began.

*Teams/Date/Site (off-campus location)

South Carolina at Georgia, September 10

Mississippi State at Auburn, September 10

LSU at Mississippi State, September 15

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, September 17

Arkansas at Alabama, September 24

Florida at Kentucky, September 24

Alabama at Florida, October 1

Florida at LSU, October 8

Of the games listed, Mississippi State versus Auburn was the lone dramatic game coming down to a last second goal line stand for the Tigers.

Notable In-conference Games Remaining

Georgia vs. Florida, October 24, in Jacksonville, Florida

LSU at Alabama, November 5

South Carolina at Arkansas, November 5

Florida at South Carolina, November 12

Arkansas at LSU, November 25

Team Grades SEC West

Alabama

Defense: A+

The Tide’s defense has dominated their opponents. The third ranked defense in college has held two teams scoreless. The most points they have given up this season is 14 to Arkansas at home.

Offense: A

The offense continues to roll with running backs Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy. The Alabama offensive line creates holes for their running backs and gives first year starter AJ McCarron time to find his receivers when needed.

Overall: A

The Tide won three signature games against Penn State, Arkansas, and Florida. Looking a little bit closer, Penn State is not that great, Arkansas and Florida had injury problems during the game. What have we really learned about Alabama so far?

November 5, Bama will be tested for the first time when LSU comes to Tuscaloosa.

Arkansas

Defense: C

What defensive team do we rate? The healthy unit or how the team that has played to date? When have they been healthy?

As bad as it may seem for Razorback fans the Hogs are ranked 37th in scoring defense (21.33), 67th in total defense (389.50 yards per game), and 30th in pass defense (200.83 yards per game). With Jake Bequette, Isaac Madison, Darius Winston, Tank Wright, and Robert Thomas missing time, this group has held together well.

Willy Robinson’s defensive unit held Alabama’s offensive attack to 17 points in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Not having both starting defensive ends has contributed to their SEC low of 6 sacks.

Look for improvement on the Arkansas defense in the second half as they get healthier.

Offense: B+

How can a team that averages 39.17 points per game, 17th best in the nation, have a B+ ranking on offense? Their running game is the reason or lack thereof.

Arkansas averages 129.33 rushing yards per game, 77th in the nation and 8th in the SEC.

In upcoming games against South Carolina and LSU Tyler Wilson will need the support of the running game if the Hogs hope to win.

Overall: B

The Hogs have a lot of room for improvement but have played well enough to win two important games versus Texas A&M and Auburn. Should the offensive line gel and improve their blocking this group can go far. The addition of Broderick Green and Dennis Johnson in the backfield will help the Hogs’ rushing attack.

Bobby Petrino has to be all smiles that he made it through the toughest part of the Razorback schedule with only one loss.

Look for the Hogs to roll until their game against LSU. If the Hogs beat LSU that could create a three-way tie for first place in the SEC West if LSU beats Alabama.

Auburn

Defense: D

Auburn has the 105th ranked defense in college football.

The defense held South Carolina to a season low 13 points in an upset win on the road. Was that Garcia’s poor performance, Auburn’s play, or a little bit of both?

The defense is young and still coming together as a group. Look for them to get stronger as the season progresses.

Offense: C

Auburn is 80th in the nation in total offense. Much of that is due to the running ability of Michael Dyer. Dyer is third in the SEC in rushing yards (679) and rushing touchdowns (8).

Barrett Trotter has 9 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and has taken 12 sacks.

Through it all they average 27.83 points per game.

Overall: C

How good or bad Auburn really is this season is still up for debate. Four of their victories have been last minute wins. Is this a sign of a team that never gives up and finds a way to win or a sign that they play down to their level of competition?

Auburn lost nearly 40 percent of their players from the 2010 roster to graduation and the NFL. This team is young and still learning how to play together. Next year could be a great season for Gene Chizik and company.

Auburn should end up 9-3 or 8-4 putting them on track for their third straight bowl appearance.

LSU

Defense: A+

Hard to poke any holes in LSU’s defense to date. The Tigers held Oregon to 27 points (2nd ranked scoring offense) and West Virginia to 21 (12th ranked scoring offense). Not counting the LSU game, Oregon is averaging 56 points per game this season.

In three conference games LSU is allowing 8 points per game. Overall offenses are scoring 12.50 points per game against their defense.

Offense: B

LSU is finishing games at a rate of 38.50 points per game. Their passing attack is not stellar, 8th in the SEC, but good enough to get the job done when needed. Their rushing attack is 6th best in the SEC. All very average numbers but with their defense backing them, they do not have to take unnecessary chances or be flashy on offense.

Overall: A+

LSU has played the most difficult schedule in the nation to date and remains undefeated. There is little doubt that this is the best team in college football.

Upcoming games against Alabama and Arkansas seem to be the only two games standing in their way of a SEC title berth and a possible BCS Championship game berth.

Mississippi State

Defense: C-

MSU opponents are averaging 20.17 points per game. The Bulldogs have the 41st best defense in total yards. The problem is their defense is letting opponents run for 159 yards per game.

Dan Mullen has no answers for the loss of their 2010 starting linebacker unit, namely Chris White and K.J. Wright. Until their linebackers learn to stop the run, this will be a long season for Bulldog fans.

Offense: C-

Despite Chris Relf’s struggles under center, MSU’s offense is scoring at a rate of 26 points per game. They have talent in the backfield with running back Vick Ballard.

Mullen may have to make the difficult decision to bench senior quarterback Chris Relf for sophomore quarterback Tyler Russell. Russell played well coming off the bench against UAB in week 6 leading MSU to a come from behind 21-3 win.

Overall: C-

Mississippi State is 0-3 in conference play. Losing to Auburn, Georgia, and LSU is no crime. If Mullen was hoping to take MSU to the next step in the SEC he needed to win two of those games.

Mullen has three winnable games left on the schedule, at Kentucky, versus Tennessee-Martin, and versus Ole Miss. Winning those three could put them in a bowl game even without a signature win.

Winning one of the three remaining games against South Carolina, Alabama, or Arkansas renews the Bulldog program and places them in a bowl.

Ole Miss

Defense: D-

Halfway through the season Ole Miss rush defense is ranked 95th in the nation (193 yards/game) and their pass defense is ranked 53rd (215.40 yards/game).

Their opponents during the first 6 games of the season include: BYU, Southern Illinois, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Fresno State. None of their opponents have been ranked at the time of play.

Offense: D

In the Rebels two wins against Southern Illinois and Fresno State their offense averaged 40 points. In their three losses their offense averaged 11 points.

Mississippi’s passing game and rushing attack is 10th worst in the SEC in total yards. Vanderbilt is ranked below the Rebels in passing and rushing and beat Ole Miss 30-7.

Overall: D-

If one believes in recruiting stars and rankings given via major recruiting publications, there is talent on campus. Houston Nutt has done a poor job of getting consistent quarterback play and the most out of his player’s talents thus far.

Rebel fans do not get your hopes up for a turnaround in the second half of the season. Ole Miss has three winnable games remaining against Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, and Mississippi State.

The good thing is Ole Miss has four games left on the schedule at home. The bad thing is three of those teams are Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU.

SEC East

Florida

Defense: B-

The first four games of the season the Gators defense looked as good as any in the nation. The most points Florida allowed was 23 points by Tennessee in a conference rivalry game. Then in the last two games Alabama scored 38 and LSU scored 41.

How good is the Gator defense? Great but not elite?

Offense: C

Florida averaged 40.25 points per game in their first four games. Against two of the better teams in the nation they averaged 10.5.

The Gator offense took heavy lumps against Alabama. John Brantley, Jeff Demps, and Jeff Driskel were all injured making them miss time against LSU in the following game.

This is Charlie Weis’ first season in Gainesville as offensive coordinator. Look for him to keep developing the young talent he has on offense and for Florida to get better as the season continues.

Florida’s kicking game has been phenomenal this season. The lone missed field goal was an attempt over 50-yards.

Overall: C

Florida looked great in their first four games climbing as high as number 12 in the AP poll. After their injuries and two devastating losses to Alabama and LSU the Gators welcome the second half of their schedule which features only one team currently ranked, South Carolina.

The six remaining games on the schedule are all winnable. Having to rely on one of two true freshmen under center until Brantley comes back could make those six games a wild ride.

Georgia

Defense: C

The defense has rebounded from the first two games of the season against Boise State and South Carolina. The Bulldog scoring defense is ranked 20th in the nation (tied with Florida) limiting teams to 19.17 points per game. In their last four games opponents have averaged 8.75 points against them.

Florida, if healthy, Auburn, and Georgia Tech’s offenses could create problems for the Bulldogs in the second half.

Offense: B+

Putting points on the board has not been a problem for Mark Richt’s team this year. They average 32.17 points per game. Finding a balance with the running game and passing attack took a few games.

True freshman running back Isaiah Crowell has been a difference maker for the Bulldog offense. Crowell did not start until game three against Coastal Carolina. He is the 4th leading rusher in the SEC in total rushing yards and has three 100-yard rushing games.

Aaron Murray has been hot and cold during his sophomore campaign. He has thrown 13 touchdown passes but has also thrown 6 interceptions. If he takes 13 more sacks in the second half of the season, that could prove to be problematic for Georgia.

The Bulldogs need to improve their 39 percent 3rd down conversion rate in the second half of the season.

Overall: B

Georgia is in a great position to have a nice second half run. All of the Bulldogs games are winnable. Florida, Auburn, and at Georgia Tech highlight the schedule.

After their 0-2 start to be tied with South Carolina for the SEC East lead is not a bad place to be.

South Carolina has two tough SEC games left. Georgia needs a South Carolina loss for a shot as the SEC East representative in the conference title game.

Kentucky

Defense: D

The Wildcat’s defense allows 29.50 points per game. Kentucky’s offense is the 118th worst in FBS scoring 13 points per game.

What is the defense to do with no help from the offense?

The worn down Wildcat defense allows 408.5 yards of total offense per game. If the offense was able to help control the clock a little more this defense could be decent.

Offense: F

Sorry Wildcat fans but it is true, the offense is really bad. Morgan Newton has not been able to replace Mike Hartline’s production as the starting quarterback. In Kentucky’s last game versus South Carolina, Newton completed 4 of 21 passes for 17 yards. After the game one could hear Wildcat fans across the country shouting, “I could do better than that.”

Head coach Joker Philips has not been able to ignite the offense that lost Hartline, Cobb, Locke, and Matthews. To make matters worse running back Josh Clemons is out for the year with an ACL tear. Raymond Sanders will have to take a bigger role in the offense if Kentucky is to have a shot at going to a bowl game.

Overall: D-

Kentucky has two nonconference wins but has been blown out by three straight ranked SEC teams; Florida 48-10, LSU 35-7, South Carolina 54-3.

The remaining schedule is not overly difficult. For Kentucky it may be very difficult.

Any sort of offense could help the Wildcats win games in the second half of the season against Jacksonville State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, at Vanderbilt, at Georgia, or at home against Tennessee.

Wildcats will miss a bowl game for the first time in over five years.

South Carolina

Defense: B+

After giving up 37 points to East Carolina and 42 to Georgia in their first two games, the Gamecock defense has settled down. South Carolina allows 274.50 yards of total offense per game which makes them the 9th best team in the nation. Their scoring defense is giving up a total of 20.33 points per game, 28th best in the nation.

Defensive tackle Melvin Ingram has missed time this season and All-SEC defensive end Devin Taylor had a slow start to his season. Slowly their defense has become the dominate force Gamecock fans were expected to be before the season began.

Offense: C

Let’s be honest, Marcus Lattimore is the South Carolina offense. Senior quarterback Stephen Garcia was having a horrible season leading the SEC in interceptions thrown and helping USC be the 111th worst team in FBS in that statistic.

Garcia has been dismissed from the team by head coach Steve Spurrier and now the reigns have been turned over to sophomore Connor Shaw. Shaw had a good game against Kentucky throwing for 311 yards completing 26 of 39 attempts with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Shaw’s ability to be consistent and not turn the ball over will be the key to the Gamecock season going forward; that and Marcus Lattimore staying healthy.

Overall: B

How good are the Gamecocks? South Carolina has not played a ranked team this season. Auburn jumped to 15th in the nation after beating USC in Williams-Brice Stadium.

USC will have three chances to prove their ranking before the season is over. They travel to Arkansas, play Florida in Jacksonville, and get Clemson at home.

The Gamecocks are capable of winning out the rest of their season if they can get strong quarterback play from Shaw.

Look for USC to have at least one more conference lost and have a shootout against Clemson in the Battle of the Palmetto State.

Tennessee

Defense: B

Tennessee is limiting their opponents to 343.80 yards per game and 20.40 points per game. The defense will be challenged with remaining games against LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas.

If the defense can keep their current average of points per game and yards per game allowed they should be able to win a couple of tough games in the second half of the season.

Offense: C+

Even though Tennessee has been one-dimensional with Tyler Bray at quarterback, the offense is still putting up 32.60 points per game. Bad news is Bray could be out for six weeks. The good news is senior quarterback Matt Simms is stepping under center for the Vols.

Simms played through the toughest part of the Vols schedule in 2010 before missing the rest of the year with an injury. Simms has the ability to keep the Vols in games with his arm.

Simms, like Bray, will have to play without a rushing attack. A big season was expected of running back Tauren Poole but he has not played well. He has been hampered by a hamstring injury and may see limited time against LSU this weekend.

Overall: B

Tennessee does not have a big win under their belt this season. They played Florida tough at the Swamp. The rest of the season looks brutal.

Tennessee should be bowl eligible by season’s end. If they can catch LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, or Arkansas napping, come December they could end up in a nice bowl.

Vanderbilt

Defense: A-

Considering the lack of offense and the amount of time the Commodores have spent on the field they have been great during the first half of the season.

The secondary has been among the leaders nationally in interceptions all season.

Vanderbilt has the 23rd ranked scoring defense in FBS at 19.40 points per game. Holding SEC teams to an average of 307.30 total yards per game is impressive as well. How long will the defense be able to hold up without the offense’s help?

Offense: D+

In three SEC games the offense has averaged 11 points. Senior quarterback Larry Smith has missed time in the last two games to nagging injuries. Junior quarterback Jordan Rodgers played the final three quarters against Alabama in Vandy’s last game.

The two-headed rushing attack of Zac Stacy and Jerron Seymour places Vanderbilt as the 11th best team in the SEC. First year head coach James Franklin will have to find a way to keep the Commodores on the field and look for ways to put points on the board if they want to have a successful second half of the season.

Vanderbilt’s kicking situation is not great. They missed two field goals against Alabama. For the season they are 3 of 5 with a long of 33 yards. Essentially Vandy’s offense has to be in the red zone if they hope to kick a field goal. That makes it even more difficult to put points on the board for the Commodores.

Overall: B-

Vanderbilt has been competitive this year for the first time since they won 7 games in 2008. Their defense is SEC caliber. Their offense is not.

For all of the returning talent Vanderbilt had starting the season, they are still a young team. If Franklin can keep his guys focused through the rest of 2011, through good times and bad, he will have a special team come 2012. 

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2011 SEC College Football Preview: Overview of the SEC East

This is part five in a series previewing the 2011 SEC college football season. 

Eastern Division Team Previews

Florida Gators

The Gators may be one of the more perplexing teams in all of college football going into the 2011 season. Between Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyers’ time in Gainesville (sorry Ron Zook), the Florida Gators have been built into a brand name with lots of recognition and high expectations nationally. With a new coach, new offensive coordinator, and a new defensive coordinator, the fact that Florida has 6 returning starters on offense, including senior quarterback John Brantley, and 3 returning starters on defense can be thrown out the window. Do we gage UF on Texas’ poor defense last season, Charlie Weis’ poor offenses at Notre Dame, or the quality of recruits Urban Meyer left for Will Muschamp from an 8-5 2010 team? Will the players rally around their new coach? Time will tell.

Florida only has two starting offensive lineman returning and a new system to learn, there will be some growing pains; 23 seniors gone from last year’s team. The defense may be turned loose but they are still very young and they will take some heavy lumps along the way. Talent, a new coach and system, plus a really tough schedule should make Florida a year away, or two, from getting back to their 10 win seasons.

The Gators have a couple of swing games that could make their season or break it; at Kentucky, versus Alabama, at LSU, vs. Georgia, at South Carolina, vs. Florida State. If the Gators start to slide look for true freshman Jeff Driskel to get a head start on 2012.

Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia may have the best quarterback in the SEC but who’s going to catch the ball or run the ball? A.J. Green and Kris Durham are gone. Their offensive line is a make shift bunch with only two returning linemen. Mark Richt is hoping prized recruit, running back Isaiah Crowell, can be Marcus Lattimore “like” this season and open up opportunities for Murray downfield. RBs Washaun Ealey transferred out and Caleb King failed to qualify academically. Richard Samuel a running back turned linebacker and back to running back will get some looks. RB Carlton Thomas is suspended for the first game versus Boise State. Any preseason injury or an injury to Isaiah Crowell and the Bulldogs season could be essentially over. Murray will win them some games with his arm but if you can’t run the ball in the SEC you can’t win.

The Bulldogs have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball with 7 starters coming back and underclassmen pushing those starters for playing time and their positions. Their secondary should be good enough to help the younger D-linemen and linebackers put pressure on opposing QBs.

Coming off their first losing season (6-7) since 1996, Mark Richt has no choice but to win this season or else. His average of 8 wins per season over the past five years is not enough for the Athens faithful. Richt has not taken the Bulldogs to the SEC Title Game since 2005 when he went 3 times out of the previous 4 years.

Their 2011 road schedule is soft; two toughest games should be at Tennessee and Florida in Jacksonville. They avoid playing Arkansas, LSU, and Alabama. The promise of Murray as a junior may not be enough for Richt’s coaching prospects in Athens if Georgia settles for another 8-4 regular season. The Bulldogs can make a statement in week one at home against Boise State. If that game turns into a bad loss… watch out!

The Bulldogs swing games are versus Boise State, vs. Mississippi State and at Tennessee.

Kentucky Wildcats

Joker Phillips had about as good of a first year at Kentucky as anyone could have hoped. The Wildcats played tough last year and were in every game they played; Florida and Pittsburgh got a little out of hand. They shocked South Carolina and gave eventual national champs, Auburn, a run for their money (37-34).

QB Mike Hartline, WR Randall Cobb, and RB Derrick Locke are gone and will be tough to replace. UK has 4 returning linemen which should help Morgan Newton find his way under center. If UK does not have a running back take control of their ground game this could be a long second season for Mr. Phillips. Look for incoming freshmen running backs Marcus Caffey and Josh Clemons to get plenty of opportunities to earn the starting position and show what they can do.

If a couple of defensive lineman can make an impact, this defense can win UK some games. Seven total starters return including 2 linebackers and the entire secondary. Co-defensive coordinator Rick Minter should be very aggressive with this group and cause turnovers and extra opportunities for the Wildcats. Linebacker Danny Trevathan is a beast and should be a great person for Minter to build around. Turning on a UK game to watch Trevathan play will be time well spent.

Kentucky has a tough SEC schedule; at LSU, at South Carolina, at Georgia. They get the Gators, Tennessee, and MSU at home. Those games should be considered trap games for the visiting teams. Their non-conference schedule should put them in position to make a bowl this year. The real question is can/could anyone not named Meyer, Saban, or God recruit at Kentucky?

South Carolina Gamecocks

Last year Steve Spurrier took advantage of the most talented freshman running back to enter the SEC since Darren McFadden was in the backfield for Arkansas… that and a weak SEC East Division. Spurrier has one mission this season, keep QB Stephen Garcia from self imploding. The final outcome of that mission will be if USC makes their second straight SEC Title Game.

The Gamecocks have a ton of talent returning, especially at their skill positions. All a novice needs to know about USC football before tailgating or a Saturday BBQ in Columbia is RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery. Saying you love those two guys will get you a cold one and a couple of new friends. Lattimore has three returning lineman who will try to pave the way for another 1,000 season for him. Who will start at LG and RT is the biggest question the Gamecock faithful have going into 2011.

Ellis Johnson is making USC’s defense into a title contending unit. Devin Taylor and true freshman Jadeveon Clowney should spend as much time in the opposition’s backfield as the head referee. Senior DT Travian Robertson will anchor the Gamecock line and give the 3 returning secondary players time to shut down opposing receivers.

Why Spurrier has not been able to develop a quarterback into an All-American is a question for the ages. In Spurrier’s first three years at USC he seemed to lack the recruiting fire or edge he once had while in Gainesville. Over the past three years he has added great talent, seemingly regained some of that fire, and the time has come to cash in on his efforts.

South Carolina has some swing games before anointing them the SEC East Champs; at Georgia, at MSU, and at Arkansas. Beating Florida last year at the Swamp had to be a relief for Spurrier. He should be able to do the same again this year at home. If USC can stay consistent and not have a let down game after a big win like last year (beating Alabama then losing to UK), this is your SEC East Champs. If Spurrier overruns Lattimore again like he did early last year, this could be a better than average year in Columbia but a true disappointment for the fans.

Tennessee Volunteers

Derek Dooley got every bit of effort out of his team in his first year in Knoxville. A four game winning streak at the end of the season could be the main motivator for this year’s team. Tennessee is still young and if they keep improving the balance of power could swing back to the SEC East next season.

Will Tyler Bray or Matt Simms win the starting quarterback position? Bray went 4-1 against weaker teams but still almost throw for 2,000 yards in those 5 games; impressive. What could he do with an entire year under center? Whoever is taking snaps will have to learn to play without WR Denarius Moore and WR Gerald Jones. Tauren Poole should be able to increase his 1,034 yard season in 2010 with three returning offensive linemen in front of him.

Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox will have his hands full this season. Wilcox has five returning starters on defense and a bunch of underclassmen fighting for playing time. His unit played really well in the second half of the season; having an offense eat up time instead of going three and out sure helped.

Dooley gets no help from the schedule this season. His team may improve but the record will be hard to show it. His biggest coaching job may be to keep his players playing tough and staying motivated through October, similar to last season. They play versus Georgia, vs. LSU, at Alabama, vs. South Carolina and then on the road to Fayetteville, Arkansas in November. The sliver lining is three of those games are at home. The bad thing is four of those teams should be in the top 10 at some point during the season.

Vanderbilt Commodores

James Franklin could be in the cat bird seat or he really has his work cut out for him; time will tell. He inherits a 2-10 team, 1-7 in the SEC, during the 2010 season but he has 18 total starters returning. If he can make an impact with his team this could be one of the most overlooked trap games in the SEC. The problem for the Commodores is they basically play every tough team in the conference except for LSU and MSU.

Vanderbilt may be a year away from making some real noise. Their entire offensive line returns and all but one are underclassmen. They have a top quarterback recruit to break in to replace senior starter Larry Smith; Lafonte Thourgood.

If this defensive unit can stay healthy, they could win a game or two at home that everyone expects them to lose. They have a stud middle linebacker in Chris Marve and three players returning in their secondary. The defensive line will have to help stop the run or this could be a repeat season from last year. Vandy’s rush defense was ranked 100^th nationally in 2010 and 93^rd in overall team defense. A jump 40-50 spots north and this team will make a lot of noise.

In truth if Franklin wins all of his non-conference games and leads Vandy to victory over Ole Miss, this will be a pretty good season. Kentucky could be a home swing game for them. 

Predicted Order of Finish

SEC East

Team/SEC Record/Overall Record

South Carolina 6-2, 10-2

Florida 6-2, 9-3

Georgia 5-3, 9-3

Kentucky 4-4, 8-4

Tennessee 2-6, 6-6

Vanderbilt 1-7, 5-7

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HogManInLA's 2011 SEC College Football Preview

This is part one of a series previewing the 2011 SEC College football season. Enjoy.

2011 SEC Football Preview

If last year was the year of the quarterback in the SEC, 2011 is the year of the defense. Gone are All-American, All-SEC, and SEC veteran quarterbacks Cam Newton (Auburn), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Greg McElroy (Alabama), Mike Hartline (Kentucky), and Stephen Garcia (South Carolina)… no wait, he’s been reinstated again for the fifth time. This season stout defensive ends, brutal linebackers, and stud corners will be on a mission to contain an immensely talented group of SEC running backs.

Knile Davis (Arkansas), Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina), Vick Ballard (Mississippi State), Michael Dyer (Auburn), Brandon Bolden (Ole Miss) and Trent Richardson (Alabama) headline a rushing attack that tops any other NCAA conference. Mississippi State (Chris Relf), Georgia (Aaron Murray), Florida (John Brantley), Tennessee (Tyler Bray), Vanderbilt (Larry Smith), LSU (Jordan Jefferson) and South Carolina (Garcia) are returning starting quarterbacks to help anchor their teams while Arkansas (Wilson), Kentucky, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Alabama will have to rely on their running games early as they break in new starting quarterbacks.

Yards and touchdowns will be hard to come by in the SEC. Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU have the misfortune of having great defenses and playing in the same division. South Carolina should lead the eastern division in defense while Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia have great potential with their defensive units.

Some of the defensive names out of the SEC you’ll be hearing this fall include:

CB Morris Claiborne, LSU

DL Sam Montgomery, LSU

DL Malik Johnson, Tennessee

DE Jake Bequette, Arkansas

LB Jerry Franklin, Arkansas

SS Tramain Thomas, Arkansas

DT Josh Chapman, Alabama

LB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama

LB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama

S   Mark Barron, Alabama

S   Robert Lester, Alabama

LB Danny Trevathan, Kentucky

CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina

DE Devin Taylor, South Carolina

DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (freshman)

Will the defensive standouts for any given team be enough to lead their SEC team to the conference’s sixth straight BCS Championship? Will another SEC team catch magic in a bottle like Auburn did during the 2010 season? Or will a team from one of the other power conferences seize the opportunity to claim the crystal trophy in a down year for the SEC?

Some New and Old Faces in Different Places

Will Muschamp/Florida Gators

With the high level of play in the SEC year after year is it fair or cruel to say “Welcome to the SEC” to several new coordinators and two new head coaches? James Franklin has the daunting task of turning the fortunes around at Vanderbilt and Will Muschamp takes his defensive coordinator’s talent to the feeding frenzy fans in the Swamp.

Muschamp should be a SEC savvy coach by the time he gets to the coin flip against Tennessee. He’ll have to make a quick adjustment to life in the SEC as Florida’s schedule is one of the toughest in the nation. Muschamp graduated from the University of Georgia in 1994, played safety for the Dawgs, and was the team captain his senior year. He has three previous stints as an assistant coach in the SEC before coming to Florida from Texas as the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator; graduate assistant at Auburn 1995-1996, linebackers coach at LSU 2001 and defensive coordinator at LSU 2002-2004, and defensive coordinator at Auburn 2006-2007.

Muschamp had some great defenses while at LSU. How much of those talented defenses were the recruiting and coaching talents of Nick Saban remains to be seen. During his time as the defensive coordinator at Texas, Muschamp can boast some great rushing defense numbers and sacks per game but that was the Big 12 and this is the SEC. The Big 12 has been a passing conference over the past 6 years with few notable premiere running backs and poor defensive play. His coaching mentors in Mack Brown and Nick Saban should help him as a head coach when times get tough and in preparation. His background in Texas and success in Florida will help him pull recruits from the two biggest recruiting pools in the nation. Charlie Weis may add some luster to recruiting by flashing his Super Bowl rings and dropping Tom Brady’s name every chance he gets.

Weis will run a pro style offense at UF which will be much different than the spread option Urban Meyer ran. A traditional I-formation and drop back passing will replace the “Wild Hog”, not “Wildcat”, running and passing featured by their previous starting quarterbacks; that’s what it was even if they didn’t call it that. With all the hype and “genius” labels previously attached to Weis, he has not proven to be successful at the college level to date. Florida will be able to recruit talent, that’s never been a problem. But if Weis’ time at Notre Dame is any gauge of what to expect, this could be an exciting first year for Gator fans and then little to no success offensively from here on out. National publications kept Weis’ recruiting classes in the top 10 year after year to sell recruiting magazines; how many 5 star QBs makes a top 10 recruiting class each year? Weis’ teams constantly fell flat against weaker schedules than what he will face week in and week out in the SEC.

James Franklin/Vanderbilt Commodores

James Franklin is going to need more of the recruiting coups he managed in 2011 if he’s to make Vanderbilt into a contender. A great quarterback can make a big difference for any college football team and Lafonte Thourogood (Virginia Beach, VA) could be the future for Franklin and staff. Thourogood was committed to Virginia Tech and switched his commitment on signing day. Thourogood was a track star in high school and he may need those wheels on Saturdays if he can win the starting job over senior Larry Smith.

The good and the bad for Franklin is he has 10 returning starters on offense and 8 on defense. The bad is that offense was statistically one of the worst in college football during the 2010 season. Vandy is young and Franklin could make a splash while trending upwards in the win-loss department; he really can’t do much worse than the 3-9 overall record and 1-7 record in the SEC that Vandy posted last season. His young team is SEC ready and should respond to a new head coach and positive leadership. Franklin was the offensive coordinator at Maryland last year with no head coaching experience or SEC experience. He’ll have some learning curves during his first season in the SEC.

The Coordinators

David Lee returns to the SEC to help Houston Nutt’s offense. Lee was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas when he unleashed Darren McFadden and the Wild Hog. Lee is credited with bringing the Wild Hog, now called Wildcat, to the NFL and the Miami Dolphins for Ronnie Brown. Nutt, a former college quarterback at Arkansas and Oklahoma State, only knows two pass routes, a 15-yard out and the fly route (straight down the field). Lee will have a tough time getting Nutt to sign off on any other passing plays; Nutt kept a stranglehold on Gus Malzahn in 2006 when he was the OC at Arkansas.

The softest landing of any new coordinator may be Mississippi State’s Geoff Collins. Collins will share the title and duties with Chris Wilson, who held the same position last year. Collins comes to Starkville from Florida International. MSU has 7 returning starters on defense and a good offense with a better than good rushing attack. MSU should move the ball and eat up the game clock which will allow a rested MSU defense to wreck havoc on opposing SEC offenses. Collins first task is to replace LB Chris White and K.J. Wright. All three linebacker positions are up for grabs. How quickly the new linebackers adjust to playing every down in the SEC could heavily influence MSU’s ability to gain ground in the SEC West.

The toughest coordinating position in the SEC this season has to be the offensive coordinator’s position at LSU. Steve Kragthrope knows Tiger fans are hungry for another SEC and BCS title. The lackluster performances from quarterback Jordan Jefferson over the past two years has the Tiger faithful calling for Les Miles' head even though he’s averaged 10 wins per season over the past five. Last year’s mantra in Baton Rouge, “if we only had an offense”, could be heard throughout the country. With a roster full of talent and 15 total starters returning, fans are expecting big things from Kragthrope (previously head coach at Tulsa and Louisville). 

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South Carolina Wins Their Second Straight National Championship

South Carolina is the sixth school to win back to back NCAA National Baseball Championships Tuesday night defeating the Florida Gators 5-2. South Carolina won their 16^th straight game breaking the previous CWS record set by the University of Texas in 1983 and 1984.

South Carolina’s head coach, Ray Turner, turned to Michael Roth (14-3) again to bring home a national championship. Roth started last years championship clinching game for South Carolina and started Tuesday night’s game going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 2 ER for the win. Matt Price threw 1.1 innings for another CWS save; his 20^th on the season.

Karsten Whitson threw 4.2 innings for the Gators but gave up 3 runs, 1 ER, on 4 hits to take the loss. Florida brought everything they had to they mound, having 6 different pitchers make an appearance but they were not able to stop the Gamecocks offensive attack yielding 10 total hits, 5 runs, 3 ER.

The Gamecocks had 7 different batters register a hit and three of those batters with two hits each; 1B Christian Walker 2-4, DH Brady Thomas, SS Peter Mooney 2-3. Monday night’s hero for the Gamecock’s, 2B Scott Wingo, went 1-3 with 2 RBIs to pace the Gamecock attack. Catcher Mike Zunino tried to keep Florida in the game going 3-3 with a solo home run in the 4^th.

South Carolina jumped on Whitson in the 3^rd inning getting a sacrifice fly from Scott Wingo to score SS Peter Mooney. Christian Walker then reached on a fielding error by SS Nolan Fontana scoring Evan Marzilli, and Brady Thomas hit an infield single to 2B scoring Jackie Bradley Jr. Mooney hit a solo home run in the 6^th to add to the Gamecocks lead. Wingo added a RBI single in the 8^th for the games final score.

The SEC has won the last three CWS; LSU 2009, South Carolina 2010 and 2011. The PAC-10 was the last conference to accomplish the same feat winning Arizona 1986 and Stanford in 1987 and 1988. Southern California has won the most consecutive CWS winning 5 straight times from 1970-1974. 

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College World Series Championship Round Updates

The South Carolina Gamecocks have found an exciting but dangerous blueprint for winning in the College World Series. With a flair for the dramatic the Gamecocks went extra innings on Monday night to defeat the Florida Gators 2-1 to win game 1 of the College World Series.

Just like in the Gamecocks’ CWS Championship berth clinching game versus the Virginia Cavaliers, the Gamecocks took advantage of two throwing errors to score the winning run. With one out in the top of the 11^th inning 1B Christian Walker hit a single up the middle to start the inning. Walker, cleared to play with a broken wrist just before game time, attempted to steal second base when Gators’ catcher Mike Zunino, a Johnny Bench Award finalist, overthrew second allowing Walker to advance to third. Gators’ CF Bryson Smith then overthrew third trying to get Walker out at third allowing the winning run to score. Walker and his broken wrist went 2-5 for the Gamecocks.

Florida had their chances to score in the 9^th and 10^th inning. Two Gator runners were thrown out at home in the 9^th and one in the 10^th. In the 9^th inning 2B Scott Wingo, an 11^th round draft pick by the Dodgers, threw home twice to get Gator runners Zunino and DH Brian Johnson out. 3B Cody Dent was thrown out by LF Jake Williams in the 10^th.

Offensively the Gators had great nights from Johnson 3-5 and Smith 2-4 with a walk but only managed 8 hits in total. The Gamecocks faired no better at the plate only getting 7 hits, with 2 hits coming from Walker.

The Gamecocks threw four pitchers Monday night with starter Forrest Koumas going 5.2 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 ER. Matt Price was a hero again for the Gamecocks earning the save closing out the 11^th inning. John Taylor, a Seattle Mariners’ draft pick, pitched the 9^th and 10^th innings for South Carolina to earn the win. Taylor walked 3 and gave up 3 hits while shutting down the Gators.

The Gators countered the Gamecocks with Hudson Randall who threw 7.2 innings of 3 hit ball giving up 1 ER. Nick Maronde, a third round draft pick of the Angels, took the loss throwing 1 inning of relief.

Cody Dent put the Gators on the board in the 3^rd scoring LF Tyler Thompson, a National’s draft pick, on a scarf ice fly. The Gamecocks scored in the 8^th to tie the game on 2B Scott Wingo’s single up the middle scoring SS Peter Mooney. 

Game 2 is Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST. The College World Series Championship Round is a best of 3 series.

 

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