SEC END OF SEASON AWARDS
It’s award season, so we want to throw around some awards ourselves, before those Heisman people get in our way and make us look bad.
So here we go. Some of them for the best….some of them for the worst.
Thanks for a wonderful season.
FEEL FREE TO TELL US WHERE WE WERE WRONG!
SEC HEISMAN
Jayden Daniels (LSU): Daniels hardly put a foot wrong this season, throwing for 3,800 yards and 40 TDs and rushing for 1,100 yards more and 10 more. He’s on the real Heisman favorite, too.
Nominated: Cody Schrader (Missouri), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)
Jayden Daniels won the Heisman.
SEC RUSHER OF THE YEAR
Cody Schrader (Missouri): Ran for 1,499 yards and 13 yards in the season, which included 1,086 and 11 TDs in the SEC. Schrader – who was barely heard-of going into this season – ripped off five straight 100+ yards games, of which two of those were 200+ yards.
Nominated: Ray Davis (Kentucky), Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss)
WIDE RECEIVER OF THE YEAR
Xavier Legette (South Carolina): Although there’s been a lot of noise about the other nominated players, Legette has put together a great, underrated season that was basically the bright spark of a mediocre-to-bad South Carolina team.
Nominated: Malik Nabers (LSU), Brian Thomas (LSU), Luther Burden (Missouri)
IMPACT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brock Bowers (UGA): Here was the impact: When Brock Bowers got his leg injury, Athens thought its season was going to fall apart. Bowers owns every part of the field that plays on. Good at blocking and receiving, Bowers has once again been the most dependable part of Georgia’s game.
Nominated: Daniels, Schrader
TRANSFER OF THE YEAR
Ray Davis (Kentucky): Ran for over 1,000 yards this season, and was really, really fun. The Vanderbilt graduate transfer was brilliant in his final game against Louisville.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nathaniel Watson (Mississippi State): In an absolutely miserable season for the Bulldogs, Watson stood out. Leading the SEC in tackles (137) and sacks (10), Watson was a revelation. Expect him to be on the higher end of your draft board next year.
Nominated: Caleb Downs (Alabama), Jett Johnson (Mississippi State)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri): There was a reckoning that Missouri would struggle this season and this would cost Drinkwitz his job. But he guided the team to a 10-2 record and a New Year’s Six Bowl, and Missouri was damned fun to watch, too.
Nominated: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Nick Saban (Alabama)
GAME(S) OF THE YEAR
- Ole Miss 55, LSU 49 – If you love shoot-outs (which this website does), then this was one for you. Over 1,300 yards of total offense. Defenses nowhere to be found. Punch to counter-punch. You couldn’t keep your eyes off. And if you went for a pee, you missed a touchdown or a big play.
- Alabama 27, Auburn 24 – 4th and 31. Thanks.
- Florida 41, South Carolina 39 – The Gators came back from 10 down with 9 to go to win on a Ricky Pearsall with 1:56 left to take the win. The loss made Shane Beamer so mad he broke his foot on a door after kicking it.
NOW FOR THE NEGATIVES…..
BIGGEST LETDOWN PLAYER
Harold Perkins (LSU): He was meant to be the best defensive player in college football this year, perhaps also fighting it out for a Heisman. Instead he was pretty poor all season long. The fanbase was quick to blame Matt House for not putting Perkins in the right places, but blame goes both ways. He’s only a sophomore and he’ll be back to scintillating form next year, but this year was hugely underwhelming.
Nominated: Devin Leary (Kentucky)
BIGGEST LETDOWN TRANSFER
Leary: Like everyone else, we thought that Mark Stoops was a genius getting Leary in, who had had a string of strong seasons at NC State and would help Kentucky to put the frighteners up a lot of SEC schools. Instead, he was utterly mediocre, throwing 10 INTs with an awful completion percentage of 56.7%
BIGGEST LETDOWN TEAM
LSU: Before the season started, people were thinking that LSU were a legit National Title contender. Then it became very apparent that they defense was comically bad.
NOT COACH OF THE YEAR
Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M): Never was a man able to do so little with so much. He could have been fired last year (was saved by the LSU win), but nothing this year saved him.
Nominated: Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)
WORST GAME
- Missisisppi State 7, Arkansas 3: 405 total yards, 14 punts, 2 turnovers, 6/27 total 3rd down effiiciency, 10 total points.
- Clemson 16, South Carolina 7: One of the most boring games I’ve seen this year. It was so bad it wasn’t even tense. It was just bad.
- Alabama 17, South Florida 3: An awful game, played in horrible conditions. It was Alabama’s defense that got them through the game. But it was still an eyesore.
- New Mexico State 31, Auburn 10: This was an utter embarrassment for the Tigers. Auburn nearly got doubled-up in total yards.