Can anything top Alabama's special teams play in title game?
Special teams. Special times.
Think back to some of the best moments in 2015, and there’s a good chance the special teams were involved.
Jim McElwain certainly won’t forget his first encounter with the Mad Hatter.
McElwain just got baptized. You're not really an SEC coach until Les Miles gets you with a fake field goal.
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) October 18, 2015
LSU scored the go-ahead touchdown after faking a field goal in their 35-28 win over Florida. Both teams entered undefeated and ranked in the Top 10.
But that wasn’t even the biggest special teams play between heavyweights.
The tide turned in the national championship game when Alabama recovered an onside kick immediately after booting a tying field goal. Marlon Humphrey’s recovery led to the touchdown that put the Tide ahead to stay in a 40-35 victory over Clemson.
That dramatic 10-point surge sealed the Tide’s fourth national title in seven years.
“I made the decision to do it because the score was (tied) and we were tired on defense and weren’t doing a great job of getting them stopped and felt like if we didn’t do something or take a chance to change the momentum of the game that we wouldn’t have a chance to win,” Nick Saban told reporters afterward.
Will 2016 provide more electric moments, and possibly a record-breaking effort from Tennessee’s Evan Berry?
We broke down each SEC team’s special teams play and determined whether they’ll be better or worse in 2016.
Alabama: Better will be a tall task, but Tide will be plenty good enough
Arkansas: Hogs return key players on special teams
Auburn: Tigers’ only All-SEC first-teamer was their kicker
Florida: Hello, Eddy Pineiro
Georgia: Returners ahead of kickers at this point
Kentucky: Austin MacGinnis provides reliable leg
LSU: Last year was a blip; 2016 will be better
Mississippi State: Everybody returns, making this unit a strength
Missouri: Mizzou has a great punter but doesn’t want to use him as much
Ole Miss: Fewer questions here than elsewhere on roster
South Carolina: Gamecocks need a boost from return game
Tennessee: Electric Evan Berry leads the way
Texas A&M: Christian Kirk is Aggies’ home run threat
Vanderbilt: Specials teams need more opportunities to shine
Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.