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Once you pass the halfway point of the season, it’s easy to lose touch with preseaon perceptions and expectations. We get so caught up in the here and now that we (conveniently) forget all that we thought we knew before the season began.
Remember when South Carolina was ranked No. 9 in the nation? Remember how Misssissippi State wasn’t even ranked for the first month of the season? It seems like ages ago that we ever thought those were wise beliefs.
This got the SDS staff thinking, which got the staffers talking, which resulted in the following SEC Debate:
Who is the SEC’s biggest over-achiever to this point in the season?
Jon Cooper (@JonSDS): Blake Sims, QB, Alabama
Remember when Florida State quarterback transfer Jacob Coker was supposed to show up at Alabama’s practice and just be handed the job? Forget that. Not only is Blake Sims the best quarterback on his team, but he’s the best quarterback in the state of Alabama. Completing over 66 percent of his passes and limiting turnovers are exactly why Alabama is 6-1 and a major playoff contender. Sims isn’t bigger than Coker, nor does he wow scouts. But he brings experience, intangibles and a knack for scrambling for big plays. Sims leads the SEC in passer rating — yes, even higher than Dak Prescott – and he’s thrown 13 touchdowns and three picks. You can have your future NFL prospect in Coker. I’ll take the scrappy playmaker and gamer any day of the week, especially Saturday.
Brad Crawford (@BCrawfordSDS): Josh Robinson, RB, Mississippi State
No one saw his production total coming, nor the Bulldogs’ rapid rise to No. 1. Not to be outdone by leading Heisman quarterback Dak Prescott, Robinson’s shared the spotlight with poise and ran the football with meaning during Mississippi State’s unbeaten start. The SEC’s second-leading rusher was a career 5.9 yards per carry player heading into this fall before exploding for a league-best 7.0 average. The offense’s mini-tank at 5-foot-9, 215 pounds could be an all-conference first-teamer at season’s end.
Mack Dalton (@MackDalton): The Ole Miss “Landshark” defense (well, mostly just the nickname)
Landsharks. I mean, where was this moniker even last year? Yes, I know the Ole Miss defense was good, but this whole Landshark bit has taken on a life of it’s own. Anytime you get an ESPN special on your unit’s name, that is a big achievement. Last I heard, Landsharks were only mentioned in the same sentence as Jimmy Buffett and/or the beach-y lager that is fairly decent with a lime. We’re now getting to the point where refs are getting into the mix trying to shut down this phenomena, which doesn’t even make sense since there are so many other schools that get to do cool hand gestures when they do something awesome. So, that’s my answer, the unit name “Landsharks” is the biggest over-achiever to this point in the season.
Jason Hall (@JasonHallSDS): Mark Stoops, head coach, Kentucky
Its hard to imagine anyone would predict that Stoops would make such a major leap in year two in Lexington. The Wildcats won less games in two years than they have through seven games this year. However, Kentucky has benefited from an easy schedule heading into last week’s blowout at LSU. The Wildcats end their season with a tough stretch of games that will decide whether their turnaround is legitimate or a product of an easy schedule.
Drew Laing (@DLaingSDS): Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
Coming into the season, Ray was expected to be a great No. 2 option on Missouri’s defensive line behind Markus Golden. Everyone knew he was fast, but how he would fare as a full-time starter was very much up in the air. Now, you’re looking at a player that’s raised his NFL Draft stock from second or third round selection to probable top 10 or even top 5 selection. His 10 sacks this season led the SEC and he’s just 1.5 sacks away from tying the Missouri school record with five games to go. Ray was going to be good, but I don’t know if many people predicted he would be this good.
Ethan Levine (@EthanLevineSDS): Dan Mullen, head coach, Mississippi State
There’s no evidence to back it up, but the popular opinion in Mississippi is Mullen would have been fired following last season had Dak Prescott not rallied the Bulldogs to a come-from-behind win over Ole Miss in last year’s Egg Bowl. Less than a year later, he’s the head coach of the No. 1 team in America and a popular name in head coaching searches at some of the biggest programs around, including Florida. Many felt Mullen didn’t even deserve the job he has when the season began, having lost 15 straight games to ranked opponents entering the 2014 season, but he’s overcome that adversity to lead Mississippi State to a 6-0 record, including three wins against top 10 teams. When evaluating preseason expectations, no one in the SEC has exceeded expectations more than Mullen.
Christopher Smith (@CSmithSDS): Mississippi State
The Bulldogs entered the season with a Vegas win total of 7.5, which the team should surpass the first day of November. Unranked to start the season, Clanga leapfrogged the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles, which still haven’t lost with Jameis Winston at quarterback, as the No. 1 team in the country. Dan Mullen, whom some believed needed a surprise Egg Bowl win in 2013 to save his job, is reversing all sorts of trends against ranked teams. Dak Prescott is a bit of a surprise Heisman Trophy frontrunner. No one expected Josh Robinson to challenge for the SEC rushing title. Preston Smith, Beniquez Brown and De’Runnya Wilson barely got mentioned in preseason publications and now look like future pros. This is a collective overachievement.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
