SEC Bowl Sleepers: Lane has breakout game in Gators finale
By Ethan Levine
Published:
After every weekend of games, you always hear about the performances of stars like Amari Cooper and Shane Ray. But there are also the performances you don’t hear as much about, coming from some under-the-radar SEC players — the sleepers.
Who were the best of the Saturday Sleepers from this bowl season? Take a look.
ADAM LANE
Lane, a freshman who ran for just 72 yards during the regular season, was the most productive member of Florida’s rushing attack in a win over East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl last weekend. The rookie carried the ball 16 times and ran for 109 yards and a touchdown at nearly 7.0 yards per carry, while no other Gator rushed for more than 41 yards or 4.1 yards per carry. Considering East Carolina boasted the nation’s No. 11 run defense in 2014 (out of 128 FBS teams), Lane’s numbers appear even more impressive. With Matt Jones on his way to the NFL, Lane may have earned himself more playing time entering spring practice in a couple of months.
LADARREL MCNEIL
McNeil was a productive member of Tennessee’s defense throughout the season, and he had one of his best games in the Vols’ TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Iowa last week. The junior defensive back hauled in his second interception of the year in the win, and added seven tackles and a tackle for loss in limiting the Hawkeyes to just 177 yards through the air for the game. Three of Iowa’s four touchdowns came in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, and performances like the one put forth by McNeil are among the reasons for the Hawkeyes’ ineptitude in Jacksonville.
JOE MORROW/FRED ROSS
Many of Dak Prescott’s 450 passing yards were directed toward No. 1 wideout De’Runnya Wilson, but Morrow and Ross combined to catch 12 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown in a 15-point loss to Georgia Tech. Each had a catch of at least 35 yards in the loss, and for Morrow it marked the first 100-yard game in his three-year career. Ross amassed 100 yards for just the second time since arriving in Starkville, and together he and Morrow helped MSU clear 350 passing yards for the first time all season (the Bulldogs threw for 453 yards by game’s end).
DOMINICK SANDERS
Sanders led all SEC defensive backs with two interceptions in Georgia’ 23-point victory over Louisville in the Belk Bowl, adding another pass breakup to his stat line as a ball-hawk in the Dawgs secondary. The Cardinals faced injury issues at the quarterback position, but nevertheless they completed less than 50 percent of their passes and never got into a rhythm offensively, due in large part to Sanders’ brilliant cover skills in the secondary. Georgia boasted the SEC’s No. 2 pass defense in 2014, and performances like the one Sanders had last week help show how it was done.
DESEAN SMITH
LSU got very little production from its tight ends in 2014, but Smith had his best game of the season when the Tigers needed it most. The sophomore recorded his first four catches of the season, amassing 66 yards in the process, an average of more than 16 yards per catch. Smith never found the end zone, but he still marked 57 percent of LSU’s receptions and 44 percent of its receiving yards in a Music City Bowl loss to Notre Dame. The Tigers other tight ends combined to catch eight passes for 63 yards during the regular season, meaning Smith will end the year as LSU’s leading receiver among the tight ends.
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.
