You sometimes get items you want during the holidays, but rarely what you need. Here’s a few stocking stuffers each SEC program could’ve used this season:
ALABAMA — Large pack of ‘renewed confidence’ for kicker Adam Griffith. The sophomore kicker has missed seven field goals this season with an accuracy percentage of 63.2 — worst in the SEC.
ARKANSAS — Flux capacitor time machine for late-game do-overs. The Razorbacks lost four games in the SEC this season by a touchdown or less, a result of critical failures in crunch time.
AUBURN — Bionic Carl Lawson. Had the Tigers’ top returning pass rusher not have suffered a season-ending injury prior to the opener, Auburn would’ve been in serious contention for an SEC West title. Auburn missed his athleticism up front.
FLORIDA — 2012 version of Jeff Driskel. Florida’s oft-criticized quarterback wasn’t perfect two years ago during the Gators’ 11-win campaign, but he was efficient. This season? Dreadful, with 10 interceptions by mid-October.
GEORGIA — Mass shortage of Sharpies. We’ve all forgiven Todd Gurley for autograph-gate, a damning decision leading to the Heisman candidate’s four-game suspension. Hopefully, Santa’s not very nice this week to whistle-blower Bryan Allen.
KENTUCKY — Tube of intestinal fortitude. The Wildcats’ once promising 5-1 start ended with six consecutive losses to sour Mark Stoops’ second season. How did the players let this happen?
LSU — Quarterback other than Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris. There’s no doubt that LSU’s position of weakness this season was under center. The Tigers struggled throughout at quarterback as Jennings never found confidence while Harris showed inconsistency during minimal action.
MISSISSIPPI — Deliberate focus on the running game. So this one is difficult to place under the tree, but the Rebels could certainly use it. Whether it’s a new play-sheet or bigger, stronger players in the backfield, Ole Miss could use increased production between the tackles.
MISSISSIPPI STATE — Sedatives, pre-Alabama and Ole Miss matchups. The Bulldogs fell flat in both momentum-changing games, perhaps due to emotional highs coming in. Mississippi State was unbeaten and ranked No. 1 before a loss to the Crimson Tide and still had an outside shot at the Playoff heading into the Egg Bowl.
MISSOURI — Neuralyzer. For those that don’t know, a neuralyzer is government-issued instrument used in Men In Black to erase memory. The Tigers would love to have remnants of the Indiana loss wiped away.
SOUTH CAROLINA — Piece of tape for Steve Spurrier’s mouth. He’s thrown players and coaches under the bus this season along with ruining a potential Top 5 recruiting class with comments pertaining to his future. If the Head Ball Coach would’ve just talked less this fall, the Gamecocks could be in better shape at this junction.
TENNESSEE — Short leash. Would the Vols have won eight, possibly nine, games this season with Joshua Dobbs as the starting quarterback? Prior to Justin Worley’s season-ending injury, Tennessee’s offense may have had a dual-threat element if Butch Jones would’ve yanked the senior passer.
TEXAS A&M — How-to videos on tackling. At times, fundamentals were not existent in the Aggies’ back seven, a combination of bad angles and ill-timed big hits. True freshman pass rusher Myles Garrett was the defense’s lone brightspot.
VANDERBILT — Reset button. This gift can be found at the Dollar Tree, but first-year coach Derek Mason missed the memo. The Commodores had no pulse offensively and rarely gave you the sense a turnaround was near.
