What we need to see from the SEC’s 12 bowl teams in 2014
By Ethan Levine
Published:
The SEC boasts a whopping 12 bowl eligible teams this winter, more than any single conference in college football history.
The conference is certain to leave its mark all over this bowl season, but what will that mark look like? It will be up to those 12 teams to answer that question.
Here’s one thing we need to see from each of the SEC’s bowl teams during the course of the next month of postseason play:
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide will take on Ohio State and third-team quarterback Cardale Jones in the semifinals of this year’s College Football Playoff (technically they’ll be playing in the Sugar Bowl), and their key to victory will be to confuse Jones with strange looks on defense. The Buckeyes have been as explosive on both sides of the ball as any team in America since the start of November, but the Alabama defense has its fair share of playmakers as well. If the Tide regularly gives looks that Ohio State never saw on Alabama’s regular season game tape, it will confuse they Buckeyes and their inexperienced quarterback just enough to give the Tide an edge.
2. Arkansas: The Razorbacks have been uncompromising in their approach this season, staying true to Bret Bielema’s physical, methodical, downhill style of play on both sides of the ball. It may seem simple, but if Arkansas can continue that approach for one more game it should have little trouble taking care of a Texas Longhorns squad that lost a number of physical battles this season. Texas allowed more than two sacks per game in 2014 and more than six tackles for loss per contest. It also finished 45th in the nation in time of possession, while Arkansas finished eighth in that category. If the Hogs control the tone of this game in terms of physicality and discipline, Texas does not have the personnel to counter.
3. Auburn: Seniors Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne must have career days in their final games as collegiate superstars when Auburn takes on Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day. Wisconsin boasted the nation’s No. 5 passing defense in 2014, making it imperative that Marshall and Artis-Payne both have huge days in the run game to keep the explosive Tigers offense on track against one of the most disciplined defenses in America.
4. Florida: The Gators must play with energy despite the absence of former head coach Will Muschamp in this year’s Birmingham Bowl. The Gators will take on East Carolina, which features an Air Raid offense that amassed 4,400 yards through the air this season. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin will serve as the interim head coach for the bowl game, and his defense must play attentively and aggressively in order to counter the Pirates’ explosive playmakers. Florida is the more talented team, especially on defense, but it must treat this game like a title game or risk being blown out by an AAC squad with something to prove.
5. Georgia: The Dawgs need to feed the ball to Nick Chubb early and often despite facing Louisville and the nation’s No. 3 run defense. The Cardinals have a stout defensive front, but they haven’t faced a rushing attack as efficient and explosive as Georgia’s this season. Chubb has the ability to wear down a defense throughout the course of a game, and he has big-play abilities that can change the dynamic of a game at any time. As long as the Dawgs don’t shy away from what’s worked on offense this season they’ll be fine in their Belk Bowl showdown.
6. LSU: The Tigers must get after Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson in this year’s Music City Bowl. The Fighting Irish lost five of six games to close the regular season, and they finished the year ranked 86th in the nation in sacks allowed. If LSU can disrupt Golson’s rhythm in the pocket it will be able to control the tone of the game on defense, taking pressure off inconsistent Tigers quarterback Anthony Jennings. The Tigers are explosive in their front seven, and it’ll pay off in their showdown with Notre Dame in late-December.
7. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs must make sure tackles against Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack on offense, especially in the red zone. Mississippi State had a middle of the pack defense in 2014, but it also had the nation’s No. 1 red zone defense. As long as the Bulldogs make sound tackles and don’t allow a consistent Yellow Jackets offense to break any big gainers, they should be able to score enough on offense to win this game.
8. Missouri: As always, the Tigers must win at the line of scrimmage in order to take care of a resurgent Minnesota program hoping to cap its best season in a decade with a victory in the Citrus Bowl. Missouri was not as dominant as usual along the defensive line in the SEC championship game, and by the fourth quarter it appeared helpless in trying to slow down the Alabama offense. If Missouri’s defensive line doesn’t stymy Minnesota’s rushing attack and disrupt the offense in the backfield, it could suffer a similar fate against the Golden Gophers.
9. Ole Miss: The Rebels must keep the TCU offense in front of them in a battle between the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense and No. 2 scoring offense in the Peach Bowl. TCU closed the year with nation’s No. 7 passing offense, and the Horned Frogs had the fifth-most explosive completions in the nation. The TCU offense is going to put up points, and the Ole Miss defense is going to win its fair share of snaps as well. As long as Ole Miss prevents the big play, this game should be close from wire to wire.
10. South Carolina: The Gamecocks must contain Miami’s Duke Johnson to have a chance in this year’s Independence Bowl, but that is easier said than done. Johnson is a threat as a runner and as a pass-catcher, and finished the year fifth in the nation with 1,890 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns. The Gamecocks, on the other hand, had one of the worst run defenses in the SEC, and their tackling in 2014 was underwhelming at best. If South Carolina can’t make sound tackles and keep Johnson in check, it’s going to be a long day for Steve Spurrier and his team.
11. Tennessee: The Volunteers must establish their ground attack against Iowa and the nation’s No. 8 passing defense in this year’s Taxslayer Bowl. Freshman tailback Jalen Hurd has shown flashes of greatness this season, and quarterback Joshua Dobbs is one of the more exciting dual-threat signal callers in the SEC. If both players can find ways to make plays in space, it will keep a talented Iowa defense from dropping into coverage and forcing turnovers. The Hawkeyes want to slow this game down and play Big Ten football, but Dobbs and Hurd have the explosive abilities to prevent that from happening.
12. Texas A&M: The Aggies must find ways to set up freshman quarterback Kyle Allen with easy throws early in the game. West Virginia, A&M’s opponent in the Liberty Bowl, finished the regular season in the bottom half of the nation in pass defense, and if there was ever an offense capable of exploiting that weakness it’s Texas A&M’s spread attack. The Aggies may not stretch the field with explosive playmakers like they did in years past, but if they find ways to give Allen easy throws in four- and five-wide receiver sets, he’ll be able to fall in rhythm and pick the Mountaineers apart.
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.
