By
Gabe Harris
SEC Keys to the Season - Part 2 (SEC East)
Every year in the Southeastern Conference there are experienced lettermen coming back for another run at the championship along with new faces that will make a difference between winning and losing on any given Saturday. The upperclassmen get one last chance to cement their legacy for better or worse while the underclassmen have to step in for someone who has already made their mark at their school.
While each team has a mix of the above types of players, there is always one guy a team can point to and say if he has the type of year we expect we will be in the hunt for a championship in November.
The following players are the keys to each SEC team’s season and the player that needs to step up the most.
University of Florida – LB Brandon Spikes
While everyone knows that Tim Tebow is the best player in the SEC and the Gators need him if they want to win, their offense is a well-oiled machine and running back or no running back they are going to score points. The key to UF’s season is improving their defense and at the heart of it all is Brandon Spikes. When Florida struggled it was because of their defense and they need this First-Team All-SEC selection to play like he did last year, lead by example and get the young Gators around him playing to the level of the offense.
University of Georgia – QB Matthew Stafford
Junior Matthew Stafford is living up to the hype he generated as a recruit coming out of Texas. He’s played the best in UGa’s biggest games and seems primed for a breakout year on the team most people are picking as their preseason number one. Stafford is always steady and consistently throws for a completion percentage of 60% and 200 yards. While Knowshon Moreno and the running game are getting most of the magazine covers, it is Stafford who will be the key to fulfilling the Dawgs goal of winning the mythical national championship.
University of Kentucky – WR Dickey Lyons, Jr.
Kentucky’s offense in 2007 was high-flying, led by Andre Woodson, wide receivers Keenan Burton, Steve Johnson and tight end Jacob Tamme, all who were drafted by the NFL in April. Junior Dickey Lyons, Jr. also contributed mightily to the Wildcat offense and they will need his experience if they want to prove that they are a contender, not just a one-hit wonder in the SEC, highlighted by their overtime win over LSU. Lyons and offseason surgery on the patellar tendon and an already thin receiving corp will need him back if they want to compete with a new QB and incoming freshmen wide receivers Kyrus Lanxter and Anthony Mosley.
University of Tennessee – QB Jonathan Crompton
Four year starter Erik Ainge is off to the NFL and the supply of Clausens at UT has run out with Jimmy Clausen playing for Notre Dame. The Vols have a new offensive coordinator with a new philosophy and Crompton is going to be thrown into the fire with games at UCLA, home versus Florida and at Auburn in their first four games. Crompton has played in spots since he enrolled at UT in 2005. Injuries to other contenders for the job have thrust Crompton into the role as Tennessee’s expected starting QB for the 2008 season.
University of South Carolina – QB Chris Smelley
This sophomore has the most experience of all the contenders in Columbia and has the inside track to the job as he posted a 4-2 record as a starter completing 58.6% of his passes for 1,176 yards, 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Won his first 4 starts, matching Ron Bass and the immortal Steve Tanneyhill for the best start by a USC quarterback before falling to Vanderbilt. Those numbers are hardly Spurrier-esque and with Tommy Beecher and Stephen Garcia behind him the always short leash will await him if he doesn’t start strong. USC has aspirations to win the SEC but consistently playing in bowl games needs to happen first and the quarterback is the most important player on the field for Steve Spurrier.
Vanderbilt University – WR George Smith
This 6’3” 202 pound senior from Pembroke Hills, FL is coming off of his best year during his second year starting opposite Vanderbilt’s all-time leading receiver Earl Bennett, who has left for the NFL. The Vandy offense led by Bennett and QB Chris Nickson did not meet expectations in 2007 as the Commodores missed a bowl game again. Teams focused on Bennett giving Smith room to post solid numbers and now the team will lean on Smith to finish what Bennett started. For VU to end their streak of bowl futility, Smith will need to at least double last year’s total of 32 receptions, 397 receiving yards and 3 touchdown catches.
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SEC Keys to the Season (Part 2), 7.7.08