SEC Championship Game 2014: Players to Watch in Missouri vs. Alabama Showdown

The 2014 SEC Championship Game matchup is set, as Missouri will look for the upset against Alabama—a powerhouse who appears to be ready for a playoff berth.

It took the Tigers some last-quarter heroics to squeak past Arkansas and earn a spot in the title game for the second-consecutive season. That's something that head coach Gary Pinkel acknowledged in the postgame press conference, via MUTigers.com:

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It means an awful lot to me. I love my team. This has not been an easy year, but we battled and competed. I feel thankful for all the people around me. Mizzou Athletic Director, Mike Alden, has been tremendously important to me and our fans too. We sold Faurot out tonight and this place was rocking. There are a lot of things to be thankful for. Whoever we play next week, it's going to be a huge game. It's our second time down there (Atlanta, Ga.) in a row, and I'll tell you this, that's hard to do.

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Alabama took care of business against Auburn to earn a spot in the game. The Crimson Tide rode strong performances from Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon, both of whom lit up the Tigers for big yardage.

Who will star in the SEC title game for both Missouri and Alabama? Both teams have plenty of candidates given their talent, but there are a few clear options to consider.

Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Marcus Murphy can do it all.

The Tigers running back is a threat on the ground, in the air and on kick and punt returns. That versatility is hard to come by, making him a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award.

The award, designed for the most versatile player in the nation, could find a home in Murphy's trophy case. The award's official Twitter account tweeted what makes Murphy a finalist:

Murphy does most of his damage on the ground, having gained more than 700 yards rushing to go with four touchdowns. He has just one touchdown and 185 yards through the air.

While four touchdowns doesn't seem like many, the senior has turned it on in the past two weeks. Three of those four have come since November 22 at Tennessee. He scored twice against the Volunteers, then he added one more against the Razorbacks.

It appears as if his touchdowns come in bunches, meaning he's a candidate to put more points on the board against Alabama. The Crimson Tide may boast the No. 6 defense in the nation in terms of points allowed per game, but that shouldn't stop Murphy from punching it in.

He might even help himself score a touchdown if he can gain some valuable yards on kicks and punts. Beating Alabama is all about getting good starting field position. Just about any team in the country can score if they only have to go 50 yards.

Alabama must look out for Murphy in all facets of the game.

Markus Golden, DE, Missouri

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Senior Markus Golden is a key reason why the Tigers are headed to Atlanta, Georgia. As a hole, he and the defense played poorly in the early portion of the game against Arkansas.

They stepped up incredibly in the second half, however, leading Tod Palmer of The Kansas City Star to give the unit an "A" for the game: "Missouri had a few missed tackles on Arkansas’ first drive and also gave up a touchdown with a short field, but the Tigers limited the Razorbacks to 288 total yards and pitched a second-half shutout," Palmer assessed.

Golden led the charge. He may have finished with just three tackles, but two of those were for a loss. He was a disruptive force in the backfield and a major reason why the Razorbacks only had 288 yards of offense.

He also forced a fumble and recovered another, both of which were key plays in the Tigers' second-half surge.

Mizzou's defense has played at a high level for most of the season. Even though Alabama is a top-notch offense, the Tigers have the aggressive defense capable of slowing them down. Golden will be at the forefront of that.

His stats don't necessarily jump off the page, but he does have three games this season with at least nine tackles and has recorded a total of 8.5 sacks. His ability to create havoc in the backfield either by bringing down the ball-carrier for a loss or by hurrying the quarterback is instrumental in the success of this defense.

Even if Golden doesn't have a huge game, he's a player to watch because of how he dictates the overall success of the unit. Keep your eyes on No. 33.

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama

The best player by far in the SEC Championship Game is Amari Cooper. By very, very far.

Just how good is he? Well, he scored three touchdowns against Auburn in the Iron Bowl and racked up more than 200 yards receiving. He was so open on one of his touchdowns that Lane Kiffin began celebrating before the ball was even thrown:

Routes like that are why ESPN's Adam Schefter thinks he'll be the top prize of the 2015 NFL draft:

Cooper has been phenomenal as a junior. With 14 touchdowns, 103 receptions and more than 1,500 yards receiving, there haven't been many better offensive weapons.

He has helped make Blake Sims' first year as the starter easier, as it's always nice to have a target with the speed, hands, instincts and route-running ability of Cooper.

Needless to say, he'll have an enormous impact on this game.

He has had three games with more than 200 yards receiving, four games with at least 10 receptions and four games with multiple touchdowns. The man is nearly unstoppable.

There's a reason why he's in consideration for the Heisman. One way or another, he'll make his presence felt.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn