SEC Football: The 10 Most Clutch Plays of the 2011 Season

Every year there are a list of plays that shape the SEC football season.

Big plays by clutch players end up altering bowl game qualifications, championships and rankings.

Some of the clutch plays come in games versus highly ranked opponents and some come in season-saving wins over upset-minded underdogs.

Some come from the offense and some come defensive playmakers.

Now that the 2011 season is complete, we can look back at the most important plays in the conference this past year.

The following slide show details the 10 most clutch plays in the SEC this past fall....

Auburn vs. Utah State

The Set-Up

Utah State, a non-BCS conference team, were leading the defending national champions late in the fourth quarter. To anyone watching, it looked like a major upset was about to occur. The Aggies led the Tigers, 38-28, with just three-and-a-half minutes to play in the game. Auburn fans were starting to prepare themselves for an ugly upset loss.

With just two minutes to go, Auburn was able to score and cut the lead to just three points. However, they had very little time left and were going to have to try an onside kick...

The Play

Cody Parkey lined up and made a well-executed onside kick at a crucial time for Auburn (to say the least). Sure-handed Auburn receiver Emory Blake was able to grab the well-placed ball and secure the ball for the Tigers.

The Outcome

After the miraculous recovered kick, Auburn drove the ball down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown. The Tigers improved to 1-0 with the victory and avoided national embarrassment.

South Carolina vs. Georgia

The Set-Up

The Georgia and South Carolina matchup was much anticipated, as the winner would have a big leg up in the race to win the SEC East Division. It was a close ballgame that came down to the wire. With just three minutes to go in the fourth quarter it was just a three-point game...

The Play

That is when star South Carolina defender Melvin Ingram recovered a fumble and returned it five yards for a touchdown, giving the Gamecocks a big 10-point lead.

The Outcome

That touchdown ended up being the winning score, as Georgia was only able to put seven more points on the scoreboard before the end of the game. The final was South Carolina 45 Georgia 42. While Georgia ended up surpassing South Carolina later in the season for the SEC East title, this win still helped the Gamecocks reach 11 wins this season. That is the most single season wins in South Carolina history.

Auburn vs. Mississippi State

The Set-Up

Auburn led Mississippi State, 41-27, early in the fourth quarter and looked to be eventual winners. However, the Bulldogs stormed back late in the fourth and were only down by seven as they drove towards the end zone with just seconds remaining in the game...

The Play

On the very last play of the game, Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf ran a QB keeper run off left tackle and tried to dive into the end zone. Just before he got to the goal line Auburn safety Ryan Smith wrapped him up and stopped him inches short of a score.

The Outcome

The clock went to zero seconds and Auburn won the game, 41-34, with a goal-line stand that ended near the one-inch mark. Football is truly a game of inches. Without this win and the onside kick win over Utah State the week before, the Tigers would have finished 5-7 and failed to be bowl eligible. Instead, they won both games and ended the season on a high note with a big win over Virginia in Atlanta.

Vanderbilt vs. Connecticut

The Set-Up

With less than seven minutes left in the game, Connecticut led Vanderbilt by a touchdown on the road. Fans were preparing for another Vanderbilt let down...

The Play

Connecticut had the ball and was looking to increase the seven-point lead they had amassed. Vanderbilt was in dire need of a big play to turn things around. They got it when defensive back Casey Hayward intercepted a Connecticut pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown that tied the game at 21-21.

The Outcome

Vanderbilt kicked a game-winning field goal with under three minutes left in the game and beat the Huskies, 24-21. This was a huge comeback win for new coach James Franklin and was the first sign that things may be changing in Nashville.

The biggest aspect of this play and this win is that Vanderbilt would have not qualified for a bowl game without this victory.

Mississippi State vs. La Tech

The Set-Up

This was a game most believed Mississippi State would have no trouble with. La tech is competitive, but not against a quality SEC program. Right?

La Tech was driving late in the game with the score tied (a 60-yard drive as a matter of fact) and put themselves into field goal position with less than four minutes to play...

The Play

It looked as if Louisiana Tech would kick a game-winning field goal and beat Mississippi state in a shocker. However, Tech attempted one too many passes and State defender Jonathan Banks intercepted the ball in the end zone to ultimately force an overtime. 

The Outcome

In overtime, Mississippi State made another crucial interception, this time by Nickoe Whitley, and scored the game-winning touchdown on their overtime possession. 

Mississippi State avoided a crushing and embarrassing loss. As a matter of fact, without this overtime win they would not have qualified for a bowl game.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

The Set-Up

In a game that went back and forth like a rocking chair, Arkansas and Texas A&M battled deep into the fourth quarter. With the score at 38-35 late in the game....

The Play

Arkansas drove the field with just minutes left in the game and reached the 3-yard line. It was 3rd-and-3. A failed conversion would have meant settling for a field goal and a potential overtime.

However, big senior back Broderick Green took the ball and rumbled three yards into the end zone for the winning score.  

The Outcome

Arkansas beat Texas A&M, 42-38, the third win in three years for the Razorbacks over the Aggies.

This win had major effects on the college football season. Some believe a loss by Arkansas could have ultimately sent Oklahoma State to the BCS National Title Game over Alabama. Instead, the Razorbacks won and ended up with just two losses on the season...to LSU and Alabama.

Auburn vs. South Carolina

The Set-Up

Favored and undefeated, South Carolina was at home and leading Auburn deep into the fourth quarter... 

The Play

Auburn drove the ball down the field with under two minutes left in the game, down 13-9, and had to score a touchdown to win.

From the 9-yard line, on a 3rd-and-goal, quarterback Barrett Trotter connected with star tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen for the winning touchdown with just 1:38 left in the game.

The Outcome

Auburn upset South Carolina and moved up into the Top 15 in the nation, in route to an eight-win year.

The biggest impact of this game was this Gamecock loss opening the door for Georgia to edge them out for a trip to the SEC Championship Game as the SEC East champions.

South Carolina vs. Navy

The Set-Up

In Week 3, the Gamecocks received a serious test from upset-minded Navy. The Midshipmen were beating South Carolina, 21-17, in the fourth quarter.

South Carolina scored a touchdown with 12 minutes left in the matchup to go up 24-21 and needed some defensive stops to hold on to the win...

The Play

Navy had the ball with just a couple minutes left in the game and had a shot to drive and score the game-tying field goal.

However, with just one minute left Gamecock defensive back Antonio Allen intercepted a pass from Midshipman quarterback Kriss Proctor at the South Carolina 44-yard line.

The Outcome

South Carolina won the game, moving to 3-0 on the season, and avoided a bad loss. South Carolina went on to win 11 games on the season, the most single season wins in school history.

Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt

The Set-Up

Heavy underdog Vanderbilt was leading highly-ranked Arkansas, 28-20, in the fourth quarter and had led 21-7 at one point. It looked like the Commodores were putting together a signature SEC victory...

The Play

Needing a big play, Arkansas got one from linebacker Jerry Franklin. The star linebacker scooped up a fumble and ran it back for a 94-yard touchdown. The score and a two-point conversion tied the game.

It went from Vanderbilt scoring at least a field goal and leading by two scores late in the game to a tied game. A major turnaround in the game.  

The Outcome

Arkansas went on to win the game, 31-28, after Vanderbilt missed a last second field goal in an effort to send it to overtime.

Here is another game that may have put Alabama in the national title over Oklahoma State. If the SEC's third-best team loses to Vanderbilt, it doesn't bode well for the conference.

Instead Franklin and Arkansas stepped up and grabbed the win from the jaws of defeat.

Alabama vs. LSU

This slide has two clutch plays and two players (kickers) in one.

First, we have LSU field goal kicker Drew Alleman making the big kick in overtime to defeat Alabama in the regular season. To step in and make a game winner, after watching Alabama's kickers implode, took a lot of focus.

Second, we have Alabama kicker Jeremy Shelley.

After missing kicks in 'Bama's loss to LSU in the regular season, he stepped into the BCS National Championship Game and nailed all five of his kicks.

That is definitely clutch.

His biggest kick may have been the field goal from 44 yards out that put Alabama up 9-0 just before the half.  That kick seemed to be a dagger to LSU's confidence and intensity.