SEC Football: Biggest Surprises, Disappointments So Far in 2014

We’re only five weeks into the college football season, and the SEC has already delivered us a season’s worth of entertainment.

From upsets, stellar performances and improbable finishes, the nation’s toughest conference has seen it all. It’s been enough to keep fans on the edge of their seats week in and week out.

But for every surprise in the SEC, there has also been a disappointment.

Join B/R as we take a closer look at some of both. 

Disappointment: Vanderbilt

USA TODAY Sports

Vanderbilt hasn't had much to smile about in 2014.

Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Commodores' expectations were up.

Sure, the team lost head coach James Franklin over the offseason. However, the team still had a lot of talent entering the 2014 season.

Thus far, the year has been nothing but a disaster.

Vanderbilt has struggled to find an answer in the passing game, with all three of its quarterbacks combining to throw for just 742 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions on 46.2 percent passing through five games.

The rushing attack isn’t much better, as 2013 leading rusher Jerron Seymour has struggled to find much of anything, and the unit has managed just two scores on the season.

At 1-4, the team hasn’t looked good in any of its games. Even in the lone win, the Commodores nearly fell to lowly UMass before eeking out a 34-31 win.

After such a start, it can only go up from here. But considering the team plays in the SEC, a free fall should be expected.

Surprise: Arkansas Rushing Attack

The Razorbacks have two of the most dynamic running backs in the nation, let alone the SEC.

With that said, nobody expected the duo to be this good thus far.

Through five games, Arkansas ranks No. 8 in the nation in rushing, averaging 316.6 yards per game while finding the end zone 20 times—second most in all of college football. Sophomore Alex Collins leads the way, rushing for 621 yards and six touchdowns, while junior Jonathan Williams isn’t too far behind, totaling 486 yards and eight scores.

The Razorbacks have already shown improvement, taking Texas A&M to overtime last weekend. Now, the true test will come when No. 3 Alabama comes to town on Oct. 11.

Disappointment: Florida Defense

USA TODAY Sports

The Gators need to improve.

Even though the 2013 Gators embarked on their worst season in quite some time, the defense was still respectable. The unit finished ranked No. 8 in the nation in total defense (314.3 YPG) and No. 15 in scoring (21.1 PPG).

This season, Florida was supposed to be even better. 

Through three games, the team couldn’t be farther away from that expectation. The Gators currently rank No. 85 in total defense (415.7 YPG), No. 59 in scoring (24.0 PPG), No. 45 against the run (128.0 YPG) and No. 113 against the pass (287.7 YPG).

“We stunk on defense,” Florida head coach Will Muschamp said after the defense conceded 672 yards of offense in a loss to Alabama late in September, per AL.com’s Michael Casagrande.

For a unit that had several young defenders last season, the Gators were supposed to be scary good. Unfortunately, growth doesn’t necessarily always head in the right direction.

Surprise: Mississippi State

After a promising finish in 2012, the Bulldogs were expected to surprise a lot of folks in 2013. Unfortunately, the team fell short of those expectations, going 0-5 against ranked opponents, losing by double digits in each game.

Already this season, Mississippi State has changed that.

Proving its 3-0 start was no fluke, the team defeated then-No. 8 LSU on the road in a game that wasn’t as close as the final 34-29 score suggests. The Bulldogs rushed for more than 300 yards on the ground and outgained the Tigers 570-430.

A lot of that credit falls on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott.

The junior has been stellar in 2014, throwing for 964 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions on 60.4 percent passing. He’s also rushed for 378 yards and three scores on 62 carries.

Backed by Prescott’s dark-horse Heisman Trophy campaign, Mississippi State has risen from unranked into the Top 15 in just a week.

Disappointment: South Carolina

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

It's been a trying season for Spurrier.

The Gamecocks were a sleeper pick for many people to win the SEC East. 

After five games, the team will be lucky just to finish with 10 wins.

The biggest question mark entering the season was quarterback play. However, Dylan Thompson has been impressive, throwing for 1,359 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions on 60.9 percent passing.

Instead, it’s the rushing attack and defense that has let South Carolina down.

A year after averaging close to 200 rushing yards a game and ranking No. 31 in the country, the Gamecocks have only gone for 149.8 a game and rank No. 83. Meanwhile, the team ranks No. 95 in total defense (440.0 YPG) while conceding 33.0 points per game—No. 97 in the nation.

With a tough SEC schedule still remaining—at Kentucky, at Auburn and at Florida—South Carolina will have to turn things around and fast.

Surprise: Kenny Hill

With the losses the Aggies had after last season—most notably quarterback Johnny Manziel—the team was expected to have somewhat of a down year.

Instead, Texas A&M finds itself ranked No. 6 in the nation and in the thick of the conversation for the inaugural College Football Playoff. Quarterback Kenny Hill is a large reason for that.

Through five games, the sophomore has been fantastic, throwing for 1,745 yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions on 65.6 percent passing. He’s also rushed for another 136 yards on 22 carries.

Thanks to Hill’s play, the Aggies rank No. 2 in the nation in points per game (51.2) and No. 3 in total offense (594.6 YPG).

His play has fans in College Station quick to say, “Johnny who?”

All stats, recruiting information and rankings used in this article are courtesy of CFBStats.com and 247Sports.

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