SEC Football: 12 SEC Players Who Must Make Plays in 2011
There are holes that have been left by departing seniors and juniors that will leave voids on every team in the SEC as they make their way through spring practice. There are players who have been in programs, but to this point have served in smaller, reserve based roles. Finally, there are those that have performed at a high level, but must play even better this year for their teams to be successful,
There is always going to be obvious voids, like the quarterback position that are huge needs. Those are the most obvious and the most advertised. While these glaring issues need to be addressed, sometimes positions of need reach beyond offense and defense, even into the special teams units.
Whatever the needs of these teams may be, which in most cases are numerous, there seems to be one hole that must be filled and filled well that sticks out but there are a few that may not be so obvious.
All 12 SEC institutions carry a gap and who is expected to step up has been defined. 12 teams, 12 players.
Eddie Lacy – Alabama Crimson Tide
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The shock and awe or thunder and lightning, whatever the nickname was, proved to be the most stable backfield Alabama has had in quite a while. With Mark Ingram finding his stride in his sophomore campaign, Trent Richardson stepped in as a reserve to lighten the load.
What the Alabama coaching staff found was that with both guys in the game utilized together, they had the best running backfield in the country when healthy. That same year Ingram won the Heisman and Richardson became a thing of legend as the Tide rode the tandem to the National Title.
With Ingram leaving for the draft, a large pressure shifts to Richardson to be the primary back in a backfield that lacks experience at the quarterback position. That being said, a steady flow changing back is needed to drain some of the pressure off of Richardson.
The pressure to perform will be on Lacy to step up and fill the role that has been left by a rotational promotion. The problem is that the hole left to fill is about 800-yards worth of production. With a veteran and very skilled line, his chances look bright.
Tyler Wilson – Arkansas Razorbacks
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This is an obvious hole. The quarterback position is a huge void to fill when a guy like Ryan Mallett leaves the program. One thing that Wilson has in his favor is a bit of game film from last season, his game against Auburn. If nothing else, this film will give Wilson the confidence he needs to perform.
Wilson played in five games last season with the bulk of his work a career happening during a game at Auburn where he threw for 332 yards. He has a bit of experience, but in the Petrino offense a guy needs time. Good thing for Wilson and the Razorbacks is that he is a rising junior. He has been in the program and knows the expectations.
Wilson has the ability to bring Arkansas eerily close to being one of the best teams in a very talented SEC Western Division. The pressure will be all over Wilson to perform this season and to reach the heights that Mallett was never able to take the Razorbacks.
Wilson has to step in and win big games. If Wilson can finish, Arkansas will be very dangerous.
Michael Dyer – Auburn Tigers
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Dyer blasted onto the scene late in the season for Auburn in 2010. It was seemingly by design, as Dyer had less than 15 carries in half of the games that Auburn played last season. He did manage to gain 1,093 yards and make a miraculous Cirque du Soleil-style balancing act run in the championship game that became a highlight reel.
What that did for Dyer is build a following in the Auburn fanbase. It also built an expectation level that may have been squelched if not for the late season antics. His rushing yards added to a much achieved Cameron Newton and put a nice twist where speedster Onterio McCalebb didn’t seem to fit the plan.
Dyer successfully saw his stock rise and now finds himself as the primary back in a dangerous duo. Look for the Auburn offense to look a lot similar to the one that Gus Malzahn constructed in 2009 that focused on short quick passing, power rushing and the play action hitch and go routes. Toss in some speed sweeps and reverses and you’ve got a game plan.
Auburn will ask Dyer to fill the role of power rusher with deceptive speed. The same thing that Ben Tate accomplished for the Tigers I would look for from Dyer. If Dyer can fit the bill, the Tigers will have a solid season.
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Matt Elam – Florida Gators
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Ahmad Black and Will Hill will leave a huge void in the Gators' center field defense in 2011. Looking to the future, there is not a ton of experience, but rather, much talent for the Gators at the safety position.
Matt Elam is a returning sophomore that brings talent to a porous position for 2011. Elam needs to take steps to making a firm foundation for the Gators as they face some growing pains with back to back away games mid season against Auburn and Georgia.
Finding a solid replacement at the safety position for not only the talent but the experience that departed, Muschamp has his hands full. Being the position that Muschamp played, don’t be surprised if he takes a personal stock and attention to what happens in the defensive backfield.
Muschamp may put more pressure on Elam to perform early on but if he gets burned for a few touchdowns the fans will be on him as well.
Tavarres King – Georgia Bulldogs
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King filled in for some yardage drop off in the early games last season when A.J. Green was away for a four-game suspension. King will be looked at to step up his game again this season and lead the way in assisting Aaron Murray in proving the Bulldogs remain relevant in the East.
King managed over 500 yards receiving last season so the skill set is there. Murray will be looking for a sure target early on to build confidence and ensure that the sophomore slump title doesn’t find its way to Athens this season.
For Georgia to contend in the East this season, Murray has to have a strong season and lead the attack through the air offensively. Richt and Co. know this. The development of the receiving corps must be top priority and therefore will put pressure on King to step up and lead.
Morgan Newton – Kentucky Wildcats
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With the transfer of Ryan Mossakowski the Kentucky offense landed in the hands of Morgan Newton. Most expected Newton to win the job this season regardless, and the pressure of being the guy begins to build a bit this spring.
The departure of Mike Hartline leaves a void. The departure of Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke makes things look a bit bleaker. Newton needs to step into his game right away for the Kentucky offense to have success.
Newton is not a player that is totally devoid of experience, as he has passed for 971 yards in his career so far. How well Kentucky finds itself on offense, however, will develop from the quarterback position up. They need to find a new go to receiver and a steady running back situation to replace Locke. The immediate pressure however will fall to the quarterback.
Zach Mettenberger – LSU Bayou Bengals
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Mettenberger has to step up and win the starting position. It is no mistake that LSU signed a quarterback that can come in and make the grade immediately. The Bayou Bengals have had their fair share of quarterback woes in the past couple of seasons, and 2011 has to be different.
LSU has an extreme wealth of talent at the receiver position and in the backfield. The Tigers could arguably be the most talented squad, top to bottom, in the country. With all of the talent however, a sub-standard quarterback will put a kink in any picture perfect plan.
Mettenberger is a transfer that was rumored to be leading Aaron Murray for the starting nod at Georgia. Mettenberger has the talent and the head to handle the pressure it would seem of the LSU fanbase. Any hope that this fanbase has will grow immensely this offseason with Mettenberger rumors.
How he handles the pressure cooker that is Baton Rouge will determine LSU destiny in 2011.
Nathan Stanley – Mississippi Rebel Black Bears
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Even with the transfer of Barry Brunetti, Stanley appears to have a lead in the quarterback race. He had the starting nod last season as the Masoli eligibility debate took its course. Stanley tossed three touchdowns and only one interception in his time last season. Not amazing numbers, but on a short-sighted view it’s not half bad.
Look for Stanley to hold off Mackey in the race for the starting nod and look for Ole Miss to toss the ball around a ton this coming season. New offensive coordinator David Lee is looking to make his passing attack more dynamic then what the Rebel Black Bears have displayed in the past.
The good news is that Ole Miss does return a tandem of solid backs in Enrique Davis, Brandon Bolden and Rodney Scott. Those guys will get there wealth of runs but the passing game is going to have to work out its kinks to keep the pressure off. Ole Miss loves to love great quarterbacks. It seems to love to hate the bad ones too.
Brandon Wilson – Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Losing all three starting linebackers is a huge loss for the Bulldogs this coming season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs look solid but defensively they have a lot of holes to fill. Brandon Wilson is a talented solid linebacker who will need to step up and fill that key role for State.
He will be the senior of the presumed starters for the upcoming year and his leadership will be needed as the Bulldogs are heading to Auburn the second week of the season. Afterward, they will be hosting LSU the following week. The schedule is no cupcake and the tough battles will begin early.
If Wilson can step up into the role of a starter and lead this defense both on and off the field, these guys can build another strong middle third. The linebacker corps for State last year was one of the most talented and underrated in the conference.
Being a senior, the buck is passed to Wilson. The coaches will be looking for leadership, he needs to show it.
Stephen Garcia – South Carolina Gamecocks
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Garcia and Spurrier have had quite the love-hate relationship since converging in South Carolina so many years ago. Garcia is a talented quarterback with a live arm and a deceptive speed that allows him to escape the pocket and make plays.
Connor Shaw is waiting in the wings and has earned playing experience during some of the infamous Steve Spurrier quarterback change experiments. Shaw will be pushing Garcia for the starting nod even more this season but this should boost the performance of Garcia or make him crumble.
Under the assumption that Garcia holds strong and grows even more into the starting role for the Gamecocks, the pressure from the fanbase for a solid starter that always plays consistent will scream through Williams Brice Stadium. The pressure for performance will be at DEFCON 1 by the time the season reaches so Garcia will have to finally perform diligently under pressure. If he does, Carolina wins the East yet again.
Michael Palardy – Tennessee Volunteers
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Breaking from the quarterback and traditional role theme, what significance to special teams have? Specialists can make a huge difference in games. Look at how having a reliable kicker not only secured the National Title for Auburn but won them multiple games in the regular season.
Daniel Lincoln has been a solid kicker through his tenure at Tennessee. He kept the Vols in games and even won a few for them down the line in his career. Looking at what is being retained for the Volunteers, there doesn’t appear to be a single starter departing with the exception of the specialists.
Tyler Bray is expected to have a great return season at the quarterback position. The pressure will be on for him and much of the limelight will be on his success and return from his freshman awakening. What a lack of experience at a key position can do for your moral is huge. Missed field goals are killers.
That being said, the first game winning kick that is missed or the first extra point that is pulled to the side of the post, the fans will miss Daniel Lincoln. A solid kicker can go a long way in determining how far a very young Tennessee team may go this season.
Chris Marve – Vanderbilt Commodores
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Chris Marve is the epitome of linebacker toughness. The guy has started three seasons in a row for the Commodores and is working on starting his fourth. His first two seasons with the team he earned over 200 tackles. Going into his junior year, he fell to a knee injury and missed one game.
Despite the injury, Marve gathered 80 tackles in his junior campaign. This season few bright spots can be found as the Commodores are led by their third coaching staff in as many years. Marve is a leader for the defense. From the middle of the field he can lead a team with lower expectations to force an upset or two.
This team will lean on Marve as a cornerstone not only just on the defense but in the locker room. If he stays healthy, look for Marve to gain his third 100 tackle season and shoot onto draft boards for 2012.
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