Best of the SEC East: Ranking the 2016 offenses

[Matt Dillon]

In our certain-to-fail attempt at predicting the 2016 order of finish in each SEC division, we’re ranking the teams on offense, defense, coaching and X-factors. Then we’ll tally them up and project the overall standings.
We kicked it off with SEC West offenses and continue now with East Division offenses, which last season left a lot to be desired. None of the league’s top five teams in explosive plays (20-plus yards), none of the top six in total offense and only one of the top eight in scoring came from the East.

https://www.seccountry.com/sec/best-of-the-sec-east-ranking-the-2016-offenses

[Old School]

You can't take any SEC game for granted, especially one on the road. But I am puzzled at predictions that are favorable to Missouri this year. They have a new coach this year. And as the article points out, Missouri ranked last in the league in scoring, rushing, passing and total yards last season. QB Drew Lock started the last eight games, with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Tall order for a true freshman, but he didn't live up to his billing. Granted, he'll likely be better this year. But what is around him? They had a total of 8 scholarship offensive linemen this spring.

Again, not taking them for granted, and Kentucky faces them on the road, and they had some turmoil on that campus last year, but it's tough for me to see Missouri being any better than Kentucky or Vanderbilt this year. But I don't see them being that good this year. (Then again, I sure didn't pick them to win the East in either year that they did.)

[Spiritof96]

I don't get the Missouri hype. To me they look poised to be the worst team in the east.

EDIT: I would rather have the third best Offense in the east than the worst... so that's encouraging.

[Old School]

As mentioned above: Missouri's offense was weak last year, and didn't have many reasons to suggest much improvement this year. The strength of the team is its defensive line.

Major news out of Columbia today: two of the projected starters on the DL were dismissed from the team.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...e93494507.html

DE Walter Brady, as a Freshman All American last year, had a team high 7 sacks last year, best in the nation for a freshman. He also had 12/5 TFLs (#2 on a team whose strength was defense). He had 40 tackles, good for 8th on the team - as a DE. As a rising sophomore he was already on the Bednarik and Nagurski award watch lists.

DT Harold Brantley had 54 tackles in 2014, 7 TFLs, 5 sacks, plus blocked FG and XP. He missed last year due to injury.

Missouri still has talent and depth along the DL, but less of it.

Neither Brady nor Brantley was a highly regarded recruit, but like many others at Missouri, they became outstanding college D linemen. Brady went from 2 star recruit to Freshman All American. Their other starting DE was also a 2 star recruit. Brantley was also a 2 star recruit. All three of those guys quickly became better players than a lot of 4 star recruits.

A lot of credit for that performance goes to Missouri DL coach Craig Kuligowski. He is the sort of coach programs like Missouri and Kentucky need: a guy who identifies unheralded talent and turns it into excellent players. Mark Richt hired him away after last season to join his new staff at Miami.

In addition to all of the turmoil last year with the protests on campus and the football team's controversial involvement, Missouri is still full of problems right now. Enrollment is down steeply in the wake of all of last year's campus chaos and discord. Their basketball team was just hit with probation beyond the self-imposed penalties Missouri gave itself earlier this year. They are now on their fourth athletics director in less than one month, which may be a record. Their AD left to go to Baylor. His interim replacement took the AD job at North Texas. The university's interim chancellor then appointed himself interim athletics director. Their new interim AD is the person who previously handled volleyball, swimming and diving, women's basketball, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts - not the sort of resume that indicates someone capable of improving a football team or seeing to its needs.

I had already been feeling good about Kentucky's chances against Missouri, head to head and in the East standings - better than preseason magazines and pundits have been predicting. Events there since have made me feel increasingly better about it.

[Blue Heaven]

I am more concerned about our defense. I always am every year.