Top Five Dark Horse SEC Teams Who Could Contend for a Title
By Ryan Summers
Nov 22, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Johnny McCrary (2) drops back to pass the ball during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
The team with the most work to do heading into 2015 to even get an SEC win is the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Vandy went 3-9 last season and 0-8 in the SEC, but with nine returning players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the Commodores are heading in the right direction.
Last season, Vanderbilt averaged only 288.3 yards per game, the worst in the SEC, and couldn’t find a way to compete until late in the season against some of its toughest opponents.
In 2015, the Commodores will be led by quarterback Johnny McCrary, a 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore from Decatur, Georgia. McCrary led the Commodores last season amassing 985 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
McCrary completed over 50 percent of his passes in 2014, a mark that will be hard to keep up against tough defenses in the SEC.
The Commodores aren’t a single faceted team however. They also have studs at tight end and on special teams returning punts and kicks.
Sep 20, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores defensive back Darrius Sims (6) celebrates after returning the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Return specialist Darrius Sims and tight end Steven Scheu have been named to the preseason All-SEC team and will have to live up to the early accolades if they want to help this team.
In 2014, Sims became the first SEC return man in conference history to return two kicks for touchdowns in a single game.
Scheu led the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2014 and led the conference in catches by a tight end.
The Commodores are going to sneak up on people this year in the SEC and even though they probably won’t get it all figured out right away, look for Vanderbilt to be a contender in the SEC East.
Also, if this team comes out of the gates in September looking to make a name for themselves look for an early season upset of the Georgia Bulldogs on September 12.
Next: Texas A&M