From SEC Country
SEC East conference title drought will end in 2021 — here’s the who and how
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ATLANTA — At long last, the drought is over. After 12 straight years of SEC champions coming from the West Division — all captured by either Alabama, Auburn or LSU — the Tennessee Volunteers finally returned to prominence and captured their first SEC championship since 1998 after a 35-31 win against Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The SEC always has been cyclical, but this was ridiculous. Granted, Alabama was a close to unstoppable force in the conference. The only thing that could have expedited this change is if Nick Saban took the New England Patriots job, like many thought.
The Vols shocked the conference in 2021 by doing what the rest of the SEC East refused to do — evolve.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, Florida coach Jim McElwain and Georgia coach Kirby Smart all beat the odds and have become successful coaches for their teams. All are former Saban assistants. Nick Saban is up to 17-0 against his old staffers. That includes an 5-0 record against them in SEC championship games.
But after letting Butch Jones go after the 2017 season, Tennessee hired innovative coach Willie Taggart. In addition to being the first black football coach at the University of Tennessee, Taggart changed the direction of the program.
Tennessee tried to rely on a more traditional pro-style set under Jones, but the new administration threw out the old. Rather than trying to out-Alabama the Crimson Tide, Tennessee looked to other teams that had success. Those included Gus Malzahn at Auburn, Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss and Tom Herman at Texas.
It took a few years for Tennessee to find the right combination of offensive and defensive recruiting, but some early chances paid off this year. Its All-American defensive end Eric Crosby — who came back for his redshirt senior year — is probably the team’s most disruptive force since Derek Barnett, and longtime defensive coordinator Bob Shoop stockpiled enough depth to counter the tempo.
Alabama still put up a heck of a fight in this game. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of former Heisman finalist Tua, threw for 250 yards. A committee of talented running backs combined for 200 yards against the Vols’ defense. However, Alabama was held to just 4.4 yards per play. It only scored touchdowns twice in six red-zone opportunities. Ultimately, performing in those key spots was the difference.
With the success Tennessee has built the past few years, other programs assuredly will rush to evolve. Rumors have been connecting former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury to the offensive coordinator role at Georgia. Last year’s division champion, Vanderbilt, might not be far behind.
The Alabama dynasty isn’t over until Nick Saban leaves Tuscaloosa for the final time. However, Tennessee proved ‘Bama finally has a worthy challenger across the conference.
Now, the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers earn the automatic SEC bid in the 2021 College Football Playoff. Alabama will have to sweat it out for the lone wild card spot in the six-team playoff.
Stay tuned to SEC Universal for all the latest SEC news.
SEC East conference title drought will end in 2021 — here’s the who and how
—
ATLANTA — At long last, the drought is over. After 12 straight years of SEC champions coming from the West Division — all captured by either Alabama, Auburn or LSU — the Tennessee Volunteers finally returned to prominence and captured their first SEC championship since 1998 after a 35-31 win against Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The SEC always has been cyclical, but this was ridiculous. Granted, Alabama was a close to unstoppable force in the conference. The only thing that could have expedited this change is if Nick Saban took the New England Patriots job, like many thought.
The Vols shocked the conference in 2021 by doing what the rest of the SEC East refused to do — evolve.
South Carolina coach Will Muschamp, Florida coach Jim McElwain and Georgia coach Kirby Smart all beat the odds and have become successful coaches for their teams. All are former Saban assistants. Nick Saban is up to 17-0 against his old staffers. That includes an 5-0 record against them in SEC championship games.
But after letting Butch Jones go after the 2017 season, Tennessee hired innovative coach Willie Taggart. In addition to being the first black football coach at the University of Tennessee, Taggart changed the direction of the program.
Tennessee tried to rely on a more traditional pro-style set under Jones, but the new administration threw out the old. Rather than trying to out-Alabama the Crimson Tide, Tennessee looked to other teams that had success. Those included Gus Malzahn at Auburn, Hugh Freeze at Ole Miss and Tom Herman at Texas.
It took a few years for Tennessee to find the right combination of offensive and defensive recruiting, but some early chances paid off this year. Its All-American defensive end Eric Crosby — who came back for his redshirt senior year — is probably the team’s most disruptive force since Derek Barnett, and longtime defensive coordinator Bob Shoop stockpiled enough depth to counter the tempo.
Alabama still put up a heck of a fight in this game. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of former Heisman finalist Tua, threw for 250 yards. A committee of talented running backs combined for 200 yards against the Vols’ defense. However, Alabama was held to just 4.4 yards per play. It only scored touchdowns twice in six red-zone opportunities. Ultimately, performing in those key spots was the difference.
With the success Tennessee has built the past few years, other programs assuredly will rush to evolve. Rumors have been connecting former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury to the offensive coordinator role at Georgia. Last year’s division champion, Vanderbilt, might not be far behind.
The Alabama dynasty isn’t over until Nick Saban leaves Tuscaloosa for the final time. However, Tennessee proved ‘Bama finally has a worthy challenger across the conference.
Now, the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers earn the automatic SEC bid in the 2021 College Football Playoff. Alabama will have to sweat it out for the lone wild card spot in the six-team playoff.
Stay tuned to SEC Universal for all the latest SEC news.
