14 in 14 kickoff: quick hits 2020 wrap up part I
Each Tuesday for the next 14 weeks, the B&S crew is taking a deep dive into the state of each program, kicking it off with a quick hits 2020 season wrap up.
By: Bossman Slim
We had a season. When looking back on this 2020 season, for years to come, that will be what I most remember. We actually had a season - and it was all that us virus-weary, politics-weary Americans needed and more. It brought us together again, as best we could be during a pandemic. The incredible plays, the matchups we couldn’t wait to watch, the endless passionate debates, and the rise of contenders (Texas A&M), and the fall of pretenders (LSU; Florida). 2020 may not be a year many of us want to remember - but the 2020 season will be a ray of sunshine in an otherwise difficult year.
And it was another year in which the SEC led the way. While the Big 10 tried to show “leadership” in canceling the season, trying to squash all of our hopes and dreams (we will never let them live that down), SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was unshaken. He calmly and deliberately found a way. The season was a success, and while coronavirus cases popped up, protocols worked and those infected recovered. Schools moved heaven and earth to play each week, testing incessantly and keeping players and coaches as isolated as possible.
Thank you, Commissioner Sankey. And thank you to all the players, coaches, and support personnel who made the 2020 season possible.
With that, let’s get into a quick hits 2020 wrap-up and grade out each teams’ season. We’ll start in the SEC West today, then head East tomorrow. This will serve as the kickoff to B&S’ new offseason weekly feature: 14 in 14. Each Tuesday for the next 14 weeks, the B&S staff will take a deep dive into each team’s 2020 season, what went right or wrong, and then look at the state of the program and offer a glance at the future.
SEC WEST
Alabama
What more is there to say here? National Champions for the sixth time since Nick Saban took over in 2007. This team was electric all season, with more weapons than G.I. Joe. In Nick Saban’s long illustrious career at the University of Alabama, this team may have been his best work. The Home Depot College Football Awards show was essentially an Alabama infomercial, as the Tide took home more hardware than you’ll find in an actual Home Depot. They also finished with the Heisman Trophy (DeVonta Smith), and three of the top five vote-getters (Smith, Mac “Daddy” Jones, Najee Harris) in the Heisman voting, only the second time in history that has happened. When you hear all the stats and accolades and the average margin of victory (29.1 points), it’s hard not to have your jaw hit the floor. But the most impressive part to me is this: not one coordinator was the same as the 2017 national title team, Alabama’s last title before 2020. Meaning, since 2017, Saban has gone through a staff overhaul and didn’t skip a beat. Anyone who keeps an eye on college football understands just how difficult that is. It’s nearly impossible to not have a dip after a staff overhaul such as the one Alabama went through. But for Sir Nick, conventional rules do not apply.
We’ll have plenty to talk about in Alabama’s turn in our 14 in 14, as the 2021 iteration of the Crimson Tide will look much, much different than the 2020 team, starting under center. But the Tide don’t rebuild, they just reload. They signed the highest-rated class ever recorded in the 2021 cycle. The Tide’s long shadow over college football is only growing stronger.
A+
Texas A&M
Photo: via @AggieFootball
2020 was a statement year for the Aggies and Jimbo Fisher. After coming out of the gate sluggish and giving their fans a flare-up of “Battered Aggie Syndrome” as it is known in College Station, A&M found an anecdote, starting with a win over then #4 Florida in Kyle Field. The Aggies started out 1-1 with an ugly win over Vanderbilt and a thrashing at the hands of eventual SEC and National Champion Alabama (52-24...same score as the Buckeyes 🤔). But in the face of adversity, the Aggies responded with a last-second win over the Gators, and the train rolled on from there. A&M ripped off 8-straight wins, 7 in a row by double-digits, fell one spot short of giving the SEC a second team in the College Football Playoff, and capped the season with an Orange Bowl victory and the highest-ranking (#4) since the 1939 National Championship team.
The Aggies were led this year by Kellen Mond, who had his best season at QB in his 3 ½ years as the starter. The veteran A&M offensive line deserves a lion’s share of the credit for the success of this team, keeping Mond upright all year, allowing just seven sacks, and opening up massive holes for running backs Isaiah Spiller, Devon Achane and Ainias Smith. Spiller finished as the SEC’s third-leading rusher and the team finished fourth. The other side of the ball was not too shabby either, as the Aggies finished first in the SEC in total defense.
Jimbo has the Aggies on track to challenge the kings of the SEC West for supremacy, and returns much of the starters on defense in 2021, with a cupboard fully stocked with prospects. 2020 feels like the year this program turned the corner.
A-
Auburn
Photo: Butch Dill, AP
Another year, another mediocre, roller-coaster season under Gus Malzahn. The Chad Morris experiment didn’t work, and Malzahn faced a coup from his own defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele. “Malzahn malaise” finally got the best of the Auburn faithful as they watched another year of uninspired football and boneheaded calls. If it weren’t for the help of the SEC refs, Auburn could easily have been 4-6 instead of 6-4. This bloody mary cocktail proved too spicy for Auburn boosters, who held their nose and took the plunge to pay Malzahn’s exorbitant buyout just to never have to watch him coach the Tigers again. The two bright spots on the year were a blowout of LSU that no one saw coming, 48-11, and Tank Bigsby, who flashed his Heisman-caliber potential.
Much will be different heading into 2021, as “Boise Bryan” Harsin takes over for the Tigers and works to instill a new mentality to bring War Eagle back to prominence. If history is any indicator, Harsin should have the Tigers in the national title game next year.
C+
LSU
Coach O wished he could call a timeout on the entire 2020 season (Photo: Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)
That wasn’t great. The gumbo was cold and it certainly was not a repeat of that magical 2019 season. In 2020, the famous cajun phrase “Laissez les bons temps rouler” did not apply to LSU football. Instead, it was more like a simple American phrase: “sh*t on a stick.” The defense under Bo Pelini was the worst in LSU history and got smoked nearly every Saturday. After Myles Brennan went down with an injury early in the season, the quarterback situation never truly settled, until the final two games when Max Johnson took hold of the position. A win over Florida in one of the most iconic games in recent memory was the big bright spot for the Tigers this year.
There is some turnover in Baton Rouge, and much of the coaching staff was overhauled. Even with the coaching changes, Coach O has put together back to back top 4 recruiting classes, putting the Bayou Bengals in position for a quick bounceback to championship form in 2021. But with the high expectations coming off of 2019 and program standards at LSU, 2020 was a dismal failure.
D+
Ole Miss
Photo: Ole Miss Athletics
Under former head coach Matt Luke, the Rebels were slipping into the ranks of the irrelevant, and quickly. Luke was dealt a terrible hand after following the mess left by Hugh Freeze, but a change was needed in Oxford. And change they got. Enter the Lane Train. Lane Kiffin went to Nick Saban rehab, then coached FAU to some of their best seasons in school history. Ole Miss took some risk when taking Kiffin with his history of bolting for the next best job, but the success and offensive genius were undeniable and too hard to pass up. And that offensive genius became apparent from day one in Oxford. Kiffin immediately brought an attitude change and a swagger to Oxford. With the cupboard pretty bare but a few weapons to utilize, Kiffin relied on his playmakers and coached to his team’s strength - the offense - relying on them to make plays. Matt Corral went from a former 5-star backup QB potential bust to the #3 passer in the SEC. The Rebels went toe to toe against mighty Alabama, playing them better than anyone all season.
With a final record of 5-5, it’s hard to give the Rebels much more than a C. While Corral broke out and had a great season, he also gave games away, like throwing 6 INTs against Arkansas or 5 picks against LSU. The defense was also atrocious, coming in dead last in the SEC. Based on expectations, the Rebels outperformed in 2020, and they have Kiffin to thank for that. But the defense needs serious attention and Corral needs to clean up the turnovers. With the #18 class coming in for 2021, Kiffin is building Oxford back up piece by piece - and he’s the right man to do it.
C
Arkansas
Our Fayetteville man, Wild Hog, put up a great review of the Hogs 2020 season, so we won’t belabor the point. Sam Pittman exceeded expectations in year one and has the buy-in of all the Arkansas’ faithful - administration, alumni, former players and fans. His locker room speeches and signature “turn that damn jukebox on!” line has given Razorbacks much hope when there has been little of that to come by since the day Bobby Petrino crashed his motorcycle. While this team finished the year 3-7 and on a four-game losing streak, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Three of those games easily could have gone the Hogs way (Auburn, LSU, Missouri), which would have put Arkansas at 6-4. The Hogs are close to turning that corner and being able to go punch for punch with most teams in the SEC not named Alabama or Georgia.
Pittman and staff signed a top 25 recruiting class this year, but that is only good for 8th in the SEC. If Pittman wants to keep the love of Arkansas fans and his seat cool, tacking on more wins each year and upping the ante in recruiting will be necessary. The climb is still long in Fayetteville, but hope springs eternal and there does seem to be a light at the end of the mediocrity tunnel.
C-
Mississippi State
The year started out with much promise after the Bulldogs walked into Death Valley and popped the defending National Champions right in the mouth, pulling off what was a stunning upset at the time. Then we learned how bad LSU was, and Mississippi State subsequently turned around the next week and lost to Arkansas, and the wheels fell off the bandwagon just as quickly as they were assembled. In his first year in Starkville, Coach Leach faced a mass exodus of opt-outs and transfers, including the opting-out of star RB Kylin Hill, who decided to sit after just a few games and a minor injury. With a depleted roster and a locker room that was not bought in, Leach took his lumps. Losing 4-straight after the LSU game and then 3-straight after beating a hapless Vanderbilt team. The end of the year saw some encouraging signs, however, as Will “Wild Bill” Rogers took the reins at QB and Mississippi State blew out Missouri and took down a ranked Tulsa team in the Armed Forces Bowl to keep the SEC’s good name. The aftermath of that game was ugly with the brawl, but the Leach interview afterward was great theater.
Mississippi State also signed a top 25 class...only good for 9th in the SEC, behind Arkansas. But Leach has never worked with top recruiting classes his entire career. He finds diamonds in the rough, sprinkles in a few 4-stars, then inserts them into his Star Wars system and watches them blossom into stars. It still looks promising for Mississippi State, but much like their hated in-state rival Ole Miss, there is much work to be done in 2021.
D+
Disagree with us? Don’t care, but you can let us know on Twitter @biscuitsandsec or via email, contact@biscuitsandsec.com. See you back here tomorrow for part II on the SEC East.