Mississippi State Bulldogs

The SEC: 2015 year in review

Published Dec. 1, 2015 11:46 a.m. ET

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With the 2015 regular season in the books, it's time to take a look back at all the highs and lows of the SEC season. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alabama junior RB Derrick Henry

Without question, Alabama’s star running back has been the most significant player in the conference this year. 

Henry has rushed for 1,797 yards and 22 touchdowns. He leads the nation in both categories. The Florida native truly is the galvanizing force behind Nick Saban’s offense. He’s rushing to the tune of a 6.1 yards-per-carry average, and has rushed for at least 127 yards in eight games. This includes his latest stretch -- in which Henry has rushed for at least 200 yards in four of the past six games. 

Because of his strong efforts, Henry looks comfortably placed in the driver’s seat for the 2015 Heisman Trophy.  

PLAY OF THE YEAR:  The crazy lateral from Hunter Henry to Alex Collins

Down seven points and facing a fourth-and-25, Arkansas completed what may be the most improbable play of the season. 

Brandon Allen gunned a pass to tight end Hunter Henry near the sidelines. Clearly short of the first-down mark, Henry threw the ball over his head before being tackled. With the ball bouncing around, running back Alex Collins snagged it and rumbled inexplicably for the first down. 

The play ultimately led to a touchdown and two-point conversion -- giving Arkansas a 53-52 victory -- and kept Ole Miss from winning the SEC West title. 

Not only did the play have an extremely low-percentage chance of being converted, but it also directly led to a victory for the Razorbacks. It will be one seen on highlight reels for years and years to come. 

Honorable mention:  Chad Kelly’s miracle, tipped touchdown pass to Quincy Adeboyejo against Alabama

COACH OF THE YEAR: Florida head coach Jim McElwain

Did anyone seriously envision Florida contending for the SEC East Division at the beginning of the year?

Not only did the Gators contend for the division crown, but they won it -- in large part thanks to McElwain’s managerial skills. The Gators’ head man navigated through an unexpected suspension to his starting quarterback midway through the season, and also a myriad of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. 

A year ago, tension in Gainesville ran high in regard to the Will Muschamp era. Fast-forward one season, and the carnival-like atmosphere surrounding “The Swamp” is seemingly back in full force. Florida will play Alabama for the SEC crown on Dec. 5 in Atlanta.

BEST COMEBACK PERFORMANCE: Arkansas senior QB Brandon Allen

Allen has had a rough go of it in Fayetteville. He’s been doubted his entire college career by the fan base and criticized for his failures to deliver in the clutch. Some have suggested he’s only on the team because his father is on the staff. Fans have routinely called for his job, and considering his younger brother is the backup only makes the situation more awkward. 

After a 1-3 start, things looked especially gloomy for Allen and the Razorbacks. Head coach Bret Bielema had become a national punching bag, and the season appeared lost.

Then something interesting happened; the team rallied for a win at Tennessee after beginning the game in a 14-0 hole and would go on to win six of its final eight games, including five SEC games. Two in overtime were won after Allen made incredibly clutch plays to keep his team in the game. 

Allen finished the regular season with 3,125 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He'll be in contention for the quarterback spot on the All-SEC team.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Coaching upheaval in the SEC East

As the calendar hits December, who would have imagined the most tenured coaches in the SEC East -- a division that featured 41 years of combined service from Steve Spurrier, Gary Pinkel and Mark Richt -- would be Mark Stoops and Butch Jones. 

And yet here we are. 

Spurrier up and quit six games into the season, Pinkel resigned to focus on his health while battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and Richt will finish out his tenure in Athens after the bowl game.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Georgia (9-3 overall, 5-3 SEC)

The preseason favorite to win the East yet again failed to do so, and it ultimately cost Richt his job after a nine-win campaig -- which featured bad losses to Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. 

The quarterback situation remained unsettled all season long, and considering graduate transfer Greyson Lambert won the job despite being on campus for just more than a month before the opener, the coaching staff did a poor job managing the position. 

A splintered coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, played out like a bad TV drama for much of the season. The speculation of strife within the coaching staff certainly didn’t help matters, and the offense never found its footing after running back Nick Chubb’s injury.

VIRAL MOMENT OF THE YEAR: Leonard Fournette’s game against Auburn

The legend of Leonard Fournette on the collegiate level began against Auburn in Week 3. 

Fournette finished with 228 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 19 carries. It was a dominating effort by the star running back -- and was punctuated even further by the spectacular nature of two runs in particular. 

On one touchdown run, he lowered his shoulder and pummeled Auburn defensive back Blake Countess into the ground (there’s still no word on whether it left an imprint of Countess’ body). On a second score, Fournette evaded multiple defenders, and then literally threw another helpless Tiger defender off of his back en route to the end zone.

PLAYER TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2016: Alabama freshman WR Calvin Ridley

While Henry receives the majority of the praise and national accolades and quarterback Jacob Coker is credited with his maturation into a quality starter, the Alabama offense did not truly blossom until Ridley emerged as a threat at receiver. 

Ridley's breakout game occurred in Alabama’s early signature win of the season, a 38-10 victory at Georgia. In that game, Ridley caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The freshman followed that effort with a nine-catch, 140-yard performance that included a score, which gave the Tide a lead they would not surrender. 

The true freshman faced the daunting task of replacing Amari Cooper and answered with 67 catches, 791 yards and five touchdowns for an offense centered on the ground game. Expect Alabama’s offense to run through Ridley as soon as 2016.

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