SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #6

We are now less than one week away from the kickoff of the SEC Schedule! Just six days separate from South Carolina and Vanderbilt playing in Nashville next Thursday. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo for updates. You can also follow the blog by clicking the "follow" button in the upper right corner of your screen. Our countdown for #6 today features a player from the two teams that will meet in the first SEC matchup of the season:

Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt

Jay Cutler is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at Vandy. Cutler was the 2005 SEC Offensive Player of the Year. That season Cutler led the SEC in completions and passing yardage. His 21 passing touchdowns were second in the conference that season, where he led the Commodores to just a 5-6 season despite his numbers. Cutler was the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Here are some of Cutler's highlights from his 2005 season with the Commodores:




Melvin Ingram, LB/DL, South Carolina

Ingram was a special player for the Gamecocks. He started in at least 11 games in all four of his seasons with South Carolina from 2007 until 2011. He was a Consensus All-American in 2011. Ingram's 22 career sacks put him ninth on the all-time in the SEC. He racked up 15 tackles for loss in 2011, which was the third-best total in the conference. Ingram was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers, where he still plays today. Check out his lone touchdown of his South Carolina career, where he displayed his tremendous athleticism by taking a fake punt 68 yards to the end zone against Georgia in Athens to help give the Gamecocks a big win:



Be sure to check out our week one SEC picks this coming Tuesday (8/29). If you missed any part of our countdown you can find the links to each post on the right side of your screen. You can follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to share!

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #7

We are just one week away from South Carolina versus Vanderbilt next Thursday night in Nashville! Our countdown continues with two players that dominated the SEC East while playing for their respective schools.


Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

Believe it or not, Clowney actually finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting after the 2012 season. His 47 tackles for loss are third all-time in SEC history, and his 24 sacks are the sixth-best in SEC history. Always recognized for his freakish talent, Clowney was the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and was a consensus All-American in 2012. Many people remember Clowney's tremendous hit against Michigan that helped South Carolina to an Outback Bowl victory:




Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida

Another Steve Spurrier product, Wuerffel won the Ole Ball Coach a National Title in 1996. He also won plenty of recognition during his career at Florida. He was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1996, along with winning the SEC Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996. He was also the 1996 Maxwell Award winner. Check out Wuerffel's touchdown pass to Chris Doering that gave the Gators a big victory against Kentucky in 1993 with 17 seconds left on the clock:




Just seven days left until kickoff, folks! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo. You can also follow the blog by clicking the "follow" button in the upper righthand corner of your screen. If you missed any of the countdown, you find each post by clicking the links on the right side of the page. As always, thanks for reading!

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #14

Just 14 days...

That's all that separates us from the Sept. 1 SEC opener between South Carolina and Vanderbilt in Nashville. Here's a couple of great SEC players to wear #14:

Eric Berry, DB, Tennessee

Berry was feared by SEC receivers from 2007 to 2009. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and was a consensus All-American in 2008 and 2009. Berry was also the 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He has the most interception return yards of any player in SEC history and intercepted 14 passes while playing for the Vols.

Here's a video of Berry intercepting SEC great Tim Tebow and taking it 96 yards for a touchdown in 2007:

Connor Shaw, QB, South Carolina

Shaw wasn't the biggest or most talented quarterback to ever play in the SEC. He was, however, very good at winning football games. As a starter, Shaw was 27-5 and was undefeated at home. That's right, he went 17-0 as a starter in Columbia and is the most winningest quarterback in South Carolina history. He was known for his efficiency as a passer. In his senior season in 2013, Shaw threw 24 touchdowns with just one interception.

Here's a video of Shaw connecting with Alshon Jeffery on a hallmark to close out the first half of South Carolina's win over Nebraska in the 2012 Capitol One Bowl:




Be sure to follow us on Twitter for continued updates @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo by clicking the user names and hitting the "follow" button. During the season, we'll be picking each SEC game along with three other games across the FBS.

If you missed a day of the countdown, you can find each post by clicking the links below. As always, thanks for reading!

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #19
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #18
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #17
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #16
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #15