By the end of the season, a record of 0-8 in the SEC for the 2014 season has improved to 2-6 in the 2015 season. The team has gone 4-8 overall compared to last season’s 3-9; a marginal gain, but a gain nonetheless. The team looks more settled and comfortable in their second year playing under head coach Derek Mason.
These obvious, surface-level improvements have been due to a solid — and at times, borderline elite — defensive front. Although the team’s overall record may not reflect this quality, the defense has ranked up with college football’s best for much of the season.