Adams: Berry best since McDaniel

The SEC might have set an NCAA record Saturday night for the earliest voting deadline.

If you voted on the SEC championship game MVP award, you were required to turn in your ballot by the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter. A bit early, don't you think?

What's next? Halftime?

Usually, voters for such awards have until five minutes are left in the game. Even that's too early in a game that's undecided.

So with eight minutes to go, I voted Tennessee freshman safety Eric Berry as the game's MVP. Granted, LSU had just taken a one-point lead. But I still had the misguided notion UT would win the game. And even if I were wrong, I could justify picking the MVP from the losing team.

It's questionable whether UT would have been within striking distance of LSU without Berry. He had an interception, a fumble recovery and a crucial fourth-down tackle in UT's 21-14 loss.

LSU might have one of the nation's best defenses. But none of its defenders made more big plays in the game than Berry.

Hopefully, voters who select theAll-SEC team were paying attention. When the media and coaches teams are announced in the next couple of days, Berry should be on both of them.

A few weeks ago, I regarded Berry as a second-team, All-SEC pick. He changed my mind by the way he finished the season.

As a true freshman in the best conference in the country, he should be first-team, All-SEC.

Sure, he got beat for touchdowns during the course of a season, which he began as a cornerback before switching to strong safety. But name a defensive back who didn't get beat.

Only four SEC players have more interceptions than Berry, who had four. Only eight have more solo tackles than Berry's 55.

And he's playing even better than his total stats indicate.

In the last four games, Berry has 32 total tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery and two passes broken up. He had 14 tackles against Kentucky and two interception returns for a total of 98 yards against Arkansas.

That's not just a great month. That's a preview of what UT fans have to look forward to the next two years. No one should expect him to stick around for his senior season.

Based on what he has shown as a freshman, he won't need more than three seasons to be NFL-ready.

Since I began following the Vols on a regular basis in 1987, they have had nine defensive backs make first-team All-SEC. My favorite of the bunch was cornerback Terry McDaniel, who was a senior in 1987. He could cover and tackle exceptionally, which explains why the Raiders made him a first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in 1988.

McDaniel made the Raiders' scouts look brilliant. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in five of his nine seasons (all with the Raiders) and had 35 career interceptions and six touchdowns.

Berry has that kind of potential as a safety. He's fast, hits like a linebacker, and seemingly has a built-in radar for the ball.

And just as significant for UT, he's only a freshman.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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