Gaines lone Tiger to receive attention in preseason all-SEC voting

Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines was a third-team all-SEC selection in voting at the conference's media days.
Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines was a third-team all-SEC selection in voting at the conference's media days.

Media members around the Southeastern Conference apparently don't think much of the Missouri Tigers' chances this football season.

On Thursday, the all-SEC teams and preseason polls were released and E.J. Gaines was the lone Tiger to be recognized, earning third-team honors at cornerback. The product of Fort Osage High School led the team with 11 pass break-ups last season and was fourth with 74 tackles.

It was the lowest number of players from one school on the team, with Mississippi State and Kentucky getting two each.

Missouri was also selected to finish sixth out of seven teams in the East Division, receiving 577 points. Georgia received 149 first-place votes to top the division with 1,570 points. South Carolina (75, 1,474) and Florida (19, 1,300) were the top three vote-getters.

Alabama was selected to win the West Division, getting 225 first-place votes and 1,681 points. The Crimson Tide also dominated the voting for the conference champion, receiving 182 of the 243 votes.

For the complete list of voting, see page C2.

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Also on Thursday, Henry Josey of the Tigers was named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given to the top college running back.

Josey, a semifinalist for the award in 2011 as a sophomore, missed last season with a knee injury. He ran for 1,168 yards and nine touchdowns in the 2011 season despite missing the final three games of the campaign.

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