FLORIDA: Gator quarterback Chris Leak has thrown for more than 200 yards in his last five games. He is completing 64% of his passes and has seven touchdowns and four picks. Tailback Ciatrick Fason, who had 210 yards against Kentucky, leads the SEC in rushing (132 yards per game) and all-purpose yardage (163 yards per game). He is averaging 6.4 yards per run. In three seasons under Coach Ron Zook, Florida has run 1,032 running plays and 1,025 passing plays. After catching long passes in the past two games, receiver Chad Jackson has earned more playing time. Center Mike Degory is fine after having his bell rung against Kentucky. The Gator defense has only two sacks on the season. Taurus Johnson (6-0, 185), a receiver from Cape Coral, Fla., has committed to the Gators. Southern California, Miami, FSU and Iowa are among the schools who have offered him. (Gatorbait.net and SECsports.com)

LSU: Tiger receiver Dwayne Bowe leads the Tigers with 16 catches for 284 yards and four scores. LSU running back Justin Vincent leads the team with 223 yards on 49 carries. The Tiger defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown this season and has given up only seven in the last 18 games. LSU beat Georgia twice last season, once in the SEC title game. LSU needs a healthy Sklyer Green, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain, on the return team. Alley Broussard, more of a power back, and Justin Vincent, more of a slasher, have been a good compliment to each other. Broussard has been more effective in SEC player with 84 yards against Auburn and 73 versus Mississippi State. One of the interesting matchups in the game will be LSU cornerbacks Corey Webster and Travis Daniels against the taller Bulldog receivers in Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson. (SECSports.com, advocate.com and TigerBait.com)

GEORGIA: Free safety Thomas Davis has 27 tackles this season, third among SEC defensive backs. Bulldog quarterback David Greene is 35-8 as a starter. The Bulldogs must protect Greene. LSU leads the SEC in sacks with 11. In the first game last season against LSU, the Tiger defense had eight sacks and 10 tipped passes. Combined in two games against LSU last year, Greene was 37-of-85 passing with five picks. Georgia has lost just four turnovers in three games this year. LSU and Georgia have met only 12 times in the past 50 years. The Bulldogs have a verbal commitment from Mike Moore, a receiver from Coconut Creek, Fla. Moore, who has a 1,000 on the SAT, has picked up 360 yards in three games. Linebacker Odell Thurman is starting his first game of the season after being suspended for the first three games. Injured freshman tailback Danny Ware returns this week from a lung contusion. (UGASports.com and SECSports.com)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Last week in the win over Troy, the USC defense held the Trojans to 207 yards and forced three turnovers. They held South Florida to only 191 yards a week early. Quarterback Dondrial Pinkins is 30-of-49 for 469 yards and has rushed for 124 more yards. Receiver Troy Williamson, who has 19 catches for 545 yards, leads the SEC in receiving yards per game (28 yards per catch). Williamson has six catches of 50 plus yards. USC and Alabama are tied for first place in the SEC in turnover margin at plus four after four games. Carolina has five sacks in the first four games and six picks. Gamecock tailback Demetrius Summers, who has missed the past few games due to a high ankle sprain, is expected to play. Charles Silas, who has dropped 30 pounds in the offseason, is seeing more time at defensive end. Silas, who plays behind Moe Thompson, has one of USC’s sacks. USC is 0-7 in Tuscaloosa and 1-10 in the series. (The State, SECsports.com and GamecockCentral.com)

ALABAMA: Tide opponents have not converted an Alabama turnover into points this season. ‘Bama free safety Roman Harper has 29 tackles in 2004. Alabama averages 248 yards rushing per game (second in the SEC), while USC, the second ranked run defense in the SEC, allows only 92 yards per game. Alabama gives up only 107 yards per game rushing. Tailback Ray Hudson ran for 170 yards against Arkansas, which was more impressive because he was recovering from a concussion. The Tide ran for 176 yards in the first half against Arkansas and only 95 in the second half. Freshman cornerback Simeon Castille is recovering from a hyper-extended MCL in his right knee. He is expected to play Saturday. Jefferson Pilot will televise the Kentucky game in Lexington next week at 12:30 p.m. Scott Deaton (6-4, 258), who is from Oak Mountain High, has verbally committed to the Tide. (BamaOnline.com, SECSports.com)

AUBURN: Tiger running back Carnell Williams is No. 4 in the SEC in rushing with 395 yards on 82 carries. Coach Tommy Tuberville is 1-3 against the Vols. Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer is 3-1 against Auburn. The Tigers are No. 6 in the SEC against the pass allowing only 132 yards per game, but they have not played any potent passing teams. The Tiger defense must stop the Tennessee rushing attack that leads the SEC, averaging 263 yards per game. Auburn has allowed only 114 yards rushing per game, fifth in the SEC. Tiger linebackers Travis Williams and Antarrious Williams lead the team in tackles. Auburn allows 6.5 points per game, second nationally. Tiger quarterback Jason Campbell is averaging only 148 yards passing per game, last in the SEC. Auburn senior defensive end Doug Lagenfeld is back as a starter after battling various injuries including a recent thigh bruise. Auburn needs him for help with the running game defense. Auburn’s Kody Bliss and Tennessee’s Dustin Colquitt are two of the best punters in the SEC. (AuburnSports.com, Al.com and SECSports.com)

TENNESSEE: The Vols have scored 114 points in three games. Ten different receivers have caught passes. Quarterback Erik Ainge is No. 4 nationally and leads the SEC in pass efficiency. He has completed 64% of his passes. Tennessee leads the SEC in drive success percentage 17 of 37 drives scored (45%). They also have committed only four offensive penalties in three games. Tennessee has 12 scoring drives of 80 yards or more. The Vols lead the Auburn series in Knoxville 14-7-2. Auburn won last year at home 28-21 breaking a four-game Vol winning streak. Auburn has not won in Knoxville since 1983. The teams met every year from 1956-91, but the two teams have not played in Knoxville since 1999. Tennessee is averaging 503 yards per game on offense. They have good balance averaging 263 yards rushing per game and 240 yards passing. Through three games, they have nine plays of 20 yards or more passing and nine plays of 20 yards or more rushing. Vol tailback Cedric Houston is averaging 103 yards per game and Gerald Riggs is averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Last year, Tennessee gained 14 yards on nine carries as Auburn jumped out to a big lead. Auburn gained 264 yards on the ground. The Vols will have a hard time stopping the Tiger rush especially without linebacker Kevin Simon (ACL), who was the best run stopper. Tennessee has been vulnerable to the sweep. Vol redshirt freshman Roshaun Fellows is replacing Jonathan Wade in the secondary. Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer has made constant changes in the secondary looking for the right combination. (Volquest.com, The Tennessean and SECsports.com)

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT VANDERBILT: In its first three games this season, State has used 30 different starters. The Bulldogs have won the last four meetings and eight of the last nine games against Vanderbilt. Receiver McKinley Scott, who has missed the last two games with a pulled hamstring, might play. Bulldog quarterback Omarr Conner is out for several games with a knee injury. Kyle York replaces him. (Bulldogblitz.com and SECsports.com)

OHIO AT KENTUCKY: Against Florida, the Wildcats barely had 200 yards of offense and 7 of their 13 possessions were five plays or fewer. Ohio quarterback Ryan Hawk has completed 66-of-123 passes for 837 yards with seven scores and two interceptions. Kentucky has lost just three fumbles in its first three games. Ohio is the No. 25 defense nationally. They held Pitt to 225 yards at Pitt. Last season, Kentucky beat Ohio 35-14. (Kentucky Sports Report and SECsports.com)

ARKANSAS STATE AT OLE MISS: State is 1-3 this season under Coach Steve Roberts. They have lost to Missouri, LSU and Memphis. Last week against Wyoming, Rebel quarterback Ethan Flatt, who was 19-of-22 for 284 yards, accounted for five turnovers-four picks and a fumble in the loss to Wyoming. Rebel running back Vashon Pearson has 352 yards rushing on 64 carries, No. 6 in the SEC. Ole Miss has 10 field goals and seven touchdowns in four games. Rebel Bobby Harris has returned to the starting left tackle spot after recovering from an injury. Junior college transfer Larry Kendrick is working at receiver. The Rebels are in danger of winning less than seven games for the first time since 1996. The Ole Miss offense is ranked ninth in the league this year. Last year, it was first. (Clarion Ledger, SECsports.com and RebelGrove.com)

CLEMSON IS OFF THIS WEEK: Tiger quarterback Charlie Whitehurst has 13 turnovers including 10 picks in four games. He has five scoring passes. Cornerback Justin Miller had 282 yards in kickoff returns against FSU. Clemson is ranked No. 117 in turnover margin. They have committed 12 turnovers and have only one takeaway. The Tigers are No. 90 in total offense, No. 86 in total defense, No. 97 in rushing offense and No. 97 in rushing defense. (TigerIllustrated.com)

NORTH CAROLINA AT FSU: The Noles are No. 104 out of 117 teams in pass efficiency. After holding Clemson to only 173 total yards, FSU’s defense ranks No. 4 nationally allowing 227 yards and 15 points per game. Drew Weatherford is expected to be the backup quarterback to starter Wyatt Sexton (17-of-26 for 162 yards against Clemson), primarily because he has adjusted quicker to taking center snaps. Xavier Lee, the other freshman quarterback, primarily worked out of the shotgun formation during his high school career. This week, Sexton faces the No. 106 ranked defense of North Carolina. Next week, the Noles play Syracuse, the No. 73 ranked defense. Safety Kyler Hall (neck sprain) and center John Frady (dislocated elbow) could be out for several weeks or even the rest of the season due to injuries. (Warchant.com)

VIRGINIA IS OFF: Cavalier senior defensive end Chris Canty will have knee surgery and miss the rest of the season. He was injured in the win over Syracuse. Kwakou Robinson, a junior will replace him. Quarterback Marques Hagans was 11-of-12 for 202 yards along with 81 yards rushing in the win over Syracuse. (WagonOnline.com and Rivals.com)

WEST VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH: Hokie receiver Eddie Royal has been very impressive. He had three catches for 47 yards and three punt returns for 107 yards in eh loss to N. C. State. West Virginia won last year 28-7. Tech could be the only obstacle standing in West Virginia’s way to the national title game. The Tech defense is No. 15 in the nation allowing only 266 yards per game. Tech’s Mike Imoh ran for 74 yards against the State defense. Mountaineer tailback Kay-Jay Harris (81 carries for 549 yards) is nursing a bad hamstring. WVU averages 276 yards rushing, No. 9 in the nation and Tech averages 145 yards per game, No. 9 in the ACC. West Virginia’s Adam “Pac-Man” Jones has two picks and averages 19 yards per punt return. WVU receiver Chris Henry (6-5, 195) has 23 catches for 325 yards and six scores. Mountaineer quarterback Rasheed Marshall is 47-of-75 for 684 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. (Rivals.com)

MIAMI: Receiver Ryan Moore, who is wearing a boot, is not expected to play against Tech. Lance Leggett or Roscoe Parrish will likely take his place. Offensive lineman Rashad Butler has returned to practice and he could start against Georgia Tech. Linebacker Leon Williams, who is coming off a hand injury, is expected to play. Tailback Frank Gore, who has been bothered by tendonitis in his knee, is expected to see action. If Cane quarterback Brock Berlin, (43-of-73 for 476 yards and two scores) continues to struggle, either Kyle Wright or Derrick Crudup could replace him. Berlin has been sacked eight times in the past two games. The Cane defense is allowing only 211 yards per game and a total of 23 points in the first three games. Miami fullback Kyle Cobia had shoulder surgery and is probably gone for the season. Kicker Jon Peattie has struggled with hamstring and groin injuries. (Canesport.com)

GEORGIA TECH: Yellow Jacket receiver Calvin Johnson is a real threat to the Cane secondary. Tailback P. J. Daniels, who averages 108 yards per game, is doubtful due to a quad injury. Backup Chris Woods is a capable replacement. Tech has had two weeks to prepare for the game. Although Tech only has three sacks on the season, junior defensive end Eric Henderson, an All-American candidate, is expected to play in his first game. Quarterback Reggie Ball, who is second ACC total offense, is prone to turnovers (three in the loss to North Carolina). (Rivals.com)

WAKE FOREST AT N. C. STATE: What a turnaround for the Wolfpack defense. State is ranked No. 1 nationally allowing just 165 yards per game. Last season they were allowing 421 yards per game, the No. 89 nationally. State’s defense sacked Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall 10 times. They also accounted for 18 tackles-for-loss. State defensive end Manny Lawson has five sacks on the season. Jay Davis remains the Wolfpack quarterback even though he and Marcus Stone have struggled. N. C. State has turned the ball over eight times in three games. Wake has already forced nine turnovers. Wake loves to run tailback Chris Barclay (352 yards), but State is allowing only 68 yards rushing per game. (Rivals.com)

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FL.
HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM AND SAMSPORTSLINE.COM.