FLORIDA: Linebacker Channing Crowder leads the SEC in tackles per game with 11. Tailback Ciatrick Fason is second in the SEC in rushing, averaging 105 yards per game. Receiver O. J. Small leads the SEC in receptions with 38. He also leads the Gators in receiving yards (439) and is tied for touchdowns with four. Although linebacker Travis Harris sprained his ankle in the loss to Mississippi State, he should be able to play Saturday. Offensive tackle Jonathan Colon (ankle) and defensive tackle Ray McDonald (ankle) will also have a chance to play. Florida leads the SEC with 19 scoring drives less than two minutes. McDonald, a sophomore, is back in the lineup after spraining his ankle against LSU. Without McDonald in the lineup, UF started Kenny Parker and Marcus Thomas. The backups were redshirt freshman Michael Hill and Clint McMillan. (Gatorbait.net and Gainesville Sun)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Quarterback Dondrial Pinkins (shoulder) has been cleared to practice, but Syvelle Newton (ankle) has been limited. Newton may play little in the game. The Gamecocks have allowed a SEC best three passing touchdowns. Tennessee has won the last 11 meetings between the teams. The last five games have been decided by an average of five points. The past four games between these teams have been decided by a total of 21 points. USC coach Lou Holtz is 1-6 against Tennessee and the Vols Philip Fulmer is 11-0. Both teams average 172 ypg rushing. USC averages 205 ypg passing and Tennessee averages 206 ypg. The Gamecocks have the No. 12 rated defense in the nation, but the offense has struggled most of the year. Tailback Demetris Summers, who gained 158 yards last year against Tennessee, is the leading ground gainer with 264 yards. Four different quarterbacks have seen action. (Gamecockcentral.com, The State and Rivals.com)

TENNESSEE: Receiver Jayson Swain caught a career high five passes for 80 yards in the win over Alabama. Vol free safety Jason Allen led the team with 15 tackles, a career high. He also batted down a pass. Tailback Gerald Riggs leads the team in rushing (560 yards) and carries (122). Injuries to the offensive line have disrupted the running game. Tight end Chris Brown, listed second on the depth chart, was suspended for the Alabama game after being arrested for shoplifting at Knoxville Friday night. He will play Saturday. Defensive coordinator John Chavis said his unit’s performance against Alabama was perhaps the best he has seen he has been in Knoxville. Right guard Cody Douglas is questionable for the game. Defensive tackle Turk McBride has gone beyond expectations this year. Tennessee four wins in the SEC are by a total of 15 points. Early in the year, Tennessee was averaging 38 points per game, but they have dropped to 16 ppg in the last four games. (Volquest.com and the Tennessean)

KENTUCKY: Defensive end Vincent “Sweet Pea” Burns will likely miss the next two games with a high ankle sprain. Starting tailback Tony Dixon left the Auburn game with a sprained ankle. He was replaced by Rafael Little, who scored on a short run. Kentucky has won the last two meetings between the teams. (SECSports.com)

MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldog football program has been stripped by the NCAA of eight scholarships over the next two seasons, banned from postseason play for one year and put on probation for four years. State will not contest the penalties. Former coach Jackie Sherrill’s name was not in the published report. Sherrill spent 30 minutes on a local radio station in Jackson, Mississippi explaining his side of the story on Thursday one day after the NCAA found him personally innocent of unethical misconduct allegations. Quinton Culberson made seven tackles last week against Florida after moving from cornerback to linebacker. In the past two games, State has rushed for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Offensive tackles Richard Burch and David Stewart have steadily improved. Tailback Jerious Norwood is averaging over 100 yards per game when he gets at least 20 carries. (Bulldogblitz.com and the Clarion-Ledger)

AUBURN: Auburn is on a ten game win streak dating back to last year. Tailback Carnell Williams ran for a season high 149 yards and two scores in the win over Kentucky. He is tied with former Tide running back Shaun Alexander with 41 rushing touchdowns (fifth in SEC history). Senior center Jeremy Ingle (sprained ankle) is iffy for the Ole Miss game. If he can’t play then junior Steven Ross will take his place. The Tigers allowed their first rushing score of the season against Kentucky when Little tallied on a 4-yard run. Auburn has scored on 43% of its offensive drives, best in the SEC. The last five meetings have been decided by five points or less. Auburn is 6-1 in Oxford. The Ole Miss four-point win last year broke a three-game Tiger win streak. Auburn has won nine of the past 11 meetings. Receiver Ben Obomanu is hoping to make amends for dropping a touchdown pass in the waning minutes of last year’s game. Auburn has been terrific in third down situations. Overall, Auburn has converted 48% of the time. In the first quarter they have converted 76% of the time on third down and 56% in the second quarter. The defense has allowed only a 27% conversion rate on third down. Auburn leads the SEC in sacks with 25. Defensive end Stanley McClover (6.5 sacks) and Quentin Groves (4.5 sacks) are leading the team. They are backups to Bret Eddins and Doug Lagenfeld. (Auburnsports.com and Huntsville Times)

OLE MISS: The previous week off allowed receivers Bill Flowers (kidney), Mike Espy (ankle), offensive tackle Tre Stallings (ankle), defensive end Jayme Mitchell (knee) and safety Kelvin Robinson (shoulder) to return from injuries. Kicker Jonathan Nichols (sprained toe) is still hurt. In three wins, Vashon Pearson averages 112 yards per game, but in four losses only 68. (RebelGrove.com and Clarion Ledger)

VANDERBILT AT LSU: The Tigers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Troy. It was their eighth fourth quarter rally in five seasons and third this year. Defensive end Marcus Spears had six tackles behind the line and a pass deflection. After rushing for 210 yards against Florida, LSU ran for only 57 yards on 36 carries (1.6 yards per rush) against Troy. The Tigers committed four turnovers. They have committed seven in the past two games and won both. Going back to the Georgia game, LSU has committed 10 turnovers and forced none. The two teams have not played since 1997. LSU is last in turnover margin in the SEC. Coach Nick Saban has challenged his offensive line to play better. Defensive end Melvin Oliver has struggled with injuries this week. (The advocate.com and TigerBait.com)

ALABAMA IS OFF: Fullback/tailback Tim Castille is out for the year after tearing two knee ligaments in his right knee. Le’Ron McClain replaces him. Freshman Aaron Johns is the No. 2 tailback behind Kenneth Darby and Josh Smith is the reserve behind McClain at fullback. Freshman tight end Trent Davidson sustained a deep bone bruise and hyper-extended his knee in Sunday night’s scrimmage work. Alabama is the top defense in the nation allowing 221 ypg. ESPN2 has selected the Mississippi State game for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. The offensive line needs rest this week because four of the starting five are battling injuries. (BamaOnline.com and Al.com)

ARKANSAS IS OFF: Jeb Huckeba, who broke his hand in practice Tuesday, had 12 tackles, four for loss and three sacks in the loss to Georgia. The Hog offense fumbled twice and failed to score in the second half. Quarterback Matt Jones, who was 12-of-21 for 181 yards, missed a lot of time due to his groin injury. Jones could be close to normal next week. Meanwhile, Robert Johnson is getting most of the snaps. The Hogs are 0-6 in October over the past two seasons. Coach Houston Nutt said the week off is needed to get several players healthy. The Hogs need to win three games from a group of four—South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU—in order to become bowl eligible. (Hawgsports.com)

INSTANT REPLAY: Commissioner Mike Slive said this week that SEC might reconsider its stance on instant replay because it has worked so well in the Big Ten. Instant replay has been used in 38 games in the Big Ten this season, about 55% of the total number of games involving teams from the conference. There have been 28 replays and half of those have been reversed. (Tennessean.com)

GEORGIA TECH: Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall threw for 304 yards and two long scores as the Hokies scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Yellow Jackets Thursday night. Georgia Tech scored twice in less than a minute in the second quarter to go ahead 14-0, but they could not keep the lead. Virginia Tech gained 446 yards.

MIAMI: Quarterback Brock Berlin threw a school record five scoring passes in the win over N. C. State. In the past three games, Berlin has thrown for 773 yards and 11 touchdowns, improving his passing efficiency from 117 to 145. Kareem Brown, who replaced senior defensive tackle Santonio Thomas, played well against N. C. State. Brown caused a fumble and nearly scored. Thomas had his knee scoped Wednesday. Derrick Morse will start for injured guard Tyler McMeans. Quarterback Kyle Wright is wearing a boot for his sprained ankle that he injured in Tuesday’s practice. He is out for the UNC game. Receiver Ryan Moore will sit out his fourth straight game with a high ankle sprain. ESPN has selected the Nov. 6 game against Clemson for a 7:45 p.m. broadcast. (Canesport.com and Miami Herald)

NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels allow an average of 252 yards per game (No. 115 in the nation. The pass defense is No. 104. Receiver Jarwaski Pollock has at least one catch in 30 straight games. (theacc.collegesports.com)

N. C. STATE: Freshman Luke Lathan had to play center against Miami after Leroy Harris had to leave the game with an injury. T. A. McClendon is No. 2 in the ACC in rushing (99 ypg). Last year, the Wolfpack beat Clemson by two points at home after trailing by 11 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jay Davis has thrown four straight 200-yard games. (theacc.collegesports.com)

CLEMSON: Receiver Curtis Baham was suspended for the Maryland game for a class attendance violation. Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was sacked a season high five times in the game. He did not throw an interception for the first time in 11 games. Whitehurst said he was returning next season for his senior year. Tailback Reggie Merriweather ran for 60 yards on 17 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown with 23 seconds left as Clemson won its second straight game. Over the last two games, Clemson has allowed only two touchdowns. Clemson leads the ACC with 30 sacks. The school record set in 1999 is 47. In the win over Maryland, Clemson did not commit a turnover for the first time all season. Clemson is averaging only 99 yards a game on the ground (No. 107 nationally). (TigerIllustrated.com and theacc.collegesports.com)

FSU: The three-point win over Wake Forest was the smallest margin of victory for the Noles since joining the ACC. It was the fewest points that FSU has scored against Wake.

FSU is 34-0 in ACC during the month of October. Senior defensive back Jerome Carter led FSU in tackles for the second straight week. The FSU defense held the second straight opponent without a touchdown. FSU has beaten Maryland 14 straight times. They have not allowed more than 10 points in seven of the past eight games against Maryland. FSU is second in the nation in rushing and eight in total defense. Senior defensive end Eric Moore and junior defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley are back from ankle injuries. Defensive tackle Travis Johnson has posted 12 tackles for loss, No. 10 nationally in that category. Receiver Lorne Sam aggravated a foot injury. Freshman De’Cody Fagg, who has played in three games this season, is the only healthy split end. Junior free safety Pat Watkins was in on 80 plays against Wake Forest, an unheard of number for a FSU safety. Injuries to senior B. J. Ward and Roger Williams have forced Watkins to be an iron man. With Leon Washington out due to a shoulder injury, Lorenzo Booker is the main running back. (Warchant.com and the Tallahassee Democrat)

MARYLAND: The Terp offense was held to 194 total yards in the loss to Clemson. Coach Ralph Friedgen questioned a late pass interference call on cornerback Gerrick McPhearson. Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson had 18 tackles against Clemson. He leads the ACC with 11 per game and 78 total. Maryland is No. 21 nationally in total defense allowing 293 ypg. (theacc.collegesports.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.