TENNESSEE: The Vols gained 606 total yards in their 37-31 win over Kentucky. Tennessee scored with 38 seconds left in the game on tailback Gerald Riggs’ 12-yard run. Tailback Cedric Houston ran for 127 yards. Quarterback Rick Clausen completed 26-of-41 for 349 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. Over the past two weeks, the Vol defense has allowed 64 points and 743 yards to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Wildcats have not scored that many points in Knoxville since 1893 when the school was called Kentucky A and M. Part of the problem is the loss of defensive back Roshaun Fellows, who has been replaced by Jonathan Wade, who has struggled in his two starts. Receiver Robert Meachem had five catches for 145 yards. Defensive lineman Justin Harrell hurt his ankle in the game. When Tennessee has been a double-digit underdog with Coach Phil Fulmer, the Vols have won every time. Fulmer said Clausen would quarterback the team in the SEC title game because Brent Schaeffer will not play in the game because he is recovering from a broken collarbone. In 11 games, five Vol opponents have scored at least 28 points, including 34 from Auburn. (Volquest.com and Tennessean.com)

FLORIDA: Potential targets for the next Gator coach are Urban Myer of Utah (who is also talking to Notre Dame), Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Bob Petrino of Louisville. Stoops said Thursday that he was not pursuing any other jobs. Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Midgett has asked for and was granted his release. He is looking at transferring to either South Carolina or Eastern Illinois. Ron Zook has interviewed at Illinois. Some reports have connected him with the Ole Miss position and the Pittsburgh job, if it comes open. Ronnie Wilson (6-4, 335), an offensive lineman from Pompano Beach Ely, has committed to Florida. N. C. State, Ohio State and Pitt have offered him. He is the No. 16 rated guard according to Rivals.com (GatorBait.net and Gainesville Sun)

KENTUCKY: Wildcat freshman receiver Lonnell Dewalt blocked two kicks in the loss to Tennessee. He blocked seven kicks this season. Kentucky played well offensively for three quarters, but they could not add an insurance score in the final period. The Wildcats surrendered a nine- point lead in the fourth quarter. Against Tennessee, the Wildcats had 323 total yards and scoring drives of 91, 77 and 80 yards. Redshirt freshman receiver Jacob Tamme scoring passes of 20 and 16 yards from quarterback Shane Boyd. There has been no further word about any shakeup on the Wildcat coaching staff. Head coach Rich Brooks appears to be safe after offensive coordinator Ron Hudson resigned last week. (Kentucky Sports Report and Herald Leader)

GEORGIA: The Bulldogs beat Georgia Tech 19-13 for their fourth straight win over the Yellow Jackets. Georgia jumped out to a 16-0 lead at halftime. Quarterback David Greene played the first two series before breaking a small bone at the end of his thumb on his throwing hand. In the third quarter, Georgia had (-15 yards) of offense on 10 plays and fumbled a kickoff to give Tech the ball at the Georgia 14-yard line. The Bulldogs ran for only 34 yards. Georgia defensive end David Pollack had two sacks and fellow defensive end Quentin Moses added three sacks. C. J. Byrd (6-3, 185), a receiver/safety from North Augusta High and Kade Weston (6-6, 315), a defensive tackle from Red Bank (N. J.), have committed to the Bulldogs. Byrd is the No. 6 ranked athlete according to Rivals.com and Weston is the No. 5 defensive tackle. Clemson, Southern Cal and Florida State have offered Byrd. Linebacker Dana Graydon, who left Georgia following his redshirt freshman season to enroll at Georgia Military, will not be returning to Athens because Georgia coaches told him that they do not have room for him. Instead, Graydon might be transferring to South Carolina. Georgia is headed to the Outback Bowl to play Wisconsin. (Ledger Inquirer, Atlanta Constitution and UGASports.com)

OLE MISS: The Rebels have won three straight Egg Bowls after beating Mississippi State 20-3. The Ole Miss senior class finished with a 24-20 record. Ole Miss quarterback Robert Lane rushed for a career high 97 yards on 16 carries and threw for 108 yards. The Rebels ran for 283 yards rushing, the most since they rushed for 293 yards against Vanderbilt in 1989. Rebel defensive back Travis Johnson intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Nichols scored eight points to end his career with 344 points, fifth most in SEC history. Ole Miss finished with its first losing season since 1996. Former Rebel coach David Cutcliffe was 44-29 in six seasons at Ole Miss, where he is the only coach in school history to win at least seven games in each of his first five years. Cutcliffe, 25-23 in SEC games, was fired Wednesday when he did not agree to make wholesale changes on his staff. Coaching possibilities are Ron Zook, Rick Neuheisel, Ed Oregron (USC), Brian VanGorder (UGA), Gene Chizik (Auburn) and Jimbo Fisher (LSU). (RebelGrove.com and Clarion Ledger)

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Despite the defense forcing five turnovers, the Bulldog offense failed to score more than three points in the Ole Miss loss. The Bulldogs gained only 58 total yards in the first half. State has lost 12 consecutive road games and 17 straight SEC road games. Tailback Jerious Norwood was held to 24 yards rushing. Backup quarterback Kyle York and second-string flanker Brandon Wright have told Coach Sly Croom that they will not return next season. Backup rover Marvin Byrdsong is also considering transferring. (Clarion Leger and Bulldogblitz.com)

LSU: The Tigers beat Arkansas 43-14 last Friday. Quarterback Marcus Randall completed 10-of-14 passes for 173 yards and two scores. He rushed 17 times for 79 yards and two scores. LSU ran 67 plays with no turnovers. In the second half, LSU allowed Arkansas only 105 total yards on 36 plays. The Hogs turned the ball over three times. LSU ran for 295 yards. Tiger tailback Alley Broussard had 81 yards rushing on 16 carries and Justin Vincent added 60 yards on 10 carries. Chris Jackson kicked field goals of 27, 46 and a career-long 53-yarder. The Tigers sacked Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones three times. Safety LaRon Landry had two picks. During the six game winning streak, the LSU defense has permitted only 12 points in the second half. The 22 wins by the Tigers in the past two years is the all-time record number of victories for the school. Under Nick Saban, the Tigers are 40-0 when scoring 25 points or more. LSU is 14-3 in November games under Saban. Bryan Evans (6-0, 180), a cornerback/receiver from Ed White High in Jacksonville, Florida is being courted heavily by LSU. He has official visits set to LSU, Tennessee and FSU. He might also visit Florida depending who the new Gator head coach turns out to be. Tailback Shyrone Carey and defensive back Ronnie Prude are on track to regain a season of eligibility. Offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth is the only Tiger junior with a legitimate decision to make on turning pro before his senior season.

If Auburn wins the SEC title game, the Capital One Bowl is likely to choose LSU as an opponent for Iowa. Tennessee could end up in the Cotton Bowl. If Tennessee wins then the Vols go to the Sugar Bowl and Auburn goes to the Capital One Bowl unless they are chosen for a BSC bowl. If that happens then LSU goes to the Cotton Bowl. (advocate.com and Tigerbait.com)

ARKANSAS: LSU ended the Hogs’ 17-game win streak in Little Rock. Jones was held to (minus 10 yards) on 11 carries. It was only the second time in his career that he failed to gain positive yards rushing. Jones was 12-of-29 for 152 yards and two picks. LSU intercepted three total passes and held the Hogs to a season low 247 yards. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack has been fired after three seasons at his position. (Hawgsports.com)

ALABAMA: The Tide is likely going to the Music City Bowl after turning down the Independence Bowl. Minnesota has already accepted an invitation to be the Big Ten selection for the bowl. (Al.com)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Steve Spurrier, Jr. has joined his father on the USC staff. This past season he was the tight ends coach at Arizona. The elder Spurrier spoke with the media Monday afternoon. He said among some of the changes that he wants to implement pertain to the nutrition habits of the players (baked chicken instead of fried). Spurrier said only Rick Stockstill, Ron Cooper and David Reaves will be retained from the Lou Holtz staff. Former South Carolina assistant Skip Holtz has been named as the East Carolina coach replacing John Thompson. Spurrier spoke with Jon Hoke of the Houston Texans about the defensive coordinator position, but Hoke chose to remain in the NFL. Spurrier also spoke to Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong about the same position, but did not offer Strong the job. (Gainesville Sun, Gatorbait.net and The State)

CLEMSON: Coach Tommy Bowden has fired both offensive coordinator Mike O’Cain and defensive coordinator John Lovett. Some reports list LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher and Florida offensive coordinator Larry Fedora as possible replacements for O’Cain. Fedora was instrumental in signing former Tiger commitment Mike McIntosh last February. There is also speculation McIntosh might transfer to Clemson if Fedora goes there. There are also reports that Bowden might promote linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator David Blackwell to defensive coordinator. (TigerIllustrated.com) and The State)

GEORGIA TECH: Yellow Jacket tailback Rashaun Grant left the Georgia game with an injured neck. X-rays were negative. He rushed for 25 yards on six carries. Tech rushed 35 times for 24 yards, its lowest rushing total since 1994. Georgia Tech’s quarterbacks were sacked five times for 37 yards. The secondary allowed three big pass plays of 28, 35 and 53 yards in the first half against Georgia. Tech has been invited to the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly Tangerine) against a Big 12 representative. (AJC.com)

FLORIDA STATE: Numbers easily tell the struggles of the Nole offense this past season. The 2003 FSU offense gained 5,239 yards and scored 46 touchdowns. This year’s offense gained 4,012 yards and scored just 27 touchdowns. Quarterbacks Chris Rix and Wyatt Sexton combined for 10 total touchdown passes. FSU averaged 24 points per game, the lowest since 1981. Chadwick Gray, a 6-foot-7 receiver from Kingstree, South Carolina, has committed to the Noles. This past season, Gray caught 42 passes for 800 yards and eight scores. Coach Bobby Bowden said Rix will start the Gator Bowl against West Virginia. FSU has added a game (Sept. 10) next year against The Citadel after the Miami game Labor Day Night. They have also inked a home-and-home series against Oklahoma in 2010 (Norman)-2011(Tallahassee). (Warchant.com and Tallahassee Democrat)

MARYLAND: The Terps beat Wake Forest 13-7 after third string quarterback Sam Hollenbach completed 16-of-27 passes for 164 yards with no picks. Maryland finished 5-6, the first losing season in four years. Nick Novak kicked two field goals and finished with 393 career points, most in ACC history and fifth in Division I. (AJC.com)

N. C. STATE: N. C. State beat East Carolina 52-14. Wolfpack quarterback Jay Davis threw three touchdown passes and the N. C. State defense allowed only 140 yards. East Carolina coach John Thompson finished 3-20 in two seasons. Wake tailback Chris Barclay ran for 103 yards on 25 carries. (AJC.com)

MIAMI: Fred Rouse (6-3, 185), a receiver from Tallahassee Lincoln, has set up five visits with Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Miami and FSU. Lincoln assistant head coach Tony Collins said Miami is Rouse’s favorite followed by Texas and FSU in that order.

Coach Larry Coker said linebackers Roger McIntosh and Tavares Gooden and defensive lineman Santonio Thomas are expected to see at least limited action against Virginia Tech. Junior defensive lineman Orien Harris said he is returning for his senior season. Last season, the Hokies beat Miami despite completing only two passes. Miami has eight non-offensive touchdowns, while Virginia Tech has six. (Canesport.com and Miami Herald)

VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies beat Virginia 24-10 after quarterback Bryan Randall, who was 16-of-22 for 200 yards. He threw two second half touchdowns. Randall passed Don Strock to become the career yardage leader at Tech. The Hokies can win the ACC by winning at Miami Saturday. Tailback Cedric Humes gained 95 yards on 15 carries. (AJC.com)

VIRGINIA: Tailback Alvin Pearman gained 147 yards on 28 carries in the loss to Tech. Quarterback Marques Hagans was 8-of-14 for 111 yards on no scores. The game was scoreless at half and Tech led 10-7 at the end of the third quarter.

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