GEORGIA (5-2, 7-2): The Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker last week to Auburn. The Tigers have won the past 10- of -12 games in Athens. Quarterback D. J. Shockley was 20- of- 36 for 304 yards. He also ran for 40 yards. Tailback Thomas Brown rushed 13 times for 74 yards. The other backs had little production. Georgia’s offensive line allowed two sacks and six tackles-for-loss. Tight end Leonard Pope caught eight passes for 102 yards. Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi caught six passes for 108 yards. Georgia sacked quarterback Brandon Cox twice, but the Tigers were saved because the officials said Auburn coaches called timeout right before the play. Defensive back Tim Jennings did not play. Paul Oliver did a good job replacing him. He knocked the ball out of Auburn receiver Devin Aromashodu’s hands on the last series. Auburn gained 506 total yards, the most allowed by the Georgia defense since Florida in 2001. Tiger tailback Kenny Irons had 125 yards in the first half and only 54 in the second. Three different Auburn receivers had at a catch of at least 20 yards catches along with the 62- yard pass from Cox to Aromashodu on the last drive. Tra Battle, the safety, was out of position on the play. Battle is questionable this week with a concussion. Sophomore Kelin Johnson might replace him. Cornerback Tim Jennings is battling a sprained ankle and Oliver may have to spell him again. Punt returner Thomas Flowers had a costly fumble, which led to a Tiger score. Georgia blew a chance at a two-point conversion when they drew a delay of game penalty. Coach Mark Richt said this week that the special teams unit would not go on the field until given permission by the coaching staff. This Saturday honors the 25th-anniversary of the 1980 national title team.

MISSISSIPPI STATE (0-6, 2-7): Tailback Jerious Norwood needs 73 yards to reach 3,000 yards in his career. He averages 93 ypg, fifth in the SEC. Defensive lineman Willie Evans leads the SEC in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (15.5). Quarterback Mike Henig will start Saturday.

ARKANSAS (1-5, 3-6): Arkansas overcame a 10- point deficit to beat Ole Miss by 11 points. Freshman quarterback Casey Dick completed 11 straight passes in the second half with three going for scores. Dick was 17- of- 24 for 175 yards and three scores. Receiver Marcus Monk caught five passes for 63 yards and two scores. Tailback Darren McFadden finished the game with only 22 total yards. The Hogs have allowed only 1.1 yards per rushing attempt (a combined 107 yards rushing against Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia) in the last three games. The Hog pass defense is ranked No. 10 in the SEC allowing 225 ypg. Arkansas is 18-1 in Little Rock under Houston Nutt.

ALABAMA (6-1, 9-1): The Tide defense did not create a turnover for the first time since the Ole Miss game in 2003 in the loss to LSU. Alabama’s defense has allowed three touchdowns in the past 24 quarters, two by LSU. LSU gained only 46 yards rushing. The Tide had 16 first downs in the first half and four in the second half. Quarterback Brodie Croyle, who was 19- of- 40 for 187 yards, was sacked five times. Croyle has passed for 6,000 yards, making him the school’s all-time passing leader. He is also the first Tide quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards twice in his career. Croyle has 13 touchdowns and four picks. He is completing 60% of his passes. Tide receivers dropped six passes (Zeke Knight dropped three). After two end runs of 14-yards each, Alabama went back to running inside the tackles. Alabama has scored only two touchdowns in the last four SEC games. They have not scored more than 17 points in any of those games. Tailback Ken Darby gained 104 yards on 21 carries. He has 1, 072 yards on 192 carries. Jeremy Schatz averaged 38 yards per punt. Alabama ran 43 plays to 24 in the first half. LSU had the ball for 39 plays compared to 29 for the Tide in the second half. The Tide had 207 yards in the first half, but managed only 77 in the second half. Although the Tide got little pressure on LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the second half, they blitzed nearly 25 times, the most this season. Linebacker Terrence Jones did well when he replaced Juwan Simpson, who went out with an ankle injury. Coach Mike Shula said there would be no major changes in personnel for the Auburn game. Taylor Britt will remain at center. Auburn has 25 sacks this season and Alabama has allowed 22 sacks, 13 in the last three SEC games. Alabama has allowed only six touchdowns in 23 red zone chances. The Tide has 23 seniors who have never beaten Auburn. This is the first meeting that both teams have been ranked since 1995. In the last 17 games, 14 have been decided by 10 points- or- less. On the two-deep depth chart, Auburn has 17 upperclassmen, while Alabama has eight. Some of Alabama’s receivers have been practicing with a tennis ball machine in order to improve their catching ability.

AUBURN (6-1, 8-2): Irons ran for 179 yards on 37 carries in the win over Georgia. He has seven straight 100-yard games. He leads the SEC averaging 110 ypg. Irons carried once in the Georgia Tech game. Kicker John Vaughn, who missed five field goals in the loss to LSU, enjoyed some redemption after he kicked the game-winning 20-yards field goal. Cox was 16- of- 28 for 279 yards and one pick. He has thrown only three picks in his last eight games. Aromashodu caught four passes for 135 yards including a crucial 62 pass on fourth- and- 10 that set up the winning kick. Alabama and Auburn come into the game with three combined losses, the fewest since 1994 (when both were unbeaten). Both teams haven’t been ranked for the same game since 1995. Auburn is averaging 209 ypg rushing, second in the SEC and 233 yards passing, fourth in the league. The offensive line returns three starters in tackles Marcus McNeil and Troy Reddick and left guard Ben Grubbs. This is the 70th Iron Bowl. Auburn has won three straight in the series. Auburn’s pass defense has allowed 335 yards to Kentucky and 304 yards to Georgia. They went from being No. 1 in the SEC to No. 7. Defensive coordinator David Gibbs wants the Tigers to be more disciplined in the zone defense and to get more pass rush. The Tigers are fifth in rush defense (111 ypg), seventh in pass defense (193 ypg) and fifth in total defense (305 ypg). Defensive end Marquies Gunn has 11. 5 tackles for loss. The defensive strength is in linebackers Travis Williams, Antarrious Williams and Karibi Dede. However, the defensive backs have few interceptions this year Auburn hopes to either win or share its fifth SEC Western Division title in the last six seasons.

LSU (5-1, 8-1): The Tigers control their destiny after defeating Alabama. LSU has games remaining at Ole Miss and Arkansas. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell was 16- of- 30 for 229 yards. Receiver Dwayne Bowe caught seven passes for 98 yards. In LSU’s wins over Auburn, North Texas, Appalachian State and Alabama, the Tigers have had one turnover. LSU should be playing in a January bowl for the fifth straight year. The LSU-Alabama game was the highest rated CBS afternoon game this season with a 4.3 share.

OLE MISS (1-5, 3-6): In last week’s loss to Arkansas, Ethan Flatt threw for 309 yards and former quarterback Robert Lane caught four passes for 116 yards. Ole Miss is No. 112 in total offense averaging 14 ppg. Tailback Mico McSwain will miss the LSU game with a high right ankle sprain. Senior Larry Kendrick and Lane will replace him. Three players have quit the team this week: junior receiver Milton Collins, sophomore linebacker Dontae Reed and freshman defensive end/linebacker LeRon King. Alan Abrams, a redshirt sophomore running back, also said he was transferring at the end of the year. Abrams had only one start this year. Linebacker Patrick Willis, who is playing with a multitude of injuries, leads the SEC with 12 tackles per game. LSU has won four of the last five meetings. The last three games have been decided by a total of seven points.

VANDERBILT: Quarterback Jay Cutler was 39- of- 66 for 395 yards in the loss to Kentucky. Freshman receiver Earl Bennett caught five touchdown passes in the loss. Vandy has allowed at least 190 yards rushing five times this season.

TENNESSEE: Vol coach Phil Fulmer has given no specifics this week on the search for an offensive coordinator. Fulmer is very concerned about Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. Fulmer is not sure Erik Ainge will play this week at quarterback after he flamed out last week in the win over Memphis. Tailback Arian Foster has become the first tailback to run for at least 100 yards in each of his first three games since Chuck Webb in 1989. Tennessee has held Vandy scoreless in the last two games in Knoxville. Tennessee has a 22-game win streak over Vandy. Tennessee is averaging 14 ppg in their last five games.

FLORIDA (5-3, 7-3): The Gators, who led the SEC in turnover margin, did not force any in the loss to South Carolina. Tailback DeShawn Wynn ran for 73 yards, Markus Manson added 57 yards and Kestahn Moore 38 as the Gators picked up 149 yards rushing. Quarterback Chris Leak was 18- of- 31 for 210 yards with one pick and two touchdowns. Receiver Chad Jackson caught 10 passes for 104 yards. The penalty for illegal participation (12 men on the field) during South Carolina’s last punt was allowed USC to run out the clock. The Gators had 11 penalties. Punter Eric Wilbur averaged 32 yards. The Gators allowed 120 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns, which surprised coaches and players since they prepared for the pass all week. Defensive back Dee Webb picked up a blocked extra point by defensive lineman Marcus Thomas and returned it for a two-point conversion. Webb was also flagged for three penalties. Florida had 21 first downs, but only 22 points. Thomas had two sacks, six tackles and a tipped pass. When Florida needed a quick drive, they ended up with a 17- play, six- minute drive. Linebacker Brandon Siler had only one tackle in the game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cornelius Ingram will be moved to another position in the spring. Receiver Dallas Baker is still struggling with a broken rib.

Florida recruiting: Texas quarterback Jevan Snead de-committed to Florida and pledged to Texas. The top Gator targets are Tim Tebow, who is from Nease, Fla., former Tennessee player Brent Schaeffer, who is in junior college in Calif., and Chris Paul-Etienne, (6-1, 169), who is from Miami (Fla.) Edison High. Louisville, Michigan, Mississippi State and Rutgers are all recruiting him. Next year, the Gators might go after Stephen Garcia from Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson who runs the spread option in high school and Trinity Catholic in Ocala’s John Brantley, who is coached by former Gator quarterback Kerwin Bell. Jamar Hornsby (6-4, 200), a receiver/safety from Sandalwood (Fla.) High, has committed to Florida.

SOUTH CAROLINA (5-3, 7-3): USC is only a Georgia loss away from playing for the SEC title. The Gamecocks committed only three penalties in the win over Florida. USC won its first game over Florida since 1939. USC’s five straight SEC wins is a school record. Receiver Sidney Rice had five catches for 112 yards. He has 51 catches for 830 yards. Tailback Mike Davis ran 22 times for 88 yards. Quarterback Blake Mitchell was 7- of- 17 for 126 yards. For the season, Mitchell is completing 60% of his passes with 15 touchdowns and six picks. Defensive lineman Chris Tucker picked off a Leak pass and returned it to the Florida 5-yard line to set up the first score of the game. In the third quarter, one of the big plays involved a 64-yards pass from Mitchell to Rice. Webb and safety Kyle Jackson missed tackles on the play. The team that scored first in all the USC games has won. USC has run 300 times and passes 288 times. Since USC joined the SEC, Clemson has won nine- of- 13 including three straight. USC is allowing 171 yards per game, No 11 in the SEC. South Carolina has scored points in 26 of 31 (83%) red zone opportunities this season. USC has 22 touchdowns and only four field goals. Spurrier has said with Rice expected to be double-covered that the other receivers have to step up. Before the season began, Spurrier ordered all the “Beat Clemson” signs taken down. He didn’t want any team emphasized above any other. South Carolina has beaten Clemson only once in Columbia since 1987.

CLEMSON (4-4, 6-4): Quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was 21- of- 32 for 269 yards and three scores in the win over Florida State. Whitehurst is completing 67% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and seven picks. Freshman tailback Chris Davis ran for 68 yards on 17 carries. Receiver Chansi Stuckey caught 11 passes for 156 yards and two scores. The Tiger front controlled the game with six sacks and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Clemson dropped eight defenders and rushed three most of the game. Clemson is averaging 150 ypg rushing and USC averages 83 ypg rushing. Whitehurst has a chance to be the first Tiger quarterback to win four games against USC. Clemson has only lost to USC seven times in the last 28 years. The Tigers are averaging 150 ypg. Last year, Clemson ran for 162 yards against USC and two years ago they ran for 240 yards. Stuckey has caught 58 passes for 735 yards and four scores. After losing three of its first five games, Clemson has won four- of- five since the Wake Forest loss.

FLORIDA STATE: (5-3, 7-3) Quarterback Drew Weatherford (12- of- 27 for 117 yards and two picks) and Xavier Lee (1- of- 7 for 7 yards) were not productive in the Noles loss to Clemson. The quarterbacks were sacked six times. Weatherford has thrown five picks in consecutive defeats and 15 for the season. Tailback Lorenzo Booker ran for 112 yards on 16 carries. Special teams accounted for 12 of FSU’s 14 points. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons blocked a punt and linebacker Geno Hayes recovered it in the end zone for touchdown in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley had eight tackles, three for loss and a sack. FSU’s defense created only one turnover and allowed drives of 72, 71, 56 and 52. The loss to Clemson assured the program of at least three losses for five straight years. FSU has lost consecutive ACC games for the first time in 14 seasons. The Noles have to beat Florida to avoid losing three straight for the first time since 1981. FSU has allowed 20 or more points in each of the last six games. Starting tackle Cory Niblock went down with a with an ACL injury in the last play of the game. He is out for the rest of the year.

GEORGIA TECH: (4-3, 6-3) Virginia broke Tech’s three-game win streak. The Cavs beat Georgia Tech to become bowl eligible. UVA has beaten Georgia Tech for the fourth straight year. Tech is averaging 158 yards rushing per game, third in the ACC. The Canes are allowing 105 ypg. Tailback P. J. Daniels leads the team with 744 yards, second best in the ACC. Tashard Choice, an Oklahoma transfer, has nearly 400 yards and is tied with the team lead with five touchdowns. Tech officials have been given a five-year $5 million contract. If Tech loses to Miami, they would finish 4-4 in the ACC for a fourth straight year. Quarterback Reggie Ball is completing only 47% of his passes with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. Defensive back Rueben Houston has been reinstated to the team. Houston was arrested earlier in the season for distributing drugs.

MIAMI (5-1, 8-1): Quarterback Kyle Wright, who was 17- of- 27 for 319 yards, threw for a school record five touchdowns and tailback Charlie Jones, who ran for 90 yards, had a couple of scores in the win over Wake Forest. Wake had six turnovers. Wright has 16 touchdowns and nine picks on the season. He is completing nearly 60% of his passes.

BOSTON COLLEGE (4-3, 7-3): BC rebounded last week with a win over N C State after two straight road losses to Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Receiver Will Blackmon caught three passes for 151 yards and BC had eight quarterback sacks in the victory over the Wolfpack. Tailback L V Whitworth ran 26 times for 119 yards and score for BC. The Eagles held Wolfpack tailback Andre Brown to only 12 yards on 13 carries. If BC wins, they would be tied with FSU for the divisional lead, but FSU holds the tie-breaker.

MARYLAND (3-3, 5-4): The Terps beat UNC in overtime last week. Dan Ennis, who missed two field goals and an extra point in regulation, kicked a field goal in overtime. Tailback Lance Ball ran for 161 yards and a score. Tight end Vernon Davis had seven catches for 139 yards. If BC wins, they would be tied with FSU for the divisional lead, but FSU holds the tie-breaker. Quarterback Sam Hollenbach has 11 picks and 11 touchdowns this season. Ball is having a great year running the ball with 702 yards on 140 attempts.

VIRGINIA TECH (5-1, 8-1): Tech needs to win its last two games and Miami lose one of its last two contests in order to get the Jacksonville for the ACC title game. Tech has beaten Virginia five of the last six times they have played. Quarterback Marcus Vick has thrown 11 touchdown and seven picks. He is completing 65% of his passes. Tailback Mike Imoh leads the team in rushing with 415 yards.

VIRGINIA (3-3, 6-3): Quarterback Marques Hagans has thrown 11 scores and nine picks. He is completing 61% of his passes. Tailback Wali Lundy leads the team in rushing with 387 yards. The Cavs are bowl eligible for the fourth straight season. Virginia came back to beat Georgia Tech despite having two starters—safety Tony Franklin and nose tackle Kwakou Robinson-- suspended. Neither player is on this week’s depth chart. Virginia could win the Coastal division, if Miami loses to Tech and the Cavs beat Tech and Miami.

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FL.
HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM AND SAMSPORTSLINE.COM.
HE CAN BE HEARD AT 6:20 P.M. ON MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS ON 930 THE FOX IN JACKSONVILLE, FLA.