Alabama at Tennessee: The Tide beat Ole Miss for the second straight season on the final play of the game. It was Coach Mike Shula’s first overtime win. Tailback Ken Darby ran 25 times for 162 yards. Darby gained 141 of his 162 yards in the second half. He has 277 yards in his last two games. Fullback Le’Ron McClain caught five passes for 28 yards including the winning touchdown catch. Quarterback John Parker Wilson was 16- of- 28 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver D J Hall caught five passes for 119 yards and his teammate Will Oakley had three catches for 33 yards including a 21-yarder. Shula said Oakley has proven to be a dependable third receiver.

Hall now has seven 100- yard games, the most in Tide history. He also has four straight 100- yard games, another Tide record. Defensive back Simeon Castille had 10 tackles and one forced fumble. The Tide had several injuries including receiver Keith Brown (strained knee), Hall (shoulder), tailback Jimmy Johns (sprained ankle). Shula said Brown is day-to-day. Hall and Johns should play. Four of the team’s five wins have come by eight points or less. The Tide had a season high 434 yards. An important matchup is Tide cornerbacks Ramzee Robinson and Simeon Castille against Tennessee receivers Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain. Linebacker Prince Hall had eight career tackles in the Ole Miss win. Alabama has 17 takeaways and only nine turnovers. Florida International, the Tide’s opponent next week, has suspended 18 players including 11 starters for the Alabama game.

Tennessee has revenge on its agenda after the Tide won 6-3 last year in Tuscaloosa. The Vols had last week off. Tennessee is at the top of several SEC stats including second in league scoring averaging 35 ppg, first in passing offense (291 ypg), first in total offense (421 ypg), first in redzone offense (91%) and first in third-down conversions (59%). Meachem leads the league in receiving yardage (112 ypg). Tennessee is No. 5 in turnover ratio. The Vols are the least penalized team in the SEC. James Wilhoit has made 15 of 16 field goals. Quarterback Erik Ainge should be able to take advantage of the Tide secondary that is ranked No. 16 nationally. A further problem is the Alabama defensive line has done little in way of a pass rush. Vol coach Phil Fulmer is 10-3 against Alabama. Tide defensive coordinator Joe Kines said the Vols are using their tight ends well to block and catch. Tennessee has won 9 of 11 in the series.

Ole Miss at Arkansas: Mitch Mustain is 5-0 as a starting quarterback despite completing 5- of- 13 for 51 yards last week against Southeast Missouri State. The Hog defense picked off three passes. Former starting quarterback Casey Dick was 8- of- 9 for 98 yards and two scores in the win over Southeast Missouri State. The Hogs ran for 381 yards with Felix Jones gaining 106 yards on five carries, Michael Smith rushing for 116 yards on eight carries and Darren McFadden collecting 71 yards on six carries. Jones averages 9.6 ypc. Arkansas has won five straight and Ole Miss has lost five of six. The Hogs have won 4 of 5 in the series.

The Rebels played their best game of the season in the loss to Alabama. Quarterback Brent Schaeffer was 13- of- 20 for 163 yards and one score. He gained 37 yards on the ground. Ole Miss had no picks or fumbles. Joshua Shene kicked three field goals. Linebacker Patrick Willis has 10 tackles and one pass breakup. Linebacker Rory Johnson has 14 tackles and one pass breakup. He has 30 tackles in the last two weeks. Johnson and Patrick Willis will be matched up against Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Ole Miss has trouble stopping the run because of the defensive line.

Mississippi State at Georgia: For the first time since 1995, Georgia has lost two straight home games. Bulldog kicker Andy Bailey made three field goals in the loss to Vanderbilt, but he missed a 37-yarder with five minutes remaining. The Bulldogs will have to have a lot of help to win their third SEC title in five years. Backup quarterback Matthew Stafford replaced Joe Tereshinski, who was 11- of- 17 for 151 yards, in the second half. Stafford was 9- of- 13 for 86 yards. Stafford has been named the starting quarterback. Tailback Thomas Brown, who had 75 yards rushing in the first half, is lost for the season with a torn ACL that he sustained on a second half kickoff. Junior guard Chester Adams left the game in the first quarter with a sprained ankle injury. Tight end Martrez Milner (toe) caught six passes for 67 yards. Linebacker Tony Taylor intercepted a pass and returned it for a score. He also had eight tackles and 41 tackles in the last three games.

Georgia is unranked in the AP poll for the first time since Sept. 2001, Mark Richt’s first year. It was their first loss to an unranked opponent since 2002. Vandy had not beaten Georgia since 1994. Georgia outgained Vandy 373 yards to 271. Georgia moved the ball four times inside the Vandy 20-yard line, but failed to score more than three field goals. Vandy outscored Georgia 14-0 in the third quarter. Defensive end Quentin Moses has one sack the entire year, none in the last six games, after having 11.5 last year. With Brown out for the season, freshman Asher Allen will be Georgia’s primary kick returner. Receiver A J Bryant is struggling with an injured groin that kept him out of practice Thursday. If center Nick Jones can’t go then redshirt freshman Ian Smith will have to start. Bryan Evans replaces the injured Remarcus Brown at cornerback.

Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig was 11- of- 25 for 183 yards with one pick and one score in his first start since breaking his collarbone against South Carolina. Receiver Aubrey Bell caught three passes for 62 yards. Junior college transfer Tony Burks caught two passes for 50 yards. Tailback Brandon Thornton carried 16 times for 88 yards and two scores. Defensive back Derek Pegues took a punt back 81 yards for a score and he intercepted a pass and returned it 26 yards for the Bulldogs first score. Even against Jacksonville State, Henig completed less than 50% of his passes and the running game averaged only 3.7 ypc.

Tulane at Auburn: The Tigers, No. 4 in the BCS poll, face the Green Wave this week. Coach Tommy Tuberville said he challenged his team at halftime of the Florida game and they responded. Tailback Brad Lester ran 17 times for 94 yards. Receiver Rod Smith continues to grade out well despite only three catches for 33 yards. Defensive back Tristan Davis might have secured a starting spot with five returns for 124 yards. John Vaughn kicked four field goals in the game. Defensive end Quentin Groves had four tackles, three sacks and forced a fumble in the Florida game. Tight end Cole Bennett (broken ankle) and center Joe Cope (knee sprain) could return by the Arkansas State game on Nov. 4. Enrique Davis (5-11, 211), a tailback from Lynn Haven Mosley, has committed to the Tigers. FSU, Florida, Alabama and Georgia are among 30 schools to have offered him. Auburn is using only two freshmen this season—defensive tackle Jermarcus Ricks and tailback Ben Tate. This means they are redshirting 20 of 22 signees. The Tigers are 30-4 in their last 34 games. Tiger linebacker Tray Blackmon, who returned after a six game suspension, made his presence known by recovering a Leak fumble. Tuberville said he was the second most productive player on defense next to Groves.

Tulane lost last week to UTEP to fall to 2-4. Green Wave quarterback Lester Ricard, the LSU transfer, threw 49 passes in the game. Matt Forte is a good running back. Tulane is No. 115 in the nation in scoring defense allowing 35 ppg. Tulane is also No. 116 in turnover margin.

Fresno State at LSU: The Tiger defense held Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson to 14-of- 37 passing for 151 yards. LSU has 274 yards rushing compared to 79 for Kentucky. Receiver Craig Davis took over duties as punt return for Chevis Jackson, who fumbled against Florida. The Tigers have intercepted at least one pass in eight straight games. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell was 15- of- 18 for 226 yards and two scores. Dwayne Bowe caught six passes for 111 yards and three scores. Russell and Bowe have combined for 17 touchdowns; the school record is 21 by Tommy Hodson and Wendell Davis. Russell became the fifth LSU quarterback to pass 5,000 yards in his career. Tailback Alley Broussard did not play. LSU has scored at least 40 point in all home games but only 13 points in two road games. Jacob Hester, who was the starting fullback for most of the season, is now the starting tailback. Alley Broussard and Justin Vincent have not fully recovered from knee injuries and freshmen Keiland Williams and Charles Scott are not ready for SEC action.

Fresno State (1-4) has fallen on hard times this season. Last week, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan threw for 409 yards as the Warriors beat the Bulldogs. Pat Hill has made a quarterback change from Tom Brandstater to sophomore Sean Norton. Dwayne Wright is their top running back.

South Carolina at Vanderbilt: Quarterback Chris Nickson was 15- of- 29 for 190 yards and two scores. He also ran for 59 yards. Vandy receiver Earl Bennett caught eight passes for 89 yards and one score in the win over Georgia. Bennett moved into the top ten in career receptions with 120. This was Vandy’s first win over a ranked opponent since 1992 when they beat Ole Miss. Freshman defensive back D J Moore had a career-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Commodore offensive lineman Brian Stamper will miss the rest of the season with a back injury. Josh Eames, another offensive lineman, could likely miss the rest of the season with a sprained MCL. Bryant Hahnfeldt kicked the winning field goal with two seconds left. He barely missed beating Arkansas on a field goal early in the season. He was 4- of- 8 before making the kick. The Vandy defense has allowed Michigan 27, Arkansas 21, and Georgia 23.

The Gamecocks had a week off after beating Kentucky. Coach Steve Spurrier said on his call-in show last week that quarterback Syvelle Newton will not call his own plays. Spurrier also said Kenny McKinley and Sidney Rice will handle punt return duties, but they will only fair catch. Cornerback Fred Bennett is tied for the SEC lead in passes defended. He will be matched up with Vandy’s Bennett, who is responsible for nearly 50% of their receiving yards. Rice has only five total catches in the last two games. Receiver O J Murdock will not be with the team this Saturday after being suspended following his shoplifting arrest in Tampa. Receiver Mike West has returned from a hamstring injury. ESPN or ESPN2 will carry the Tennessee at South Carolina game next week.

Florida is off this week: Auburn beat Florida without scoring an offensive touchdown. The Tigers scored on four field goals, a safety and a blocked punt that resulted in a touchdown. Florida outrushed Auburn 171-133. Florida was 1- of- 7 on first down. Auburn outscored the Gators 16-0 in the second half. The Tigers had the ball 67 plays to 45. Florida gained only five first downs and 85 yards in the second half. The Gators led at halftime by six points even though they had the ball only 18 plays compared to Auburn’s 40. Receiver Bubba Caldwell had 72 total yards. Special teams’ miscues cost the Gators. In the third quarter, Eric Wilbur had his punt blocked and Tre Smith recovered it and flipped into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Another turnover proved fatal after Chris Leak, who was 9- of- 17 for 108 yards, was hit and fumbled on third down from the Auburn six-yard line. Leak was picked off on the Gators’ next series. Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas had 10 tackles and one sack. After Wednesday’s practice, Urban Meyer said he would find more ways to get Percy Harvin the ball. Harvin is almost recovered from his high ankle sprain. Meyer is also working with the staff to determine who gets the touches with such a limited amount of plays.

Kentucky is off this week: The Wildcats are allowing an average of 260 yards to their opponents in the first half. UK is No. 119 in total defense allowing 462 ypg.

Boston College at Florida State: Drew Weatherford was 16- of- 24 for 231 yards and four scores in the win over Duke. Xavier Lee was 7- of- 16 for 90 yards with three picks. Tailback Antone Smith ran four times for 81 yards. Receiver Gregg Carr caught four passes for 100 yards. De’Cody Fagg caught seven passes for 80 yards. Linebacker Geno Hayes is struggling with a sprained right knee. Tight end Brandon Warren sustained a left hamstring injury. Neither practiced Wednesday. FSU leads the ACC with 16 true freshmen having played. As many as five freshmen-defensive lineman Budd Thacker, defensive end Everette Brown, linebacker Dekoda Watson, defensive back Myrone Rolle and defensive back Jamie Robinson-- could start on defense. Five more could start on the two- deep depth chart. The offensive line played better against Duke. Jacky Claude and Matt Hardrick graded well. Fagg practiced better this week after he was told that he might be replace as a starter by Joslin Shaw. Coach Bobby Bowden said this week he wanted to see receivers Preston Parker and Damon McDaniel play more. Starting nose guard Alex Boston is hoping to return this week from a left ankle sprain. Cornerback Tony Carter, Boston and linebacker Toddrick Verdell did.

Boston College leads the ACC in turnover margin. In the win over Virginia Tech, at least eight players who are sophomores or younger made a difference on defense. Defensive linemen B J Raji, Alex Albright and defensive end Austin Giles were able to hold Tech to only 33 yards rushing. Receiver Tony Gonzalez has six touchdowns over the past seven games. BC’s defense is ranked No. 66, but they held Virginia Tech to only 181 yards. The pass defense is No. 102, allowing 240 ypg. If quarterback Matt Ryan can’t play Saturday, then Chris Crane will replace him.

Georgia Tech at Clemson: The game matches the two highest ranked teams and divisional leaders. One of the big matchups is Tech receiver Calvin Johnson, who has caught at least one pass in 30 straight games, against the Clemson defense. Defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will scheme against the Clemson rushing attack. Tenuta constantly sends linebackers to blitz. Running back Tashard Choice is averaging 84 ypg. He faces a Clemson rushing defense that is ranked No. 6 allowing 70 ypg.

Clemson: Tiger tailback James Davis leads the nation with 14 rushing touchdowns. Defensive end Gaines Adams has a quarterback sack in five consecutive games and leads the ACC in sacks with 7.5. Over the last four games, Clemson has rushed for 317 ypg as compared to 57 ypg for their opponents. Clemson is averaging 251 yards rushing per game. They might have the best offensive line in the ACC. Georgia Tech is ranked No. 7 in rushing defense. Clemson cornerbacks C. J. Gaddis and Duane Coleman will be matched up with Johnson. Tailback C. J. Spiller is averaging 6.7 ypc.

Duke at Miami: In all 13 players including five from Miami were ejected after a third quarter brawl. Quarterback Kyle Wright had three touchdown passes in the win. Receiver Lance Leggett had two scoring catches. A total of 31 players between the teams have been suspended between the teams including safety Brandon Merriweather, guard Derrick Morse and punter Brian Monroe. This is the third incident for Miami in the past few months including the Peach Bowl and the Louisville games. Tailback Javarris James leads the All ACC freshman in rushing (66 ypg) and is averaging 6.3 ypc. Duke is last in the ACC in 12 major categories.

N C State at Maryland-The Terps trailed 20-0 before rallying to win by two points. Tailback Keon Lattimore ran 56 yards to put Maryland ahead. Quarterback Daniel Evans should play despite an earlier concussion.

Southern Miss at Virginia Tech: The Hokies are No.11 in ACC and No. 101 in rushing offense. Brandon Ore has rushed for 130 yards in the last two games.

Wake Forest is off: Sam Swank, a Fletcher High product, kicked three field goals of more than 50 yards in the win over N C State. Quarterback Riley Skinner also threw a touchdown pass. Wake won for the first time in 22 years and they are bowl eligible for the first time in four years. Quarterback Riley Skinner has completed 68% of his passes for 912 yards and four scores.

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FLA., HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM, SAMSPORTSLINE.COM AND GATOR BAIT MAGAZINE. HE CAN BE HEARD ON ESPN 1460 ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS ON THE RUMBLE WITH MIKE DEMPSEY AND TOM MCMANUS.