ARKANSAS tailback Darren McFadden ran 25 times for 219 yards and two scores in the win over South Carolina. Quarterback Casey Dick was 11- of- 19 for 228 yards with one score and one pick in the win. Dick has been named the starting quarterback for Saturday’s game. Receiver Marcus Monk caught eight passes for 192 yards and one score in the win over South Carolina. The Hogs ran for 267 yards against South Carolina. ESPN College GameDay will be in town. The Hogs haven’t played many passing teams after Southern Cal. LSU’s average rushing attack gained 231 yards on Tennessee. With safety Michael Grant being out with a ligament tear, junior Kevin Woods will probably start in his place. Former quarterback Robert Johnson has been moved to defensive back.

GEORGIA AT AUBURN: The Bulldogs have lost four- of- five games after being defeated by Kentucky. Bulldog tailback Kregg Lumpkin ran for 85 yards on 13 carries in the loss to Kentucky. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was 16- of- 28 for 230 yards with one touchdown and three picks. He also ran five times for 35 yards. Stafford has 1,230 yards, 12 picks and four touchdowns on the season. Stafford has thrown eight picks in his last three games. Georgia ran for 160 yards. Taylor has five picks on the season after he intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards. The last linebacker to lead the Bulldogs in picks was Keith Harris in 1973. Georgia turned the ball over four times in the game. They have 25 turnovers on the season and opponents have scored 55 points off those turnovers. Georgia has 52 points off 19 opponent turnovers. Senior receiver Mario Raley had a scare when he was hit and taken to the hospital. He couldn’t move his arms and legs for a while, but regained feeling soon afterwards. Andy Bailey missed two field goals and an extra point. Tight end Matrez Milner bounced back with four catches for 70 yards. Richt is now 21-3 on the road. The other two losses were 2004 at Auburn and 2003 to LSU. Receiver Demiko Goodman sustained a torn ACL in his left knee. He had 13 catches for 187 yards in ten games. Senior Ray Gant will start against Auburn after getting half a sack in the Kentucky game. Georgia is 4-2-1 in their last seven games at Auburn. Oklahoma State has filled a spot in Georgia’s 2007 schedule. ESPN brokered a deal that has the Cowboys opening the season in Athens. The return game in Stillwater is the 2009 opener. OSU’s offensive coordinator is Larry Fedora, the former Florida assistant.

AUBURN quarterback Brandon Cox was 12- of- 21 for 251 yards with two scores and two picks in the win over Arkansas State. The Tiger defense held Arkansas State to 177 total yards. Freshman running back Ben Tate ran for 93 yards on 11 carries. The Tiger senior class has a chance to be the winningest in school history. Safety Eric Brock will not play in the Georgia game because of an ankle sprain. Tight end Cole Bennett will not return this week. Receiver Courtney Taylor caught four passes for 116 yards. He has averaged nearly 100 yards per game in the past four games primarily because his teammates Rod Smith and Lee Guess have stepped up. The Tigers have not been impressive against Tulane, Ole Miss and Arkansas State. Kicker John Vaughn is tied for first in the nation with nine field goals. In 109 meetings, Auburn has outscored Georgia by only two points. The Eagle mascot, Tiger IV, is retiring after 26 years on Saturday.

ALABAMA AT LSU: Once again, the Tide failed to score an offensive touchdown. This is the second straight year they have failed to score an offensive touchdown against Mississippi State. In four trips inside the Red Zone, the Tide failed to score a touchdown. Quarterback John Parker Wilson was 19- of- 39 for 187 yards with two interceptions. He was 13- of- 24 for 130 yards in the first half and six- of- 15 for 57 yards in the second. In his first seven games, Wilson threw for more than 200 yards. He has failed to reach the mark in the past three games. Receiver D J Hall caught 10 passes for 125 yards. He has six 100-yard games this season. Fullbacks Le’Ron McClain and Tim Castille had 15 and 11 yards runs, the longest of the day. Defensive back Jeffrey Dukes returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker Prince Hall had 13 tackles. State gained 131 yards rushing. They were averaging 78 yards per game, ranked No. 110 nationally. Linebacker Prince Hall had 13 tackles. Receiver Keith Brown played little in his third straight game. Since the Florida game last October, Alabama has scored less than one offensive touchdown in eight- of- 11 SEC games. The Tide has attempted a league high 26 field goals. Alabama’s defense is allowing 277 yards per game. The Tide has forced a league leading 24 turnovers. LSU’s defense allows only 71 yards rushing. Alabama gained 118 yards rushing on Arkansas, 83 against Florida and 53 against Tennessee. Safety Rashad Johnson is doubtful for LSU with an injured ankle. Alabama has been in the red zone 43 times and scored only 15 touchdowns. The Tigers lead the Sec in sacks with 28. Alabama is last in the SEC in sacks.

LSU won only its second game in Neyland Stadium with the win over Tennessee. Russell, who was 24- of- 36 for 247 yards and three scores, hit receiver Early Doucet on a 4-yard scoring pass in the end zone with nine seconds left in the game. Russell ran seven times for 71 yards. He has 17 touchdown passes on the season and 41 for his career. The Tigers gained 478 yards including 231 yards rushing on 45 carries compared to Tennessee’s 62. The Tigers had four turnovers including two in the fourth quarter, but ran 31 more plays. LSU had 247 yards passing. Yet, Tennessee outgained LSU by 100 yards in the first half. The Tigers controlled time of possession 41:06 to 18:54. Doucet caught eight passes for 73 yards. Bowe caught six passes for 89 yards. Russell and Bowe have combined for 19 touchdowns. LSU had nine penalties. The Tigers have won at least seven games in seven straight years. The last time it happened was 1967-1973. LSU has never won at least seven games in eight straight years. The Tigers have won five- of- six in the series. Alabama has lost to LSU three straight times, the longest mark in the series for the Tigers. LSU has won at home by a score of 274 to 36. Since 1996, the home team has won only three times. Alabama is 24-6-2 in Baton Rouge.

SOUTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA: The Gators are still struggling to run the football. They had only 88 yards rushing in the win over Vandy. Tailback DeShawn Wynn gained 64 yards on 15 carries including a long run of 22 yards. Quarterback Chris Leak was 18- of- 25 for 237 yards with one score and three picks. He also ran for two scores. Leak threw an interception inside the red zone, the third time this season. Backup quarterback Tim Tebow threw the ball three times completing one. He ran for 13 yards on three carries. Receiver Dallas Baker had 135 yards receiving on seven catches. Bubba Caldwell had eight catches for 68 yards. Receivers Percy Harvin and Jemalle Cornelius played, but were limited by injuries. Coach Urban Meyer expects Harvin to be at full speed. The offensive line allowed four sacks. Ronnie Wilson, who replaced Jim Tartt, struggled. Drew Miller, Carlton Medder and Phil Trautwein were solid. The offense gained 330 yards and the longest drive was 55 yards. Florida’s third down rate was 2- of- 9. Defensive linemen Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss played well. Each got a sack and had career best day in tackles. The Gators held Vandy to under 100 yards rushing. Linebackers Earl Everett and Brandon Siler had 12 tackles. Vandy gained nearly 200 yards in the fourth quarter. Florida also blocked two punts. Defensive back Ryan Smith had 11 tackles, intercepted a pass and blocked a punt. Florida had only 88 yards rushing on 33 carries. Vandy scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Nearly a dozen players had boots on this week at practice for various ankle injuries. Leak has six picks and three touchdowns in his last four games. Defensive back Reggie Lewis has a leg brace and Brandon Siler is questionable with a MCL sprain. With the loss of defensive tackle Marcus Thomas after being suspended, Meyer has considered lifting the redshirt of freshman Lawrence Marsh, but it probably won’t happen. Quan Sturdivant (6-2, 210), a quarterback/safety from Oakboro, N. C., has committed to Florida. The Detroit News reports that defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini have interviewed for the Michigan State job.

The Gamecocks sustained another close loss to a strong opponent as they lost by six points to Arkansas. South Carolina has lost by a touchdown or less to Tennessee, Auburn and the Hogs. Quarterback Blake Mitchell was 15- of- 21 for 213 yards with two touchdowns and a pick after he replaced Syvelle Newton. Mitchell led the Gamecocks on drives of 92 and 99 yards. He did throw a pick to Hog defensive back Darius Vinnett with less than five minutes remaining and the Gamecocks in Razorback territory. Receiver Sidney Rice caught seven passes for 127 yards and once score. Coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday that Mitchell will start against Florida. Newton is expected to play as well.

Spurrier is frustrated by a lack of playmakers. He was especially upset at the inability of either defensive back Fred Bennett or Stoney Woodson to knock down a Hail Mary that Marcus Monk caught for a score at the end of the first half.

South Carolina has no defenders in the SEC top 10 in interceptions. They have only two in among the top 50 in tackles. They have only one player-freshman Eric Norwood—in the top ten in sacks. They have no players in the top ten of tackles for loss or forced fumbles. Arkansas had nearly 500 yards of offense and owned the ball for 37 minutes compared to 23. USC ran just 55 plays. Cory Boyd sat out most of the game due to a week-long illness. Receivers Sidney Rice, Kenny McKinley and Freddie Brown combined for 18 catches. Spurrier said Brown is probably the third receiver now. Since 2004, USC is 8-3 on the road.

VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY: Kentucky is one win away from being bowl eligible. The Wildcats broke a nine game losing streak to Georgia when tailback Tony Dixon scored from three-yards out in the last minute of play. Kentucky fans tore down the goal post for the first time since the 1997 Alabama win. Wildcat quarterback Andre Woodson was 23- of -32 for 204 yards and two picks. Receiver Keenan Burton caught seven passes for 73 yards. With a win over Vandy, Kentucky could be bowl eligible for the first time since 1999. Junior tailback Rafael Little could return Saturday after knee surgery.

Commodore quarterback Chris Nickson was 27- of- 44 for 298 yards with two scores and one pick. Vandy sacked Leak four times and picked him off three more. Receiver Earl Bennett caught 13 passes for 157 yards. Nickson could throw for over 300 yards against the Kentucky secondary. Vandy is only 2-4 when Bennett catches double-digit passes.

MISSISSIPPI STATE IS OFF: Quarterback Michael Henig has been the catalyst since returning from a broken collarbone. He was 9- of- 23 for 143 yards and two touchdowns and an interception in the Alabama win. Tailback Anthony Dixon ran 25 times for 121 yards. Linebacker Quinton Culberson had 10 tackles and returned a pick 51 yards for a score. State’s defense has been salty all year, but offense has caught up. State broke a 23-game SEC road-losing streak. The Bulldogs got the ball with 5:32 left in the game and ran out the clock.

OLE MISS IS OFF: Quarterback Brent Schaeffer was 13- of- 23 for 175 yards and one score in the win over Northwestern State. Tailback Bruce Hall ran 12 times for 85 yards. Receiver Mike Wallace caught six passes for 80 yards. The Rebels gained 401 yards of offense. Ole Miss matched its win (3) total of last year. Tailback BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran 14 times for 114 yards.

NC STATE AT CEMSON: The Tigers had 143 yards rushing and 251 yards passing on 18- of- 27 passing by quarterback Will Proctor in the loss to Maryland. Tailback James Davis ran for 90 yards on 20 carries. Receiver Chansi Stuckey had eight catches for 129 yards. Clemson has had three games including the Maryland contest where they have had only one penalty. However the one penalty against Maryland—an illegal procedure call- cost them the potentially winning score on a Davis run. Davis has eclipsed the 1,000- yard mark. Clemson has gone seven straight quarters without scoring a touchdown. They settled for four field goals. Defensive end Gaines Adams had a sack. He has 26 and needs one more to tie William Perry. Freshman tailback C J Spiller and Davis have accounted for 1,686 yard this season while N.C. State’s Toney Baker and Andre Brown have rushed for 1,030 yards. Clemson wants to win 10 games for the first time in 15 years. In the last two losses, Clemson has rushed for only 111 yards per game, partly because the offensive line has struggled in the past two games.

N C State: The Wolfpack have lost four straight games while the Tigers have lost two straight games. This is a must win for the Wolfpack (3-6). Quarterback Daniel Evans could have a big day against the Clemson secondary, similar to what Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach did last week. State struggled last week allowing 164 yards to Tech’s Tashard Choice. The Wolfpack run defense is No. 76 nationally.

GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA: Quarterback Reggie Ball, who was 13- of- 35 for 215 yards and two picks, threw four scoring passes including two to Calvin Johnson (nine catches for 168 yards) in Tech’s win over N C State. Tailback Tashard Choice had a career high 164 yards on 34 carries. Tech had 194 yards rushing and 215 yards passing.

NORTH CAROLINA: The school has reached an agreement with Butch Davis to be their next head coach. Some reports have Davis receiving nearly $2.5 million per year. He has been out of coaching since the 2004 season. The deal has yet to be announced by the school. Last week, Joe Dailey was 14- of- 22 for 213 yards in the loss to Notre Dame. Tech is No. 69 nationally against the pass, allowing 205 yards per game. Receiver Hakeem Nicks caught six passes for 171 yards last week.

WAKE FOREST AT FLORIDA STATE: Receiver Kevin Marion had an 81-yard scoring run and safety Patrick Ghee intercepted a pass in the end zone for the Demon Deacons. Defensive tackle Jyles Tucker had two sacks and forced a fourth quarter fumble. Wake held BC to only 28 yards rushing. The Demon Deacons are 8-1 for the first time since 1944 and in a first place tie with Maryland. Quarterback Riley Skinner was 15- of- 23 for 120 yards and two picks. This game is the opposite of the preseason predictions that had Wake last in the division and FSU first. FSU has won 14 straight in the series. Wake is No. 12 in scoring defense allowing only 15 points per game. Against BC, the Deacons allowed 402 yards passing and only 14 points. The defense forced three turnovers including two in the fourth quarter. FSU has struggled in the red zone. Linebacker John Abbate has been the glue of the defense.

FSU collected its first shutout in 39 games limiting Virginia to 183 total yards. The defense scored eight points and blocked a punt. The defense had a season high six sacks. Linebacker Rodney Gallon had a neck injury and safety Darius McClure separated a shoulder. Cornerback Tony Carter had a pick six of 35 yards. Defensive end Eli Charles blocked a punt that set up the first offensive touchdown. In the first half, quarterback Xavier Lee was 4- of- 15 for 36 yards in the first half. In the second half, Lee was 8- of- 10 for 164 yards. Overall, he was 12- of- 25 for 185 yards. FSU ran the ball 27 times for 117 yards. Lee led the team in rushing with 49 yards. Lee has nearly 100 yards rushing in the past two games. Chris Davis led the receivers with 77 yards on four catches. Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell was limited to 125 yards on 17 of 32 passing. Tailback Jason Snelling gained 60 yards on 13 carries and caught five passes for 48 yards.

Brian Coulter, a 6-4, 255 pound defensive end from Pearl River CC in Mississippi committed to the Noles. Linebacker Geno Hayes and receiver De’Cody Fagg could return this week. Eleven of 22 defensive players on the two-deep depth chart for the Miami game have missed three or more games. FSU is No. 10 in total defense despite the many injuries. The defensive depth chart this weekend has nine freshmen and six sophomores.

MIAMI AT MARYLAND: Both of Virginia Tech tailback Brandon Ore’s touchdowns were set up by Miami picks—one by backup quarterback Kirby Freeman in the second quarter and another off a deflected pass by Kyle Wright with 3:33 left. Tech’s Brandon Flowers made both interceptions. Wright didn’t play well in the game. He had an injured right thumb. Freeman played one series and threw a pick. He didn’t return. Miami rushed for 153 yards, Tech rushed for 53. Miami threw for 84 yards and Tech had 86. Miami had 237 total yards and Tech had 139. Tech allowed five sacks and Miami two. Virginia Tech scored 14 points off Miami turnovers. Tailback Javarris James had a hip pointer and left tackle Reggie Youngblood hyper-extended his knee, both in the first half. Youngblood and linebacker Tavares Gooden will not play because of injuries. The Canes will wear a patch to honor the memory of the late Bryan Pata. Safety Kenny Phillips is out for the rest of the season with a hand injury.

Maryland kicker Dan Ennis kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired giving the Terps a one-point win over Maryland. The Terps are tied for the Atlantic Division lead. After Clemson kicked a field goal, Hollenbach, who was 23- of- 34 for 247 yards, drove the Terps 54 yards down the field and converted a fourth- and- inches at the Clemson 12. The Terps had only 54 yards rushing in the win. The Terps have won four games by a combined 12 points. Maryland has beaten N C State, FSU and Clemson in consecutive weeks. Maryland’s offense is No. 95, nationally. Hollenbach, who had a big game against Clemson, could take advantage of the loss of Phillips in the secondary.

DUKE AT BOSTON COLLEGE: BC’s four game win streak was snapped with the loss to Wake. Quarterback Matt Ryan was 40- of- 57 for 402 yards and a score. He had two picks in the end zone.

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.