The Tide had a season high five sacks. Senior defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry led the team with 11 tackles. Coach Nick Saban experimented with a new center in Evan Cardwell, who was an upgrade in shotgun snaps. The move allowed Antoine Caldwell, the former center, to shift to guard to allow more flexibility in the running game. In other moves, Prince Hall started ahead of Rolando McClain at linebacker, Coffee in front of Grant at tailback and Lionel Mitchell before Marquis Johnson at cornerback. Alabama had the ball in the second only 11:27. The longest run from scrimmage was 22 yards by Roy Upchurch. The Tide had 201 yards in the first quarter, but only 146 over the next three quarters. Houston had 29 plays in the first half and 47 in the second half.

Ole Miss earned its first shutout since 2003 and broke a four-game losing streak in the win over Louisiana Tech. The Rebel offense that gained only 232 total yards struggled due to three interceptions from quarterback Seth Adams, who was 16- of- 32 for 167 yards. Tailback Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis was held to only 54 yards. Alabama has beaten Ole Miss the past two years by three points in each game. Last year, the Tide won in overtime and the previous year Alabama won on a Jamie Christensen field goal on the final play. Linebacker Ashlee Palmer had a game- high 15 tackles. Cornerback Dustin Mouzon returned a blocked kick for a touchdown. Ole Miss ran for only 65 yards on 23 carries. Tech ran 79 plays compared to 55 for Ole Miss. Coming into the Louisiana Tech game, Ole Miss was allowing 33 points and 475 yards. They are allowing 446 yards per game, worst in the SEC. Defensive end Greg Hardy and Marcus Tillman are two of the better defensive ends in the conference. Safety Jarmaca Sanford is doubtful for the Alabama game due to injuries, which means either Johnny Brown or Kendrick Lewis will have to play.

LSU at Kentucky: The Tigers have won 13 straight games, the longest streak in the nation after Wisconsin lost to Illinois. LSU’s defense was stout in the fourth quarter against Florida holding the Gators to only 37 yards in the final 15 minutes. Florida had the ball only 2:51 minutes in the fourth quarter. Tiger safety Craig Steltz made 16 tackles in the game, the most since Bradie James had 18 stops five years ago. Last year, LSU beat Kentucky 49-0. They scored on their first four possessions. LSU was 5- for- 5 on fourth-down conversions. The Tigers scored twice on fourth-down plays. Colt David missed two field goal attempts. Receiver Early Doucet, who was back at practice Wednesday, could play. LSU returns to Kentucky for the first time since the “Bluegrass Miracle” in 2002. The Tigers are first in total defense, second in scoring defense, third in pass defense, and fourth in rush defense.

Kentucky still has a shot at a winning season, bowl game and even a divisional title despite the loss to South Carolina. Tailback Rafael Little gained 135 yards on 25 carries in the loss to South Carolina. Quarterback Andre Woodson was 23- of- 40 for 227 yards for two scores and a pick. The Wildcats lost three fumbles. Little is questionable this week with a thigh bruise. Starting strongside linebacker Johnny Williams could miss the game with a foot injury. Running back/kick return Alfonso Smith is struggling with an ankle sprain. In order to beat LSU, the Wildcat coaches must come up with something to protect Woodson. If he has protection and can get rid of the ball quickly, Woodson can put some pressure on the LSU secondary. He has 18 touchdowns and only two picks. LSU has allowed only three touchdown passes and 11 picks.

Auburn at Arkansas: Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville notched his 100th victory in his career (nine years at Auburn and four at Ole Miss) after the Vanderbilt win. Tiger quarterback Brandon Cox was 14- of- 17 for 165 yards with one touchdown and one pick. In his last three games, Cox is 44- of- 62 passing. He also only has one pick. The Tiger running game was potent with Ben Tate gaining 96 yards and Brad Lester 77 yards. Lester played in his first game after being suspended for half the season. Auburn is 42-0 under Tuberville when scoring at least 30 points per game. The Tiger defense, even with four starters-defensive end Quentin Groves, linebackers Merrill Johnson, Tray Blackmon, and safety Aairon Savage-- with injury, dominated the Commodore offense. All four players have a chance to return this week. Auburn limited Vandy receiver Earl Bennett to only four catches for 31 yards. Commodore quarterback Chris Nickson was only 5- of- 16 passing for 38 yards. Cassen Jackson- Garrison gained only 45 yards. Five defensive starters have missed a total of 12 games. Center Jason Bosley sprained his knee right before halftime and he is doubtful for Arkansas. Fifteen true freshmen and 11 redshirt freshmen have played this season. Auburn is second in total defense (293 ypg) and third in scoring defense (17 ppg). Four sophomores, five redshirt freshman and three true freshmen have contributed this season. Auburn’s run defense has yet to allow more than 175 yards in a game.

Arkansas won at Auburn last year in dominating fashion winning by 17 points. In 2005, Auburn won at Arkansas by 17 points. The Hogs did what they needed to do in the win over Tennessee Chattanooga. Tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones combined for 263 yards. McFadden, who needs 26 yards in be in the top ten of SEC career rushers, has been dealing with bruised ribs, but he will play. The passing game again struggled. Quarterback Casey Dick was only 13- of- 22 for 116 yards with one pick and one touchdown against UTC. The Hog defense held UTC to only 172 yards. Coach Houston Nutt is hoping receiver Marcus Monk is doing better at practice, but he will probably not return this week. Monk (knee), Ben Cleveland (out with neck injury), Crosby Tuck (broken arm) and Robert Johnson (ankle) all missed action against UTC. Johnson is expected back this week. Arkansas was in a fierce recruiting battle last year for Tiger offensive lineman Lee Ziemba and quarterback Kodi Burns. Both players signed with Auburn and have played a lot this season.

Tennessee at Mississippi State: A very motivated Tennessee team got up off the deck to upset Georgia by 21 points. The Vols scored on four of their first five possessions and ran the ball extremely well. Vol quarterback Erik Ainge was sharp completing 17- of- 22 passes for 165 yards. The offensive line prevented any sacks and few pressures. Tailback Arian Foster gained 98 yards on 17 carries and three scores. The Vols ran for 190 yards. Tennessee’s defense limited Georgia to only two first downs in the first half. The Bulldogs didn’t cross midfield until the third quarter. Offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe and defensive coordinator John Chavis said they both simplified the game plan this week. Tennessee’s front four had 22 tackles in the game. Coming into the Georgia game they had only 57.

The Vols are one of three teams in the SEC East to have only one loss (South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee). Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt already have two losses. Tennessee is ranked No. 25 after beating Georgia. Fulmer is 44-14 at home and 44-14 on the road in SEC play. Ainge leads the SEC in passing yards (259 yards). Tennessee leads the league in fewest sacks allowed (2). The Vols ran well against Georgia because they had three healthy running backs (Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty and LaMarcus Coker). Tennessee scored on an option pass from receiver Lucas Taylor to Coker. On short yardage situations, the Vols were 5- of- 5 against Georgia after converting a combined 2- of- 10 against Cal and Florida. Tennessee is last in the SEC in punt returns. Before Saturday, the last time Tennessee gained over 190 yards rushing and held their opponents to under 100 was December of 2001 when they beat Florida. Against Georgia, Ainge is 3-0 and has completed 70% of his passes. Tennessee leads the SEC in fewest penalties (26 total). From 1993-99, Tennessee was 23-1-1 in October. Since 2000, Tennessee is 14-10 in October. Fulmer is looking for win No. 47 in 62 road games. The Vols front seven played much better against Georgia. Defensive lineman J T Mapu had three tackles in the Georgia game. He had five total tackles coming into the game. In Tennessee’s three wins they have run for close to 200 yards. In losses to Cal and Florida, they rushed for only 111 yards.

Mississippi State has four wins in a season for the first time since 2000. Bulldog tailback Anthony Dixon carried 32 times for 152 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from UAB. State quarterback Wesley Carroll was 9- of- 12 for 93 yards. Michael Henig, who is back from hand surgery, completed 2- of- 8 passing for 26 yards and two picks. Henig has nine picks and only one touchdown this season. State has three touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. State has only been able to throw for more than 200 yards once this season. State’s defense is solid. The secondary has taken back four picks for touchdowns.

Georgia at Vanderbilt: Both teams are coming off tough losses where they generated little on offense. Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed less than half of his passes (16- of- 33) and tailback Knowshon Moreno, the leading Bulldog rusher, gained only 30 yards on 13 carries. Tailback Thomas Brown is out four to six weeks with a broken collarbone. There are no present plans to take the redshirt off freshman Caleb King. Senior Jason Johnson and redshirt freshman Shaun Chapas will back up Lumpkin and Moreno. For the first time this season, the offensive line, with three freshmen, struggled. Tackle Trinton Sturdivant was flagged for three penalties. Coach Mark Richt said Sunday there may be changes in the lineup this week. He said Tuesday that he is considering giving linebacker Rennie Curran his first start over Darius Dewberry. Junior receiver Demiko Goodman will see more action this Saturday. Georgia fell from No. 12 to 24 in the polls. The Bulldog defense struggled to get Tennessee off the field (only three, three and outs). Redshirt freshman Akeem Dent is ready to make his second start after Brandon Miller injured his calf. Thomas Flowers is the No. 1 punt returner due to Mikey Henderson’s injured hamstring. Right guard Scott Haverkamp is back after missing three games with a sprained ankle.

Vanderbilt was limited to only 221 total yards in the loss to Auburn. Vandy converted only 3- of -13 on third down. Georgia will be looking for revenge after the Commodores kicked a late field goal to win last year in Athens. Vandy’s pass defense allows only 159 yards per game. Quarterback Chris Nickson is 41- of- 87 with five picks and two scores in his last four games.

Florida is off this week: The Gators allowed LSU 25 plays and 133 yards in the fourth quarter. The Gators had two turnovers and two first downs in the fourth quarter. Tailback Kestahn Moore ran for 79 yards. Tim Tebow completed 12- of- 26 for 158 yards with two scores and a pick. Receiver Bubba Caldwell still doesn’t have his speed and quickness back after his injury. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham had 17 tackles. Defensive back Major Wright did a solid job in center field. Linebacker Brandon Spikes has 21 tackles in his last two games. Urban Meyer has lost two straight games for the first time since 2002.

South Carolina at North Carolina: The No. 7 ranking for the Gamecocks is the highest in 23 years when USC was No. 2 in 1984 before losing to Navy. After a decisive win over Kentucky, the Gamecocks are back in the top ten for the first time since 2001 and leading the divisional race. Quarterback Chris Smelley, who was 17- of -30 for 256 yards and two scores against Kentucky, is averaging 283 yards per game passing. Tailbacks Mike Davis and Cory Boyd combined for 119 yards. Boyd has 387 yards and Davis 383 on the season. South Carolina has 16 players from the state of North Carolina. South Carolina is No. 78 in total offense averaging 360 yards per game. The Gamecocks have the top rated passing defense, but the No. 99 rated rushing defense allowing 193 yards per game. Coach Steve Spurrier said there could be more changes at the guard spot. Sophomore Garrett Anderson played mostly in the second half against Kentucky. South Carolina is No. 11 in the SEC in rushing offense and rushing defense. UNC and South Carolina haven’t played since 1991. Starting cornerback Carlos Thomas is out with a neck injury. Addison Williams a true freshman is his replacement. This is Smelley’s first career start on the road.

North Carolina’s win over Miami makes this game much more interesting. This is a matchup between storied coaches Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis. Tar Heel freshman tailback Anthony Elzy gained 95 yards (183 yards rushing) and Connor Barth kicked four field goals. Barth has 19 straight field goals. North Carolina has lost by three points to East Carolina, two to Virginia and seven to Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels have lost three games by a total of 12 points. Quarterback T J Yates has eight touchdowns and nine picks on the season. He has not thrown a touchdown in his last three games. UNC could be starting three freshmen in the secondary against South Carolina.

Boston College at Notre Dame: BC, No. 4 in the polls, has won six games by an average of 16 points per game. Jeff Smith had two long kick returns. Tailback Andre Callender is on pace to gain 1,000 yards this year. Quarterback Matt Ryan was 24- of- 32 for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan has thrown five touchdowns and no picks in his last two games. Defensive back Jamie Silva, who has 34 tackles and three picks in his last four games, had three picks. BC is going for five straight over Notre Dame.

Virginia Tech at Duke: Starting linebacker and leading tackler Vince Hall is out four to six weeks with a broken wrist that he sustained in the win over Clemson. Linebacker Brett Warren replaces Hall, who was on his way to a third straight 100- tackle season. The Hokies are No. 114 in total offense (274 ypg) and No. 110 in passing offense (151 ypg). Against Clemson, Tech took back a punt, kickoff and interception for a score. Freshman quarterback Tyrod Tyler ran for 118 yards.

Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis is turning into a productive quarterback.

Georgia Tech at Miami: After trailing 27-0 at halftime to UNC, the Canes rallied to trim the lead to 27-20. Quarterback Kyle Wright was 17- of- 33 for 302 yards and four picks. Tech has beaten Miami two straight games. Wright has six picks in the last two games. The Canes have given up 13 sacks the last two games against Tech. Darryl Sharpton is expected to return as the weakside linebacker ahead of Spencer Adkins. Josh Holmes is expected to take over at tackle for the injured Antonio Dixon. Dajleon Farr has been demoted to third team at tight end. Chris Zellner will be the starter. DeMarcus Van Dyke, Bruce Johnson and Glenn Sharpe are battling to start at cornerback. Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix is facing his old team. Coach Randy Shannon dressed him team down after practice earlier this week. If they lose to Georgia Tech then there could be a major shakeup in the starting lineup. Miami has outscored teams 64-0 in the first half of home games this season.

Georgia Tech’s Travis Bell missed a 52-yard field goal in the last seconds that could have beaten Maryland last week. Quarterback Taylor Bennett was 22- of- 34 for 309 yards and a touchdown. Tailback Tashard Choice, who has run for 280 yards in his last two games, ran 32 times for 135 yards. Receiver Demaryius Thomas caught nine passes for 139 yards. Tech is second in the nation in sacks per game (four) and sacks (.067) allowed per game. Receiver James Johnson and guard Nate McManus will miss the Miami game.

UCONN at Virginia: These teams are a combined 10-1. UConn has beaten Duke, Maine, Temple, Pitt and Akron. Chris Gould kicked a 34- yard field goal with eight seconds left to give the Cavs their fifth straight win. UVA had 151 yards rushing. The Cavs had the No. 102 rated passing attack. Running back Cedric Peerman is out with a knee injury so Keith Payne and Andrew Pearman will share the load. Since the opener, UVA has allowed only 100 yards on the ground per game. Ends Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald will cause problems.

UConn’s defense is No. 4 nationally in both scoring and total defense. The Huskies allow only 89 ypg rushing. Defensive ends Julius Williams and Cody Brown are solid.

Florida State gained only 47 yards on 24 carries in the loss to Wake Forest. In the second half, FSU punted five times, had two picks and gained only 105 yards. Xavier Lee was 24- of- 45 for 283 yards and two scores. Lee was benched temporarily in the second half because he was not getting the offensive in the right play. Offensive lineman Rodney Hudson (knee sprain) and linebacker Marcus Ball (ankle sprain) came out of the game with injuries. Wake gained nearly 400 yards of offense. The FSU defense had 16 tackles for loss and forced three turnovers.

Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner was 19- of- 27 for 215 yards and two scores in the win over FSU. Tailback Josh Adams had 18 rushes for 140 yards. In all, Wake gained 180 yards rushing against a defense that was allowing 81 ypg.

Maryland is off after beating Georgia Tech. Terp linebacker Dave Philistin had 21 tackles in the win over Georgia Tech.

Clemson is off after two straight losses. Virginia Tech schooled Clemson in several different areas especially special teams. Tailback James Davis had six carries for nine yards and C J Spiller gained three yards. They had eight yards net rushing. Clemson had the ball 90 plays for 380 yards compared to Tech’s 219 yards on 55 plays. The Tigers had the first down edge 20-9. Quarterback Cullen Harper was 38- of- 66 for 372 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. Receiver Aaron Kelly caught 11 passes for 174 yards and Tyler Grisham caught 11 passes for 100 yards. Tech took two kicks back for touchdowns in the game.

Louisville (3-3) at Cincinnati: The Bearcats, under first year Coach Brian Kelly, beat Rutgers last week. Louisville has won eight of the past nine in the series. UC is averaging 45 points and 445 yards per game in the spread. Quarterback Ben Mauk is dangerous and the Bearcats average 185 yards rushing. Receiver Marcus Barnett has 28 catches and six scores.

Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm continues to be the bright spot with 20 touchdowns and only four picks. Receivers Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia are back after missing last week’s loss to Utah. The secondary has picked off four passes and allowed 13 touchdowns.

UCF (3-2) at South Florida (5-0): UCF had its low points last week with a bad loss to East Carolina. Coach Georgia O’Leary is hoping Kevin Smith, the nation’s leading rusher and an offense that averages 38 points per game can win. The offensive line has allowed only five sacks in as many games. UCF is No. 116 nationally in defending kickoff returns. USF’s Jerome Murphy could take advantage of this. The Golden Knights receivers led by Rocky Ross need to dent the USF secondary with cornerbacks Trae Williams and Mike Jenkins and safeties Nate Allen and Carlton Williams.

USF has turned the ball over eight times in the past two games. Tailback Mike Ford returns from a one games suspension while Ben Williams is running well. Defensive end George Selvie leads the No. 13th ranked scoring defense.

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR MYCLAYSUN IN ORANGE PARK, FLA. HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM, SAMSPORTSLINE.COM AND GATOR BAIT MAGAZINE. HE CAN BE HEARD ON SPORTS RADIO 1010 XL.