The Auburn offensive line and running backs Ben Tate (91 yards) and Brad Lester (89 yards) were instrumental in the win over Arkansas. The Tigers won on three Wes Byrum field goals (he was 3- of- 5). Auburn held Arkansas, who was averaging 338 yards per game rushing, to only 67 yards. The Tigers have won eight straight road games and 15 straight games in their road white uniforms. They have also won 14- of- 15 road games. Auburn has won 9- of- 10 games against top 10 teams. LSU has won 17 straight at home and 27- of- 28 in Tiger Stadium. Center Jason Bosley played 80 snaps last week with a painful sprained knee. Defensive end Quentin Groves (dislocated toes) and safety Aairon Savage (knee) will be evaluated midweek to see if they can play. Offensive lineman Ryan Pugh has a badly bruised shin. Linebacker Merrill Johnson (bruised shoulder) and Tray Blackmon (ankle) are healthy enough to play. Coach Tommy Tuberville was disappointed that Ryan Shoemaker and Patrick Tatum both punted poorly. The biggest matchup for Auburn is in interior of their offensive line with Bosley and guard Tyronne Green, both juniors, along with three freshmen against the LSU defensive line.

LSU is No. 4 in the first BCS polls. LSU not only lost the game to Kentucky, but also several players such as center Brett Helms, defensive end Kirston Pittman (knee) and cornerback Chevis Jackson went out with injuries. Tailback Jacob Hester came out of the game with a thigh bruise. Coach Les Miles said none of the injuries were serious. Receiver Early Doucet also will see more action on Saturday after he played against Kentucky. Defensive end Tyson Jackson had a career- high eight tackles, but he was also called for a roughing the passer personal foul that gave Kentucky a first down in the first overtime.

LSU had 12 penalties for 103 yards in the loss to Kentucky. For the first time in 25 games, LSU did not sack the quarterback. LSU, arguably the best defense in the nation, couldn’t stop Kentucky from scoring on six straight possessions—the last three in regulation and another three during the overtimes. Tiger quarterback Matt Flynn was 17- of- 35 for 130 yards in the loss to Kentucky. Tiger receivers dropped six passes in the Kentucky game. Tailback Charles Scott led the Tigers with seven carries for 94 yards. LSU ran for 261 yards on 50 carries.

TENNESSEE AT ALABAMA: This has been a close series during this decade. Tennessee won last year by three points. Alabama won on a field goal in 2005 and the Vols won by four points in 2004. Alabama also won in 2002 after Tennessee won in five overtimes in 2003. The Vols have won three straight games and four- of- five after beating Mississippi State. For the first time since 1988, ESPN, ABC or CBS will not televise the game. Tennessee leads the nation in fewest sacks allowed (2). The Vols also lead the league in fewest penalties (33). Quarterback Erik Ainge, who leads the league in passing with 259 ypg, has been sacked only once. He has not been sacked in an SEC game. Tennessee is No. 5 in the SEC in total offense (425 ypg) and scoring offense (34 ppg). The Vols are No. 9 in the league in rushing offense (155 ypg). They are No. 11 in total defense (389 ypg) and No. 12 in scoring defense (30 ppg). Tennessee’s young secondary has allowed 230 yards passing per game. Alabama has the better rushing defense (No. 4 in the SEC).

Vol receiver Lucas Taylor, who has a sore toe, caught 11 passes for 186 yards in the win over Mississippi State. He is averaging 103 yards per game receiving, the best in the SEC. No Vol has ever finished the season averaging over 100 yards receiving. Tailback Arian Foster gained 139 yards on 21 carries and one score. The Vols had 211 yards rushing. It was the first time since 2004 that Tennessee has rushed for more than 190 yards in consecutive games. Ainge was 22- of- 36 for 259 yards with two scores and one pick. Kicker Daniel Lincoln has made 12 -of -13 field goals this season.

Alabama beat Ole Miss by rallying for 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Tide also benefited from a reversed call on the next to last play of the game. Rebel quarterback Seth Adams appeared to connect with Shay Hodge on a 41-yard pass to give the Rebels first and goal at the Tide four-yard line with seven seconds left. However, replay showed that Hodge stepped out of bounds before making the catch. Alabama has beaten Ole Miss three straight years by three points in each game. Coach Nick Saban said after the Ole Miss win that the defense has to limit big plays, the special teams must communicate better and the coaches need to manage time better at the end of the half against Tennessee. The Tide failed to score in three chances inside the red zone against Ole Miss. Running back Glen Coffee had a costly fumble inside the Ole Miss 5-yard line.

Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson, 11-9 as a starter, completed 26- of- 40 for 265 yards with one pick in the win over Ole Miss. The win was Alabama’s first fourth quarter comeback road win since beat Auburn in 1999. Tide receiver D J Hall caught 11 passes for 140 yards in the win over Ole Miss. The Tide gained 420 total yards, but turned the ball over twice and had a punt blocked in the second half. Alabama gained 113 yards rushing on 40 carries. Kick returner Javier Arenas averaged 35 yards per punt return including a long of 54 yards. Arenas also played in the secondary. Alabama had the ball 80 plays (40 run and 40 pass) compared to 71 for Ole Miss. The Tide gained 378 yards, its best of the season. Alabama’s defense intercepted three passes and sacked Rebel quarterback Seth Adams four times. Defensive end Zeke Knight took one pick back 28 yards.

ARKANSAS AT OLE MISS: Coach Houston Nutt spent his day Sunday defending himself and his offensive coordinator David Lee following the loss to Auburn. Nutt said he has a contract that goes through 2012. This has been a lopsided series the last three years with the Hogs beating the Rebels in every game by double digits. Arkansas needs to do something to salvage its season after losing a heartbreaking game to Auburn.

Tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones rushed for only 85 yards on 23 carries in the loss to Auburn. Jones had fewer than 10 carries for the first time this season. The Hogs had only 11 first downs and a season low 193 total yards. They were only 3- of- 13 on third downs. Quarterback Casey Dick was only 12- of- 26 for 111 yards. Receiver Marcus Monk returned for only play against Auburn. Defensive lineman Marcus Harrison had his best game of the season with 13 tackles. Linebacker Freddie Fairchild led the team in tackles with 15. Arkansas lost a game for the first time since 1993 when they didn’t allow a touchdown. In 2001, the Hogs were 0-3 in the SEC before winning six straight to finish 7-4 and go to the Cotton Bowl. The Hogs have lost five straight SEC games before winning seven straight going back to last year. Arkansas has lost the Kentucky, Alabama and Auburn games in the fourth quarter. The Hogs have only seven sacks in six games.

Ole Miss running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 131 yards on 20 carries in the loss to Alabama. Adams, who had a stomach virus the night before, completed 22- of- 40 passes for 284 yards and two scores. Defensive back Dustin Mouzon blocked the first punt of his career. Ole Miss defensive lineman Greg Hardy had 13 tackles including five for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries in the loss to Alabama. Hardy has nine tackles for loss and five sacks in his last two games.

FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY: The Wildcats beat LSU in triple overtime, which means a win over a No. 1 team at home for the first time in school history. Kentucky had beaten Ole Miss, No. 1 at the time, in 1964 on the road. Quarterback Andre Woodson was 21- of- 38 for 250 yards with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. He had two picks. LSU safety Craig Steltz said a big reason for the loss was Woodson made good adjustments at the line. His touchdown to interception ratio is 21: 4. He has thrown at least two touchdowns in eight straight games.

What Coach Rich Brooks has done at Kentucky is amazing. A year ago, LSU beat Kentucky by 49 points and Brooks was considered a sure bet to be fired at the end of the season. Since that thrashing from LSU, the Wildcats have won 11- of- 13 games. ESPN College GameDay will be in Lexington for a football game for the first time ever. Sophomore cornerback Paul Warford will miss two games after breaking his clavicle in the LSU game. Little is probably out with a thigh bruise. Sophomore cornerback Trevard Lindley is having an all-conference season. He had a pick in the fourth quarter of the LSU game. Freshman tailback Derrick Locke led the Wildcats in rushing with 64 yards on 20 carries and one score. Receiver Steve Johnson, the hero of the Louisville game, caught seven passes for 134 yards. The Wildcats converted 9- of- 17 third down possibilities.

FLORIDA: During the bye week, the Gators worked on defensive line rotation, improvement in the secondary (keep the ball in front of them) and getting players such as Riley Cooper and Bubba Caldwell healthy and get the other receivers involved. The players are still dealing with the death of scout team quarterback Michael Guilford and Joe Haden’s girlfriend (she was a passenger on the motorcycle). Defensive back Markihe Anderson is hoping to play. There has been some talk about getting Jarred Fayson more touches. The Gators are going to have to score in the upper 20s to win, but Kentucky has struggled against the run. Florida and Kentucky are the only two teams in the SEC to convert half their third downs. This is the first time since 1991 that both teams aren’t meeting in September.

Coming out the break cornerback Joe Haden (28 tackles, five breakups, one pick and two tackles for loss) and offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey (who stabilized the line after Phil Trautwein went out) have been two of the most pleasant surprises. Against Kentucky, Florida must do something about its pass rush. They are getting little push up the middle, so opponents are concentrating on ends Derrick Harvey and Jermaine Cunningham.

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA: State quarterback Wesley Carroll was 18- of- 33 for 203 yards with two scores in the loss to Tennessee. Tailback Anthony Dixon carried 26 times for 108 yards. Even though his team lost to Tennessee, Coach Sly Croom said his team had their best performance since he came to Starkville. He said the difference in the game was the Vol offensive line wearing out the Bulldog defensive line.

West Virginia was off last week. The Mountaineers won last year in Starkville by 28 points. The Bulldogs are faced with a gauntlet of three of the next four games coming on the road at West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas. They have home games left against Alabama and Ole Miss. Earning two more wins to become bowl eligible will be hard to come by for Croom.

VANDERBILT AT SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks are No. 6 in the first BCS poll, their highest ranking ever. The Gamecocks have won three straight in the Vanderbilt series. South Carolina is 6-1 for the first time since 2001. They are bowl eligible for the fourth straight year for the first time since 1987-1990. Quarterback Chris Smelley is 4-0 as a starter. South Carolina led at halftime, 21-3, before holding off a North Carolina rally at the end of the game. The Gamecocks won the game despite running only 23 plays for 62 yards in the second half. They were only 1- of- 12 on third down. North Carolina had more first downs, yardage and third down conversions. South Carolina was without three of their top four defensive backs by the end of the UNC game. The Gamecocks are No. 3 nationally in pass defense allowing 149.1 ypg. Clemson (135 ypg) and LSU (149 ypg) are the top two teams.

Commodore quarterback Adam McKenzie may have won the quarterback job after completing 7- of- 10 passes for 125 yards and one score. He also added 46 yards rushing. Vanderbilt attempted only four passes in the second half of the Georgia loss and gained only 98 yards.

GEORGIA IS OFF: The Bulldogs last second win over Vanderbilt gives additional meaning to the Florida vs. Georgia game in Jacksonville next weekend. Georgia Coach Mark Richt kept his players from celebrating on the Vanderbilt insignia after their win over Vanderbilt. Georgia beat Vandy on the last play this season after the Commodores did the same to the Bulldogs last year. The Bulldogs, who scored the final 13 points of the game, trailed at halftime by ten points. Tailback Knowshon Moreno gained 157 yards on 28 carries. Tailback Kregg Lumpkin left the game with an ankle and knee injury. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was 16- of- 31 for 201 yards. Georgia has forced only six turnovers in seven games.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT CLEMSON: Clemson had the week off. They are trying to improve their special teams. Clemson is No. 114 nationally in punt return defense, No. 108 nationally in net punting and No. 101 in kickoff return defense. Coach Tommy Bowden said CMU’s offense is similar to West Virginia’s. Clemson is No. 7 in the ACC in rushing offense. Tailback C J Spiller has run for five yards on 15 carries in his last two games.

CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour ran for four scores and threw for two more in the win over Army. He completed 30- of- 39 passes for 251 yards. In wins over Army and Ball State, LeFavour is 60- of- 67 for 611 yards. CMU has scored over 100 points in its last two games against Ball State and Army.

MIAMI AT FLORIDA STATE: This is the first time since 1977 that neither team is ranked. FSU is No. 94 in total offense at 342 ypg. Miami is No. 96 at 339 ypg. Miami’s three main receivers have a combined 48 catches and four touchdowns in seven games.

Freshmen Jermaine McKenzie and quarterback Robert Marve will redshirt. Defensive tackle Josh Holmes is questionable. Receiver Lance Leggett is out with an injury. Defensive tackles Dwayne Hendricks and Antonio Dixon are likely out for the season. Miami only has three of four available DTs. Joe Joseph and Teraz McCray are expected to start. Senior Kyle Wright has never beaten FSU as a starting quarterback. He has four picks and three touchdowns during the two game losing streak. After running for 90 yards in the opening loss to Clemson, Antone Smith has yet to gain over 66 yards in the past five games.

Against Georgia Tech, Miami ran for 167 yards, but threw for only 56. Quarterback Kyle Wright was 8- of -17 for 56 yards. Kirby Freeman threw one pass. Sam Shields was the leading receiver catching four passes for 22 yards.

FSU: Florida State’s three top receivers have a combined 67 catches and six touchdowns. Xavier Lee will be the starting quarterback against Miami. In the last three Miami vs. FSU games, neither team has scored more than 16 points. Offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said he might be pushing Lee too hard. FSU has averaged 10 penalties per game in the last two weeks. Several of the penalties have been holding. Defensive lineman Budd Thacker should be able to play on the natural grass in Doak Campbell. He was not able to play on the turf at Wake Forest with his injured toe. David Overmyer is back from a MCL sprain. FSU is No. 102 in rushing offense and No. 19 in rush defense. The offense has 74 straight passing plays without allowing a quarterback sack. Defensive end Everette Brown has five sacks in the past four games. Linebacker Geno Hayes has 11 tackles for loss in his last four games. In the second half against Wake, FSU ran only 31 plays gaining 105 yards. They ran for the ball only eight times in the second half.

ARMY AT GEORGIA TECH: Running back Tashard Choice ran for a career-high 204 yards on 37 carries during the win over Miami. The Canes had been allowing 111 rushing yards per game. Tech joins Virginia Tech and FSU as only three teams to beat Miami for three straight years since 1978.

The Black Knights committed seven turnovers and lost their third straight game to Central Michigan.

VIRGINIA AT MARYLAND: Last year, Maryland trailed Virginia, 20-0, and turned its season around by rallying to win, 28-26. They won five straight. The Terps are rested after an off week. Linebacker Erin Henderson is back after missing the Georgia Tech game with an injury. Jordan Steffy (concussion) still hasn’t been cleared, so Chris Turner will make his second career start. Senior guard Andrew Crummey is out for six weeks with a broken fibula. The offensive line has allowed 22 sacks. Maryland (345 ypg) is ranked No. 43 in total defense, which is No. 8 in the ACC. The secondary is giving up too many long pass plays. Tech’s Taylor Bennett threw for a career high 309 yards against Maryland. The Terps counter with a solid running game that is averaging 162 yards per game rushing, No. 2 in the league with Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore, who has four 100- yard games this season. Maryland is No. 6 nationally in time of possession 32:47. Maryland is 20-10-2 against Virginia in College Park. The Terps are battling various injuries on the offensive line.

Virginia is No. 19 in the first BCS poll. Virginia has won 11- of- 15 games between the two schools. Maryland is trying to win its third straight over Virginia. The Cavs haven’t won at Maryland since 1999. Since 1937, Virginia is 20-8 against Maryland when rushing for at least 150 yards. Tailback Cedric Peerman (nearly 100 ypg or No. 2 in the ACC) has an injured foot and may not play. Virginia’s defensive ends Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald have dominated the line of scrimmage in their wins this season. The ends have 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.

WAKE FOREST AT NAVY: Wake has won four straight games. Freshman running back Josh Adams is making an impact and receiver Kenny Moore is one of the league’s most versatile players. The Midshipmen have won three straight games. Coach Jim Grobe said it would be hard to stop their triple option attack.

BOSTON COLLEGE IS OFF: The Eagles are preparing for their huge game at Virginia Tech next Thursday night. Offensive lineman Ryan Poles career is over after he tore an Achilles tendon. Tailback Kevin Challenger is better after injuring his ankle. BC beat Notre Dame for the fifth straight time. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 291 yards and two scores. BC has the nation’s No. 1 run defense allowing 40 ypg. BC has 18 picks on the season.

DUKE, NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINA TECH ARE OFF

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.