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Five coaches-
- Tennessee's Phil Fulmer
- Washington's Ty Willingham
- Kansas State's Ron Prince
- Clemson's Tommy Bowde
- Toledo's Tom Amstutz
-have already announced that they won't return next season.
ALABAMA AT LSU: The Tide is ranked No. 1 for the first time in the regular season since 1980. Alabama would clinch the divisional title with a win over LSU. The Tide remained unbeaten by shutting out Arkansas State, 35-0. It was Alabama's first shutout since the Mississippi State game in 2005. Quarterback John Parker Wilson was an uninspiring 15- of- 28 for 153 yards with one pick. Tailback Mark Ingram gained 113 yards on 12 carries and scored twice. Ingram bruised his knee and tailback Glen Coffee bruised his bicep, but they should be ready for LSU. Alabama ran for 205 yards. Freshman receiver Julio Jones caught five passes for 62 yards. The Tide defense held Arkansas State to 158 yards. Defensive back Rashad Johnson returned an interception 32 yards for a score. He also had 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Arkansas State was held to 2- of- 12 on third down. Quarterback Corey Leonard threw for only 67 yards and was sacked four times. Wilson told the press that "this was the most mature team (nine scholarship seniors) that he has been around."
Nose guard Terrance Cody is healthy again. Cody (6-2,365) could match up with guard Herman Johnson (6-7, 386). The Tide has a 10-game winning streak, tied for second best with Penn State and Utah. Texas Tech has an 11-game streak. A Florida-Alabama SEC title game would be the sixth meeting in the 17 year history of the game and the first since 1999. Ingram, who is second on the team with 533 yards, was the SEC Freshman of the Week. Wilson has yet to beat LSU or Auburn in his three years as a starter.
LSU beat Tulane, 35-10. Tailback Charles Scott rushed for 114 yards. He left the game early with a sprained ankle. The Tigers ran for 231 yards. Quarterback Jarrett Lee was 8- of- 20 for 99 yards with one touchdown and one pick. For the fifth time this season, Lee threw a pick that was returned for a touchdown. Freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson entered the game late in the fourth quarter. The Tigers have beaten Tulane 17 straight times. LSU defensive end Rahim Alem stripped Tulane quarterback Joe Kemp of the football and defensive back Chris Hawkins picked it up and returned it 23 yards for a score. Tulane gained only 163 yards on 54 plays.
The Tigers are 1-4-1 against No. 1 teams in Tiger Stadium. The last win against a top team was Florida in 1997. Alabama was No. 1 when they beat LSU in a driving rainstorm in 1979. LSU has won the past five games in the series. The Tigers have a league low four picks. Safety Curtis Taylor is questionable with an injury.
ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA: A lower division SEC team (Arkansas) beat the best team in Conference USA (Tulsa). The Hogs upset previously unbeaten Tulsa on the strength of Dennis Johnson's 96- yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Tulsa scored three points in the third quarter and zero in the fourth quarter. Arkansas started the game on a 17-0 run .Tulsa came into the game averaging 55 points and over 600 yards. They finished with 23 points and 528 yards. The Hogs gained 435 yards in the win over Tulsa. Both teams combined for 963 yards. Tight end D. J. Williams caught six passes for 129 yards. True freshman receiver Jarius Wright caught five for 112 yards. Williams and Wright are the first receiver tandem to have at least 100 yards in a single game since Anthony Lucas and Anthony Eubanks in 1997. The Tulsa defense keyed on tailback Michael Smith and limited him to only 67 yards. Safety Matt Harris led the Hogs with 12 unassisted tackles. Tulsa quarterback David Johnson completed 17- of- 31 for 322 yards with one touchdown and two picks. Kicker Alex Tejada won his job back with three field goals that made a big difference in the game.
South Carolina is bowl eligible after beating Tennessee at home for the first time in 16 years. The Gamecocks have won five of six games. Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia, who was 9- of- 19 for 139 yards and two touchdowns, left the game in the third quarter with a hyper-extended knee. Cornerback Stoney Woodson returned a pick 68 yards for a score. Guard Lemuel Jeanpierre is out for the season after sustaining a knee injury. South Carolina has played five games decided by a touchdown and Arkansas' last four games have been decided by a total of 13 points.
Steve Spurrier on Tennessee, "We didn't make a big deal out of Tennessee. We were supposed to beat them last night. We could have beaten them more if our offense had got going. Tennessee isn't what they've been in the past."
The 63-year-old Spurrier said he was not interested in the Tennessee job now, but might have been five years ago. Offensive lineman Heath Batchelor is withdrawing from school to concentrate on an undisclosed off-field issue. He opened the season as a starter, but was recently suspended. Garcia has a brace on his knee, but he will play Saturday.
FLORIDA AT VANDERBILT: Since the Ole Miss game, quarterback Tim Tebow has completed 70% (52- of- 75) of his passes and eight touchdowns. In the past three games, Tebow has six rushing touchdowns, six passing touchdowns and only one pick. Also since the Ole Miss game, Florida has outscored its opponents, 201-43. Tailback Emmanuel Moody didn't get a carry in the first half, but he led the team in rushing with seven carries for 71 yards in the Georgia win. Florida only had the ball for 25 plays, but they still scored 14 points. The Gators gained only 373 yards mainly due to short field because of defensive turnovers. Cornerback Joe Haden's 88- yard interception return was a game-changer. The defense made Georgia one-dimensional. Butch Rowley recovered an ill-advised onside kick. The offensive line allowed only one sack compared to six last year. Defensive tackle Troy Epps will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Defensive tackle Terron Sanders has played well this season especially against Georgia. Offensive lineman Ron Wilson is off the team after an assault and battery charge on Oct. 5. Florida has beaten Vandy 17 straight times. The Gators' last three games in Nashville have been won by an average of nine points.
The Gators have improved considerably on defense. Florida defense in 2007: Pass defense No. 98 (258 ypg) total defense 361 ypg (No. 41) and scoring defense (25 ppg) No. 46
Florida defense in 2008: rush defense No. 13 (103 ypg), pass defense No. 32 (185 ypg), total defense No. 16 (289 ypg) and scoring defense No. 11 (11 ppg)
The Gators are +14 in turnover margin. They have 13 interceptions already two more than last year
Vanderbilt is averaging 11 ppg and only 214 total yards in its last three games, all losses. The Commodores average 254 ypg, No. 116 nationally. Vandy opened the season with five straight wins before losing its last three.
GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY: Georgia still has a chance to win 10 games for the sixth time in seven years. Coach Mark Richt will be asked repeatedly why he ordered an unsuccessful onside kick in the second quarter. Kicker Blair Walsh missed kicks of 38 and 27- yards in the first half. He has made only three- of- his past eight field goals. Four third quarter turnovers-three interceptions by Matthew Stafford and a Knowshon Moreno fumble-were converted into 21 Florida points. Georgia had only seven turnovers in eight games before Saturday. Moreno was held to 65 yards. Florida outscored Georgia, 35-7, in the second half. Stafford's ankle injury is not severe enough to keep him out of next week's game. Linebacker Darius Dewberry didn't return after a right quad injury. Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi had five catches for 112 yards.
Georgia averaged nearly 20 points in the first half against Vanderbilt, Tennessee and LSU, but only three points in the first two quarters against South Carolina, Alabama and Florida. Stafford has a bone bruise, but he will play. Linebacker Darius Dewberry is doubtful with a quad and defensive end Jeremy Lomax is questionable with a shoulder contusion. Georgia has scored only 22 touchdowns in 35 trips in the red zone.
Kentucky is bowl eligible for the third straight year after beating Mississippi State. The Wildcats scored 79 points against Western Kentucky and Norfolk State, but only 117 points in the other seven games. Kentucky's secondary with Marcus McClinton and Trevard Lindley is good enough to make Georgia one-dimensional. The last time that happened was under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Quarterback Randall Cobb, who gained 200 all-purpose yards, threw for one touchdown and ran for another. Cobb and Mike Hartline rotated throughout the game. The Wildcats blocked an extra point to secure the win. Kentucky sacked Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee four times. The Wildcats beat Georgia during their last trip to Lexington. Kentucky is trying to win consecutive SEC games for the second time this decade.
WYOMING AT TENNESSEE: Vol coach Phil Fulmer will be forced to step down at the end of the season. Athletic director Mike Hamilton is heading up the search. The Vols had another miserable offensive performance-- six points, 34 yards rushing, 207 total yards and three turnovers-- in the loss to South Carolina. Tennessee has been held below 10 points a total of three games this season, a first in the Fulmer era. The Vols haven't scored more than 14 points in five of its six SEC games this season. Quarterback Nick Stephens was 10- of- 24 for 134 yards with one interception. Jonathan Crompton was 5- of- 8 for 39 yards. Stephens and Crompton were sacked six times. Tailback Arian Foster carried 14 times for 56 yards. The highlight of the night might have been a 71- yard punt by Britton Colquitt. Wyoming (3-6) beat San Diego State last week. The Cowboys are the worst scoring offense in the nation averaging 11 points per game. Tennessee is No. 114 averaging 17 ppg. Tennessee is 30-20 in its last 50 games. This is the third time in seven years that Tennessee has lost five games or more in a season. Starting guard Ramon Foster sustained a concussion against South Carolina. Tailback Montario Hardesty has an unknown leg injury. Eric Berry is tied for the national lead in interceptions with six. The Vols received a verbal commitment from Tajh Boyd, a quarterback from Hampton, Va. He is considered the best quarterback from that state. This will likely be the first outside the family hire for Tennessee since 1926. Since then every Tennessee hire has been either an assistant or former player. Wyoming running backs Devin Moore and Wyndel Seldon could make the game interesting.
TENNESSEE- MARTIN AT AUBURN: Coach Tommy Tuberville's team lost its fourth straight game against Ole Miss. Tuberville has lost at least four games 11 times in his career and he has lost five- or- more seven times. Tuberville's record against Houston Nutt is 5-6. Auburn must win two of the next three games against Tennessee- Martin, Georgia and Alabama to finish 6-6. Tiger quarterback Kodi Burn completed 27- of- 43 passes for 319 yards, but he threw three picks in the game. Burns has seven picks and one touchdown this season. Receiver Rod Smith went down with a hip injury in the first quarter so sophomore Chris Slaughter stepped up and caught eight passes for 131 yards. Auburn's seven points was the fewest points against Ole Miss since the 1965 Liberty Bowl. Auburn never crossed midfield in the first half and gained only 80 yards. Yet the Tigers gained 314 yards in the second half. Auburn had only 75 yards rushing. They also had nine penalties for 65 yards. Auburn is No. 14 in scoring defense. The Tigers are the only team in the top 24 in that category without a winning season. Tennessee-Martin (7-2) is in first place in the Ohio Valley conference after beating Jacksonville State, 31-30, last Thursday night.
The Mobile-Press Register called 13 Auburn trustees. The majority either refused to comment on Tuberville or simply offered general support for the team. Some of the trustees willing to talk said the ultimate decision would come from the school president and athletic director.
OLE MISS IS OFF: The Rebels have already won three SEC games which matches what former coach Ed Oregon did in three years. The win snaps a four game losing streak to Auburn. The Rebels picked off three passes the most since the 2007 opener against Memphis when they intercepted four. Quarterback Jevan Snead was 15- of- 30 for 140 yards. Receiver Shay Hodge caught six passes. Ole Miss committed no turnovers. The Rebels are 5-0 when they don't turn the ball over. Tailback Cordera Eason ran 14 times for 104 yards. Receiver Dexter McCluster ran 14 times for 84 yards and caught four passes for 47 yards. Houston Nutt denied any talk about him being linked to the Clemson job.
MISSISSIPPI STATE IS OFF: The kicking game struggled in the loss to Kentucky. State kicker Adam Carlson missed a 27-yard field goal and had an extra point blocked.
SEC TITLE GAME: If Alabama wins out, they would be the first No. 1 ranked team in the SEC title game since Tennessee in 1998 when the Vols play No. 23 Mississippi State. In 2003, No. 3 LSU played No. 7 Georgia. For the third straight year and the eighth time since 1992, the winner could go to the BCS title game.
COACHING RUMORS:
- TENNESSEE: Butch Davis, Mike Leach and Tim Brewster; Chris Peterson, Will Muschamp
- KANSAS STATE: Brent Venables or Jim Leavitt
- TEXAS: Will Muschamp possibly groomed for the job
- CLEMSON: Bud Foster, Lane Kiffin, Houston Nutt
- SYRACUSE: Turner Gill, Randy Edsell and Steve Addazio
ACC NOTES
The ACC is the only conference in the nation with 11 teams at or above .500.
CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE: This is the first meeting in 10 years that Tommy and Bobby Bowden will not coach against each other. Clemson has won four- of- five in the series. FSU is tied with Wake Forest for second place. Tailback Marcus Sims fumbled on the three-yard line with 45 seconds remaining in the loss to Georgia Tech. Freshman Jermaine Thomas and sophomore D'Vontrey Richardson may spell senior Antone Smith, who leads the team in rushing with 575 yards, more often in games. Richardson threw a big 39-yard touchdown pass in the loss to Tech. Thomas has gained 343 yards, the most for a freshman since Travis Minor in 1997. He gained 130 against Georgia Tech. Freshman receiver Bert Reed made two big catches for first downs in the fourth quarter. The Tech rushing attack gashed FSU for 286 rushing yards in the first three quarters. FSU only committed four penalties for 22 yards. Quarterback Christian Ponder was 16- of- 27 for 149 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Graham Gano has kicked 15 straight field goals.
FSU's defense struggled against Tech's attack in the short time that they had to prepare because the scout team couldn't emulate the Yellow Jackets. The defense has to cover the screen pass that gets the Clemson backs into space. Receiver Corey Surrency is back on the team after having to sit out last week.
Clemson has been held to less than 100 yards rushing in its last three games. The Tigers had lost three straight games before beating Boston College. In the B.C. win, C. J. Spiller gained 87 yards rushing to go along with six catches for 105 yards and a 64 yards kickoff return (242 total yards). Quarterback Cullen Harper continues to struggle. He has seven touchdowns and 11 picks. Receiver Aaron Kelly is warming up after catching three touchdowns in his last two games. He is 15 catches away from breaking Wake Forest receiver Desmond Clark's career record. Clemson is No. 81 in total offense and No. 90 in rushing offense.
GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA: Tech recovered a fumble in the end zone with 45 seconds left to secure a win over FSU last week. Freshman safety Cooper Taylor's hit on Sims forced the fumble. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who was 4- of- 5 for 55 yards passing and added 61 yards rushing, is questionable with an ankle injury. The Jackets lead the ACC with 242 rushing yards per game. Jonathan Dwyer, who averages 99 yards per game, gained 145 yards against FSU. UNC is allowing only 62 yards rushing per game. Tech's only receiving threat is Demaryius Thomas who is ranked second in the ACC averaging 65 yards per game. Tech's Michael Johnson has 7.5 tackles for loss in the last four games. Lineman Andrew Gardner is out for rest the year with a shoulder injury.
The Tar Heels are in the middle of their best season in 11 years. They are bowl eligible for the first time since 2004. A win against Tech would ensure the first winning season since 2001. Quarterback Cam Sexton was 19- of- 30 for 238 yards and three touchdowns against Boston College. Receiver Hakeem Nicks made eight catches for 139 yards and score a career-high four touchdowns. He has caught 23 passes for 370 yards and three scores in his last three games. UNC is 1-8 in its last nine games against Tech.
NOTRE DAME AT BOSTON COLLEGE: The Irish offensive line was dominated by the Pitt defensive line in the overtime loss. Boston College has a 20 games non-conference win streak on the line. B.C. officials will unveil a statue of former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Doug Flutie this weekend. The Eagles have beaten Notre Dame five straight times. BC quarterback Chris Crane struggled again in last week's loss to Clemson. Tailback Josh Haden gained 71 yards on 15 carries.
MIAMI: The Canes are off this week after beating Virginia in overtime. Quarterback Jacory Harris, who was 12- of- 21 for 160 yards, led the game-tying touchdown in regulation then threw the winning touchdown to receiver Aldarius Johnson in overtime. The defense secured the game when Lovon Ponder stripped Cedric Peerman of the ball and Romeo Davis recovered. Quarterback Robert Marve, who remains the starter, was 6- of- 12 for 91 yards. Miami rushed for 197 yards with Graig Cooper gaining 131.
OTHER GAMES
PENN STATE AT IOWA: Penn State tailback Evan Royster is averaging 7.2 ypc. Penn State defensive lineman Aaron Maybin leads the Big Ten in sacks with 11. Quarterback Daryll Clark has recovered from a concussion he sustained in the win over Ohio State.
Iowa won its first three, lost its last three then won two straight before losing to Illinois last week. Junior tailback Shonn Greene has gained over 100 yards nine straight times. Penn State allows only 2.9 yards per carry. Iowa has yet to throw for 200 yards in any of its past four games. The Hawkeyes allow 100 yards rushing per game, No. 12 in the nation. They limited Michigan State running back Javon Ringer to 3.6 ypc. Iowa's secondary allowed at least 250 yards per game in the past two games.
OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH: The Cowboys' only loss came to Texas. In the win over Iowa State last week, quarterback Zac Robinson completed 18- of- 27 for 395 yards with five touchdowns and one pick. Sophomore Dez Bryant is second in the nation with 1,054 yards. The Cowboys have lost 11 straight games in Lubbock. Oklahoma State has averaged 250 yards per game rushing and passing.
The Red Raiders are off to their first 8-0 start since 1976. Quarterback Graham Harrell completed 36- of- 53 for 474 yards and two scores in the win over Texas. After playing against OSU, TT plays at Oklahoma.
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.
E-MAIL BRENT AT brentbeaird@comcast.net
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