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SEC NUMBERS: The conference struggled beyond Alabama and Florida. The league went 4-6 against the ACC with Alabama and Florida having three of those wins. The SEC was 6-8 against the other "Big Six" conferences.
USA-TODAY Story on coaching tenure: Only 12 coaches going into next season will have tenures of at least nine seasons. In 2003, there were 23. It's possible that next year, more than half of the Division-I coaches will have tenures of three years or less and more than three-quarters for four years or less.
ALABAMA VS. FLORIDA IN THE SEC TITLE GAME (ATLANTA): The Tide broke a six- game losing streak to Auburn last Saturday. Alabama completed an unbeaten season for the first time since 1994. Coach Nick Saban has the Tide is back in the SEC title game for the first time since 1999. The Tide's 36- point win was the most lopsided Iron Bowl since 1962 when Alabama won 38-0. Last Saturday was the first time Alabama had shutout the Tigers since 1992. Quarterback John Parker Wilson was 8 of 16 for 134 yards and a score. Tailback Glen Coffee gained 144 yards on 20 carries and a score. Coffee has 1,235 yards on 199 carries, ranking him seventh on the school single-season list. The Tide rushed for 234 yards. They held Auburn to only 57 yards rushing. Alabama scored 19 points in the third quarter to put the game away. The Tide had three rushing touchdown. Auburn had only surrendered four rushing touchdowns in the first 11 games. Alabama's defense recorded two sacks, seven tackles for loss and five quarterback hurries. Tailback Roy Upchurch continues to battle neck spasms and is doubtful for Saturday.
The Tide and Florida are in the title game for the sixth time in 17 years. Alabama has held seven opponents to a touchdown or less. Coffee and Mark Ingram have combined for 1,916 yards and 20 touchdowns. Florida's linebackers and safeties Ahmad Black and Major Wright will be needed more in run support. The Gators lead the nation in (+21) in turnover margin, mostly due to 23 interceptions. Alabama is second in the SEC with a (+9). Florida's three picks is the lowest for any Division-I team. The Tide leads the league in rush defense (73 yards per game or No. 2 nationally), total defense and scoring defense. They have allowed more than 20 points only once this season against Georgia. The Tide has allowed only 37 points in the past five games.
Special teams: Alabama's special teams have improved as the season has progressed. Javier Arenas owns most of the return records. Leigh Tiffin has 16 field goals this season, second most in the league. He was 8 of 11 in the first five games before missing three straight. He kicked three straight in the Mississippi State game and one against Auburn. Punter P. J. Fitzgerald, who averages 40 yards per punt, has also improved this season. The Tide struggled early on in kick returns especially against Clemson and Georgia.
FLORIDA: Urban Meyer is 11-1 against rivals Georgia, FSU and Tennessee. Florida has scored at least 42 points in seven straight league games. The Gators lead the league in rush offense, total offense and scoring offense. They are third in rush defense, total defense and second in scoring defense. Florida leads the league in scoring offense (46 points per game) and Alabama is second (32 ppg). Receiver Percy Harvin should play despite an ankle sprain. He will wear a boot and not practice until the end of the week. Harvin leads the team with 35 catches for 595 yards and is second in rushing with 538 yards. Tailback Chris Rainey will play despite dealing with a groin injury. Meyer said Brandon James know Harvin's position. Louis Murphy (32 catches for 525 yards) and David Nelson have come along recently. Carl Moore and Deonte Thompson could also be utilized.
The Gators are down to four defensive tackles after the injury to Brandon Antwine, who is out with a knee injury. Freshman defensive tackle Matt Patchan is also trying to recover from a MCL. Torrey Davis and Jaye Howard will play. Meyer said he is considering moving Carlos Dunlap, who leads the SEC in sacks with nine, to the inside. Lawrence Marsh should be recovered from a knee sprain. He played against FSU. There is no consideration to play either John Brown, who is not ready to go or freshman Omar Hunter, who has a sprained elbow. Sophomore defensive end Duke Lemmens is expected back this week, but he will not be moved inside.
Offensive line coach Steve Addazio said he is not concentrating on the Syracuse job rumors this week. Much will be said this week about quarterback Tim Tebow nearly signing with Alabama because of his relationship with then head coach Mike Shula. Meyer even said there were times he thought Tebow was going to Alabama. He also added that Craig Howard, Tebow's coach at that time who is now at Lake City, was instrumental in getting Tebow to go to Florida. In the last eight games, Tebow has completed 90 of 144 passes for 17 touchdowns and two picks. He has rushed for 408 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Florida has trailed for only 15:38 minutes in 12 games. Alabama has trailed for nearly 23 minutes in 12 games. Alabama leads the nation in non-offensive touchdowns with eight. Florida is No. 2 with seven.
Special teams: The Gators spend more time than most on special teams. Meyer uses Jeff Demps to block punts. Brandon James has already eclipsed the school record for punt returns. Joe Haden is one of the top tacklers on special teams. Brandon Hicks and Ryan Stamper earned playing time on defense after their good work on special teams.
AUBURN: Coach Tommy Tuberville (85-40) is out. Tuberville's contract would have gone through 2013 at $3.3 million per year. He is set to receive a $6 million buyout if he his fired. It has yet to be determined if he has been bought out or fired. The Tuberville/Auburn relationship was a bad marriage. Some reports have said Bobby Petrino and Mike Leach have been unofficially contacted. He has a $2.85 million buyout and a non-compete clause that prevents him from going to another SEC West school. There are also some rumors that Mississippi State may offer Tuberville $3 million.
The Tigers were shut out of a bowl game for the first time in nine years. Their record of 5-7 was the worst since 1998. Auburn has lost six of its last seven games after starting the season ranked in the top 10. Quarterback Kodi Burns completed only 9 of 23 passes for 113 yards. Auburn lost three fumbles. Four Tiger juniors-defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks, defensive end Antonio Coleman, cornerback Jerraud Powers and linebacker Tray Blackmon-are considering declaring early for the NFL draft. Utah State had contacted Auburn about permission to talk to defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, but they hired Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen.
GEORGIA: The Yellow Jackets beat Georgia for the first time since 2000. Tech ran over the Bulldogs for a stunning 409 yards. Yellow Jacket quarterback Josh Nesbitt threw only six times. Tech scored 26 points in the third quarter. During Coach Mark Richt's tenure the Bulldogs have lost only three non-conference games (two were bowl games losses to Boston College and West Virginia). The Bulldogs finished November 2-2. Georgia ran for only 71 yards. Tech's 409 yards was the second most in Georgia history. Vandy has the record against Georgia with 415 rushing yards in 1994. Tech's Roddy Jones gained 214 yards. In the third quarter, Tech outrushed Georgia 201 yards to 1. The Georgia defense has allowed 38 or more points in five of 12 games including 45 to Georgia Tech. Georgia finished No. 10 in the SEC in scoring defense allowing 25 points per game.
Stafford was 24 of 39 for 407 yards with five touchdowns and one pick. Massaquoi caught 11 passes for 180 yards and three scores. Georgia committed two turnovers. The Bulldogs scored 21 points in the second quarter and Tech tallied 26 in the third quarter. Tailback Knowshon Moreno had 94 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving. Georgia committed seven penalties for 54 yards. Linebacker Rennie Curran had 11 tackles. He has 109 tackles on the season. Curran is the first Bulldog to record more than 100 tackles since safety Thomas Davis with 138 in 2003.
Richt, who is now the dean of SEC coaches after the departure of Tuberville, said there would be no staff changes next season much to the chagrin of fans who want defensive coordinator Willie Martinez removed. Georgia is likely to end up in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando possibly against Michigan State. They have already presold nearly all 12,000 available tickets. Darryl Gamble broke his leg in the Georgia Tech game and will miss the bowl.
SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks finished the season with a disappointing 7-5 record after losing the last two games to Florida and Clemson. The Tigers jumped out to a 24-0 lead before South Carolina scored its first touchdown. Quarterback Chris Smelley, who was 22 of 47 for 212 yard with two touchdowns and four picks, went the distance in the loss. Tailback Mike Davis led the Gamecocks in rushing gaining 76 yards on 17 carries, but the Gamecocks gained only 92 yards on the ground. The Gamecock defense allowed Clemson to throw for 199 yards and run for 184. Coach Steve Spurrier is 1-3 against Clemson during his Gamecock career.
Gamecock offensive line coach John Hunt has been dismissed. Quarterback coach David Reaves will join Lane Kiffin's staff at Tennessee. Spurrier said he was likely going to start Stephen Garcia in the bowl game. Some believe this might tip the scales in favor of the Outback Bowl since Garcia went to school in Tampa. Spurrier also said he is considering to move Steve Spurrier, Jr. into the quarterback coach position. Former Mississippi State coach Woody McCorvey was not been hired as receivers coach. Spurrier said he would wait until January to hire two other coaches.
TENNESSEE: The Vols were able to escape an eight- loss season by beating Kentucky. Tennessee and Ohio State are the only two schools to have never lost at least eight games in a season. Coach Phil Fulmer finished his coaching career at Tennessee with a 152-52 record. Vol quarterback Jonathan Crompton was 6 of 8 for 108 yards and one score. Tennessee ran for 210 yards. The Vols had only two penalties and no turnovers. Receiver Gerald Jones ran five times for 67 yards. He caught three passes for 15 yards. Jones also returned a kickoff 39 yards and a punt 15 yards.
The Lane Kiffin era started this week in Knoxville. Kiffin is expected to hire former Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron, who is an assistant with the Saints, his father, Monte, an assistant at Tampa Bay, possibly Southern Cal assistant Yogi Roth and Reaves. Oregon may not be hired. Reports stated Oregon was turned in for recruiting violations by at least five SEC schools when he was Ole Miss. It is believed that Peyton Manning signed off on the hire. Kiffin is expected to make $2.5 million which is slightly less than what Fulmer was making. The real money is expected to come to pay for the staff. Kiffin also said he would sing "Rocky Top" all night long next season after beating Florida. He admitted that was AD Mike Hamilton's idea.
KENTUCKY: Tennessee has beaten the Wildcats 24 straight times, the longest such streak in the nation. The second longest streak is Florida beating Kentucky 22 straight times. The Wildcats ended the season losing three straight games and four of their final five. Kentucky could get little offense going in the loss to Tennessee gaining only 193 total yards. The Wildcats threw for 97 yards and rushed for 96 yards. Mike Hartline replaced Randall Cobb at quarterback, but he also struggled. Kentucky has still not beaten Tennessee since 1984.
LSU: The Tigers, who finished 7-5, lost three of four games in November. LSU has lost five games in a season for the first time since 1999. The Tigers lost five SEC games for the first time in nine years. In the Arkansas loss, once again, quarterback play was subpar and the running backs were no factor. Freshman Jordan Jefferson completed 9 of 21 for 143 yards and two scores. He was also the Tigers top rusher with 50 yards. The Tigers gained 161 yards on 44 carries. Arkansas sacked Jefferson four times.
Three different coaches-John Chavis, Vic Koenning and Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix-- have been unofficially contacted to see if they have interest in coordinating the LSU defense.
ARKANSAS: The Hogs finished the season with a much-needed win over LSU. Quarterback Casey Dick completed 18 of 29 for 197 yards and two scores as he replaced his brother Nathan, who was 7 of 11 for 83 yards. Tailback Dennis Johnson gained 127 yards on 18 carries. Johnson also gained 103 yards on six kick returns. The last four games between LSU and Arkansas have been decided by a total of 10 points.
OLE MISS: The Rebels finished 8-4 with five straight wins. In their last three games, the Rebels won by a combined score of 135-13. Ole Miss could end up in the Cotton Bowl. The Rebels, who gained 461 yards, outscored Mississippi State 24-0 in the first quarter. Quarterback Jevan Snead completed 14 of 19 for 213 yards with four touchdowns and one pick. The Rebels ran for 220 yards. Receiver Mike Wallace led the receivers with four catches for 104 yards.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: After the resignation of Coach Sly Croom, Rockey Felker has been named the interim coach. The numbers in the Ole Miss loss were a microcosm of Sly Croom's career at State. The Bulldogs ran for (-51 yards) due to 11 sacks, threw for 88 yards and gained a total of only 37 yards. Quarterbacks Tyson Lee and Wesley Carroll both threw interceptions. During Croom's five years, his offense was never ranked better than No. 100 in the nation. Coaching possibilities are Brian Kelly of Cincinnati, Chris Peterson of Boise State, Gary Patterson of TCU, Brent Venables of Oklahoma and Gary Crowton of LSU.
VANDERBILT: The Commodores go into a bowl game with little momentum after losing their last six of seven games including last week's loss to Wake Forest. In its last six losses, Vanderbilt failed to score more than 14 points.
ACC NOTES
CLEMSON: Interim Coach Dabo Swinney has been named the head coach replacing Tommy Bowden. The Clemson were 4-2 under Swinney. They won four of their last five games including road games at B.C. and Virginia. C. J. Spiller and James Davis combined for 207 total yards and three scores. He has hired Danny Pearman and fired Koennig. Swinney's agent is Mike Brown, who also represents Rich Rodriguez. Billy Napier, who is on the staff, could replace Rob Spence as offensive coordinator. Swinney hired Charlie Harbison and Woody McCorvey formerly from the Mississippi State staff.
No. 25 VIRGINIA TECH VS No. 17 BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE ACC TITLE GAME: The Hokies average only 131 yards passing with six touchdowns and 10 picks. Both teams are first and second in the ACC against the run. BC has won four straight and Tech has lost three straight on the road. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor appears to be healthy after he ran for 137 yards in the win over Virginia.
The Eagles are in the ACC title game for the second straight season without its starting quarterback, top four rushers, a key receiver, its best defensive player, a top linebacker and its best cornerback. Quarterback Dominique Davis threw for 153 yards and two scores. He will make his second career start Saturday. Tailback Montel Harris has three 100-yard games in his last four outings. The Eagles defense intercepted Maryland quarterback Chris Turner twice and sacked him five times. The defense has 25 picks this season. They have returned at least one pick for a touchdown in the last four games. BC defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani and defensive coordinator Steve Logan deserve a lot of credit.
FLORIDA STATE: The offense improved despite a rookie quarterback and the youngest offensive line in the nation. FSU's passing game left a lot to be desired. The defense finished No. 13 overall, No. 36 in rush defense, and No. 9 in pass defense. Yet, the defense needed to step up against Boston College, Georgia Tech and Florida. The defense still allowed nearly 300 yards to Georgia Tech and more than 300 yard to Florida. FSU held only Wake Forest and Maryland to less than 17 points. Kicker Graham Gano is a candidate for the Lou Groza award. FSU is likely headed to the Champs Bowl.
N C STATE: The Wolfpack became bowl eligible for the first time since 2005 by beating Miami for its fourth straight win. Quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 220 yards and two scoring passes and ran 58 yards and a third score. Wilson has 16 touchdowns and one pick this season.
MIAMI: The Canes finished the season with two straight losses. The defense allowed almost 1,000 yards in those losses. Coach Randy Shannon will need to make a decision concerning offensive coordinator Patrick Nix. The linebackers and secondary need to be overhauled during spring practice. Linebacker Sean Spence has been named the ACC freshman of the year.
WAKE FOREST: Defensive back Alphonso Smith made his 20th career pick against Vandy.
SOUTHERN CAL: The Trojans play UCLA this week. They have held nine opponents to a touchdown or less. Pete Carroll is 27-0 in November.
OKLAHOMA vs. MISSOURI: The Sooners are No. 66 in total defense. Oklahoma State gained 452 yards on them. OU has allowed more than 400 yards six times this season. Tight end Jermaine Gresham has 12 touchdown catches this season. OU also beat Cincinnati and TCU during the regular season. Four other leagues have a divisional tiebreaker and Texas would have won the tiebreaker in those leagues.
Missouri has allowed at least 400 yards in six games this season and allowed 24 touchdown passes. The Tigers have not beaten a team with a winning record since Nebraska on Oct. 4. Missouri's combination of quarterback Chase Daniel, tight end Chase Coffman and receiver Jeremy Maclin will cause the OU defense problems.
NOTRE DAME: Athletic director Jack Swarbrick sent out a release saying Charlie Weis (28-21) would return as head coach next season. Only eight of those wins come against teams with a winning record. Notre Dame is recently 1-16 against team with a winning record. Weis has seven years left on a 10-year contract. The Irish have lost 15 games in the past two years, the most ever during that period. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen has 11 touchdowns and four picks on the road.
COACHING TALK
- Syracuse-Mike Locksley of Illinois, Chip Kelly of Oregon, James Franklin of Maryland, Skip Holt of East Carolina, Steve Addazio of Florida, Doug Marrone of New Orleans and Turner Gill of Buffalo
- New Mexico-Dan Mullen of Florida, DeWayne Walker of UCLA, Joe DeForset of Oklahoma, Sonny Dykes of Arizona
- San Diego State-Dan McCarney of Florida, Dennis Franchione, Gary Barnett, Glen Mason and Terry Bowden
- Auburn -Mike Leach, Bobby Petrino, Paul Johnson, Will Muschamp, Jimbo Fisher, Tim Brewster, Brian Kelly
- Auburn offensive coordinator-Mitch Browning of Syracuse, Tim Lappano of Washington, Clay Helton of Memphis, Cale Gundy of Oklahoma, Watson Brown of Tennessee Tech and Ron Prince
- Notre Dame-Brian Kelly of Cincinnati or Tom O'Brien of N C State
- Mississippi State-Tommy Tuberville, Tommy Bowden, Derek Dooley of Louisiana Tech, Skip Holtz of East Carolina, Ellis Johnson of South Carolina and Brent Venables of Oklahoma
- LSU-Ed Orgeron or Chavis as defensive coordinator
- Tennessee-Orgeron as an assistant
- Clemson-Chavis as defensive coordinator
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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