Tide makes offer to former UGA QB Mettenberger

Butler Community College QB Zach Mettenberger told kelinjohnson.com exclusively today that Nick Saban at the University of Alabama has just extended an offer for him to play for the Crimson Tide with a full scholarship. The offer comes just over a month after he received a full ride to play for Louisiana State University, and this weekend, Zach is taking a visit to Texas A & M.
Things have been looking better and better for Mettenberger since his departure from the University of Georgia back in April, after he ran into some legal problems.
Mettenberger was arrested and hit with several charges following a spring break incident back in March, but participated in UGA's spring practice and was in a battle for the starting job with current starter Aaron Murray throughout. Shortly after the end of spring practice, however, Mettenberger was abruptly dismissed from the football program.

Vols suspends starter for Saturday's game

Tennessee senior fullback Kevin Cooper will not play Saturday against South Carolina because of a one-game suspension for academic reasons. Coach Derek Dooley did not provide specifics about Cooper’s violation, and added Cooper would have to rectify whatever was wrong if he hopes to play Nov. 6 at Memphis. "Everybody’s on the same academic accountability policy," Dooley said. "Team hurts, team suffers." Freshman Channing Fugate will take Cooper’s place in the lineup, Dooley said. He has appeared in all seven games, primarily on special teams.

Gamecock's Lattimore says he's '100 percent'

Slumping Tennessee probably doesn't want to hear this, but South Carolina freshman running back Marcus Lattimore has pronounced himself ready to return from the ankle sprain that kept him out a week ago. "I feel really good," Lattimore said after practice Wednesday. "I feel 100 percent now." Lattimore was pretty close to it Saturday at Vanderbilt, going through pregame warm-ups without any sort of noticeable limp, but his coaches opted to hold him out, as a precaution. "It was tough," said Lattimore, who added it was the first game he'd ever missed due to injury. "But we won, so I was happy." Senior Brian Maddox rushed for a career-high 146 yards in his absence. But Lattimore, who has 752 total yards and 12 touchdowns, gives the offense another dimension. "We can throw him little screen routes and down-the-field passes and he'll come down with them," junior quarterback Stephen Garcia said. Tennessee, meanwhile, is dealing with all sorts of depth issues. The 2-5 Vols could be without another player, safety Marsalis Teague, who is dealing with turf toe. Saturday's game will mark the reunion of two former Byrnes High teammates, Lattimore and Tennessee freshman defensive lineman Corey Miller. Lattimore said there's been quite a bit of friendly chatter going on the past few days. "I can't wait," Lattimore said, "to run him over."

Vandy DB's season likely over

Jamie Graham fought through a preseason groin injury in order to be able to return for the start of the 2010 season. Now he'll have to battle through yet another injury in order to finish it.

Graham suffered a torn meniscus in Vanderbilt's loss to Kentucky and underwent surgery Wednesday to repair the damage. The early prognosis is that the junior will be out for anywhere from three to upwards of six weeks.

"Just like anything else, it makes you thinner," Coach Robbie Caldwell said. "But he'd been hurt before, so we had to make these preparations. We certainly miss him, miss his leadership and effort."

Gator's Rainey, Bulldog's King expected to return after suspensions

Florida’s Chris Rainey and Georgia’s Caleb King made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier this season. Arrested, then suspended. They could be back in the spotlight Saturday, this time playing staring roles for the Gators and Bulldogs in what essentially will be an elimination game in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division. Rainey, suspended the last five games after he was arrested for allegedly sending a threatening text message to a former girlfriend, is expected to be fully reinstated following practice Thursday. King is coming off a two-game suspension for failing to take care of a speeding ticket.

Kentucky to be out of Locke yet again

Kentucky will be without their leading rusher this weekend.

Derrick Locke has missed the past two games for the Wildcats due to a stinger issue, and will hit the injury trifecta against Mississippi State as head coach Joker Phillips announced that the senior is not traveling with the team.

Phillips made the decision known after practice Thursday.

Locke, who tops SEC RBs with just under 96 yards per game, suffered a pair of stingers in the close loss to Auburn Oct. 9, and has been, obviously, hampered by them ever since.

True freshman Raymond Sanders is expected to start in Locke's place against the Bulldogs.

Arkansas DT Jones arrested on pot charge

Arkansas defensive tackle Dequinta Jones was arrested and charged with marijuana possession early Wednesday. The 19-year-old Jones was arrested by Fayetteville police after an officer smelled marijuana coming from his vehicle during a traffic stop for no vehicle license lights. According to the preliminary police report, Jones had a plastic bag with 8.7 grams of marijuana in his pocket.

Coach Bobby Petrino said he was aware of the arrest, but he hadn’t talked to Jones yet. Petrino said the arrest would "certainly be addressed." "I’m very disappointed," Petrino said. "It’s something we certainly don’t want to see happen, particularly during the week of a game." The charge of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail. The sophomore has started all seven games this season for the No. 19 Razorbacks and has 22 tackles. He played in 12 games last season as a freshman, starting three games.

No. 19 Arkansas hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Georgia Bulldogs defense will be put to the test against the Gators

The Florida Gators are fresh off a bye week. The Bulldogs just won their third game in a row while scoring 40 plus in each. The Bulldogs have great confidence and momentum heading down to Jacksonville.
Georgia has only won three times in the last two decades against the Gators. This year is their best opportunity to steal a victory from them.
Neither team is ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 1979. Georgia crushed Florida 33-10 that year and went on to win the National Championship the following year.

This game will come down to who can control the clock. And with that, the Georgia defense will face its toughest opponent in weeks.

The 3-4 Georgia D will need to bring their A game and confuse John Brantley and Trey Burton.

Ingram 'wouldn't have no problem' giving Heisman vote to Cam

As the reigning Heisman winner, Mark Ingram will be allowed to vote for the award this year. As the starting running back for Alabama, Ingram will also be on the same field as Newton Nov. 26 when the Tide squares off with the Tigers in the Iron Bowl.

Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show Wednesday, Ingram was asked if he'll use his vote on Newton.

"We'll see what happens," Ingram said. "We'll see how the rest of the season plays out and who keeps playing the best football. They're definitely playing the best football out of everybody right now.

"If he's the best and has been the best so far, I wouldn't have no problem. I'm a real person and I can't hate on the man."

If Newton continues through the remaining third of the season the way he's played through the first two-thirds, any real person won't be able to hate on the man when it comes to the Heisman.

Vanderbilt football changes offensive coordinators

Vanderbilt has changed offensive coordinators, handing the play-calling duties to running back coach Des Kitchings.

Kitchings, 32, entering his third year on the staff, takes over for Jimmy Kiser, who remains on as the QB coach."I sat down and evaluated where we are, what we want to accompilish and where we’re headed," Coach Robbie Caldwell said today at his weekly press conference.
"I've made the decision to make Des Kitchings our offensive coordinator so Jimmy Kiser can concentrate on helping our quarterbacks be the best they can be.
"Kitchings is a great coach, a student of the game. He has paid his dues here. Never seen a young man take to it as quickly, moving into a new setting as he has. He’s excited. Our staff is excited. I think our players will be refreshed and ready to go."
Vanderbilt (2-5, 1-3) travels to Arkansas (5-2, 2-2) this weekend. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in scoring offense (18.9) and total offense (305.9).

Spurrier respects Vols defense

Few teams have inflicted more misery on South Carolina in the last two decades than Tennessee.
Although this time, the Volunteers will enter Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday in a condition they haven’t experienced in that time frame. "Tennessee is a little bit in a down slump as several teams are, but we can’t worry about that much," Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. "They may not be a down slump when they come in here at 12:20." Tennessee beat South Carolina 15 of the last 17 times they played. Saturday’s game will be televised by the SEC Network. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 17 and lead the SEC’s Eastern Division with a record of 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the conference. The Volunteers "have looked good at times," Spurrier said. "Their personnel on defense looks as good as anybody we have played, better than some teams."

Auburn’s Fairley wreaking havoc on defense...and a Headache to QB's

Auburn coach Gene Chizik said anybody who doubts Fairley should be a candidate for national honors like the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy just needs to watch last weekend’s LSU game. "I don’t think there’s any way you can say he isn’t," Chizik said. "Anybody that watched the game would have a hard time denying the fact that he’s one of the best defensive linemen in the country. Does he play like that every play? I don’t know about that. But I know that he makes an impact on a lot of games. And he has been doing that consistently all year. It is what it is. The facts are the facts."
Fairley had 2 1/2 sacks, one body slam and one quarterback casualty in Auburn’s 24-17 victory against previously unbeaten LSU. Overshadowed by other SEC defensive linemen like LSU’s Drake Nevis and Alabama’s Marcell Dareus before the season, the 6-foot-5, 298-pound Fairley has been the league’s most productive tackle statistically. His 7 1/2 sacks trails only Georgia linebacker Justin Houston in the SEC (9.0). Fairley is first in the league and third nationally with 17 tackles for loss, one of only three defensive tackles ranked among the top 14. "He’s at the top in my book because he’s athletic,” said Mississippi’s Houston Nutt, whose Rebels host the Tigers on Saturday. "He’s not just a plugger. There’s been a lot of great linemen who can fill up gaps and let your linebacker make the play. But this guy is different. He’s very quick and athletic. He has receiver moves, he can give you a head and shoulder fake." "I know he played basketball somewhere down the line because he’s nimble and quick. He’s always disruptive in every ballgame."

Head shot earns Miss. St. LB Hughes a one-game break

Mississippi State linebacker Chris Hughes has been suspended for one game for going to the head and neck area of a defenseless player in the Bulldogs' win over UAB Saturday. Hughes will be held out of this weekend's night game with Kentucky.

Both Hughes and head coach Dan Mullen released statements addressing the suspension.

"We coach our players on these situations, how to lead with your shoulder, make sure you wrap up and see the front of the jersey, not only to avoid pointless penalties, but to make sure everyone is safe on the field," the coach said. "This is a teachable moment for Chris and our entire team. He'll face the consequences for his actions and learn from it."

"It was a silly mistake, and one that I should not have made," Hughes said. "Now I have to pay the price for my actions. Our coaches teach us and warn us about those types of plays, and I just need to learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen in the future."

Georgia looking for that complete 60 minute game

Georgia heads into Week 9 on a three game winning streak pulling their record up to 4-4 (3-3 in conference play). It seems as if UGA is putting the pieces together at the right time as Saturday showcases a battle of rivals fighting for positioning in the SEC east standings. The Georgia-Florida game won’t feature top 25 teams fighting for national title hopes, but rather feature two teams hoping to represent their division in the conference championship. One group that can keep UGA from continuing to have a successful second half of the season it is the Georgia secondary. Gator's John Brantley will be ready for this especially after Florida’s bye week. The confidence of the team has shown with better defensive efforts and now what seems like an unstoppable offense. Georgia has yet to play a complete game but they’re coming around to it. Saturday Georgia goes to Jacksonville looking for that complete game.

Dooley on current state of Vols: 'We're like the Germans in WWII'

It's been a rough first year for the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Derek Dooley. They have lost games by 35, 31 and 27 points this year, and one of their two wins came by three points over UAB in overtime. Vol's Derek Dooley compares his young, inexperienced team's struggles to the German forces during the Allies' invasion of Normandy during World War II. In an attempt to convey the current state of the Vols, Dooley went off on a tangent, comparing the Vols with the likes of the World War II Germans, No S--t!

"Right now we're like the Germans in World War II. Here comes the boats, they're coming. You have the binoculars, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, the invasion is coming.' That's what they did, they were in the bunkers. It's coming, they call Rommel -- they can't find Rommel. (Pretending to speak into a radio.) 'What do we do? I'm not doing anything until I get orders.' (Pretends to look through binoculars.) 'Have you gotten Rommel yet?'

"All right, and the Americans were the exact opposite. We hit the beach, and we were on the wrong spot. 'What do we do? I don't know, but these guys are firing and we better hide over there and blow some stuff up to get up there.' They weren't looking for (help). That's where we've got to make that transition.

"I don't want the German people to get upset at me. I'm not attacking them, but that's what happened. You had one group, they weren't worried about what the plan was and orders and all that. When the war hits, things change. You've got to go. You had the other group, and they go, 'Wait a minute. They told us the invasion was way further north' where we had the empty tanks and we were hiding Patton out. 'We weren't ready for this, now what do we do?' 'We better wait until Rommel tells us what to do."

Well, there you have it, Dooley the damage is done, now what do you compare the Gamecock's to!
Don't tell us... the Viet Cong?

Gator's Coach Meyer, players preview matchup vs. Georgia

Head coach Urban Meyer and several members of the Gator Football team met with the media on Monday to discuss what the team worked on during the bye week, preparations for the Georgia game

Head Coach Urban Meyer, on any modifications that have been made to the offense."Yes, I’m not going to share much with you, but we have modified quite a bit. I’m obviously not going to say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’ but things are modified and the injury issue, the personnel issue, is real so that’s going to help, I’m thinking. I’m going to let you know later this week and see how it goes, but it doesn’t look like us out there. It doesn’t look like BANG. I want to have the thud. We all want that. How do you get that? You recruit it. You develop it. You coach it. You make sure you’re practicing the mess out of it. That’s kind of where we’re at. “ On if he saw what he was looking to see from the team last week: “I think 18- to 22-year-olds are all motivated differently. Obviously differently than maybe a grownup or a coach or a parent or something like that. I think the moment I put the standings of the SEC East and they see what’s going on, because I didn’t think that. Someone handed it to me last week and I didn’t know that, so it lifted my spirits and I think it lifted a lot of guys’ spirits around here. We had three really hard days now. We went Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday as hard as we’ve ever gone. More contact than we’ve ever had for development. But we had them in this morning at 7 a.m. and we’re ready to go.”

Junior QB John Brantley, on how excited he is to get back out on the field and work towards trying to get a win:

“Really excited. We had a great short practice week last week and a great bye weekend to get everyone a little healthy and just to get our minds right for the second half of the football season. We’re real hungry to get back out on the practice field and have another great week of practice and carry that over to Saturday.”

Kentucky receiver hit with drunk-driving charge

Kentucky will be without one of their wide receivers this Saturday following a weekend arrest, the Louisville Courier-Journal is reporting.

Matt Roark was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with DUI and failure to maintain insurance. Head coach Joker Phillips announced Monday afternoon that the junior has been suspended and will not play this weekend against Mississippi State.

Roark has 11 receptions and 163 yards this season. He's played in all eight games, starting one.

South Carolina finally gets SEC road victory

Only 33,425 people showed up Saturday to see South Carolina play Vanderbilt, and the Gamecocks have to be happy there weren’t any more witnesses for the first half. South Carolina held off the Commodores 21-7 to retain the top spot in the SEC East, but it didn’t come easy — or pretty. "We’re happy to get out of Vandy alive," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. "Vandy plays us tough all the time. It’s always a struggle against these guys." With star freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore on the bench with a sprained ankle, the offense limped through the first half. Even with career performances from senior tailback Brian Maddox and sophomore wide receiver Tori Gurley, the Gamecocks were sweating well into the fourth quarter. South Carolina didn’t put the game away until a scrambling Stephen Garcia found Alshon Jeffery down the right sideline for a 72-yard touchdown with 6:41 to go in the game. "Coach Spurrier told us at halftime we are always a first-half team, so we have to start something new and be a second-half team," Jeffery said. The smallest crowd to see the Gamecocks play in more than a decade watched as they won their first SEC road game since Oct. 11, 2008, and improved to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC. Vanderbilt fell to 2-5 and 1-3.