SEC Football Online free Sportbook Pick

#13 Texas A&M at #18 Arkansas

When: Oct. 1 at 12:00 pm EST

Betting Line: Texas A&M -2.5, Total 62

Analysis: The Aggies couldn’t hold a 20 point lead in their loss to Oklahoma State last Saturday. We don’t imagine they’ll run into those same issues on Saturday. A&M still allows only 60.3 yards per game on the ground, ranked 7th in college football, and Arkansas is not a pass on every down team. The Razorbacks prefer balance on offense, averaging 215 yards per game through the air and 115 yards per game on the ground. The Razorbacks’ D gives up 444 yards and 38 points per game. We're backing the Aggies in a contest between two teams looking for the bounce back even though the trends mostly favor Arkansas.

SEC Football Online Pick: Texas A&M

Saban rules Mosley out vs. Gators

Earlier in the week, Nick Saban said that the availability of starting linebacker C.J. Mosley for the Florida game would likely be a game-time decision. It appears that availability has all but been been decided. Speaking on his radio show Thursday night, the Alabama head coach ruled Mosley out of the game with the Gators due to an injury suffered this past weekend. His status beyond the UF game is uncertain.

“It is what it is,” Saban said. “He’s going to be out for this week for sure and, I don’t know, probably day to day thereafter. We have some other guys that have an opportunity now.”

Georgia loses another to transfer

There’s been some speculation over the past week about the future of the Georgia cornerback Derek Owens. The sophomore had said earlier this week that he planned on transferring, but head coach Mark Richt had yet to say much of anything on the matter. After Wednesday’s practice, Richt confirmed that Owens has asked to be released from his scholarship to pursue other playing opportunities. Owens played on special teams through the first three games this season, but did not travel to Ole Miss this past weekend. The sophomore was buried on the depth chart and saw limited action.

The departure marks the 14th player to leave Georgia since the end of last season, mostly due to transfer. Just last week, safety Jakar Hamilton announced he would be leaving the program as well.

Gamecocks Damiere Byrd cleared by NCAA to return against Auburn

Today, the suspension has been lifted as the school announced today that Byrd has been cleared to play tomorrow against Auburn.

“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for Damiere,” said South Carolina AD Eric Hyman. “Our folks in the department worked tirelessly to address the issues they encountered with Damiere’s situation. With the NCAA’s cooperation, we were able to resolve the issues in a timely manner that will allow him to play on Saturday.”

Byrd’s father, Adrian Byrd, is director of the S.A.M. New Jersey chapter and South Carolina grad, Kevin Lahn, is the program’s chapter.

Lahn was mentioned in the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations handed to South Carolina earlier this month for his involvement in making improper contact and providing impermissible benefits to recruits.

C.J. Mosley ‘a game-time decision’ for Tide

Head coach Nick Saban said Wednesday that the availability of linebacker C.J. Mosley for the road game with the Gators will not be known until shortly before kickoff. The Birmingham News notes that Mosley did not participate in drills that were open to the media yesterday, which obviously lends to the uncertainty surrounding the sophomore’s status.

“C.J. Mosley has done very little and probably is still questionable for the game,” Saban said, “but probably will be more of a game-time decision on what his situation is.”

Mosley suffered an injury to his elbow in the first quarter of the Tide’s win over Arkansas Saturday and spent the rest of the game on the sidelines with his arm in a sling. Saban and his coaching staff were forced to use multiple players to replace Mosley in that game due to his role in numerous packages. Come Saturday if Mosley can’t play, multiple players will be forced to step up yet again.

“Pretty much so,” Saban said when asked if it would again take more than one individual to replace Mosley.

“He played in all the groups and it will affect the roles in how we play players, who plays and what he can do. So it creates some opportunities for some other guys that we feel pretty confident can do a good job for us. C.J., in the role he plays, really does a good job. He’s a hard guy to replace. But we feel we have some guys who have played a lot that can fill in and do a good job for us as well.”

Jefferson returns, but LSU is focused on Lee

If Jefferson had no value to LSU, Les Miles would have kicked him to the curb a month ago.

But things are different now that Jefferson has returned. The team has moved forward and Jarrett Lee is the quarterback. So far, it’s worked out pretty well. The Tigers are the No. 1 in the most recent Associated Press poll after reeling off three high-profile wins away from Death Valley.

How about a standing ovation for Lee? The quarterback who had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of basically 1-to-1 heading into this season? Through four games this year, Lee has completed nearly 65 percent of his passes and thrown six touchdowns to just one interception. It helps to have an a stout offensive line and two superb running backs to hand the football off to, but Lee has managed more than just the game. He’s managed to keep LSU fans from screaming for highly-touted JUCO transfer Zach Mettenberger. Lee deserves to keep the starting job, and Miles has said as much. Lee has been everything the Tigers have needed after limping to the end of the preseason finish line. With Jefferson reinstated and wide receiver Russell Shepard returning from a three-game suspension, LSU is taped up and ready to go again against Kentucky.

On LSU’s first offensive possession, Lee will walk up to the line and take his position “back” under center.

True freshman healthy enough to start at RB for Kentucky

An injury opened the door for Josh Clemons to start as a true freshman at running back for Kentucky. After two starts, an injury nearly cost Clemons the starting job he’d just had dropped into his lap. Head coach Joker Phillips revealed Wednesday Clemons is healthy and will start for Kentucky against No. 1 LSU this Saturday. Clemons suffered a strained hamstring during the first quarter of last weekend’s 48-10 loss to Florida, but has returned to practice and, barring a setback in the next couple of days, appears ready to go.

“He practiced all day,” Phillips said in quotes distributed by the team. “He made it through the practice and he will be ready to go. Tomorrow will be a practice to make sure everyone understands the plan. It won’t be full speed but three-quarter speed. He should make it to the game. He is healthy enough and from what I saw today, he will be the starter.”

Clemons has started the past two games after season-opening starter Raymond Sanders suffered a knee injury in the second game of the year. Clemons, a three-star recruit out of Fayetteville, Ga., has rushed for a team-leading 200 yards and two touchdowns.

SEC spotlight returns to tailbacks

Running backs have reclaimed the spotlight—and the ball—in the Southeastern Conference. They might not be inclined to give either back any time soon. Even South Carolina’s head ball coach Steve Spurrier has put his offense largely in the hands of tailback Marcus Lattimore. His old Fun `N Gun Florida Gators, meanwhile, have turned more Run `N Stun with the SEC’s top running attack. Alabama, LSU and Florida have ridden tailback tandems to 4-0 starts and Mike Dyer has been perhaps Auburn’s lone star. “Teams are running for more than they’re throwing, which is a little unusual,” Spurrier said. “That’s the way it is here. Some other places they’re throwing a lot more, but I think the running game has bounced back. Eight of the 12 SEC teams rank 75th or worse in passing offense. The league has seven of the top 48 ground games.

The offenses have more traditional, and often inexperienced, quarterbacks and a renewed focus on the run. The league that produced famed backs like Bo Jackson, Herschel Walker and Emmitt Smith is loaded with rising young tailbacks. Whose sophomore is most super? Check out Saturday’s Auburn game at No. 10 South Carolina when Dyer and Lattimore take the field The best backfield tandem? Well, No. 3 Alabama and No. 12 Florida both take prolific pairs into Saturday’s meeting. The pounding at SEC defenses won’t change anytime soon; six of the league’s top 10 rushers are underclassmen, including the Georgia freshman Crowell.

LSU sophomores Spencer Ware and Michael Ford have helped the top-ranked Tigers average 38.8 points a game. All that doesn’t even count Arkansas junior Knile Davis, who ran for 1,322 yards last season but is out in 2011 with an ankle injury. The biggest star has been Lattimore. Just a sophomore, he ranks third nationally in rushing with 152.8 yards a game. Five other SEC backs also rank among the top 31 even though several are divvying carries with productive backfield mates.

“Everybody’s fighting to be that No. 1 running back,” Richardson said. “Coaches, they’re putting us out there, letting us go out there and compete. I think all of our coaches are doing a good job of that. You really can’t say who the better running back right now is because everybody is out there battling every week.”

by John Zenor

Mizzou-to-SEC rumors continue to grow

The Kansas City Star and PowerMizzou.com are both reporting that the University of Missouri Board of Curators could meet as early as next Tuesday, and that the meeting will likely involve discussion of the school’s future conference affiliation. Both before and after the Big 12 had been “saved from extinction”, Mizzou has been connected to other conferences, most notably the SEC this time around. At a press conference the day after the Pac-12 announced it would not expand beyond its 12 current members, UM chancellor Brady Deaton refused to publicly affirm their loyalty to the Big 12.
Another source told the Star around the same time that joining another conference “is something that we’re very open to.” Per our source, nothing’s changed on that front, with Mizzou-to-SEC talk possibly coming to a head, and a resolution, by the end of next week.
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, one of the most connected writers in the country when it comes to the expansion front, wrote Wednesday that, according to his sources, the Big 12 is already making contingency plans to get back to 12 members with or without Missouri. BYU, Boise State, Louisville and West Virginia, all rumored to be a part of an expanded Big 12, are mentioned by Wilner as potential candidates for expansion.

Razorbacks lose starting defensive lineman for at least a month

Having already gone without Jake Bequette for the game against Alabama, the Razorbacks will be down another starting defensive lineman as end Tenarius Wright suffered a broken arm in the humbling loss to the Tide. Wright is expected to miss 4-6 weeks as he recovers from the injury.

Wright, who has 10 tackles and one sack on the season, had started all four games for the Razorbacks this year.

It’s unclear whether Bequette, who suffered a hamstring injury three Saturdays ago and has missed the past two games, will be available for this weekend’s game against Texas A&M. Head coach Bobby Petrino said he was hopeful Bequette would play, for what that’s worth.

Auburn’s second-leading receiver out at least a game

Head coach Gene Chizik said Tuesday that Reed will definitely miss this Saturday’s conference match-up with South Carolina due to injury. Reed suffered a shoulder injury during the Tigers’ win this past weekend over FAU.

There’s no word yet if the game with the Gamecocks is the only one the redshirt freshman will miss.

“We’re going to obviously monitor him week by week to see where he goes health-wise with his shoulder. But, for this week for sure, he’s out,” Chizik said in quotes distributed by the team.

Reed is currently second on the team with 13 receptions. Chizik said Reed will be replaced by true freshman Quan Bray, who has one reception for zero yards this season.

“Quan’s going to get more snaps than he’s usually gotten,” the coach said. “We’ve been bringing Quan along week by week, and now he’s going to assume the same reps that Trovon got.”

Spurrier will likely stick with Gamecocks QB Garcia

After watching Garcia toss four interceptions — three in the first half alone — and being replaced by Connor Shaw during what would become a 21-3 win over Vanderbilt, the Ol’ Ball Coach was, obviously, asked about the future state of South Carolina’s QB position. According to the Charleston Post & Courier, Spurrier indicated he will probably stick with Garcia, although “damning with faint praise” comes to mind as the OBC discusses what’s seemingly his only option at the position at this point in time.

“I’m not going to say anything bad about Stephen,” Spurrier said. “Stephen is actually trying the best he can. He is trying the best he can, and that’s all as a coach you can ever ask a person to do.”

Garcia had been Spurrier’s starter since the middle of the 2008 season, but an April suspension — the fifth during his time in Columbia — followed by an early August reinstatement led to the senior starting the 2011 season on the bench behind Shaw. That lasted all of one game as Garcia replaced Shaw in the opener and started the next three games as well.

This weekend against Auburn, it will likely be four in a row for Garcia, if for for no other reason than Spurrier simply has no other alternatives available at the position.

“If some of those other guys looked great in practice, yeah I’d put them in there,” Spurrier said. “But they haven’t really impressed us all that much in practice. As a coach, you just put whoever out there you think has got the best chance to help you win the game. We’ll see how it goes.”

Locker rooms broken into, items stolen during LSU-WVU game

WVU officials have confirmed to the Charleston Daily Mail has that an unidentified number of items were stolen from the locker rooms during the game. Assistant athletic director for communications Mike Fragale wouldn’t specify what was taken or from whom, but did acknowledge there was an incident.

Police are currently investigating the matter.

West Virginia’s tight end/inside receiver Tyler Urban tweeted after the game that his phone had been taken, although those tweets appear to have been removed.

Coach Dana Holgorsen said that the matter was being handled internally and had no other comment to the Daily Mail.

Details of the investigation are very sparse. In fairness, we don’t know if this was a West Virginia fan, an LSU fan or even a fan at all — although a very reliable source close to the situation has informed us that the whoever was involved is, indeed, a knucklehead.

This isn’t just a West Virginia problem; it can happen anywhere. It’s a small hiccup in what was otherwise a great showing by both schools, but it’s juvenile, and unfortunately, gathering negative attention.

Gene Chizik's opinion of offense... `We didn't play well at all'

Gene Chizik's hard assessment of Auburn's offense Saturday night didn't change much Sunday.

It wasn't good after Auburn beat Florida Atlantic 30-14, and it stayed that way when during his weekly meeting with the media Sunday.

"I feel like offensively we didn't play well at all," Chizik said.

His analysis hit the quarterback, receivers and line. "Top to bottom, it was a very below average performance."

Chizik's opinion of the defense didn't change, either.

"Defensively, felt like we played better in some areas," he said.

Chizik said he was encouraged with three interceptions, though he said, "we had a chance for two more interceptions that we could have, and should have, had."

Also, he said holding Florida Atlantic to 6-of-14 third down conversions was better.

"I feel like we improved some on third downs. Early, we weren't really effective on third downs. As game went, we were more productive on third downs," Chizik said.

Also: "Tackling was definitely better than it was the week before."

The SEC makes it Official for 2012

In a press release, the SEC announced that A&M will join the conference on July 1, 2012, and will begin league play in all sports for the 2012-2013 academic year. The release noted that the move to officially announce A&M’s admittance was again unanimous among the conference’s chancellor’s and presidents.

“The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family,” said Dr. Bernie Machen, chair of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors and president of the University of Florida. “The addition of Texas A&M University as the SEC’s 13th member gives our league a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions.”

“The Southeastern Conference provides Texas A&M the national visibility that our great university and our student-athletes deserve,” said Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin. “We are excited to begin competition in the nation’s premier athletic conference. This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically, and I believe the Southeastern Conference gives the Aggies the best situation of any conference in the country.”

With the legal threats a thing of the past, the SEC’s attention will now turn to figuring out a football schedule for 13 members spread unevenly across two divisions. How that will be done remains to be seen.

The 'General' Lee leads No. 2 LSU over No. 16 WVU 47-21

Jarrett Lee threw three touchdown passes, Michael Ford ran for two scores and No. 2 LSU made a case to be No. 1, beating No. 16 West Virginia 47-21 Saturday night. The Tigers (4-0) converted two turnovers into scores, built a big early lead and withstood West Virginia’s strong comeback for its third win over a ranked opponent this season, with all of three coming away from home. Every win so far has been by double digits. Lee’s three TD passes tied a career high and matched his output of the three previous games. He finished 16 of 28 for 180 yards.

West Virginia (3-1) outgained LSU 533-366. West Virginia’s Geno Smith set school records for completions (38), attempts (65) and passing yards (463). But he was intercepted twice after making one in the previous three games. For the second straight year, the Mountaineers (3-1) couldn’t overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to the Tigers. West Virginia couldn’t pad its resume with a win over a Southeastern Conference opponent at a time when there’s been speculation the SEC might be interested in the Mountaineers as a 14th school. Texas A&M is set become the 13th member when it leaves the Big 12 next season. West Virginia hadn’t given up this many points at home since a 46-44 triple-overtime win over Louisville in 2005.

West Virginia hoped to get off to a fast start, but for the third time this season, that didn’t happen. LSU jumped ahead to stay with the help of two first-quarter turnovers and consistently won the battle of field position.

by J.Raby

Over-time win...Louisiana Tech 20, Mississippi St. 26

Nickoe Whitley intercepted Nick Isham’s pass in overtime and Chris Relf hit LaDarius Perkins for a quick touchdown to lead Mississippi State to a 26-20 win over Louisiana Tech. Mississippi State (2-2) scored first and led at half, but could never put the visiting Bulldogs away.

Late in the fourth quarter with the game tied 20-20, Louisiana Tech (1-3) went on a nine-play, 60-yard drive and had the ball in field goal range with less than four minutes to play. But an interception by Jonathan Banks ended the drive.

Neither team was able to generate any offense in the final minutes.

In overtime, Mississippi State won the toss and elected to play defense. Whitley, a free safety from Jackson, Miss., intercepted Isham on the second play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Relf hit Perkins for his first completion since the third quarter, ending a streak of seven straight incomplete passes to end regulation.

Perkins finished the game with 47 yards rushing and had two catches for 22 yards, including the game winner.

Relf was 14 of 29 for 165 yards guiding the struggling MSU offense.

Isham, a 17 year-old freshman, finished 29-of-40 for 228 yards, but he was sacked three times and picked off twice.

Florida routs Kentucky, 48-10

Florida scored three touchdowns in a 4:31 span of the first quarter, and Jeff Demps iced the game with an 84-yard touchdown run as No. 15 Florida routed Kentucky 48-10 on Saturday night for the Gators’ 25th straight win in the series.

“We have that quick strike ability to flip the field and score,” said Will Muschamp, who became the sixth Florida coach to start his career 4-0. “All those things are deflating to an opposing team.”

Demps carried the ball 10 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which qualified as the sixth-longest scoring run in Florida history.

The Wildcats managed to frustrate the Gators early on in their first road trip of the season. On the first drive of the game, one scripted beforehand by offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Florida went three-and-out for just the fourth time all season, and the second drive didn’t prove to be much better.

But a fumble by the Wildcats provided the burst of energy Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) needed. Josh Clemons lost the ball on second-and-1 at the Kentucky 45, and John Brantley hit Gerald Christian on a 45-yard touchdown pass across the middle on the next play to give the Gators a 7-0 lead with 8:10 in the first quarter.

The Wildcats (2-2, 0-1) failed to pick up a single yard on their next possession, and Demps ran off tackle for 20 yards for the Gators’ next touchdown, capping a four-play drive that took just 1:23.

Kentucky picked up a first down on its next drive—its first of the game— but Matt Elam picked off a pass by Morgan Newton at the Kentucky 46 and returned it 17 yards to the Florida 28. Chris Rainey ran most of the rest of the way, with Trey Burton polishing it off with a 1-yard TD run to put the Gators up 21-0 with 3:39 still left in the first quarter.

Florida now has outscored the Wildcats 94-3 in the first quarters of the past four meetings.

“That’s a sloppy football team,” Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said of his Wildcats. “I’ve got to get this football team to know how precious, how precious the football is. We’ve had very poor field position the last couple weeks, and we’ve given the opponents good field position, and that equals an L most of the time.”

Auburn's Defense helps with the escape of Florida Atlantic 30-14

Interceptions by Jermaine Whitehead and Neiko Thorpe led to third-quarter scores that helped Auburn stamp out a Florida Atlantic upset bid 30-14 on Saturday night. With the Tigers (3-1) leading by just four points, Whitehead stepped in front of a Graham Wilbert pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and a 17-6 Auburn lead 1:26 into the second half. After Onterio McCalebb took a Barrett Trotter screen pass 51 yards for an Auburn touchdown 5:27 later, Thorpe intercepted another Wilbert pass on the next scrimmage play for Florida Atlantic (0-3) and returned it 46 yards to the Owls’ 19, setting up a 31-yard field goal by Cody Parkey.

The Auburn defense, which gave up 624 yards at Clemson last week in a loss that snapped the defending national champions’ 17-game winning streak, seemed set for more struggles throughout the first half. The Owls moved the ball at will at times, managing 153 yards and six first downs, both significantly more than they managed all game in a 44-0 loss at Michigan State two weeks ago. However, the Owls saw several drives stall out inside Auburn territory, and settled for two Vinny Zaccario field goals.

Florida Atlantic, which entered Saturday averaging only 92.5 yards per game, finished the night with 307. It also managed its first touchdown of the year midway through the fourth quarter, a 12-yard screen pass from Wilbert to Alfred Morris, but that score came after Auburn sat most of its starters.

Auburn’s offense managed only 315 yards.

It was a subdued atmosphere at Jordan-Hare Stadium, possibly due to the aftermath of the Tigers’ first loss in two years and certainly due to the team’s struggles in the first half. The attendance was announced as 82,345, but several sections in the upper deck were half-empty. And during a particularly bad stretch for the offense late in the first half, boos could be heard from the student section.

It was the defense, surprisingly, that kept coming through for Auburn on Saturday night. Florida Atlantic drove into Auburn territory five times in the game but came away with only three scores. Auburn’s defense forced three turnovers on the night, all interceptions of Wilbert.

Bailey, Fields are Game Captains vs. Florida

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky senior Mychal Bailey and junior E.J. Fields have been named game captains for Kentucky’s Southeastern Conference opener with Florida on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, UK head coach Joker Phillips has announced.

Game captains are usually chosen on the basis of performance in the previous game. Bailey recorded his first tackle of the season in Kentucky’s game with Louisville last weekend and performed well in kickoff return duties by taking three returns for 76 yards, including a 36-yard return.

Fields had a career game against Louisville, grabbing his first career reception. The native of Frankfort, Ky., ended the game with seven catches for 57 yards, including a two-yard touchdown catch.

Bailey and Fields will join permanent game captains Danny Trevathan and Stuart Hines at the pregame coin toss.

Hall of Fame Weekend at Commonwealth Stadium: The University of Kentucky athletics department will honor the 2011 UK Athletics Hall of Fame Class at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday. The 2011 class includes former UK student-athletes Jeff Abbott (baseball), Pam Browning (women’s basketball), Ilkka Jantti (men’s soccer), Cedric Kauffmann (men’s tennis), Bill Ransdell (football) and former administrator Russell Rice.

The class will be formally inducted during a Hall of Fame banquet on Friday night and will be introduced to the fans at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday at halftime along with previous Hall of Fame members that are in attendance. Fans are encouraged to stay in their seats at halftime to honor the UK greats.

By:http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092311aab.html

Vanderbilt - South Carolina

Vanderbilt - South Carolina

Pregame Notes
• Vanderbilt is in its 122nd year of organized football.
• The Commodores wore white pants with white tops and black helmets.
• Vanderbilt won the toss and deferred to the second half, South Carolina elected to receive.
• The attendance was 77,015.
• Joining team captains Kyle Fischer, Casey Hayward, Chris Marve, Larry Smith, and Carey Spear were game captains Zac Stacy, Trey Wilson, Richard Kent.

Team Notes
• Vanderbilt trailed at the half for the first time this season.
• The Commodores fell to 0-1 on the road after three straight home games to open the year.
• For the first time this season Vanderbilt lost when scoring first and is now 2-1.

Individual Notes
• Walker May earned his first start of the year, starting at defensive end.
• Casey Hayward's 11th career interception and third of the season ended South Carolina's opening drive. Hayward is now tied for sixth in Vanderbilt history with Reshard Langford, Manuel Young and Christie Hauck.
• Richard Kent extended his streak to 16 games with a punt downed inside the 20-yard line when his second punt of the night was downed at the four-yard line.
• Hayward's second pick of the first quarter moved him into a tie with Corey Chavous for fifth all-time at VU with 12 interceptions.
• Hayward's two-interception performance makes him the second Commodore this season to have two picks in a game, joining Trey Wilson.
• Carey Spear's 33-yard field kept him perfect on the year and put the Dores on the scoreboard first for the third time in four games this season. The 33-yard boot also tied his career-long.
• Andre Hal collected his first interception of his career with a second quarter pick.
• Jonathan Krause set a career-high with nine receptions.
• Chris Marve's nine tackles moved him to 328 for his career. He needs 24 more to join the all-time top 10 at Vanderbilt.
• Archibald Barnes recorded a career-best seven tackles after entering the game with five total for the season.
• With 12 completions Larry Smith moved into eighth place (292) in career completions and seventh (295) in career attempts before leaving with an injury at the end of the third quarter.
• Chase Garnham set a career-best with at team-high 10 tackles.
• Chris Marve recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter, picking off a pass in the end zone.
• Kenny Ladler set a season-high with seven tackles.
• Javon Marshall set a career-best with five tackles.
• Jordan Rodgers completed a career-best four passes on a career-high seven attempts in relief duty.

Defense
• Chris Hayward's first quarter interception was the Commodores' 11th interception of the year and 13th forced turnover. Vanderbilt has forced a turnover in all four games.
• With 7:20 left in the first quarter the defense held the Gamecocks on 4th and 1 with Chase Garnham getting credit for the tackle.
• The Commodores continued to be stiff on defense in the first quarter, holding South Carolina scoreless in the opening quarter. The Dores have allowed three points in the first quarter all year.
• Vanderbilt recorded multiple interceptions for the fourth game in a row.
• The Dores picked off four South Carolina passes after having five against Ole Miss and have nine in the last two games and 14 for the season.

Offense
• Vanderbilt improved to 4-for-6 on the year with a conversion on 4th down with a second quarter conversion.
• The Commodores were held to season-lows in total yards (77), first downs (5) and points (3) struggling on third down going 1-for-14.

Special Teams
• Richard Kent averaged 41.3 yards per punt with three punts over 50 yards and two inside the 20-yard line.

by:vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/092411aab.html

QB Murray leads Georgia over Ole Miss, 27-13

The Bulldogs held Ole Miss to just 183 total yards and a single offensive touchdown in a 27-13 victory on Saturday.

“I thought our defense came out in the second half and played a dominant game,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “The defense finished this game extremely well. One play could have made it ugly and nasty for us, but our defense just didn’t allow that.”

While Georgia’s defense was thriving, the offense proved capable as well. Aaron Murray completed 17 of 26 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Isaiah Crowell rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries, helping the Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) grind to the road victory. Malcolm Mitchell caught three passes for 93 yards as the Bulldogs gained 475 total yards.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-0 lead by midway through the second quarter and took a 24-13 lead into halftime. Bulldogs’ kicker Blair Walsh missed three field goals in the second half, but the Ole Miss offense could never capitalize.

Georgia has won eight straight games in the series, dating back to 1997. Ole Miss (1-3, 0-2) has lost 10 of their past 11 SEC games.

Georgia dominated early, with the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Crowell gashing the Ole Miss defense on the ground for several big gains. Murray’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Orson Charles gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead with 6:01 in the second quarter.

“The first half was great offensively,” Murray said. “We didn’t make mistakes and we were efficient … You could tell today that we’ve made some big strides since week one.”

But the Rebels responded with an unexpected flurry that briefly made things interesting. After a reverse handoff, Randall Mackey hit a wide-open Donte Moncrief for a 38-yard touchdown to pull within 17-7. Then Ole Miss immediately recovered an onside kick and the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd of 58,042 finally had something to cheer about.

The momentum was short lived—Mackey threw an interception three plays later.

The loss is another blow to Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt’s job security. The Rebels have a 5-11 record dating back to last season and the backlash from fans has grown louder by the week. Athletic director Pete Boone said he wanted to see more “fire” from the football team after a 30-7 loss to Vanderbilt on Sept. 17.

The Rebels were slightly more competitive. But the results were the same.

by D.Brandt

Trent Richardson leads No. 3 Bama past No. 14 Ark 38-14

Trent Richardson rushed for 120 yards and caught a 61-yard touchdown pass and No. 3 Alabama overwhelmed No. 14 Arkansas in a 38-14 win on Saturday. The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) scored on special teams, defense and using the old-fashioned power run to emphatically win the SEC West showdown that the Razorbacks (3-1, 0-1) hoped would stamp them as a legitimate contender.

Instead, the league’s top defense thoroughly overpowered Tyler Wilson and the No. 1 offense, had to be the worst performance from the Razorbacks.

Tide quarterback AJ McCarron also came up big in his first SEC start. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Marquis Maze scored on an 83-yard punt return and DeQuan Menzie returned an interception 25 yards for another score. McCarron, also the holder, hooked up with tight end Michael Williams for a 37-yard touchdown on a fake field goal.

LSU vs. West Virginia

The last (and only) time the LSU football team faced West Virginia was Sept. 24, 2010, in Baton Rouge. The Tigers won 20-14 in Baton Rouge in a game in which neither team was effective offensively, as they combined for 407 yards.

Former LSU players and current NFLers Patrick Peterson and Stevan Ridley provided the scoring punch for the Tigers. Peterson returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown, and Ridley scored on a 1-yard plunge. Ridley ran for 116 yards on 20 carries, and the rest of the team combined for 114 yards.

West Virginia has a 22-19-2 record against the SEC, and LSU has a 2-3 record against teams in the Big East.

Hogs to be Bequette-less for SEC West showdown with Tide

Head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed the team’s worst fears Thursday, announcing that Bequette will not play against the Tide. Bequette also missed last weekend’s win over Troy.

“It’s really hard for him,” Petrino said. “He hasn’t missed games. A guy that works out year round, is in great physical shape. But the hamstring needs to heal before he can get back out there. He’s working hard at it.”

Sophomore Chris Smith will once again replace Bequette in the starting lineup.

After starting 13 games and recording seven sacks in 2010, Bequette was named tothe preseason All-SEC first team prior to the start of this season.

Arkansas’ Bequette getting closer to playing vs. Tide

Defensive end Jake Bequette returned to practice Tuesday, 10 days after tweaking his hamstring against New Mexico. Wednesday brought no certain word that he will be available for the Tide game, although defensive coordinator Willy Robinson sounded decidedly optimistic at the direction Bequette’s headed.

“He’s doing more and more every day,” Robinson said according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “As far as that goes it seems like he’s working hard, but he’s doing more and more every day.”

The Tide is currently 15th in the country in rushing, averaging 242 yards per game. Their 6.7 — 6.66 if you want to be technically correct, which I don’t because it creeps me out — yards per carry, however, is good for No. 4 in the nation.

Bequette’s return would be a welcome addition against such a quality opponent; after starting 13 games and recording seven sacks in 2010, Bequette was named to the preseason All-SEC first team prior to the start of this season.

Duron Carter won’t play for Tide in 2011

Head coach Nick Saban announced Wednesday evening that the JUCO transfer will take a redshirt this season and will not play for the Tide in 2011. Carter will apparently attempt to become academically eligible this year, with the hope being he’ll be available for spring practice and 2012 and beyond.

Carter, the son of Ohio State legend Cris Carter, has been sidelined as the school awaited transcript information it needed from his former junior college. It doesn’t appear that information will be forthcoming; therefore, the wide receiver will not play this season.

“There’s one piece of information we did not receive and have not ever received, and may not ever receive,” Saban said. “So as of right now he has to be here a year in residence to be eligible. So, he’ll still have two years to play after that, but as of right now it doesn’t look like he will be eligible for this season.”

Arrest led to the sidelining of Miss. State's Hughes

According to Clarion Ledger, Hughes was arrested on Aug. 31 and charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence stemming from a pair of incidents that occurred back in late May. Hughes was actually in jail for five days, in this day and age, it’s unbelievable that had gone unreported — following the arrest in his hometown of Mobile, Ala. From the Clarion-Ledger as to what led to the arrest:

Hughes allegedly struck a 17-year-old family member in the left eye on May 23, and hit a 36-year-old family member “several times” in the face during a dispute concerning a car on May 24, Mobile Police Department public information officer Charles Levy said.

Head coach Dan Mullen declined to address the situation Wednesday, and gave no indication when Hughes will be returning.

As a true freshman in 2010, Hughes played in 11 of 13 games. One of the games he missed was due to a suspension, although that one was mandated by the SEC for “going to the head and neck area of a defenseless UAB player” during a game last October.

Kentucky's Florida natives looking forward to Gators..and wait for it.. an Upset

Being from Tallahassee, Kentucky linebacker Ronnie Sneed will bring king-sized intensity to Saturday's game against Florida. "Definitely, definitely," he said before adding that fellow Floridian Danny Trevathan shares this added zeal. "Every time we come into this game, we're trash talking. We're a little extra pumped up than maybe the other guys might be. You can bet me and him are going to be flying out of the gate ready to hit some people." "Well, you know, I'm not really the trash-talking kind of guy," Sneed said. "I tell it what it is. We have to come out fighting. We'll be excited to play this game."

When a reporter noted that in Sneed's and Trevathan's three seasons for UK, Florida had won each time by landslide margins (152-26 cumulative score the past three seasons), Sneed conceded the point.

"In the past, they really have dominated," he said. "But, you know, different things happen. People get beat. In this league, anybody can get beat.

"So, don't be surprised if we upset them."

Vols Derek Dooley on CBS's College Football Today

Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley will be a guest analyst on Saturday as part of CBS's College Football Today. He'll appear during the pregame, halftime and postgame studio shows. The pregame show from New York airs from 3-3:30 p.m. prior to the Arkansas-Alabama game.The Vols have a bye week. The Vols will also be be featured on ESPNU's All-Access next Wednesday at 7 p.m.

An ESPN crew spent Tuesday filming early morning breakfast , practice and team meetings in a behind-the-scenes look at the Vols. Senior tailback Tauren Poole hosted the morning activities while senior linebacker Austin Johnson and sophomore defensive lineman Jacques Smith gave a tour of Neyland Stadium and the campus in the afternoon.

Gamecocks' Steve Spurrier discusses Saturday's game against Vandy

"A big ball game this week with Vanderbilt. Vandy comes in probably as upbeat and ready to play as they've ever been since I've been here. They're 3-0 just like us. Statistically, defensively they're one of the best in the conference in nearly every category. I think they lead the nation in interceptions. They have 10 interceptions and three for touchdowns. Their offense has played very efficiently. They run the ball and pass at a pretty good mixture. We're looking forward to the game to see if we can play better this year. We'll see if we can become the team that we were advertised to be in the preseason. We haven't done it yet but we have hopes and beliefs that we can play better football. We'll find out this Saturday night at 7pm when Vandy comes to Williams-Brice. Our fans were super loud last week and we'll need you to be loud this week. Hopefully we can play our best. Hopefully we'll have new players, playing. Victor Hampton is going to play. We may bring some other guys along to give them a chance to play also. We'll wait and see how all that plays out when we play Vanderbilt this week."

Georgia loses a DB to transfer

Georgia safety Jakar Hamilton is leaving the football program.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior from Johnston, S.C., confirmed that news to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday.

Hamilton, a former junior college transfer, was sitting out via medical redshirt this season due to a stress fracture in his ankle that developed in preseason camp. Unable to compete while other players have been asserting themselves at his position, Hamilton said he simply read the writing on the wall.

“It’s just personal issues, really,” said Hamilton, who started five games at free safety last season and played in all 13. “I was hurt and wasn’t going to be able to play this season and I just played it all out in my mind. [Bacarri] Rambo is having a good season, Shawn Williams is having a good season and they both have another year. And other guys are coming in.

“I just felt like I needed a new start and start fresh with another team.”

Hamilton said he plans to transfer but at this point does not know where he might end up.

“I’ve got a couple of schools in mind, but I’ve got to talk to my parents and see where I might best fit in. I’m pretty close to graduating so I’m trying to get my degree first and foremost.”

Hamilton said he met with head coach Mark Richt and they mutually agreed this was the best move for him. He was leaving UGA immediately and heading home.

by Chip Towers

Mizzou has SEC offer, but SEC willing to wait

The Southeastern Conference has an offer on the table for Missouri to join its league, and SEC officials are willing to wait for an answer from Missouri until the future of the Big 12 is decided.

That information has come to The Kansas City Star through a Mizzou booster who spoke directly to a MU official. Another source told The Star on Tuesday that an Oklahoma official had said the SEC is interested in Missouri.

MU chancellor Brady Deaton has gone on record numerous times that, as chairman of the Big 12’s Board of Directors, he is working on keeping the Big 12 together.

But with Texas and Oklahoma regents each authorizing school officials to look elsewhere on Monday, the prospects of a viable Big 12 without either or both of those schools would be in question.

“Apparently they’ve come to us,” the MU booster said of the SEC. “I’ve been told there is an offer on the table.”

The same source said it was the second time the SEC has made an overture to Missouri, the first coming last year.

“After the Big Ten thing started falling apart,” the source said of the summer of 2010, “they wanted to talk to us. We didn’t talk to them.”

The “legitimate interest,” the booster said, came at a point when remaining Big 12 members agreed to stick together in spite of Nebraska going to the Big Ten Conference and Colorado to the Pac-10 last year.

The SEC this afternoon issued a statement saying the conference has not extended an invitation to any school other than Texas A&M since it extended invitations to Arkansas and South Carolina.

“We would echo what the SEC statement said,” said Chad Moller, the assistant athletic director for media relations at Missouri. “We have not received an offer from any conference.”

SEC rejects WVU application for membership

Multiple Big East sources have told Brett McMurphy of CBSSports — the man on the forefront of Syracuse/Pitt shuffle, that WVU officials have said both the SEC and the ACC have rejected the school’s application for membership. The rejection by the ACC is no surprise; the Mountaineers have been passed over three times for ACC membership. A source with knowledge of the situation has stated “every person I’ve spoken with said the same thing: the ACC does not want WVU.” Multiple reports have stated that at least 10 schools had applied for ACC membership, including, apparently, West Virginia. It wasn’t any secret that WVU was hoping for an invite from the SEC. Appearing on MetroNews Talkline yesterday, former WVU president Dr. Gene Budig said there was “no reason to be nervous” about the school’s future in conference realignment.

A day later, you can bet the folks in Morgantown have a reason to be anxious. Despite a recent history of success in football and basketball, West Virginia, as a state, has no television market or recruiting grounds, and as an institution, is not a member of the Association of American Universities*. This is not to say that WVU could not end up in the SEC down the road; it’ll depend on how large conferences go. Currently, the SEC doesn’t need to take another program just to have a body. West Virginia doesn’t exactly provide a ton of value for the reasons mentioned above, at least not in the current pool of available programs.

Gator Sturgis named a Lou Groza Award "Star of the Week"

Gator redshirt junior kicker Caleb Sturgis has been named a Lou Groza Award “Star of the Week”, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced today.

Sturgis, who took home SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors earlier today, is coming off a strong performance in the Gators’ 33-23 victory over Tennessee this past weekend. Sturgis scored a career-best 15 points against the Vols going a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 46, the four made field goals were also a career-best. He also converted on all three of his extra point attempts and helped pin the Vols back by averaging 65.4 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks.

For the season, Sturgis is a perfect 9-for-9 on field goal attempts and has made all 12 of his extra point tries.

Each week, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission recognizes three of the top kickers from FBS division teams as the "Stars of the Week". Sturgis was joined on the list this week by Drew Alleman of LSU and Dave Teggart of UConn.

Razorbacks' HC Petrino says WR Childs to return for Alabama

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino says receiver Greg Childs will play this week at No. 3 Alabama.

Childs missed No. 14 Arkansas’ game against Troy following the death of his grandmother last week. The senior was leading the Razorbacks in receiving last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the eighth game against Vanderbilt.

He’s been slow to recover and had two catches for 29 yards before missing last week’s game.

Petrino also says senior receiver Jarius Wright and senior defensive end Jake Bequette are better after missing the game against the Trojans with injuries. Petrino says Wright worked out Sunday after injuring his knee against New Mexico.

He says Bequette’s status for practice Tuesday isn’t certain, but he has made “tremendous improvement” while recovering from a hamstring injury.

LSU's Alleman named a Groza Star of the week

LSU junior kicker Drew Alleman has been named a "Star of the Week" by the Lou Groza Award, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced on Monday.

Alleman, a native of Lafayette, La., kicked a career-high four field goals in LSU's 19-6 win over 25th-ranked Mississippi State last week. Alleman's kicks came from 42, 41, 29 and 21 yards as the Tigers beat the Bulldogs for the 12th straight time. For the year, Alleman has connected on 6-of-7 field goals and he ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in field goal percentage at 85.7 percent.

Alleman was joined by Florida's Caleb Sturgis and Connecticut's Dave Teggart as the Lou Groza Award Stars of the Week.

Suite life of South Carolina players ends with major NCAA allegations

Living the high life in a posh downtown hotel is about to end for 12 South Carolina student-athletes, including 10 football players. The NCAA released its notice of allegations to South Carolina stating that 12 student-athletes received $47,000 worth of impermissible benefits from the Whitney Hotel, a luxury establishment near campus. According to the NCAA, South Carolina athletes were given reduced room rates and nine athletes were given extra time to pay their rent. Athletes were given rooms that were normally rented $57 a night for extended stays of three months or more for $14.59 a night. So, instead of paying $1,710 per month like a regular tenant, South Carolina athletes were paying roughly $438 a month.

Not a bad discount.

The statement named three football players, which were blacked out, but The State noted that 10 football players were involved in the allegations and that nine had deferred payments on their rent. The three players named are the most egregious offenders as they paid the reduce rate for 410 days, 459 days and 268 days. All three players made special arrangement to defer their payments. The impermissible benefits for the three football players constituted $39,690 of the $47,000 penalty. The letter also implicates the school's Student Athlete Mentoring Foundation and its president Steve Gordon and treasurer Kevin Lahn, who provided $8,000 in impermissible benefits related to recruiting. One of those recruited players is freshman wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who is currently serving a four-game NCAA suspension.

These are major violations and South Carolina has until Dec. 14 to respond. It also could appear in front of the NCAA Committee on Infraction Feb. 17-18.

by Graham Wilson

South Carolina receives Notice of Allegations from NCAA

The latest set of allegations from the NCAA have been handed to South Carolina, which stem from reports of impermissible benefits handed to 12 student-athletes from May 2009 through Oct. 2010. The NOA notes that “the Whitney Hotel, a representative of the institution’s athletics interests, provided extra benefits, an estimated $47,000… in the form of reduced rent that generally was not available to the regular student population for off-campus housing.

“Additionally, the Whitney Hotel made special arrangement with nine student-athletes to pay their rent at later dates, thereby providing an impermissible loan to the student-athletes.”

The first allegation goes on to break down that 10 football student-athletes allegedly received daily discounts of $14.59 on their rooms for varying lengths of time, from 19 days (a total of $260 because the room was shared) to 459 days (a total of $19,280 for one individual). Two more athletes from women’s track and field received daily discounts of $14.16 for 37 days. The second allegations claims “from the spring of 2009 through Feb. 2011, Kevin Lahn and Steve Gordon, representatives of the institution’s athletics interests, made impermissible recruiting contacts with and provided impermissible recruiting inducements to prospective student-athletes and provided extra benefits to student-athletes through the Student-Athlete Mentoring Foundation (S.A.M) of which they are co-founders.”

Those benefits are alleged to be valued at over $8,000 and included connections to football, men’s track and men’s basketball.

Finally, the NCAA alleges that South Carolina did not sufficiently monitor the allegations of impermissible benefits involving the housing situation at the Whitney Hotel, and the allegations of impermissible activities by Lahn and Gordon. South Carolina will have until Dec. 14 of this year to respond to the NOA, and the hearing before the Committee on Infractions has been scheduled for Feb. 17-18, 2012. University athletic director Eric Hyman, football coach Steve Spurrier and men’s and women’s track and field coach Curtis Frye are some of the university employees asked to attend.

Additionally, Gamecocks assistant coach George Mangus was requested to show up as well.

Vanderbilt Commodores garner Top 25 consideration

First off, Kudos to the Commodores, fresh off their third consecutive victory to open the season, the Commodores are starting to garner attention from voters of leading Top 25 polls.

James Franklin's Commodores received 11 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and eight votes in the Associated Press ballot on Sunday, one day after defeating Southeastern Conference Western Division rival Ole Miss 30-7 in Nashville.

It marks the first time in nearly three years that Vanderbilt received votes in either poll. The Commodores' last appearance in the Top 25 came during midseason of the 2008 season.

This week, the Commodores make their first road trip of the season, facing Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia. The game, featuring kickoff at 6 p.m., will be televised on ESPN2. The Gamecocks, reigning champs of the SEC Eastern Division, are 3-0 and currently ranked No. 10 by the coaches poll and No. 12 by the AP.

Auburn's Gene Chizik not using youth as excuse

Auburn coach Gene Chizik says his young team can't use youth as an excuse for bad play.

"We're in Game 4. We have no more new players. We don't even breathe that word," Chizik said Sunday. "Our expectation is we coach them better."

Chizik is dealing with Auburn's first loss in 18 games after falling to Clemson 38-24 Saturday. The Tigers led 14-0 before fading away.

Chizik said, his voice rising: "Make sure everybody understands: This starts with us as coaches."

Also, he said, "I'm not one bit happy with the performance. We certainly have to coach them better. And we have to play better. The standard hasn't changed.

"We're going to spend a great deal of time this week examining every inch of the offense, defense, special teams." from a personnel standpoint and an Xs and Ox standpoint.

"We're disappointed, obviously, in the outcome. I feel like there are some things that are extremely fixable, in terms of looking at everything.

Auburn fell to 117th nationally in total defense along the way. The Tigers will try to fix things this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium when they play Florida Atlantic, which is 120th nationally in offense.

Vols Justin Hunter out for season

The Vols wide receiver suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the year, according to a University of Tennessee news release.

Hunter will undergo surgery to repair the injury and will miss the remainder of the 2011 season, the school said. He is expected to return in time for spring practice.

Hunter was hurt while trying to make a cut on the fourth play of the game on Saturday against No. 15 Florida, catching a 12-yard pass and attempting to turn up-field before dropping to the ground clutching his knee. He left the stadium on crutches and UT coach Derek Dooley acknowledged after the game Hunter was "not OK."

Through two games, Hunter had been one of the most productive receivers in the country and led the SEC with 302 yards on 16 catches with two touchdowns. After losing one of its top weapons on the opening drive, the Vols were clearly shaken by the injury and didn't ever appear to be quite the same.

No. 2 Alabama route North Texas, 41-0

Richardson and Lacy each had a pair of long touchdown runs and career rushing highs of 160-plus yards to make a little backfield history, and No. 2 Alabama’s defense smothered the Mean Green in a 41-0 victory Saturday night. The Crimson Tide (3-0) had never had two backs run for even 150 yards in the same game. Richardson and Lacy covered the yardage in big chunks. “To break free in Bryant-Denny is always a good feeling,” Richardson said.

“That’s one of the best feelings as a running back to know you don’t have to worry about nobody touching you or hitting you,” Lacy said. “The offensive line did everything they were supposed to do, the wide receivers blocked downfield. Getting the touchdowns is one of the best feelings ever.”

Richardson scored three times, including a 58-yarder and a career-long 71-yarder, and had most of his 167 yards on the two long ones to help Alabama race into its showdown with No. 14 Arkansas. He had 24 yards at halftime against the Mean Green (0-3) and the nation’s 117th-rated defense.

Alabama’s defense recorded its first shutout since a 45-0 victory over Chattanooga on Nov. 21, 2009, thanks to a blocked field goal by Robert Lester and a goal line stand in the final minutes.

The Tide racked up 347 yards rushing and outgained North Texas 586-91.

First-year North Texas coach Dan McCarney, who spent three seasons at Florida vying for league titles against Alabama, thinks his new team faced another contender.

“We obviously know what a national championship team looks like by coaching on one at Florida and playing one tonight,” McCarney said. “I think they have the pieces in place to go and compete for a title this season. They’re just fast, relentless and physical playmakers. They suffocated our offensive line. Every time we looked to build some momentum, they continued to dominate our front.”

By John Zenor

Wingo leads No. 14 Arkansas past Troy 38-28

Wingo rushed for a career-high 109 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Adams had eight catches for 109 yards in helping Arkansas remain undefeated as it prepares to travel to No. 2 Alabama next week. The effort was especially rewarding for Wingo, whose previous best was an 86-yard rushing effort against Texas A&M as a freshman in 2009. The junior, who the Razorbacks (3-0) have counted on to shine this season following Knile Davis’ season-ending ankle injury in August, scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 21 yards in the first half and also had a touchdown catch. Wingo nearly doubled his season output of 116 yards rushing entering the game with the performance. His three touchdowns were also a personal best, topping the two he scored—one rushing and one receiving—against Troy in 2009.

“It’s a relief after everybody was on our back the way they were the first week,” Wingo said. “They’re still going to have stuff to say, but we’ve just got to keep grinding and getting better each week.”

The Trojans (0-2) fell behind 31-7 early in the third quarter following Wingo’s third score, a six-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tyler Wilson. Despite the deficit, Troy didn’t make the fourth quarter an easy one for the Razorbacks. Sophomore quarterback Corey Robinson, who was 36 of 63 passing for 373 yards, helped the Trojans score back-to-back touchdowns and close the deficit to 31-21. The first score was a 32-yard pass from Robinson to Justin Albert, and safety LaDarrius Madden followed that with a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown. That was as close as Troy would get, despite outgaining Arkansas 457-454 in total yardage.

“I think Arkansas has got to be one of the best offensive football teams in the country when you get right to it,” Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that can make plays. “I felt like we were slow getting lined up, not quite on edge as much early, and we gave up some plays that we shouldn’t give up.”

Louisville gains ground on Kentucky with 24-17 victory

Louisville coach Charlie Strong had said earlier in the week that his team lacked the confidence needed to be a good team and that the Cardinals had been overshadowed by Kentucky’s accomplishments in the past few years. His team got its shot of confidence from a true freshman as Bridgewater took over early in the second quarter after Will Stein left the field with a shoulder injury and finished 10-of-18 for 106 yards. Most of his early plays were handoffs to Victor Anderson and Jeremy Wright or as direct snaps to Dominique Brown, but he found his rhythm in the air after competing four passes to four different receivers on the Cardinals’ last drive of the first half, the final pass a 25-yard toss to another true freshman, DeVante Parker, to give the Cardinals a 14-3 lead with 1:16 before halftime.

Kentucky had struggled offensively ever since Craig McIntosh kicked a 20-yard field goal on the opening drive, but the Wildcats came to life with their hurry-up offense. Newton capped an 80-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to King with 10 seconds left before halftime to cut Louisville’s lead to 14-10.

Newton was 27 for 41 for 255 yards, and King caught seven passes for 84 yards, but Kentucky couldn’t match Louisville on the ground. The Cardinals outgained the Wildcats on the ground 181 yards to 35, led by Brown’s 91 yards on 14 carries.

South Carolina holds out over Navy 24-21

Marcus Lattimore ran for a career-high 246 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 10 South Carolina hang on for a 24-21 victory over Navy on Saturday night.

Lattimore carried 37 times and averaged 6.6 yards a carry. The Gamecocks (3-0) ran 37 plays in the second half, and the sophomore touched the ball on 26 of them.

The Midshipmen (2-1) ran their option efficiently, rushing for 274 yards split among seven players.

After Lattimore was stopped for a loss for the first time in the game on a fourth down, Navy got the ball at its 6-yard line with 5:34 left. But Antonio Allen picked off a fourth down pass with a minute to go to seal the Gamecocks win.

Vanderbilt Kicks some Booty, hands Ole Miss another loss 30-7

The win marks Vanderbilt’s first 3-0 start since 2008 when the Commodores won their first bowl since 1955. The Commodores also beat Mississippi (1-2) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams for their fifth win in seven years in this series. Vanderbilt picked off five passes, all off Zack Stoudt, and Wilson’s interception return for a TD is the Commodores’ third this season. The Commodores outgained Ole Miss 387-234 in total offense. Jerron Seymour’s 9-yard TD run capped the second-quarter scoring for Vandy, and Zac Stacy also ran for 169 yards, including a 77-yard TD run. Wayne Dorsey had one of the Rebels’ two sacks and also caused a fumble, one of three turnovers forced by Ole Miss. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt stuck with Stoudt, though he did play Randall Mackey. Stoudt came through with a 47-yard TD pass to Donte Moncrief with 2:15 left to avoid being shut out by Vandy for the first time since 1946.

Stacy picked up 26 yards after Smith handed the ball off to the running back using his left, non-throwing hand, almost directly behind him in a bit of nice misdirection. Smith finished off the drive on an option keeper for 19 yards and a 7-0 lead with 5:40 left in the second quarter.

Nutt rotated Stoudt back in on the next series. Facing third-and-15, defensive end Walker May hurried Stoudt into a throw that went straight to Wilson, and the Vanderbilt cornerback ran it back up the left sideline for a 14-0 lead with 4:39 remaining. It was Wilson’s second TD off an interception this season and the third overall for Vanderbilt—the first time the Commodores have had three of those in a season.

After another Ole Miss three-and-out, Seymour pushed his way in to finish off a 9-yard TD and a 21-0 lead that had Commodores’ fans celebrating a rare early lead.

The Commodores picked up the scoring early in the third when a bad snap went over Stoudt’s head on the opening series. Scott kicked it through the end zone for a safety and a 23-0 lead. The rout could have been worse. Stacy tried to throw to Smith in the end zone only to be picked off by Marcus Temple after the safety.