LSU's Peterson, Nevis named Bednarik Semifinalists

LSU defenders Drake Nevis and Patrick Peterson have been named two of the 16 semifinalists for the 2010 Bednarik Award, the Maxwell Football Club Advisory Committee announced on Monday. The Bednarik Award is given annually to the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in college football. Currently, Peterson and Nevis are two of the key components on an LSU unit that leads the SEC in total defense (282.9) and pass defense (157.7) and ranks second in the league in scoring defense (16.2). Nevis, who was named the National Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday by the Walter Camp Foundation for his play against Alabama, leads the Tigers with 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. Nevis, who has been named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week a league-high four times, is third on the squad with 47 tackles.

Big 12 tops list of 2010 Maxwell Award semifinalists

Today, the Maxwell Football Club announced it 16 semifinalists for the 2010 award, featuring 12 quarterbacks, two running backs and two wide receivers. Nine of the past 10 awards have gone to quarterbacks, including last year’s winner Colt McCoy of Texas.

The Big 12 leads all conferences with five semifinalists, followed by the Big Ten with three, the WAC, Pac-10 and SEC with two apiece, and the Mountain West and ACC with one each. Oklahoma State is the only school with two players.

The field of semifinalists will be reduced to three finalists on Nov. 22, and the award will be presented Dec. 9. Here is the complete list of semifinalists:

Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State)
Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma)
Andy Dalton (TCU)
Robert Griffin III (Baylor)
Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State)
LaMichael James (Oregon)
Colin Kaepernick (Nevada)
Andrew Luck (Stanford)
Ryan Mallett (Arkansas)
Taylor Martinez (Nebraska)
Kellen Moore (Boise State)
Cam Newton (Auburn)
Terrell Pryor (Ohio State)
Denard Robinson (Michigan)
Ricky Stanzi (Iowa)
Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech)

Auburn's Cam Newton investigation ‘not a closed matter’

Speaking to USA Today, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said that the NCAA is still conducting an active investigation into the situation. Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said Sunday that the school had found no issues with Newton's eligibility. "Any of our student-athletes, if we had any questions about them, about their eligibility," Jacobs said, "we wouldn't want them to play." This past summer, the school began looking into questions regarding Newton's status. Asked if he could foresee any reason Newton wouldn't finish the season, Jacobs said, "I don't have a way to know that at this time." "It's not a closed matter," he said. "It's still ongoing, But we look for Cam to continue to play for us." ESPN.com reported last week that a former Mississippi State player told the NCAA an agent's runner claiming to represent Newton tried to solicit payment from MSU for Newton to play there. "I haven't done anything wrong," Newton said after Auburn's win Saturday against Chattanooga."Any of our student-athletes, if we had any questions about them, about their eligibility," Jacobs said, "we wouldn’t want them to play."

Auburn remains No. 2 in coaches poll with four first-place votes

Auburn remained No. 2 with four first-place votes in the USA Today/Coaches Poll released Sunday.

The Tigers, fresh off a 62-24 win over Chattanooga, will wrap up the SEC West title if they beat Georgia this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The coaches poll and the Harris Interactive poll and a cross-section of computers make up the BCS standings, which will be released tonight.

Oregon remains No. 1 with 50 first-place votes. Oregon leads Auburn 1,463-1,389 overall points.

TCU jumped Boise State at No. 3.

Auburn leads seven SEC teams in the poll. LSU is sixth, Alabama is 12th, Arkansas is 14th, Mississippi State is 18th, South Carolina is 22nd and Florida is 24th.

LSU surges to No. 6 in USA Today Coaches Poll

LSU surged five spots to No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll on Sunday morning following its 24-21 win over Alabama. The improved the Tigers to 8-1 overall and kept them in the hunt for both the SEC and national title.

LSU moved past Ohio State, Nebraska, Alabama, Utah, and Oklahoma in the poll. The Tigers are likely to be ranked in the top six in the BCS Standings, which will be released later today. LSU plays its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, hosting Louisiana-Monroe at 6 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.

Oregon retained the top spot in the poll, followed by Auburn, TCU, Boise State and Wisconsin. Other SEC teams in the poll include Alabama at No. 12, Arkansas at No. 14, Mississippi State at No. 18, South Carolina at No. 22, and Florida at No. 24.

LSU leads the nation with four wins over ranked opponents this year – North Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, and Alabama.

Razorbacks, Sugar Bowl Bound...possible

Following Arkansas’ impressive 41-20 win over South Carolina last night, the Razorbacks went from being just bowl eligible to being a contender for an upper-tier bowl. Perhaps the best bowl Arkansas (7-2) could work its way into is the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4 in New Orleans. Not as far of a stretch as you might think, either. When the latest Bowl Championship Series rankings come out later today, expect Arkansas to come in around No. 13 to No. 15. More importantly, LSU will likely bump up to around No. 5 following the Tigers’ big win over Alabama, and Mississippi State should stay in the top 20 with a bye.

Arkansas will play both of those teams in the final two weeks of the season and could considerably raise its ranking with wins in those games. If that happens and Auburn wins out to advance to the BCS National Championship Game, the Arkansas-LSU contest Thanksgiving weekend might very well be a play-in to be the SEC representative in New Orleans.

Florida crushes Vanderbilt 55-14...Sets up Championship Week

Three weeks ago, the season appeared to be close to crumbling following a 10-7 home loss to Mississippi State. However, with a bye week entering last week’s 34-31 overtime win over Georgia, Meyer and his staff implemented a hurry-up offense using three quarterbacks regularly: Brantley, Reed and Trey Burton. The Gators also got Rainey back after he served a five-game suspension, and after back-to-back wins, Florida has regained some of the confidence lost during their first three-game losing streak in 11 years. Florida defeated Vanderbilt for the 20th consecutive time by racking up 480 yards of total offense and recording six scores of 30 or more yards. Starting quarterback John Brantley accounted for two of those scores, hitting Chris Rainey for a 40-yard touchdown pass that put the Gators ahead 21-0, and his 39-yard pass to Frankie Hammond made it 34-0.

"I’m very excited about the way our guys have come out and played the last two games,’’ Meyer said. “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish, and I think we’re finishing strong. "It’s championship week in Gainesville, Florida. We’re going to get back to work as soon as we can."’ Florida scored a season-high 55 points Saturday, winning for the 16th consecutive time against an SEC East foe. If they can make it 17 in a row, Florida will play for an SEC title for the third consecutive season.

In Saturday’s win, the Gators erased any doubt early, taking a 41-0 lead into halftime.

The Gators blocked kicks, caused fumbles, and other than for a couple of lapses on special teams, pretty much did what they wanted. The up-tempo offense provided the biggest highlights thanks to the quarterback rotation that has added a new look and new life.

Ole Miss Tops Louisiana 43-21

Brandon Bolden rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns as Ole Miss beat Louisiana-Lafayette 43-21 on Saturday night. Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli left the game after suffering a concussion in the first quarter with the Rebels leading 24-7. His backup, sophomore Nathan Stanley, completed 6 of 14 passes for 108 yards, but let his running backs and kicker do most of the work. Bolden was the best of the bunch, also catching four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. But Enrique Davis was a big part of the offense as well, adding 116 rushing yards as the Rebels gained 298 yards on the ground. It’s the first time Ole Miss (4-5) has had two 100-yard rushers in one game since 1999. Bryson Rose added a career-high five field goals as the Rebels snapped a three-game losing streak. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-7) has lost five straight games and is 0-37 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference. Brad McGuire completed 7 of 21 passes for 139 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown. Ole Miss looked like it would win easily in the first quarter, bolting out to a 17-7 lead on Masoli’s 6-yard touchdown run. But Masoli appeared dazed after the play and played just one more series, throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bolden before leaving for good. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said Masoli was feeling better after the game, but would undergo tests for the next few days before the team decided whether he would play next week on the road against Tennessee. With the Rebels’ offense in a bit of disarray, Louisiana-Lafayette rallied in the second quarter, pulling within 27-21 after Melvin White’s 93-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown silenced the crowd at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. But Rose kicked his third field goal of the game just before halftime and added two more in the second half, helping the Rebels slowly pull away for the victory. Rose connected twice from 30 yards, and once each from 27, 24 and 20 yards. His 19 total points in the game ranks second for a kicker in school history.

Different month, different QB, different Outcome...Vols win...50-14

The Vols shook off a harsh October four-game losing streak with a 50-14 romp over the hapless Tigers before a crowd of 39,742 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Freshman Tyler Bray, in his first start, did something no Tennessee quarterback had ever done, throw five touchdown passes in a half. The Vols’ defense came up with five turnovers to speed up Memphis’ demise. Tennessee (3-6) picked up its first win since Sept. 25 and extended its domination in the cross-state rivalry to 22-1. The Vols are still looking for their first SEC win as they turn to a homecoming date with Ole Miss. The Tigers (1-8) actually had the lead early. They stopped UT’s opening drive, holding on fourth-and-2, then breezed 62 yards for a touchdown. Ryan Williams hit Marcus Rucker with a 4-yard toss and it was 7-0. That woke up the sleeping giant on the Tennessee sideline. From that point, the Vols shut the Tigers down, holding them to 55 yards the rest of the half, and scored on each of their remaining seven possessions before the break. Bray finished 19 of 33 passing for 325 yards, 308 of it in the first half. He gave way to Matt Simms late in the third quarter.

Arkansas trumps South Carolina...41-20

Arkansas handed South Carolina its first home loss this season, beating the Gamecocks 41-20 Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina falls to 6-3, 4-3 SEC. Arkansas improves to 7-2, 4-2 SEC. It was the second-worst home loss for the Gamecocks under Spurrier. South Carolina lost to Alabama at home 37-14 in 2005. "We had a terrible night," Spurrier said. "I apologize to the fans that we weren't even competitive. The way we played, you wonder how we've won six games already. They thoroughly outplayed us and outcoached us." Still, the Gamecocks will battle Florida next week for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title. Florida routed Vanderbilt 55-14 on Saturday. The Gators (6-3, 4-3) will host South Carolina, with the winner advancing to the SEC championship in Atlanta. Florida is trying to get back for a third straight year. USC will be shooting for its first SEC East title. "We are what we are," Spurrier said. "It doesn't really matter what either team has done" going into next week.

'Execute' key for LSU win over Alabama...24-21

"They executed their game plan," Alabama free safety Robert Lester said. "They were able to find the holes in our defense and find anything that we were lacking, and they capitalized on it."
Striking with big plays on offensive and preventing big plays on defense, LSU rallied from a 7-3 halftime deficit, scoring 14 consecutive points to take a 24-14 lead, and it held on to spoil the Crimson Tide's bid for a second consecutive national championship.
For Alabama (7-2, 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference) to get to the SEC Championship Game now, the Tide needs to win out, LSU (8-1, 5-1) needs to lose once more and Auburn (10-0, 6-0) must lose next week to Georgia.
The Tigers' first and last points were set up by turnovers: A first-quarter interception of a Greg McElroy pass was converted into a field goal. A fourth-quarter fumble by McElroy led to the decisive three points.
In between, an LSU offense that had been lackluster went on a big-play spree. Five LSU plays gained 23 yards or more. No Alabama play went for more than 22 yards.

Georgia 55, Idaho State 7

ATHENS, Ga. -- Aaron Murray threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter, including two to A.J. Green, and Georgia overwhelmed Idaho State 55-7 on Saturday.

Georgia (5-5) led only 6-0 before scoring 35 points in the second quarter against the FCS Bengals.

Georgia has scored more than 30 points in five straight games for the first time in school history.

Idaho State (1-8), suffered its eighth straight loss this season and 26th consecutive road loss, a streak that began in 2006.

Murray also threw a touchdown pass to Bruce Figgins. Caleb King and Nick Chapas ran for touchdowns, and Bacarri Rambo and Vance Cuff scored on interception returns.

Kyle Morris threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tavoy Moore with 8:51 remaining to end Georgia's shutout bid.

Idaho State starting quarterback Russel Hill was 2 of 16 passing for 27 yards and two interceptions, including one returned 39 yards by Rambo for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Morris replaced Hill in the third quarter and was 5 of 16 passing for 85 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Cuff, a backup cornerback, picked off a pass from Morris and scored on the 30-yard return in the third quarter.

Idaho State, a Big Sky team, played its second game against a Southeastern Conference school. The Bengals lost 41-29 at Kentucky in 2005.

Carlton Thomas led Georgia with 14 carries for 64 yards. King had nine carries for 43 yards.

Murray threw touchdown passes of 3 and 46 yards to Green and 6 yards to Figgins.

Green had six catches for 103 yards. The two touchdown catches brought Green's career total to 21 as he passed Fred Gibson for second place on the school records. Terrence Edwards set the school record with 30 from 1999-2002.

Murray completed only 5 of 11 passes for 39 yards in the sluggish first quarter. Murray, a freshman who threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in last week's 34-31 overtime loss to Florida, recovered to pass for 168 yards and three touchdowns in the second period.

Georgia led 41-0 at halftime, and coach Mark Richt left his starters in the game for one series in the third quarter. Murray's 21-yard pass to Green set up a 1-yard scoring run by Chapas.

Murray completed 19 of 27 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns.

Hutson Mason took over for Murray and completed 3 of 8 passes for 41 yards.

Blair Walsh kicked field goals of 38 and 53 yards in the first quarter. The 53-yarder matched Walsh's career longest and left the junior 8 for 12 in his career on attempts from 50 yards or longer.

Walsh was one of three finalists last season for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation's top kicker.

Walsh's backup, Brandon Bogotay, missed a 35-yard attempt with 55 seconds remaining to end a long Georgia drive.

Freshman safety Alec Ogletree made his first start for Georgia and had a partial block of a punt late in the first quarter to help set up the Bulldogs' first touchdown drive in the second quarter.

The attendance was 92,746 for Georgia's 62nd consecutive sellout at Sanford Stadium, but there were several thousand empty seats.
by http://www.georgiadogs.com

Auburn Rolls Past Chattanooga in Homecoming

AUBURN, Ala. - Cam Newton and Terrell Zachery each established new career highs for passing yards and receiving yards, respectively, in Auburn's 48-point first half as Auburn cruised to a 62-24 win over Chattanooga on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn racked up 484 yards of total offense in the first half alone before finishing the afternoon with 628, the sixth time this season Auburn has topped 500 yards of total offense and the second time it has gone over 600.

With the win Auburn improved to 10-0 for the first time since 2004 and just the fourth time in school history, also doing it in 1993 and 1957.

Auburn stormed to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter as Newton tossed two touchdown passes to Darvin Adams (30- and 39 yards), hit Emory Blake for a 20-yard score and also ran one in from a yard out. Newton finished the first quarter with 193 yards on 9-of-14 passing and also had 36 yards on the ground.

Newton's 80-yard touchdown pass on Auburn's first possession of the second quarter not only put Auburn up 34-0 but also gave the junior quarterback a career-high for passing yards in a game with 276 and a career-best four touchdown passes. Zachery also set a new career best with 130 yards receiving with the catch, his fifth of the afternoon.

Newton went on to finish the game with 317 yards on 15-of-21 passing, which was Auburn's first 300-yard passing day since Brandon Cox threw for 342 against Georgia Tech in 2005.

Zachery finished the afternoon with a career-best seven catches for 148 yards and Darvin Adams joined him in topping the century mark, catching four balls for 106 yards and the two scores, giving Auburn two 100-yard receivers in the same game since Ronney Daniels [120] and Markeith Cooper [105] did it against LSU in 1999.

Mario Fannin led all rushers with 96 yards on eight carries, scoring two touchdowns. Michael Dyer (four carries, 76 yards) and Onterrio McCalebb (two carries, 55 yards) each contributed rushing touchdowns as well.

Auburn's 628 total yards of offense is the sixth-most in modern school history and the 11.6 yards per play surpassed Auburn's previous record of 10.3 yards per play against Kansas in 1988.

Chattanooga fell to 5-4 with the loss.

by http://auburntigers.cstv.com

Rebels out to break three-game losing skid

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt has had a sales job on his hands as the Rebels get ready for the final four-game stretch of the season.
Heavily favored Ole Miss (3-5) plays host to Louisiana-Lafayette tonight at 6 in its homecoming game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before its final three SEC games against Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State. The Rebels will be out to break a three-game losing streak.
“We all had different plans up to this point,” Nutt said, “but this is reality and all we can do now is change it. That’s where we are.”
Ole Miss needs three victories in its last four games to become bowl eligible for the third straight season. The Rebels were within striking distance of third-ranked Auburn last week but gave up Desmond Washington’s 95-yard kickoff return for a score late in the first half, and the Tigers went on to drub Ole Miss 51-31.
“It really breaks your spirit when they take one back like (Auburn) did,” Nutt said.
Louisiana-Lafayette has had a tough season of its own. The Ragin’ Cajuns (2-6) have lost five of six, including a 54-21 loss to Western Kentucky. WKU had lost 26 straight before knocking off the Cajuns in Lafayette.
“They are very athletic,” Nutt said. “Defensively, they will throw the house at you. Weak corner fires, safety fires and blitzes all day ... We have to be ready to go.”
Ole Miss has lost some of its seasoned players, like senior defensive end Kentrell Lockett, to injuries this season. Newcomers such as wide receiver Melvin Harris and running back Jeff Scott have shown some promise, but the Rebels are likely to lean on senior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who passed for just 189 yards against Auburn.
“(Masoli) knows how to get rid of the football and make quick decisions,” Nutt said.
The biggest thing for the Rebels, at least in Nutt’s estimation, is their mindset for the stretch run. They’ll face Tennessee and LSU on the road before playing host to Mississippi State on Nov. 27.
“We have to fight and really reach down deep,” Nutt said.


Read more: http://www.sunherald.com

Kentucky Cruises Against Charleston Southern

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Mike Hartline finished with 272 yards and two touchdowns, and Kentucky pulled away from Charleston Southern 49-21 on Saturday.

The Buccaneers tied Kentucky 14-14 with just less than 6 minutes left in the second quarter but Kentucky rallied with two touchdowns before halftime. Kentucky (5-5) won its 19th consecutive non-conference game, a streak dating back to 2006.

Randall Cobb finished with 101 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Cobb has scored or passed for a touchdown in nine of Kentucky's 10 games this season.

Senior running back Derrick Locke missed his fourth straight game after suffering a shoulder stinger against Auburn on Oct. 9. Coshik Williams finished with 13 carries for 95 yards and three touchdowns.

Andrew Trudnowski passed for 84 yards and a touchdown for the Buccaneers (2-7)

By http://www.ukathletics.com

SEC Football online's Sportbook pick...Go with Vandy to beat the lines for SEC football on Saturday

Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Game Date/Time: Saturday, November 6th, 12:20 ET Game Location: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN TV/Radio Broadcast: ESPN3.com, ESPN Game Plan Sirius

Florida Gators (-14) -110

Vanderbilt Commodores (+14) -110

Over/Under 46

The Commodores have beaten the lines for college football in five of the L/7 meetings with the Gators in which the spread was at least two touchdowns.

Vandy always seem to find a way to play the Gators tough, and this Saturday might really be no exception to that. Vandy would love to get something going just to get some confidence for next season, and taking advantage of a UF offense that has been awful this season seems like a legitimate possibility. Florida will escape, but this is a prototypical spot for a bad sandwich game between the win against Georgia and the upcoming game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Go with Vandy to beat the lines for college football on Saturday.

SEC Football Online Football Predictions: Vanderbilt Commodores (+14) -110

Failed payments on vehicle is tied to Vol's Evans' indefinite suspension

The absence of Art Evans will extend into the weekend. The Tennessee junior cornerback, who's missed a pair of practices over the last two weeks, has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. UT spokesman Jimmy Stanton confirmed the suspension on Friday, which will keep Evans out of Saturday's game against Memphis (TV: CBS College Sports, 8 p.m.). A source in the UT football program said the suspension is tied to a vehicle purchased by Evans in the spring that he hasn't been making payments on. According to sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, UT doesn't believe the situation threatens Evans' eligibility and if payments are made on the car he would be allowed to return to the team. The sources also indicated there were no plans for the Vols to self-report any sort of violation for improper benefits to Evans and that the issue isn't thought to be tied to dealings with an agent. Evans started six games for the Vols this season before missing a Wednesday practice before last week's trip to South Carolina for undisclosed personal reasons, though he still played in the loss despite Prentiss Waggner sliding over from safety to take his place at cornerback and playing well in his spot.

Auburn... easy win for week 10...the picks

We trolled the web to find out "what the in the know" thinks the score of the Auburn game will be. The following are the picks, and "Here's Johnny". Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News picks Auburn 48-17. Doug Segrest of The News likes Auburn 52-21.

The College Football News likes Auburn 45-10. Auburn swept the CBS Sports.com panel of five, and did the same with the USA Today panel of eight. Erick Smith of USA Today says Auburn will win 51-16.

ESPN's Bruce Feldman says it'll be Auburn 48-7. Chris Low of the ESPN's SEC blog says Tigers will win 49-17.

Ralph D. Russo, the Associated Press national college football writer, likes Auburn 55-0.