Earlier today, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin was reprimanded by the SEC

On Sunday, Kiffin criticized the officials and said, "I'm sure we'll get one of those letters that mean nothing, that Bobby (Petrino) got last week, but Florida and Alabama live on."
Petrino was reprimanded by the SEC for criticizing the officials after Florida's narrow win over Arkansas on Oct. 17. The crew from that game was suspended until Nov. 14.
One-quarter of the SEC coaches have been reprimanded in the past week. And that doesn't even include South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, who last week questioned Alabama's use of tape to mark field-goal spots. That caused Slive to send out a memo clarifying the rule.
There are two issues happening with SEC coaches speaking out so much:
1. SEC coaches are fed up with the officiating. We're seeing a pattern here. It's almost as if these coaches, who compete against each other over the smallest of details, have united against a common cause -- SEC officiating. Officials are always going to make some mistakes. But the fact we're seeing so many coaches speak out should be troubling for the SEC beyond the bad public relations angle. It's never good PR publicly criticizing the officials. But it's even worse when a number of coaches seem to lack confidence in the officiating. That's a key issue the SEC is going to have to address at some point, probably not until after the season. The SEC must ask itself, "What do we need to do to put our officials in the best position to make the proper call?" There's too much at stake for this conference not to think outside the box on possible corrections.
2. SEC coaches are thumbing their nose at Mike Slive. Public reprimands don't bother big-time college coaches. Kiffin dangerously suggested Florida and Alabama play by a different set of rules than every other team. For a coach to say that means you've got a big problem, even though it's hard to take such claims seriously. I'm surprised Slive didn't come down harder on Kiffin than putting him on notice. Kiffin's right: There's no teeth in these reprimands. So what's the disincentive for any SEC coach right now not to keep mouthing off about officiating? The way Kiffin's discipline has played out, it looks like you get at least two shots to critically speak your mind. And even the third time isn't guaranteed to be a suspension.
Open season on SEC officials may only have just begun. The SEC Rocks!

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Mississippi State's Mullen gets reprimanded by SEC

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen became the third SEC coach in the past week to be reprimanded. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen became the third SEC coach in the past week to be reprimanded by the conference over public comments about officiating. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive made the announcement today, citing Mullen's violation of the conference Code of Ethics bylaw that states there will be no public criticism of officials.
On Sunday, Mullen ripped the SEC instant replay official at the Florida-Mississippi State game. Replays appeared to show Mississippi State's Brandon McRae stripped the ball from Florida's Dustin Doe just before he crossed the goal-line for a touchdown.
"That's twice now that they've blown calls on the replay with our games, resulting in big plays, and I think that's unexcusable for that official," Mullen said. "I hope he's severely punished if he ever works another SEC game again, because I think it's completely unacceptable."
The SEC said there's been no formal review yet of Mullen's complaint.
Earlier today, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin was reprimanded for feeding conspiracy theories that the SEC wants Florida and Alabama to keep winning. Kiffin, who now once again has more reprimands than SEC wins, was put on notice because it's his second reprimand. He previously accused Urban Meyer of cheating. The next reprimand could result in a suspension.

'Bama's Helmet no -call... A non-issue issue

Immediately after the block, Cody took off his helmet while the play was still seemingly in progress. The argument most folks are making was that 'Bama should've been flagged for a penalty and UT should've gotten another attempt at the game-winning FG.
Now, about that non-call on Cody. Yes, an SEC officiating crew screwed up again. This time, it didn't matter.
Howls erupted after Cody's goal block saved Alabama's bacon. Cody indeed removed his helmet while still in the field of play. That's a big no-no, and it usually merits a 15-yard penalty. But here's where the howlers are wrong. Even if officials had flagged Cody, Tennessee wouldn't have gotten another kick.
Because Alabama blocked and recovered the ball, Alabama had possession. The game can't end on a defensive penalty, but because of the possession change, Alabama wasn't on defense. We'll let SEC spokesman Charles Bloom take it from here.
"The foul for taking helmet off is a live ball foul treated as a dead-ball foul," Bloom wrote in an e-mail Saturday night. "That is, if it happens on a play where time does not expire then the penalty is enforced on the following play. However since the clock ran out on that play, then there is no next play, so there is no penalty to mark off."
So, yes, the officials were technically wrong in not throwing the flag on Cody but, this time, the outcome of the game was in no way affected. In other words, the SEC officials actually caught a break this time around, if for no other reason than the timing of their misstep. The SEC Rocks!

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AUBURN's Chris Todd's status as No. 1 QB may be in jeopardy

Chris Todd's hold on the quarterback job may be slipping.
The senior struggled for the third consecutive game on Saturday night, completing eight of his 14 passes for only 47 yards. He was intercepted once.
His biggest problem was indecisiveness. Todd was sacked four times, though only one of those was attributable directly to blocking failures.
"We'll look at everything. Of course that's the natural question that everybody's going to raise, but it was protection, running the football, throwing the football , we got beat tonight," coach Gene Chizik said. "You have 42 yards at halftime. You can't pin that on one guy. Not the last time I checked. So we're going to re-evaluate everything."
Neil Caudle, the team's top reserve, was brought in during the final drive and helped create the team's only touchdown. He completed three of his five passes for 34 yards and hit tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen for a score. Straight shooter: Chizik, who rarely reveals much during interviews, demonstrated surprising candor after Saturday's loss.
"I'd say they beat us in about every phase of the football game, from beginning to the end and probably everywhere in between," Chizik said. "We played a team that was more physical that we were, and I have to give them a lot of credit." The SEC Rocks!

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Mullen: 'It's embarrassing that they blew that call'

Dan Mullen sharply criticized Southeastern Conference officiating in his weekly Sunday teleconference with reporters today. The Mississippi State coach called for consistency on kickoff offsides calls in his postgame remarks Saturday night. Also, what he thought about another critical call: A fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown by Florida's Dustin Doe in which MSU thought it stripped the ball from Doe at the 1 yard line and recovered the fumble in the end zone. Doe's 23-yard return with 8:25 to play gave Florida a 29-13 lead in a game it went on to win 29-19. ESPN's replays appeared to show the ball coming free before the goal line. In full, Mullen's response:"We got a chance to watch that. I watched it all night on TV replays last night as well. Obviously, if you look at a call — in the course of a game, obviously, you're really disappointed with inconsistent calls in the game like offsides on a kickoff. Very, very inconsistent call with the three or four offsides that they were off on their kickoffs. The exact same thing that we do, we get called for it. I thought that was a big play in the game, where we would have had them pinned inside the five yard line. That being said, you just hope you get some consistency out of your officials. Whether it's a good call or a bad call, I don't know. It's a very inconsistent call, and that's disappointing. But that's in live speed of the game playing. To me, I'm going to find out who that video replay was. I've seen it over and over, views of the ball being out of his hand before he crossed the goal line. That's twice that a SEC replay official - I don't know why we even have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they are not going to utilize it. That's twice that they've blown calls on the replay with our games resulting in big plays and I think that's unexcusable for that official. I mean, I hope he is severely punished, if (he) ever works another SEC game again, because I think it is completely unacceptable. I can understand making a bad call in a live speed on a game like the offsides call. There's no excuse for a guy that has the amount of time to replay the video to make sure they get the call right. That's why we do instant replay. And I think it's embarrassing that they blew that call. I've seen the still shots with the ball out of his hand. So I don't think that's acceptable on a guy that is not watching it in live speed, has the ability to watch all the different angles." Chris Talbott of the Associated Press followed up and asked if he thought SEC officials had struggled overall or in just a few instances. Officiating, it seems, has been the talk of the SEC in recent weeks. Again, Mullen in full: "Well, you know, like I said: The bang-bang calls, haveing officials make a call that is in a live game speed, they're going to make some, they're going to miss some. All you hope for is consistency. The one that I'm disappointed in is, obviously, the replay, because that's twice now that the replay official has blown a call in one of our games. And I just don't see how that's acceptable. Someone that can look at a video tape over and over again and miss a call. You can understand a guy that has one one-hundredths of a second to make a call or a decision, with the athletes in the SEC, the speed that's going, but in a replay, that should never happen." The SEC Rocks!

Receiving unit steps up for USC

Alshon Jeffery continues to cement his status as an emerging star.
But there was plenty more big plays Saturday for USC's receiving corps.
Tori Gurley, seemingly forgotten after a fast start to the season, had one of the biggest plays of the game. So what if the play wasn't called for him.
D.L. Moore, who entered the game with three career catches, had a long touchdown reception.
It was a much-needed performance from an offensive unit that was without senior receiver Moe Brown (concussion) and tight end Weslye Saunders (ankle).
"That's good for us," quarterback Stephen Garcia said. "We needed the receivers to step up."
Jeffery led the way, catching eight passes for 161 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
Appropriately, when Jeffery came off the field after the score, the first player to meet him was Gurley. They jumped into each other for what Steve Spurrier has called a "butt-bump."
Gurley began the season as the starter and had some big games. But he lost his spot to Jeffery, who has grabbed the go-to receiver role.
"As a competitor, you want to go out and make plays. But Alshon has been doing a great job," Gurley said. "To be honest with you, he's just raising the level of intensity. As long as he's going out and making catches like that, with us being very competitive as a receiving corps, we all want to go out and double that."
Gurley's moment came earlier on the drive, when he caught a 43-yard pass after USC had been pinned at its 1.
The play had been called for Jeffery, but it was Gurley who was on the field
"When coach found out I was in, I heard he wasn't too happy about it," Gurley said. "But after the catch was made, me and him were best friends again.
"I'm just happy I had a chance to make a play for the team."
Gurley said the team is working on packages in which he and Jeffery are on the field at the same time. For the moment, however, they play the same spot, leaving the two tall, athletic receivers to alternate.
The 6-foot-3 Moore offers the team another tall option. He mostly plays the third receiver spot but was targeted several times Saturday night.
He almost blew a chance in the second quarter when Garcia hit him in stride down the right sideline. But after a couple of bobbles, and a fortuitous replay review , Moore had his first career touchdown. The SEC Rocks!

Kiffin 'killing' himself over loss

Lane Kiffin refused to question his players Saturday after a heartbreaking, last-second loss to Alabama. Instead, he'll question himself. "I was proud of our effort," the first-year Tennessee coach said after the 12-10 loss in Bryant-Denny Stadium. "I was proud of the way we played."
So proud, in fact, that Kiffin couldn't risk taking a potential game-winning field goal away from his players.
After his much-maligned special teams recovered an onside kick and his oft-criticized offense had driven to the Alabama 28, Kiffin decided against trying to continue the drive.
With 48 seconds left, Kiffin called a draw play on second down, then milked the clock to 4 seconds to allow kicker Daniel Lincoln a chance to win the game.
"I'll go back over that a million times," Kiffin said. "I'm already killing myself for it. You'd like to think you can kick a field goal to win the game."
Yet the Vols couldn't. The 44-yard field goal was blocked and the clock expired. Kiffin's reasoning for not attempting to continue the drive for an easier field-goal attempt was fear of losing what the Vols had fought so hard for.
Kiffin said the Vols had surpassed the predetermined necessary distance to attempt a field goal by five yards. Kiffin said he based that distance on kicker Daniel Lincoln's success rate in previous weeks and pre-game warm-ups.
"You risk turning the ball over right there or you risk a penalty," Kiffin said of calling another play. "All of the sudden you get a penalty and you knock yourself out (of field-goal range). I didn't want to do that to our guys. I didn't want to take it out of their hands."
That was just one potential scoring drive that was undone by a mistake. The Vols had 13- and 12-play drives in the second half that resulted in a punt and a missed field goal, respectively.
Pass protection and penalties were issues at critical times. The Vols were called for eight penalties for 68 yards.
"Very shocked in the penalties today," Kiffin said.
The late-drive mistakes overshadowed an offense that seemed to find a groove at times against the nation's top-ranked defense.
The Vols gained 341 yards. Alabama only allowed 226.6 yards per game this season coming into Saturday's game.
Kiffin said he was pleased with quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who was 21-of-36 for 265 yards.
"For the No. 1 defense in the nation, I think we moved the ball well on them," Crompton said. "But obviously it's not enough if we don't come out with the 'W'."
Crompton's one glaring mistake was costly. The senior threw an interception deep in Alabama territory that resulted in a 49-yard Crimson Tide drive for a field goal.
"Other than that I thought he played well," Kiffin said. "He managed the game well. He's getting better , I thought Jonathan played extremely well."
UT's entire offense showed improvement throughout the game, yet only managed one touchdown and four field-goal attempts - two of which were blocked and another missed - despite eight trips into 'Bama territory.
"I thought guys were playing really hard," Kiffin said. "The two backs (Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown) were running extremely hard. We had some momentum going.
"Guys were making plays and we didn't score when we got down there. When you're playing the No. 1 team in the country, you've got to get a touchdown and you sure can't get your field goals blocked." The SEC Rocks!

Another day, another SEC 'controversy'

What, you thought we'd get through an entire weekend without some drama involving SEC officials?
With 8:25 left in the fourth quarter of a relatively tight game, Florida's Dustin Doe intercepted a pass by Mississippi State's Tyson Lee and returned it 23 yards to give the Gators a 28-13 lead in what would ultimately be a 29-19 win. Seeing as it involves the SEC and Florida, though, it can never be that simple.
As Doe was crossing the line into the end zone, the ball was Leon Letted by wide receiver Brandon McRae. The play was reviewed, and the ruling on the field upheld.
However, there's always a "however" when it comes to the SEC this season. Or a "but", ESPN synched up a pair of replays and did the split screen. In that view, it looked as if the ball may have come out before Doe crossed the goal line. Seeing as McRae recovered the ball in the end zone, it could've negated the touchdown and given MSU the ball at the 20-yard line trailing 22-13.
So, was it a bad call? Were the Bulldogs the latest to be hosed those officiating never-do-wells from the SEC?
Honestly, we are sitting on the fence on this one. We at sec football online could be convinced either way, depending on which way the wind was blowing and/or how many drinks we had consumed.
In other words, there was no indisputable evidence to overturn, thus the call on the field stands and is the correct one.
Although, We get the feeling that the comments section won't reflect that attitude so much. The SEC Rocks!

No. 1 'Bama gets by... barely

Forget Mark Ingram; what about Terrence Cody for Heisman?
The Alabama defensive lineman blocked two field goal attempts -- including the potential game-winning kick with :04 left , to help the Tide stave off Tennessee in one of the most exciting 12-10 games you'll ever see.
On the strength of four Leigh Tiffin field goals, the Tide built a 12-3 lead with just under four minutes remaining.
However, an Ingram fumble at the 'Bama 43-yard line was recovered by Vols' All-American safety Eric Berry. Eight plays later, UT pulled to within two on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Crompton to Gerald Jones.
UT recovered an onside kick with 1:19 left, getting into field goal range with seconds left to set up the second half of Cody's special teams heroics.
And 'Bama survived at home. Barely.
There were two things we here at sec football online took out of this game.
One, Lane Kiffin, with a huge helping hand from his father and defensive coordinator Monte, is building a very, very solid foundation in Knoxville. We've said it before and We'll say it again, here at sec football online, get it while you can SEC. Get your shots in now because, next season, it'll be the Vols doing the majority of the punching on most weekends. The SEC Rocks!

Kentucky Rolls Past Louisiana Monroe

All-around offensive threat Randall Cobb scored two touchdowns, including a 73-yard punt return, to lead Kentucky to a 36-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday night.
Cobb also ran for 41 yards and a touchdown and had 27 receiving yards.
The Wildcats (4-3) were still without starting quarterback Mike Hartline and used Cobb, Morgan Newton and Will Fidler at quarterback.
The Warhawks (4-3) had their opportunities, but scored just two touchdowns to show for five drives that got inside the Kentucky 20-yard line.
Cody Wells threw a touchdown pass to Luther Ambrose and Frank Goodin had a 3-yard touchdown run for Louisiana-Monroe. Wells made his first career start and completed 21 of 44 passes for 267 yards, but threw three interceptions. The SEC Rocks!

Gamecocks Hold Off Commodores, 14-10

Stephen Garcia threw two touchdown passes and No. 23 South Carolina ended Vanderbilt's two-game series win streak - barely - with a 14-10 victory Saturday night.
The Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) played as flat as they did the past two years against Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-5). Only thanks to Garcia and his young receivers, this time it didn't cost them the win.
"I know it wasn't pretty, but it was a real good win over a tough Vandy team," coach Steve Spurrier said.
Garcia connected with freshman Alshon Jeffery on a 43-yard TD pass with 12:51 remaining for the winning score. Earlier, freshman D.L. Moore caught a 35-yard touchdown from Garcia.
The Commodores got the ball one last time with 4 minutes left and drove to South Carolina's 25. However, quarterback Larry Smith was called for intentional grounding on 3rd down, then did not get close to the necessary yardage on fourth-and-32.
Spurrier probably won't put this game among his team's top offensive efforts. Still, the head ball coach at least got to walk off a winner unlike the past two games in the series.
Spurrier was a perfect 14-0 over the school he calls "Vandy" until 2007 when the heavy underdogs upset the then-sixth ranked Gamecocks 17-6.
The Commodores backed it up a season later, defeating another ranked South Carolina squad 24-17. They almost made it three in a row, but instead lost their sixth straight SEC game dating back to last season.
Ryan Fowler's 21-yard field goal in the third quarter put the Commodores ahead 10-7 and for a while, it looked like a mix of stellar defense and special teams play would keep them out front.
South Carolina had only one first down on its first three possessions of the third quarter. Vanderbilt punter Brett Upson kept the Gamecocks pinned with boots of 57 yards and 64 yards. Two of his punts were downed at the Gamecock 1.
But after South Carolina's go-ahead touchdown, Vanderbilt's struggling offense could not rebound.
Garcia completed 22 of 33 passes for 312 yards. Freshman runner Kenny Miles had 102 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Garcia had his second 300 yard game this season. But said he and the Gamecocks "need to play a lot better if we're going to beat Tennessee" next week.
The school honored its 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference champions and its 1984 "Black Magic" team that was the only one in history to win 10 games. Allen Mitchell, the quarterback of the latter squad, said an hour before kickoff he feared the Gamecocks would come out flat. Was he ever right.
If not for a couple of "wins" on official reviews, the uninspired Gamecocks might have left the field at halftime trailing instead of tied 7-7.
Tailback Kenny Miles appeared to fumble on South Carolina's fourth snap with Vanderbilt's Patrick Benoist grabbing it deep in Gamecocks territory.
But the officials in the replay booth said Miles was down before the ball got away and South Carolina's drive continued.
The Gamecocks finally broke through on Garcia's touchdown pass to Moore, who juggled the ball and didn't look like he had full possession until his right foot stepped on the inbounds line.
Another official review - and another call for the Gamecocks, who took a 7-0 lead.
That didn't last long, however, as freshman Warren Norman went 99 yards for a touchdown on South Carolina's kickoff to tie things.
Norman became the first-ever Commodore - Vanderbilt began playing football in 1890 - with two kickoff return TDs in a season.
There's no telling where Vanderbilt would've been without Norman's run back. The team managed just 112 yards of offense in the opening half. They best series came when they drove 65 yards to South Carolina's 8. But Fowler missed a 25-yard field goal try.
Spurrier, who won his 105th SEC game to tie Georgia's Vince Dooley for third all-time, was asked about that distinction. He said he was more impressed that South Carolina had won a record five straight SEC games at home. "That's a record, right?" Spurrier said. "I like that one better." The SEC Rocks!

LSU Gives Team Effort in Victory Over Auburn, 31-10

No. 9 LSU put together a complete performance, holding the SEC's second-best offense to 193 yards while rolling past rival Auburn, 31-10, in front of 92,654 at Tiger Stadium.
LSU (6-1, 4-1 SEC) became bowl eligible for the 10th-straight season and bounced back from its first Saturday night loss in Tiger Stadium in 33 games two weeks ago against No. 1 Florida, 13-3. The Tigers have won three-straight over Auburn for the first time since 1935-37.
Auburn (5-3, 2-3 SEC) lost its third-straight game, as the Tigers were held 271.9 yards below their season average.
Coming off the bye week, LSU starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson was efficient under center. The sophomore completed 21-of-31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on a 15-yard run in the first quarter, while his only mistake was a fumble into the Auburn endzone in the second quarter. At least three of Jefferson's passes down the field were dropped by open receivers.
Jefferson was sacked three times, but netted 26 yards on the ground. His favorite target was junior wide receiver Terrance Toliver, who had a career-high nine catches for 86 yards and a 14-yard touchdown.
Wide receiver Brandon LaFell added six grabs for 67 yards and made a 17-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.
Offensively, LSU amassed 376 yards of total offense and matched his season-high point total despite two missed field goals (49 and 52 yards) and Jefferson's fumble inside the 5-yard line.
LSU freshman Russell Shepard made the most of his first action at running back, hitting a hole created by left guard Will Blackwell and running past the Auburn defense for a 69-yard touchdown. The longest play of the season gave LSU its final score with 1:09 left in the third quarter.
Auburn's high-powered offense never stood a chance against the more agressive LSU defense. Starting quarterback Chris Todd finished 8-of-14 passing for 47 yards and an interception. He was sacked four times. Wide receiver Kodi Burns lined up in the "Wildcat" formation and ran six times for 17 yards.
Running back Ben Tate led Auburn with 67 yards on 18 carries.
The LSU defense continued dominate, pitching a first-half shutout in which it allowed only 42 yards. LSU forced two turnovers and added another on a muffed punt that led to a field goal to end the half. With LSU defensive reserves playing the final drive of the game, Auburn scored its only touchdown and gained 30 percent of its total offense.
Safety Danny McCray recovered two fumbles, while cornerback Chris Hawkins added a one-handed interception early in the second quarter.
LSU won the coin toss and deferred its choice until the second half. Auburn elected to receive the ball to start the game.
Burns ran the "Wildcat" formation -- a receiver in shotgun behind center -- as Auburn picked up a first down in its own territory. The Tigers looked to have another easy first down when Tate ran for nine yards to the Auburn 48. However, three plays resulted in an incomplete pass, a run for no gain and a false start penalty.
Auburn's punt was fair caught by Chad Jones at the LSU 17.
The LSU offense found its stride in the first quarter, as the Tigers scored twice and a third drive ended with a missed field goal.
On third-and-6, a 20-yard pass from Jefferson to Williams out of the backfield gave LSU its first three-straight first downs, the last coming on a pass interference penalty on Toliver deep inside the Auburn 10-yard line.
Another Auburn personal foul on third-and-13 -- a blow on LaFell as a defenseless receiver -- gave LSU new life at the Auburn 19. After an offsides penalty on Auburn, Jefferson tossed a perfect fade route to Toliver for a 14-yard touchdown in the right corner of the south endzone.
With 8:21 left in the quarter, LSU led 7-0.
The LSU defense forced a three-and-out, giving its offense possession at the LSU 22-yard line after a 47-yard punt by Clinton Durst.
Another personal foul on Auburn -- this time illegal use of the hands -- helped LSU move to its 41 after one play. Consecutive passes to Toliver netted 19 yards and put LSU at the Auburn 40, where the drive slowed. Though a delay of game on Auburn gave LSU fourth-and-1 at the 36, Josh Jasper attempted a 49-yard field goal which sliced just wide of the right post.
On the ensuing possession, LSU linebacker Harry Coleman stripped the ball from Todd's hand and safety Danny McCray recovered at the Auburn 16.
On third-and-9 from the 15, Jefferson dropped in the pocket and couldn't find an open receiver. The speedy quarterback took off running to his left and touched the ball down just inside the goal line for his first rushing score of the year.
LSU led 14-0 with 1:10 to play in the first quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Auburn entered LSU territory for the first time. However, on the next play, Todd's pass intended for tight end Jay Wisner was picked off by LSU cornerback Chris Hawkins. The spectacular left-handed grab by Hawkins was returned 7 yards to the LSU 41.
LaFell caught passes of 12 and 19 yards to the Auburn 23, and Jefferson then added an 11-yard run to the 12. After picking up a first down at the Auburn 1, Jefferson attempted to bootleg around the right end. As he tried to stretch the ball toward the goal, it was knocked away by Auburn safety Zac Etheridge and recovered in the endzone by Auburn linebacker Craig Stevens.
Just as the LSU Tigers looked to be in trouble offensively, its special teams came up with a big play.
With 1:42 to play in the half, Derek Helton punted from LSU's 24. Auburn's Philip Pierre-Louis signaled for a fair catch but the ball bounced off his foot as a ran forward to make the catch. The muffed punt was recovered again by McCray and LSU took over at the Auburn 36.
After Jefferson scrambled for first down to the 23, he connected on only 1-of-3 passes and LSU was forced to attempt a 32-yard field goal. Jasper's attempt was successful, and LSU extended its lead to 17-0 with 9 seconds left in the half.
LSU's defensive unit gave up only 42 yards in the first half, as LSU led 17-0.
To open the second half, Auburn attempted to avoid kicking off to Trindon Holliday by pooching to an upback. The plan backfired when LSU defensive end Chase Clement fielded the kick and ran 19 yards to the Auburn 45.
With a short field, Jefferson found Holliday matched up with a linebacker and connected with the receiver for 26 yards to the Auburn 17. On the next play, Jefferson lobbed a fade to the left corner of the endzone and LaFell came down with it for a 17-yard touchdown.
LSU led 24-0 with 13:41 left in the third quarter.
Auburn answered with a field goal after a nine-play, 53-yard drive that started at the Auburn 40 as Jasper kicked off out of bounds. The 24-yard field goal by Wes Byrum cut the LSU lead to 24-3 with 9:21 left in the third quarter.
Two drives later, LSU fans got a taste of what's to come from Shepard, as the shifty all-purpose back lined up to Jefferson's right and took the handoff LSU 31. Shepard started left and cut back right, picking up a perfect block from backup left guard Will Blackwell who just entered the game. Shepard then outran the Auburn defense for the longest play of the 2009 season, 69 yards.
The play was also the longest since Nov. 10, 2007, when running back Jacob Hester ran 87 yards against Louisiana Tech.
LSU led 31-3 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.
With three seconds to play, Auburn backup quarterback Neil Caudle finished an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen.

Florida Outlasts Mississippi State, 29-19

Florida went into Starkville on Saturday night and came away with their first win at Mississippi State since 1985, as they held on for a 29-19 win and improved to 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs moved to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Florida owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 17 games, and has now won nine straight SEC road games, dating back to the 2007 season. UF improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1996 season and went 3-0 against SEC West teams for the first time since 1998.
Senior quarterback Tim Tebow led UF with 134 yards passing and 88 yards on the ground, including a 26-yard touchdown run that tied Hershel Walker’s SEC record of 49 rushing touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore running back Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fla.) added 83 yards on the ground and one touchdown and also blocked a punt for the Gators.
The Florida defense stepped up once again and limited the Mississippi State offense to two field goals and 237 yards. They held the Bulldogs without a third-down conversion until midway through the fourth quarter and intercepted quarterback Tyson Lee three times. The Gators also held Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon to a season-low 53 yards rushing after entering the game averaging 116 yards on the ground.
The Gators opened the game forcing an interception on the third play from scrimmage, when junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap (North Charleston, S.C.) tipped a pass from Lee and junior linebacker A.J. Jones (Tampa, Fla.) caught it for his first career interception to give Florida the ball at the Bulldog’s 46 yard line.
Florida drove the ball down to the 20-yard line, but the Gators failed to put points on the board as sophomore kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 37-yard field goal attempt. Mississippi State opened the scoring on their next possession after a 10-play, 54-yard drive led to a Derek DePasquale field goal from 43-yards out.
It didn’t take long for UF to respond, as Tebow connected with senior wide receiver Riley Cooper on a 21-yard pass to set the Gators up with a first-and-goal at the Mississippi State eight-yard line. The Bulldogs defense held up at the one yard line, and forced UF to settle for a Sturgis field goal from 21 yards.
The Bulldogs were held to three-and-out on their next drive and Florida took over at the UF 33-yard line after the punt. The Gators moved the ball down the field into Mississippi State territory on a 19-yard reception by redshirt sophomore Deonte Thompson. Later in the drive, Tebow took the snap from the Bulldog’s 26-yard line, rushed to the right side and took it all the way in for a touchdown, matching Walker’s SEC record. Sturgis connected on the extra point to give Florida a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter.
After the Gators forced another three-and-out, they drove the ball down inside the 10-yard line but were halted once again by a stout Bulldogs defense. Another field goal by Sturgis, this time from 21 yards, gave UF a 13-3 lead with 7:15 remaining in the first half.
The two teams exchanged punts, and the Gators stopped the Bulldogs on third down for the fourth-straight time to force their fourth punt of the night. This time however, Rainey rushed in and blocked his second punt of the season to set the Gators up with a first-and-goal at the Mississippi State seven-yard line.
The Gators couldn’t capitalize on the excellent field position however, as Tebow threw a pass into the endzone on third down that was intercepted by Johnthan Banks and returned 100 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown to swing the momentum and cut the Gators’ lead to 13-10 just before halftime.
After some adjustments in the locker room, Mississippi State held the Gators offense in check and forced a punt on the first possession in the second half. Lee then hit Christian Ducre for a 54-yard gain to set up the Bulldogs in field goal range, where DePasquale converted from 31 yards out to tie the game at 13 with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter.
Florida was able to drive down on their next possession for Sturgis’ third field goal of the game, this time from 27 yards, to give UF a 16-13 lead.
The Gators got the ball back at the Bulldog’s 22-yard line after Mississippi State failed on a fake punt attempt, and Rainey was able to punch it in from eight yards out to take a 22-13 lead after a missed extra point.
Two plays later, another tipped pass led to an interception by senior linebacker Dustin Doe that he returned 26 yards for a touchdown. The Gators took a 29-13 lead with 8:25 remaining in the game after the extra point attempt by Sturgis.
Mississippi State earned their first third-down conversion of the game with just under six minutes remaining in the final stanza, but an interception by junior safety Major Wright ended the Bulldog’s drive.
The home team didn’t lose hope though, as they responded as Banks intercepted another pass from Tebow and returned this one 21 yards for his second touchdown of the night. Mississippi State went for the two-point conversion to try and cut the game to one score, but Chad Bumphis was tackled for a loss on the play.
With a 29-19 lead, the Orange and Blue got the ball back at midfield with 3:32 remaining in the game, but they were unable to get a first down and were forced to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs were unable to score on their final drive and Florida held on for their 17th straight win. The SEC Rocks!

Vols Close to Victory Against the Tide 12-10

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- Senior nose guard Terrence Cody blocked his second field goal of the game as time expired to preserve No. 1 Alabama's 12-10 victory over Tennessee. The Volunteers scored a touchdown to pull within two points with 1:19 left in the game and recovered the ensuing onside kick. UT moved into field goal range, but Cody busted through the line and got a hand on Daniel Lincoln's kick to keep the Crimson Tide's undefeated season alive.

Senior kicker Leigh Tiffin made all four of his field goal attempts including a 49-yarder and a season-long 50-yarder. Sophomore Mark Ingram ran for 99 yards on 18 carries, and Julio Jones caught seven passes for 54 yards to account for most the Tide's offensive productivity. Alabama has a bye next week before No. 9 LSU comes to Tuscaloosa Nov. 7.

Snead, McCluster Lead Rebels To 30-17 Win Over Hogs

Dexter McCluster set career highs in rushing and receiving, and Jevan Snead threw for a career-high 332 yards to lead Mississippi to a 30-17 victory over Arkansas on Saturday.
Rebels coach Houston Nutt beat his former team for the second straight year.
Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead 17-0 and controlled the line of scrimmage throughout. The Rebels could have won by more if not for three turnovers.
Arkansas (3-4, 1-4) pulled to 24-17 in the third quarter when Carlton Salters caught a tipped pass for a 58-yard touchdown, but the Razorbacks couldn't finish the rally and Ole Miss added two field goals in the fourth.
Nutt coached Arkansas for 10 seasons before leaving late in 2007. The Rebels immediately hired him.
McCluster plays a variety of roles for Ole Miss, but he hadn't been much of a factor this season. That changed right away against Arkansas. He touched the ball on about half the Rebels' first-quarter plays and had already run for a career-high 108 yards by halftime.
In the second half, he caught a screen pass, eluded the first line of defense and went 64 yards for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead. He finished with 123 yards rushing and 137 receiving.
Arkansas kept it close with a touchdown on a lucky bounce. Ryan Mallett threw deep for Greg Childs on third-and-long. Childs went up with two Ole Miss defenders, and the ball caromed right to Salters, who jogged the final few feet to the end zone.
That made the score look respectable, but the Rebels controlled this game. They made 31 first downs to Arkansas' 13 and outgained the Razorbacks 553-299.
Snead opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, then threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Shay Hodge near the end of the first quarter. The Rebels kept Arkansas off balance in the second. Snead lined up out wide in the Wild Rebel formation, and when Ole Miss ran a reverse to him, he threw deep to Markeith Summers for a 39-yard gain that set up a field goal.
Arkansas finally scored to make it 17-7 on Knile Davis' 3-yard run with 2:15 left in the half.
Arkansas was coming off a 23-20 loss at Florida last weekend. The Razorbacks were upset about a few calls in that game, and the officials ended up being suspended by the league.
On the first play from scrimmage against Ole Miss, the Arkansas defense was called for a personal foul, and the day didn't get much better after that. Running back Michael Smith returned after missing last weekend's game with a bad hamstring, but he carried only six times for 35 yards. Mallett went 12 of 34 for 254 yards and was sacked four times.
Snead finished 22 of 33 with two interceptions. Arkansas has forced seven turnovers in the last two games and committed none, but the Razorbacks have two losses to show for it. The SEC Rocks!

Auburn-LSU: Which SEC West Tiger Will Be Crowned Top Cat?

Auburn travels down to what is one of the most intimidating venues in the Southeastern Conference on Saturday. The Tigers of the Plains are on a two-game skid with issues on both sides of the football.
The Bayou Bengals welcome Auburn after a week off from a 13-3 loss to Florida two weeks ago. Offensive woes are the name of the game for LSU, but the defense has been the catalyst for all their wins so far this season. The SEC Rocks!

Johnny Majors tries to motivate Vols for Bama

Tennessee's new coaching staff can't recite the history of the Volunteers' annual matchup with their biggest rival.
So the coaches turned to someone this week who could: former Tennessee tailback and coach Johnny Majors.
"For a guy who hasn't coached for a while, he still can grasp an 18-year-old's attention. We love having him around. He does an unbelievable job motivating the guys," coach Lane Kiffin said.
Majors spoke to the team during Wednesday's practice, telling stories of games past from the "Third Saturday in October" rivalry between Alabama (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) and Tennessee (3-3, 1-2).
He coached 16 of those games with a 4-12 record. Two of those losses came while the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 1, as it is now.
Majors chose instead to share memories of beating Alabama as a player 20-0 in his junior season in 1955 and again 24-0 in his senior season.
"His first year, losing to Alabama, they throw three interceptions. There's a coaching change, and then the next two years they beat Alabama," Kiffin said.
Kiffin would love to join then-coach Bowden Wyatt as another first-year coach to win his first game in the bitter rivalry.
"The game's obviously huge. I learned that in the offseason. As you go out and you're speaking and meeting people, it's so important to so many people around here," he said. The SEC Rocks!

SEC Football Online's Sportbook,Free Pick...Arkansas vs Ole Miss

Arkansas Razorbacks (3-3 SU, 3-2 ATS) at Ole Miss Rebels (4-2 SU, 3-2 ATS)
Saturday, October 24 - 12:30 PM ET
NCAA Football Betting Odds: OLE MISS -6.5
ARK has lost five of its last six road games SU
ARK has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total
MISS has won ten of its last 12 games SU
MISS has won five of its last six home games SU
ARK has covered the last five meetings
ARK has won four of the last five meetings SU
Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
We guess there is always going to be an interesting angle to this matchup as long as Houston Nutt, the former Arkansas coach, is roaming the sideline snow for Ole Miss. In last year's game the Rebels barely hung on for a 23-21 win. In 2008 Nutt pulled off the big upset over Florida, and ended the season with a flourish, winning the last six games and making their football betting backers very happy.
Well, this year it's Bobby Petrino and the Hogs who may be developing some momentum. Since the Razorbacks suffered an ignominious 35-7 loss to Alabama on September 26, they have been coming on like a freight train, wiping the floor with Texas A&M(47-19) and Auburn (44-23) before going to Gainesville and suffering a gut-wrenching defeat to the #1-ranked Florida Gators where the outcome was decided with nine seconds left. They have won three straight in the football betting odds. The SEC Rocks!