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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Tennessee gaining on Gators in renegade category

By Glenn Guilbeau
Gannett Louisiana


The Guilbeau Poll



1.ALABAMA (9-0, 6-0 SEC) – Even if Patrick Peterson gets the intercepton and Charles Scott doesn't get hurt, Bama still beats LSU. But if Jordan Jefferson doesn't get hurt, LSU wins.

2.FLORIDA (9-0, 7-0) – The Gators need another player arrest to answer Tennessee's.

3.LSU (7-2, 4-2) – That Peterson no-call makes up for the Corey Webster no-call back in 2004. LSU's Webster clearly pushed an Alabama receiver down before making an interception in the end zone when Bama was threatening to score at a key point in the game. And there was no call. Saturday's game also makes up for a trio of instant replay reviews that went against Alabama in LSU's win in 2007. Forgot about those, didn't you LSU fans. Chad Jones also got away with pass interference in the first half Saturday.

4. AUBURN (7-3, 3-3) - The Tigers are ranked again and could challenge LSU for the Florida bowls.

5. TENNESSEE (5-4, 3-3) - I didn't know they still made pellet guns. This could hurt Tennessee's recruiting in more ways than one.

6. GEORGIA (5-4, 3-3) - Could the Bulldogs find themselves in Shreveport next month?

7. ARKANSAS (5-4, 2-4) - The Hogs look ready to finish strong.

8. SOUTH CAROLINA (6-4, 3-4) - Steve Spurrier Jr. is taking heat as the Gamecocks' play caller. Will his dad get all biblical on him and fire or demote him like he's some quarterback?

9. OLE MISS (6-3, 2-3) - Former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron returns to Oxford as Tennessee's defensive line coach. Guess what song will be playing in the Grove?

10. MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-5, 2-3) - Upset special? Alabama's coming to Starkville after a huge win, and State has been dangerous this season. The Bulldogs also beat Nick Saban and the Tide two years ago.

11. KENTUCKY (5-4, 1-4) - The Bluegrass wonders. Will a win over Vanderbilt count toward bowl eligibility?

12. VANDERBILT (2-8, 0-6) - The Commordores play Kentucky at 11:20 a.m. Saturday. Christmas shopping anyone?



GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 3 Alabama at Mississippi State, 6 p.m., ESPN - Mississippi State defeated Alabama in 2006 and 2007. The Bulldogs nearly upset LSU and Houston this season and played Georgia Tech well. The Crimson Tide may be primed for an upset. And it's worth watching just to see if the SEC officials blow another call on behalf of one the league's undefeated. Plus, can you imagine what type of instant replay equipment they must have in a pressbox in Starkville, Miss.? Perhaps a little K-Mart model with rabbit ears.



SATURDAY TELEVISION

Tennessee at Ole Miss, 11 a.m., CBS.

Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 11:20 a.m., SEC Network.

No. 1 Florida at South Carolina, 2:30 p.m., CBS.

Auburn at Georgia, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Louisiana Tech (3-6) at No. 9 LSU, 6 p.m. ESPNU

Troy at Arkansas, 6:30 p.m.



LAST WEEK’S GAMES

Arkansas 33, South Carolina 16

Georgia 38, Tennessee Tech 0

Kentucky 37, Eastern Kentucky 12

Auburn 63, Furman 31

Alabama 24, LSU 15

Tennessee 56, Memphis 28

Florida 27, Vanderbilt 3

Ole Miss 38, Northern Arizona 14



PLAYERS OF THE WEEK



OFFENSE - Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett completed 23 of 27 passes for 329 yards and rushed for a touchdown.

DEFENSE - Alabama CB Javier Arenas made seven tackles with four solos and two behind the line with a quarterback pressure.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Florida P Chas Henry punted four times for a 52.8-yard average.



NOTEBOOK



REDEMPTION FOR JULIO: Not only was Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones the guilty party on the Tide's penalty for too many men on the field, ruining a chance for a touchdown against LSU in the third quarter. He also dropped a pass just before Bama quarterback Greg McElroy was stopped for a safety. He made up for both with his 73-yard touchdown catch and run to give Alabama a 21-15 lead in the fourth quarter after a two-point conversion.

"Their guys had been real aggressive coming up on me," Jones said.

"You never expect a short pass like that to lead to a touchdown," McElroy said. "Then again, when you get it to No. 8, you never know what'll happen. I've never seen someone run that fast before."

PASS SET UP RUN: McElroy threw 25 times in the first half for Alabama, seriously breaking a tendency. Then tailback Mark Ingram, who had only 38 yards in the first half, took over the second half with 106 yards through a spaced LSU defense often looking for more passes. Ingram finished with 144.

"It was the way we planned," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "And I thought it worked. As the game went on, we got more and more control of the line of scrimmage."

BORDER WAR: Auburn has 20 players from the state of Georgia looking forward to Saturday's game at Georgia. There is also Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who grew up in Atlanta and played and coached at Georgia Tech.

"It makes it fun," Roof said. "It's a fun game."



STAT OF THE WEEK:

The 452 yards given up by LSU to Alabama on Saturday were the most allowed by the Tigers since Florida got 475 in a 51-21 win last season.



QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"He was a great D-line coach, but he wasn't that great of a head coach."

- Ole Miss defensive end Kentrell Lockett on former head coach Ed Orgeron, who is Tennessee D-line coach now and returns to Oxford, Miss., Saturday.



- Compiled by Glenn Guilbeau with other SEC writers.



-end-

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Move Ole MIss back up the poll and Tenn. back down. Nutt will have Ole Miss ready up for an upset over LSU. McCluster may run through and around LSU. Don't be surprised if Crowton takes his nauseating offense to Oxford.
Good thing Janzen Jackson didn't sign w/ LSU. Attempted armed robbery could get him kicked off Tenn's team. The saving grace is he was not mentioned as holding one of the pellet guns. Maybe Jacksonville St. needs another thug.

5:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've been telling you: the passing game will set up the run. It may be counterintuitive to Miles, who'd rather establish the running game first, but he and Crowton should note how AL did it against LSU. It will be hard for LSU to do so against Ole Miss and Ark. w/ a gimpy Jefferson, and it will be impossible w/ a healthy Lee. Let Shepard try it a few times, and tell him: if your first read is not open, run to the green grass.

5:42 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a disgusting waste of offensive weapons at LSU this season. Crowton has led a talented group to the bottom of the SEC and the nation offensively, and Miles has not done been a good CEO re: making sure the problems get fixed. LSU was outprepared and outcoached at Ole Miss as they have frequently been this year.

7:22 PM  

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