Monte Kiffin To Join Son Lane On Rocky Top

Next Level Scouting, Inc. is reporting that according to several NFL sources Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin spoke with his defensive players this week to address his future with the team and let them in on one of the worst kept secrets in football, which is the fact that he will be joining his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee next season, most likely in the same role, serving as his son's new defensive coordinator for the Volunteers.

This Date in College Football History

Nov. 20, 1976: For the first time in 12 years, Kentucky beats Tennessee 7-0 in Knoxville. Wildcat quarterback Derrick Ramsey passes to running back Greg Woods who takes the ball 68 yards for the winning touchdown, as Kentucky (8-4) earns its first bowl bid since 1952.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Auburn Looks To Secure Coaching Staff

Next Level Scouting, Inc. is reporting that there are at least preliminary talks behind the scenes at Auburn to discuss if they will retain current head coach Tommy Tuberville on the heels of fellow SEC head coach Phillip Fulmer resigning at season's end at Tennessee.

The primary thought process here is that there are some officials at Auburn that may not wish to give current Tigers' defensive coordinator Will Muschamp a window of opportunity to jump ship over to the "wish" list of the Tennessee Volunteers.

If a transition was made down the line later this season from Tuberville to Muschamp possibly even if he were just given the reigns to coach the team in a possible bowl game than it could lead to Auburn signing him to a long-term deal before someone like Tennessee or others could even receive the chance to interview him for their own vacancies at head coach.

This Date in College Football History

Nov. 5, 1955: In a meeting of Gen. Bob Neyland's protégés, future Hall of Fame coaches Bowden Wyatt of Tennessee and Bobby Dodd of Georgia Tech finish the game in a 7-7 tie in Knoxville. Tennessee tailback Johnny Majors (1987 Hall of Fame inductee) was held to 77 yards as Yellow Jackets' Wade Mitchell led a fourth-quarter drive to tie the game.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

CFI Q & A of the Week: Eric Berry, Tennessee

Eric Berry, aka the fifth dimension, is the stellar second year safety for the Tennessee Volunteers.

CFI: Tell us about playing safety?

BERRY: I really didn’t play corner any time during my life until the Army All-American game. I grew up as a safety and when they moved me to safety up here, I felt like I was at home. It was just a matter of me learning the schemes and the plays. I just love to play this game. I play it passionately, play every play full speed.

CFI: You already set the SEC all-time record for interception return yards. Talk about going from defense to offense so seamlessly.

BERRY: I’ve played offense all my life. This is the first time I’ve played strictly defense. When the ball gets in my hands, it’s a flashback of me being on offense and making plays. I guess you could say I have a split personality on the field. I just want to find a way to help my team win.

CFI: How about Tennessee potentially installing the “Wild Berry” formation?

BERRY: When that time comes and Coach (Phillip Fulmer) feels I’m ready for it, he’ll call my number. Until then, I’m going to focus on defense and try to get things right on the defense.

CFI: Isn’t playing offense something you’d love to do?

BERRY: Yes it is, but even if I don’t, I’m still satisfied just playing defense.

CFI: What do you do to pass the time off the field?

BERRY: We always have a Madden competition throughout the week. I’m currently on top right now. I had a ten-game winning streak until Savion (Frazier) broke it earlier this week. His profile on the game is “14-Sucks” (laughs). We’ve been going head-to-head battling on the Madden.

CFI: What kind of safeties do you like?

BERRY: I like safeties like Bob Sanders, who can do a little bit of covering, a little bit of blitzing, a little bit of hard hitting…everything. I just like ballplayers.

CFI: How many friends do you have on your Facebook page?

BERRY: I just added around 430 today, so it has to be around 7,000 right now.

This Date in College Football History

Oct. 21, 1989: In Knoxville, Alabama and Tennessee enter the game undefeated for the first time since 1973. Tide quarterback Gary Hollingsworth sets a school record for completions going 32-46 for 379 yards and three touchdowns, while tailback Siran Stacy adds four touchdowns in No. 10 Bama's triumph over the No. 6 Volunteers 47-30.

Credit: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

SEC Week Four Preview

By ARTHUR DICESARE - SEC INSIDER

With great teams, a strong sense of tradition, and a seemingly endless supply of top players, it’s a no brainier to call the SEC the flagship conference. In this recent “BCS” era the SEC has separated itself from the other top conferences. They have won four national championships--more than any other conference--and they bring back the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Tim Tebow. With five teams ranked in the top 10, it is the first time since the AP poll began in 1936, that any conference has had five teams ranked in the top ten. Let’s take a look ahead to three key match-ups in the SEC this week.

#4 Florida @ Tennessee 3:30pm: The third Saturday in September always provides us with one of the SEC’s best match-ups. Even with Tennessee off to a slow start, you can expect a hard fought game on both sides. Tennessee will look to exact some revenge for the 59-20 beat down they took last year in the Swamp. The likelihood of us seeing a down-to-the-wire classic is slim. One of the many enjoyable match-ups to watch will come when Florida receiver Percy Harvin is split out against Tennessee safety Eric Berry. Both are among the best in the conference. Florida simply has too much firepower on offense. PREDICTION: Gators big, 34-13.

#6 LSU @ #10 Auburn 7:45pm: The last four match-ups, were decided by a combined 14 points, including a last second win by LSU last season and an over time game in 2005. When these teams get together, you can expect hard hitting and superior athletes—they will keep you on the edge of your seat. The 2008 version should be a low scoring defensive battle, and the winner may just be sparked by a late turnover or a special teams play. PREDICTION: Picking a winner is like watching a pendulum. Go with Auburn protecting home field in a squeaker, 14-13.

#3 Georgia @ Arizona State 8:00pm: Georgia comes off a grind it out win on the road against South Carolina, while Arizona St. limps in off a terrible loss at home to UNLV. The Sun Devils have allowed an average of 129 yards rushing to their first three opponents, and none of them had a back as talented as Knowshon Moreno. Expect Moreno to have a huge game, which will open up the passing lanes for Matthew Stafford. If Georgia doesn’t look ahead to Alabama, they should be fine. PREDICTION: Georgia takes care of business 31-17.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

This Date in College Football History

Sept. 7, 1974: Tennessee quarterback Condredge Holloway tears knee cartilage on the second play of the game, only to return from the emergency room in the third quarter. Holloway then leads an 80-yard drive that rallies the Volunteers to a 17-17 tie with UCLA in Knoxville. Television experiences something new, as Jim Lampley debuts as a sideline reporter of ABC.

CFI RANKINGS: #14 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

2007 RECORD: 10-4; SEC: 6-2
Won Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin 21-17
LOCATION: Knoxville, Tennessee
STADIUM: Neyland Stadium (102,038)
HEAD COACH: Phillip Fulmer
OVERALL: 147-45 (16 seasons)
AT TENNESSEE: 147-45 (16 seasons)

There are high expectations in Rocky Top. Many are focusing on the fact that Tennessee hasn’t won a conference title since 1998 when they went a perfect 13-0 and won the BCS Championship. It doesn’t help that the Florida Gators won it all in 2006 and are led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow or that the Georgia Bulldogs ended last season ranked No. 2 in the country and enter this season at No. 1. The Vols did win the SEC East last season, but will be hard pressed to make their way back to the SEC Championship game in 2008.

WHEN THE VOLS HAVE THE BALL

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dave Clawson (1st Season)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 8
KEY LOSSES: Erik Ainge, LaMarcus Coker, Brad Cottam, Chris Brown

Jonathan Crompton is entering his first season as the starting quarterback and he is set for success. Tennessee returns all five starters along the offensive line, a line that allowed only four sacks the entire 2007 season for an offense that aired the ball out over 500 times. Joining Crompton in the offensive backfield is Arian Foster who, barring injury, will leave Knoxville as the school’s all-time leading rusher. Backups Montario Hardesty and sophomore Lennon Creer are capable ball carriers. Also returning are the Vols’ top three receivers, Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe—all three had 50-plus catches for at least 500 yards last season. Look for super soph Gerald Jones to break out as a receiver and runner—he will even line up in the shot-gun at times. Crompton remains unproven but the highly touted signal caller has the strong arm and athleticism to flourish.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) WR Gerald Jones (SO), 2) OG Anthony Parker (SR)

WHEN THE OTHER TEAM HAS THE BALL

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Chavis (14th Season/20th at Tennessee)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 6
KEY LOSSES: Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Hefney, Ryan Karl, Xavier Mitchell, Antonio Reynolds

The Vols’ secondary is stacked, beginning with the dynamic duo of Eric Berry and Demetrius Morley at safety. Berry lived up to the hype in his true freshman season, while Morley returns after missing last year due to off-the-field issues. They are talented at cornerback as well, where sophomores Dennis Rogan and Brent Vinson are competing for playing time. Junior LB Rico McCoy leads the front seven and should take over for Jerod Mayo and the lead the club in tackles. He’s undersized, but is a blur once he gets his sights set on the football and he packs a wallop when he gets there. The key will be the play of a pair of seniors along the defensive line, DE Robert Ayers and DT Demonte Bolden. Each is physically gifted, but neither has reached the lofty expectations set for them.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) SS Eric Berry (SO), 2) LB Rico McCoy (JR)

THE SCHEDULE

The Vols start the season on the left coast for a second straight year and expect better results at UCLA than they had in Berkeley last season (a 45-31 loss). The schedule does not get any easier when they return to the southeast, as Tennessee takes on two top ten teams (Florida, Auburn) in September and a third (Georgia) by midseason. They make trips to Auburn and Georgia, and while they play host to the Gators, Tennessee has struggled against their rival—Florida has won three in-a-row overall and three of four in Neyland Stadium. A 4-2 start would be impressive. In the second half of the season they must take on the Tide, as well as visit the ‘Cocks, but could end the year with six straight wins.

PIVOTAL POINT

D-Fense: Last season, Tennessee finished tenth in the SEC in scoring defense with the second worst pass defense in the conference. Opponents completed nearly 60 percent of their passes for an average of 6.8 yards per attempt—the second highest in the SEC. Their run defense wasn’t that much better, allowing 165 yards per game (they averaged 139 yards) and 4.2 yards per carry. Overall, they finished in the bottom half of the conference in turnovers forced, total defense, pass efficiency, first downs allowed, Red Zone defense and third down defense. That’s not vintage Tennessee football. Regardless of how well Crompton performs, if the defense does not step up, Tennessee will not challenge Georgia or Florida for the SEC East.

CFI FINAL ANALYSIS

If the Vols were in any other conference in America they would have an excellent chance to be considered a top ten team and would surely be among the favorites in the Big East and ACC, and prime challengers in the Big Ten and Pac-10. Alas, they are in the SEC and have to deal with life in the toughest, deepest, most talent rich conference in all the land. They are not a national title contender, but if they can win one of their early season division battles against Florida or Georgia (whom they defeated 35-14 last season), Tennessee could surprise. At the very least, the folks with the checkered end zone who sing “Rocky Top” should not be counted out…that’s when they are at their most dangerous.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Volunteers claim SEC East title with 52-50 win over Kentucky

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Sorry Georgia, resilient Tennessee is back on top in the SEC East.

The Volunteers stuffed a scrambling Andre Woodson on a 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth overtime to secure a 52-50 victory Saturday against Kentucky and a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game.

No. 19 Tennessee's 23rd straight win over the Wildcats handed the Volunteers (9-3, 6-2) the division title and a shot at LSU in next week's SEC title game.

Tennessee and Georgia finished tied atop the East, but the Volunteers earned the title thanks to their 35-14 win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 6.

Erik Ainge threw for a career-high 397 yards and seven touchdowns and running back Arian Foster had 216 total yards for the Volunteers.

Woodson matched Ainge throw for throw, throwing for 430 yards and six touchdowns, but the Wildcats (7-5, 3-5) let a chance to beat the Vols for the first time since 1984 get away.

Tennessee's winning streak over the Wildcats is the longest active winning streak by one team over another in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kentucky trailed by 17 points in the second half but had its chances late, none better than in the second overtime after Sam Maxwell intercepted Ainge near the goal line.

The Wildcats ran the ball on three straight plays to set Lones Seiber up for a 35-yard field goal. But the kick was blocked by Dan Williams.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third overtime, but the Wildcats stuffed Foster's 2-point conversion. A personal foul on the Volunteers following the conversion attempt pushed Tennessee back to the Kentucky 40 instead of the Kentucky 25 at the beginning of the fourth overtime.

No matter, Ainge hit a wide-open Quinton Hancock on the first play to put the Volunteers in front. Ainge then found Austin Rogers for the conversion over the middle.

Kentucky responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Derrick Locke, but Woodson was stopped at the Tennessee 3 caught in between trying to find a receiver and taking off the for the end zone.

The victory capped an improbable run by the Volunteers, who seemed out of the race after being crushed at Alabama last month. Tennessee has now won five straight while Kentucky, which was on the fringe of the national championship hunt after upsetting No. 1 LSU in mid-October, has lost four of its last five.

It wasn't easy. Kentucky trailed 31-14 in the third quarter, but rallied to tie the game on a 20-yard field goal by Seiber on the last play of regulation.

That was just the start of the fun.

Yet whenever the Wildcats seemed to grab control, Ainge or Foster would step up and make a play. Foster ran for 118 yards and caught nine passes for 98 yards and a score.

Rafael Little had 77 yards rushing and caught 11 passes for 108 yards for the Wildcats. Jacob Tamme, Steve Johnson Keenan Burton - who helped usher the Wildcats into the Top 10 earlier in the season - combined for 23 catches, 273 yards and five scores.

The trio is part of a class of 16 Kentucky seniors who had hoped to make their final home game the exclamation point on a two-year period in which the program challenged some of the conference's elite.

Instead, the regular season ended the way most of the 22 before it, with a loss to their border rivals.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports

No. 19 Vols hope to fix road troubles against Kentucky

By BETH RUCKER
Associated Press Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The final obstacle between Tennessee and a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title lies on the road - a place that hasn't been kind to the 19th-ranked Volunteers this season.

Tennessee (8-3, 5-2 SEC) has won only one game on the road this year and suffered all three of its bruising losses away from home. The Vols travel on Saturday to Kentucky (7-4, 3-4) to face a Wildcat team that's as good as the Vols have seen since they last lost in Lexington in 1981.

``I don't really know the perfect answer of why we haven't been good on the road,'' wide receiver Austin Rogers said. ``We've played some good teams on the road this year. We definitely need to treat it as a business trip like coach (Phillip) Fulmer says and go up there and get a W.''

Tennessee completed its home slate last weekend undefeated after squeaking by Vanderbilt with a 25-24 win. The Vols got one solid road win against Mississippi State, but lost to California, Florida and Alabama by a combined 77 points.

The Vols have given up an average 23.2 more points on the road than at home this season and have scored an averaged 38.1 points at home compared to 25.2 on the road.

Their home statistics have been better in almost every category: they run the ball better, convert on third down more frequently, hold opponents to fewer yards, draw fewer penalties and score more in the red zone.

Defensive coordinator John Chavis acknowledged that the Vols haven't played as well on the road as they needed to, but felt that ``everything that can go wrong did go wrong'' against California and Florida.

``We've had some turnovers that were returned for touchdowns. We've had some punt returns that were returned for touchdowns. Defensively we didn't get ourselves off the field. It was a combination of a lot of things,'' he said.

But Chavis and the rest of the Tennessee coaches say their team has grown significantly since those losses in September and October and benefited from a four-game home stand with both decisive wins and close calls.

Fulmer said he was forced to use some young players in the Vols' early road games because of injury, and those players are now more mature having played in several games.

``I have never made a big deal out of being at home or being on the road, and that's because you've got to play and win at both in this league,'' he said.

It may also help that Tennessee is confronted with the same must-win situation this weekend that it's faced since beating South Carolina at the end of October. Wins in every game since then, including Saturday's matchup with Kentucky, meant a trip to the SEC championship on Dec. 1.

Plus Tennessee has had a way with the Wildcats in recent history. The Vols' 22 consecutive wins over Kentucky is the longest active winning streak over a single opponent in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Quarterback Erik Ainge said he likes where Tennessee is right now.

``I think we're playing good football. I think we're kind of hot right now. Whether it's 20 degrees and snowing or whether it's 55 degrees and sunny, we know it's still 11 on 11 and the field's the same size.''

Source: ncaafootball; Photo Credit: SECSportsmeda

No. 22 Tennessee hog-ties Arkansas, 34-13

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Erik Ainge threw for two touchdowns and Arian Foster ran for another as No. 22 Tennessee beat Arkansas 34-13 on Saturday.

The Volunteers (7-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) kept their drive for an SEC Eastern Division title alive and again silenced critics of coach Phillip Fulmer with a balanced offensive attack and one of their best defensive performances of the season.

The Razorbacks (6-4, 2-4) struggled all day in the red zone and continually hurt themselves with penalties. They gained 10 more yards than the Vols, but held the ball for seven fewer minutes.

Arkansas' Darren McFadden, the SEC's top rusher, finished with 117 yards on 22 carries, and Casey Dick completed 12 of 22 passes for 140 yards and two interceptions. Last week, McFadden tied the SEC single-game rushing record with 321 yards against South Carolina.

The Vols started and ended the first half with a bang. Tennessee drove 64 yards on the game's first possession, aided by three Arkansas penalties, and Ainge threw a 16-yard TD pass to Austin Rogers across the middle with 10:15 left in the first quarter.

Tennessee also marched down the field with about a minute left in the half and scored on a 14-yard pass from Ainge to Josh Briscoe with 10 seconds left to give the Vols a 20-3 halftime lead. Ainge finished 12-for-25 for 128 yards.

Arkansas narrowed the lead to 27-13 with 8:27 left in the game on Michael Smith's 9-yard touchdown run after a handoff from McFadden out of the Razorbacks' ``WildHog'' formation. It was as close as the Hogs would get.

McFadden carried the Arkansas offense in the second half after only gaining 25 yards rushing in the first half. Felix Jones, the SEC's second-best rusher, left the game in the first half with a deep thigh bruise after rushing for just 3 yards.

The Razorbacks' only first-half points came on a 31-yard Alex Tejada field goal after the Vols came up with a big stop on third-and-6. Tejada also kicked a 42-yarder in the third quarter.

Arkansas went three-and-out in their first possession of the third quarter, and Tennessee responded with Foster's 59-yard touchdown run, the Vols' longest rushing play of the season that put them ahead 27-3.

Daniel Lincoln added field goals of 25 yards and 28 yards in the first half. The second field goal set a record for most field goals by a freshman, breaking James Wilhoit's mark of 17 set in 2003.

Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo ran 33 yards for a touchdown after intercepting a pass by backup quarterback Nathan Emert with 2:46 left in the game.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

November not kind to Vols' Ainge

By RON HIGGINS

If it's November, it must mean that Tennessee senior quarterback Erik Ainge is crossing his fingers while knocking on wood.

Because the way Ainge's Novembers have gone throughout his college career, he needs all the help he can get entering Saturday's game against Arkansas in Knoxville.

As a freshman in 2004, he separated his shoulder in a 17-13 home loss Notre Dame on Nov. 6 and didn't play the rest of the season.

As a sophomore in 2005, he played the entire game in a 41-21 Nov. 5 loss at Notre Dame, trying to repair badly damaged confidence from being benched earlier in the season.

And last season as a junior, after severely spraining an ankle in a 31-24 win at South Carolina on Oct. 28, Ainge played just one series in a 28-24 home loss to LSU on Nov. 4 and didn't play a down in a 31-14 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 11.

"I want to stay healthy and keep winning, that's the goal," said Ainge, who has thrown for 2,138 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. "We ended last year on a rough note (losing three of the last five games, including a 20-10 loss to Penn State in the Outback Bowl).

Last week's 59-7 blowout of lowly Louisiana-Lafayette was a welcome sight for Ainge and the Vols' offense. The previous two weeks, in a 41-17 loss at Alabama and a 27-24 overtime win over South Carolina, the Vols had been outscored in the second half and in overtime by 41-6.

Against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Vols led 24-0 at the half. From that point, Tennessee was able to empty its bench and work on some new wrinkles, such as its G-Gun formation, in a live situation without fearing mistakes might lose the game.

"Any time you get a lead like that, you can run some different packages, different plays, get some young guys in the game to get some experience," Ainge said. "We ran the ball well. We did what we wanted to do in the passing game. It was a good way to get ready for Arkansas."

Arkansas is one of three SEC teams Ainge hasn't beaten as a starter. There's the feeling that if Ainge had played in last year's game instead of backup Jonathan Crompton, the Vols, at the very least, would have produced enough offense to keep Arkansas' explosive, run-oriented attack off the field. Crompton was 16-of-34 for 174
yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and he was sacked four times.

Instead, Arkansas led 28-7 at halftime. By that time, Tennessee's offense had gone three downs-and-out on 4-of-7 first-half possessions. After the opening two quarters, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden had outgained the Vols by himself, 128-117.

It wasn't a pleasant situation for Ainge, sidelined with the bum ankle and watching his team fall apart on national television (ESPN) and not being able to play before a stadium full of Hog-calling fans "I remember their offense had a great game," Ainge said. "We did some good things on offense, but we weren't as sharp as we needed to be. Our best players didn't have great games.

"Arkansas played really well. I'm not saying it can't happen again. But sometimes you play better than you are, and sometimes you play worse than you are. They (Arkansas) played one of their best games against us last year."

Vols' coach Phillip Fulmer recalled Crompton did the best he could under the circumstances, but ... "Erik manages games exceptionally well, and we missed him last year," Fulmer said. "We're glad he's healthy and he's able to play."

Because Ainge is full speed this time around, Arkansas certainly expects more of a fight than last season.

The Razorbacks' 17-point win last year was Arkansas' largest victory margin in its three wins in the 15-game series, and even then Tennessee scored a consolation TD on the Hogs with 30 seconds left to play.

"We had a lot of respect for Crompton, but Erik Ainge has more velocity on the ball and seems to handle things better," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "We need to get some pressure on him and not give up any big plays to his receivers."

Source: Scripps Howard News Service; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

CFI: SEC REPORT

BY RAFAEL GARCIA
SEC INSIDER

FULLY ARMED
* Florida's Tim Tebow was 22-of-27 for 281 yards and three touchdowns. He had the protection he needed to avoid getting sacked and recovered well from that bruised shoulder to have an outstanding game. He continues to be one of the front-runners for the Heisman.
* LSU’s Matt Flynn came up big in the second half throwing two of his three touchdowns to once again rally his team to a win. He was 24-of-44 for 353 yards but also had three interceptions.

ROAD RUNNERS
* The two headed monster at Arkansas of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones combined for 486 yards and both surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Darren McFadden tied the SEC single game rushing mark with 321 yards set by Vanderbilt’s Frank Mordica in 1978. He was credited with a record 323 yards but after review of the tapes it showed that he was credited with a Tw0-yard run that belonged to Jones.
* Georgia back Knowshon Moreno had another huge day with 196 yards on 26 carries as he became the second Georgia freshman ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (Herschel Walker).
* Percy Harvin of Florida. He had just 11 carries but managed 113 yards and two touchdowns on some spectacular open field running. This guy is a big time weapon because he is so fast and elusive.
* Tennessee’s duo of Arian Foster and Lennon Creer were the first Vols to run for 100 or more yards each since Cedric Houston (160) and Gerald Riggs (116) did it on September 25, 2004.
* Yes AT&Tebow folks. With his two rushing touchdowns he passed Mississippi State’s John Bond (1983) for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the SEC and tied Emmitt Smith and Buford Long for the most rushing touchdowns by a Gator.

CATCH HAPPY
* Florida’s Percy Harvin had nine catches for 110 yards and with his 100+ yards on the ground he became the first player in Gator history with 100+ yards in rushing and receiving in the same game.
* LSU’s Demetrius Byrd had six grabs for 144 yards including a 61-yard catch in the third quarter that made it 27-24 Alabama after the Tide had taken a 10 point lead to open the second half.
* Florida Andre Caldwell chipped in nine catches for 103 yards with two scores. He showed that Harvin was not the only superior athlete that the Gators had.

BIG HITS
* Vanderbilt SS Rashard Langford had a career-high 10 tackles to go with his second interception of the 2007 season.
* UT defense may have given up a bunch of yards to La.-Lafayette (364) but they held them to just one score all day.

LOW ENDS
* With a win Alabama would have the lead in the West. They were in position to do just that after Javier Arenas’ 61-yard punt return gave them a 34-27 lead. Then LSU had fourth and four at the ‘Bama 32. A stop here and the Tide had it just about locked up. Instead, Early Doucet took what was to be a first down making pass over the middle and turned it into the tying score. Later LSU safety Chad Jones sacked John Parker Wilson, knocked the ball out of his hands, and the Tigers had first and goal at the four. Two plays later Jacob Hester ran it in from one-yard for the winner.

* At the start of this year South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said his team was ready to play for the SEC East crown. At times this year his team had played the part well. He knew that this team was young and inexperienced on defense but rolled the dice anyway. On Saturday Arkansas running machine showed him how far his young defense has to go. Darren McFadden ran right and left. He ran uphill and downhill on his way to an SEC record-tying 321 yards. His running mate Felix Jones ran for 163 yards as both backs went over 1,000 yards for the season. They say that defense wins championships. If that is the case then maybe South Carolina isn’t ready for primetime just yet.

INTO THE MINDS
* Up in Knoxville folks were not too happy after a win. See they know what is in front of them. All season Coach Phillip Fulmer and his team have faced adversity. They have responded at times and have not other times. Once again the Gods of the SEC have helped the Vols control their destiny with some wild unexpected losses to other teams. Still they face the task of trying to stop McFadden and Jones Saturday. They gave up 364 yards to La-Lafayette and do not look to fare any better against Arkansas. Defensive coordinator John Chavis better get some extra tackling classes in quick. The Vols have shown they can be run on and run on big. If they do not find a way to stop the Razorback running game they will find themselves on the outside looking in again. This time there will be very little time to make up for it. The season is winding down and if the Volunteers hope to play for the SEC East title they had better hold on to these backs for dear life. They have the next two games at home against Arkansas and Vanderbilt then finish the regular season at Kentucky. Once again the Vols backbone will be tested.

* Every week LSU coach Les Miles and his troops give us a ball game. He makes wild and crazy decisions and his team somehow finds a way to keep coming back week after week. Unfortunately this will not work in the SEC. This team was looking like a monster at the beginning of the season. As the weeks have gone by they have had nail-biter after nail-biter. They are now ranked number two in the BCS and at this point in the season must start to dominate the remainder of their games if they want to keep a firm grip on that spot. You know that with the BCS if you have too many close games it can cost you precious points and possibly knock you out of the title picture. Now the schedule favors them. They should have no problem as they finish at home with La. Tech followed by a visit to Mississippi and lastly a home date with Arkansas and their two-headed monster. Miles will need to ensure that his troops understand that they must finish strong.

* Georgia had made its way back into the top 10 in the BCS. They are still behind Tennessee in the East but with some help they can play in Atlanta and make a push towards the top five and a major bowl bid. This comes after the UT loss in which the Dawgs season looked in trouble. Coach Mark Richt has kept the team confident but they must play better than they did against the likes of Troy in a 44-34 win that was close to the end. They have Auburn and Kentucky at home and end the season at Georgia Tech. It won’t be easy but the Dogs are confident and ready.

Photo Credit: University of Arkansas

No. 22 Tennessee needs a strong run defense to stop SEC's top rushing duo

By BETH RUCKER
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- California's Justin Forsett, Alabama's Terry Grant, South Carolina's Terry Boyd and half of Florida's offensive lineup had heydays rushing against Tennessee this season.

Arkansas' Darren McFadden and Felix Jones could be next. Consider Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis optimistic, though. "It's a big opportunity, there's no doubt about that. I may be saying something differently after the game, but we're excited about going out and seeing how we can match up," Chavis said Tuesday.

The No. 22 Vols (6-3, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) will have to come up with one of their best defensive performances of the season to stop McFadden and Jones, the top two rushers in the SEC.

Tennessee fares a bit better against the run than against passing, giving up an average 167.7 yards rushing per game compared to 244.8 yards passing. But Arkansas (6-3, 2-3) boasts the second-best rushing offense in the nation, putting up an average 315.9 yards a game.

"Arkansas is one of the most impressive teams I've seen offensively," coach Phillip Fulmer said. "They just totally manhandled South Carolina's defense. McFadden is easily one of the best players in the nation."

Manhandle they did last week, posting 542 yards rushing and 109 yards passing against the Gamecocks. McFadden ran for an SEC record-tying 321 yards, nearly 100 yards more than any other player has rushed for in a game this season, and Jones added 166.

"To be honest, I couldn't believe it," defensive end Xavier Mitchell said. "South Carolina is a pretty sound defense most of the time. The way that they just kind of tore threw them, it kind of took me by surprise. But anything can happen on Saturday."

The Vols' defense fared well against Arkansas last year for three out of four quarters, holding the Razorbacks to just 13 points, but had a miserable second quarter in the 31-14 loss. McFadden had 181 yards and two touchdowns in the game and Jones added 72 yards.

Chavis said a quarter like that second quarter, during which Tennessee gave up two rushing touchdowns to McFadden and a passing touchdown from McFadden to Marcus Monk, is when it's important for players to be confident. Confidence in overcoming mistakes is how a team can swing the momentum back in their favor, he said.

It also comes down to fundamentals, the coaches say. Tackling well, closing gaps at the line of scrimmage and getting away from offensive blocks can stop a good runner, they said.

"You've got to have 11 guys that are playing well," Chavis said. "In this situation, you can have 10 guys doing a great job, and if you've got one guy that's getting blocked or losing his battle, it could end up being a big play."

Secondary coach Larry Slade was more to the point: "I don't care how they get them on the ground, let's get them on the ground."

Auburn held the Razorbacks to an impressive 67 yards rushing in October in their 9-7 win, but while giving Auburn credit, Chavis blames some of that lack of production on a rib injury McFadden suffered against Chattanooga the week before.

Still, Chavis knows there are two faces to both Arkansas' offense and Tennessee's defense. There's the Arkansas offense that manhandled South Carolina and the offense that was shut down by Auburn.

For Tennessee, there's the defense that gave up a painful 255 yards rushing to Florida with quarterback Tim Tebow leading the way. There's also the defense that held Georgia running backs Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Knowshon Moreno -- now the league's third-best rusher behind the Arkansas duo -- to a combined 69 yards.

"We've had some moments that we've played very well against some very good football teams, and then we've had some moments we've been pretty bad," Chavis said. "The biggest thing we need to do now is make sure that we play 60 minutes and get off the field when we need to get off the field."

Source: AP; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Vols outlast No. 15 Gamecocks in OT, 27-24

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- All those complaining about Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer will have to quiet down for a while. The Volunteers are in position to play for a conference title again.

Daniel Lincoln kicked a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 5 second left, then provided the only points in overtime, and Tennessee recovered after blowing a big lead to beat No. 15 South Carolina 27-24 Saturday night.

The victory, coupled with No. 20 Georgia's victory over ninth-ranked Florida earlier Saturday, puts the Volunteers (5-3, 3-2) atop the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division. The Vols are tied with Georgia but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Bulldogs earlier this month.

Lincoln got two chances to force overtime. He hooked a 43-yarder wide left, but a false start penalty on the Vols gave him another chance. This time, Lincoln sent the 48-yarder through to tie the game at 24.

Then he won it with his 27-yarder in overtime.

Steve Spurrier came in with his Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3) in charge of the East and needing to win out for South Carolina to become the first SEC team other than Tennessee, Florida or Georgia to win the division title.

But Ryan Succop, who gave South Carolina its only lead of the game at 24-21 with 1:24 left with his own 49-yard field goal, was wide right on a 40-yarder on fourth-and-8.

Fans filled talk radio shows calling for Fulmer's firing after the Vols were embarrassed in a 41-17 loss to Alabama last week. Fulmer's in his 16th season at Tennessee, but his last SEC title was in 1998, when the Vols also won the national championship. Their last SEC East title was 2004.

The Vols have been good, but that's not good enough for many in Knoxville.

Georgia gave the Volunteers a fresh opportunity in the SEC East before they took the field Saturday night and Fulmer's guys came through - barely.

South Carolina came in looking for its best start since 2001. But two of its four turnovers came in the final 6:52 of regulation. Spurrier threw his headset to the turf in disgust after Blake Mitchell, who came off the bench in relief of Chris Smelley, overthrew Kenny McKinley on third down.

That forced the Gamcocks to settle for Succop's field goal.

Tennessee had gained only 70 yards in the second half, but got a huge lift from LaMarcus Coker on special teams after South Carolina took the lead. He took the kickoff up the right sideline to the 31, stopped and went back across the field to the left to set up a struggling Erik Ainge at the 47.

It didn't help.

Three plays later, Caspser Brinkley sacked Ainge after the Vols used their last timeout. Ainge spiked the ball to stop the clock with 9 seconds left.

Lincoln came in and made the longest kick of his career when it counted most.

South Carolina chose to start on defense in overtime, and the Gamecocks held Tennessee to Lincoln's field goal.

But Mitchell bobbled the snap on the Gamecocks' first play, and his pass to Cory Boyd resulted in a 5-yard loss. He found Freddie Brown for a short pass, then Mitchell overthrew McKinley in the left corner of the end zone.

South Carolina outgained Tennessee 501-317 and held the ball for more than 36 minutes. Boyd finished with 20 carries for 160 yards and a 29-yard touchdown run.

Mitchell was 31-of-45 for 288 yards, and he ran for a TD and threw for another, an 8-yarder to McKinley that tied it at 21 in the fourth quarter.

Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty each ran for touchdowns, and Ainge threw for a TD and 216 yards on a night where he bounced a handful of passes and overthrew others.

The Vols improved to 6-1 in overtime. This was South Carolina's second overtime game and first since Sept. 27, 2003. Both were in Knoxville, and the Gamecocks now have lost both.

SOURCE: NCAAFOOTBALL; PHOTO CREDIT: SEC SPORTS

No. 15 Gamecocks, Vols playing for pride, SEC East prominence

By BETH RUCKER
Associated Press Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Both South Carolina and Tennessee have something to prove.

The No. 15 Gamecocks were booed on their home field last weekend in a 17-6 loss to Vanderbilt while the Volunteers fell apart on the road in a 41-17 loss to bitter rival Alabama.

A win Saturday night in Knoxville would help either team prove those losses were flukes.

``We have to get that out of our system,'' South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. ``It's history. It was a lousy offensive game. We have to get our confidence back and get ready to play Tennessee.''

A win still means more than just pride.

Both teams are in the middle of a free-for-all in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division and can't afford another loss. The Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2) and Volunteers (4-3, 2-2) are among five teams with two SEC losses.

Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer compares the SEC race to the playoffs fans have long wanted.

``The highs are high, and the lows are low. It's important to put each one of those behind you as fast as you can,'' he said. ``You can look at this like a single-elimination tournament. I told the guys on Sunday, it's like the NFL trying to get in the playoffs. It's one and done.''

Spurrier and Fulmer haven't had time for the trash-talking they enjoyed when Spurrier coached the Florida Gators. They've had too much to worry about trying to salvage this season.

The Gamecocks haven't scored a touchdown in six quarters, and Spurrier isn't sure who will be his quarterback on Saturday.

Freshman Chris Smelley has started the last four games. But after throwing two interceptions against Vanderbilt, Smelley may be sharing time Saturday with fifth-year senior and former starter Blake Mitchell and third-stringer Tommy Beecher.

Regardless of who is throwing the passes, Kenny McKinley will be at the other end to catch. The junior is averaging 65.6 yards receiving a game.

Tennessee's defense has struggled all year against the pass, ranking 11th in the SEC with an average 249 yards passing allowed. The Vols' young secondary gave up 363 yards through the air to Alabama.

``We've got a lot of things to correct, and certainly that's one of them,'' Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis said.

Some sacks might help the Vols slow Spurrier's ``Cock-n-Fire'' offense. Tennessee has only gotten to the opposing quarterback nine times this season, an SEC worst, but South Carolina has allowed the most sacks in the conference at 26.

Tennessee has been able to protect its passer, Erik Ainge. The Vols have allowed only two sacks all season.

But Ainge's top target, receiver Lucas Taylor, injured a toe at Mississippi State two weeks ago and was ineffective at Alabama. Josh Briscoe suffered a concussion in a catch at Alabama, leaving starter Austin Rogers and freshmen Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore to carry the load.

Taylor and Briscoe are expected to play Saturday. Whether they'll be in top form is another concern. Neither practiced much this week.

South Carolina ranks first in the Football Bowl Subdivision in pass defense, but has struggled against the run. Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty and LaMarcus Coker are itching to carry the ball after the Vols ran only 19 times for 103 yards at Alabama.

``When we were winning, we could run the football and use a lot more clock,'' Tennessee tight end Chris Brown said. ``Things go a lot better when you're running the football well.''

The winner won't face an easy road to the SEC championship game. Tennessee still must play Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Kentucky while needing at least a Florida loss to play for the title.

A South Carolina win, and the Gamecocks control their own destiny with games against Arkansas and Florida.

And Spurrier is hoping that history is on his side, especially after winning in Knoxville two years ago, 16-15.

``Two years ago we beat these three teams,'' he said. ``We beat Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida somehow. We were underdogs in about every game, so it worked out. We believe we have a chance.

``We have to 'one game at a time' it, get some breaks and not beat ourselves and play with a lot more effort and smarts than we did last week.''

SOURCE: NCAAFOOTBALL.COM; PHOTO CREDIT: SEC SPORTS

CFI: FROM THE NEWSLETTER ISS. #7: PART II

WHAT YOU MISSED: THE TEAM THAT IS ON THE CUSP THIS WEEK IS…

Alabama Hosting Tennessee (October 20, 12:30, ESPN2): After their dramatic win over Arkansas, the Tide lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Georgia. Those back-to-back slugfests took their toll as they struggled in a loss to FSU, which knocked them out of the polls. Now they play host to a ranked opponent in Tennessee and if Nick Saban can get a win in his first “Third Week in October” rivalry game, his Crimson Tide will find themselves among the top 25 once again. Both teams have had inconsistent running games this season and how they run the ball dictates how effective their offenses will be. Not that Erik Ainge and John Parker Wilson cannot throw the football -- they can -- but they are not nearly as efficient when their offenses are one-dimensional. It the Vols have to bring their safeties up in run support, D.J. Hall (pictured) could have a field day.

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Tide rolls over No. 20 Tennessee, 41-17

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- John Parker Wilson passed for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns, DJ Hall had a school-record 13 catches for 185 yards and Alabama rolled to a 41-17 victory over No. 20 Tennessee on Saturday.

It was a rollicking debut for Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban in the intense border rivalry that had been dominated lately by the Volunteers.

Alabama (6-2, 4-1 SEC) got its biggest win in the series since a 56-28 victory in 1986 and had lost 10 of the last 12 meetings.

Saban set the tone by opening the game with a successful onside kick that set up the first of four Leigh Tiffin field goals for a team missing three suspended starters, including offensive linemen Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis and No. 2 rusher Glen Coffee.

Even without two of his blockers, Wilson completed 32-of-46 passes, including touchdowns to Hall of 16 and 2 yards. He also ran six times for 28 yards.

Terry Grant carried 26 times for 104 yards and had six catches for 31 yards and a TD.

Defensively, Alabama mostly denied big plays to Erik Ainge, Lucas Taylor and the league's top passing team. Ainge was 22-of-35 for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Taylor, the Southeastern Conference's leading receiver, managed just two catches for 15 yards.

Arian Foster ran for 91 yards on just 13 carries and gained another 74 on four catches.

Source: ncaafootball; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Ainge, offense cruising for No. 20 Tennessee

By CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press Writer

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Titus Brown is used to creating havoc for opposing quarterbacks.

However, the Mississippi State defensive end rarely got close enough to Tennessee's Erik Ainge on Saturday to shake hands, let alone disrupt his nearly flawless game.

``It gets frustrating trying to get to him,'' Brown said. ``You work so hard to get back there and right when you do, he makes a great play.''

Since getting overwhelmed 59-20 by Florida a month ago and tumbling from the Top 25, the 20th-ranked Volunteers have vaulted back into the polls and the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division chase by averaging 38.6 points and 464 yards per game during a three-game win streak.

Tennessee (4-2, 2-1) is tied for second in the SEC East entering its game this week at Alabama after winning a tough road game 33-21 over resurgent Mississippi State (4-3, 1-3).

The key has been a balanced, patient offensive attack that has had a counter for every trick opposing defenses have tried since what coach Phillip Fulmer called an ``embarrassing'' loss to the Gators.

``Our quarterback play has been outstanding, our running backs have done a great job, our offensive front continues to improve and our receivers have done a good job,'' Fulmer said. ``So we've been about as balanced as we have been in a while.''

Tennessee is now No. 1 in passing offense in the conference with 270.5 yards per game and fourth overall, averaging 425.5 yards. Ainge is second in total offense (256 ypg) and third in passing efficiency (140.8 passer rating). Tailback Arian Foster is sixth with an average of 89 yards per game and has rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns during Tennessee's winning streak.

Perhaps the one stat that most shows how proficient the Vols' offense has been is the number of sacks allowed. They lead the nation with two in six games. Four teams have allowed four.

``The receivers are where they're supposed to be, Erik does a great job knowing where the problems are, feeling pressure, getting it off with a quick release, and the line's done a good job of protecting,'' Fulmer said.

With all that time, Ainge has been able to look downfield to his young receiving corps. That has paid off for Lucas Taylor, who had career highs of 11 catches for 186 yards against Mississippi State. The yardage was the third-best single-game performance for Tennessee since 2000.

Ainge found Taylor for a 51-yard touchdown and hit him with a 26-yard pass near the end of the first half that set up a momentum-changing field goal.

``He deserves everything he gets,'' Ainge said of the junior. ``He is the hardest working kid I've seen in my entire life. He doesn't say much, he just gets the job done. I would throw to him for the rest of my career if I could.''

Taylor has emerged from the shadow left by Robert Meachem, a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints. He leads the SEC and is 12th nationally in receiving yards per game with 103. He's second in the SEC and 21st nationally in catches per game with 6.8.

Fulmer said Taylor's emergence has been a surprise.

``I don't know that anybody expected that,'' Fulmer said. ``Lucas has been a good player since he's been here. Even as a freshman, you could see flashes of his talent.

``It's pretty good right now, pretty special. Lucas is having one of those great years.''

The same thing can be said for Ainge, Fulmer said when asked if the senior should be considered among the nation's best quarterbacks.

``Every Monday when we have a boatload of pro scouts come through here, I think they probably do, too,'' he said.

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports