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A SECond Helping ….
SEC Football Notes Going into the Weekend (November 7 Games)


SEC POST-SEASON HONORS RECOGNITION
Several post-season awards have already announced semi-finalists and finalists for its honors.  These include the following (as of Nov. 5):

DAVEY O’BRIEN NATIONAL QUARTERBACK AWARD - Tim Tebow (Florida)

BILETNIKOFF AWARD (Wide Receiver) - A.J. Green (Georgia)

LOMBARDI ROTARY AWARD (Top Lineman) - Terrence Cody (Alabama), Rennie Curran (Georgia), Carlos Dunlap (Florida), Rolando McClain (Alabama), Eric Norwood (South Carolina), Brandon Spikes (Florida)

BUTKUS AWARD (Linebacker) - Rennie Curran (Georgia), Rolando McClain (Alabama), Eric Norwood (South Carolina), Perry Riley (LSU), Brandon Spikes (Florida)

WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY (Top Scholar-Athlete Football Player as given by National Football Foundation) - Tim Tebow (Florida)

BEDNARIK AWARD (Top Defensive Player) - Eric Berry (Tennessee), Terrence Cody (Alabama), Rennie Curran (Georgia), Rolando McClain (Alabama), Eric Norwood (South Carolina), Brandon Spikes (Florida)

MAXWELL AWARD (Player of the Year) - Mark Ingram (Alabama), Tim Tebow (Florida)

GEORGE MUNGER AWARD (Coach of the Year) - Urban Meyer (Florida), Nick Saban (Alabama)

JIM THORPE AWARD (Top Defensive Back) - Javier Arenas (Alabama), Eric Berry (Tennessee), Joe Haden (Florida)

AVERAGE GAME TIMES
The average game time in the SEC this season is 3:17.  The average game time for all of NCAA FBS is 3:11.  SEC game times are the longest in NCAA FBS, with Conference USA second at 3:16. There is an average of 133.3 plays in an SEC game this season.  The average for all of NCAA FBS is 135.1.  The Big 12 Conference has the most plays per game at 140.8. The longest SEC game this season was the Sept. 12 Georgia-South Carolina game (3:54).  The shortest SEC game this season was the Oct. 31 LSU-Tulane game (2:45).


SEC School Nuggets

ALABAMA – Alabama has led at the half of its last seven games.  The Crimson Tide are 25-1 when leading at halftime under Nick Saban, including a 19-game winning streak.  The only loss came against LSU during the 2007 season when UA held a 20-17 halftime lead before losing, 41-34, at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

ARKANSAS – Arkansas is tied for second nationally in red zone offense with Northern Illinois as the Razorbacks have converted on 28-of-29 (97 percent) trips inside the red zone (20 TDs, eight FGs).  Arkansas is also tied for fourth nationally and tied for first in the SEC in red zone defense as it has allowed opponents to convert on only 18-of-27 trips (67 percent).

AUBURN – Auburn has already posted six games with at least 200 yards rushing.  That total already equals the number of 200-yard rushing games that Auburn had in the two previous seasons combined.  Auburn had four 200-yard rushing games in 2007, and just two in 2008. 

FLORIDA – The 2009 Gator senior class, with a 43-6 record, has a chance to become the winningest class in SEC history.  The conference record of 45 wins is shared by the 1996 Florida senior class, the 1994 Alabama senior class, Tennessee’s 1998 seniors and the 2005 Georgia seniors. 

GEORGIA – Under the direction of Mark Richt, Georgia owns a 35-4 record against teams from outside the SEC, including a 24-1 mark in Sanford Stadium.  The only losses came in the 2001 Music City Bowl (Boston College), 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl (West Virginia) and regular season games to Georgia Tech (2008) and Oklahoma State (2009).

KENTUCKY – WR Randall Cobb has proven to be an all-around threat for the Wildcats this season.  He ranks 23rd nationally in all-purpose yardage and 10th in the nation in punt returns.  The sophomore also sits in the top 10 of five SEC statistical categories:  receptions per game (8th-3.8), scoring (2nd-7.5), punt return average (2nd-15.8), kick return average (9th-25.1) and all-purpose yards (3rd-145.8).

LSU – Tiger coach Les Miles has won four road games over top 10-ranked SEC teams in his five years with the Tigers.  Miles is 4-3 overall vs. top 10-ranked teams in road games at LSU.  The wins have come over Alabama (2005), Tennessee (2006), Arkansas (2006) and Auburn (2008).

OLE MISS – Ole Miss is tied for first in the SEC in sacks, averaging 2.9 per game (23 total).  The Rebels are averaging 3.2 per game over the last six games and posted four against Vanderbilt and three each vs. Arkansas and Auburn. 

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The Bulldogs have an open date this week and return to action on Nov. 14 against Alabama in Starkville.  The game will be at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on either ESPN or ESPN2.

SOUTH CAROLINA – The Gamecocks have had three 100-yard rushing games this season, all by freshmen – Kenny Miles against Kentucky (100) and Vanderbilt (102) and Jarvis Giles versus Florida Atlantic (113).  The Gamecocks have had four 100-yard receiving games this season – Tori Gurley against FAU (100), Moe Brown vs. South Carolina State (100) and Alshon Jeffery against Kentucky (138) and Vanderbilt (161).

TENNESSEE – Tennessee has produced 20 offensive plays of 20-yards or more in the last four games, and six of those plays have gone for touchdowns.  In the previous three games, the Vols managed just eight plays of 20 yards or more.  In the South Carolina and Alabama games combined, the Vols posted eight 20-yard plays.

VANDERBILT – Freshman Warren Norman is making is way up the SEC and Vanderbilt record books.  He has become Vandy’s all-time freshman leader in all-purpose yardage with 1,526 yards (old mark:  Kwane Doster – 1,523 yards; 2002) and is fourth in rushing yards by a freshman at Vandy with 593 yards.  The Stone Mountain, Ga. native is also second in SEC history for single-season kickoff return yardage with 852 yards.  Norman has returned three kickoffs for touchdown this season, which ties an SEC mark with Willie Gault of Tennessee (1980).