Ole Miss at Auburn 11:21 a.m. CT Auburn, Ala. Pat Dye Field / Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451)
THE COACHES Houston Nutt is in his second season at Ole Miss with a record of 14-6 (.700) and 17th overall with a record of 125-76 (.622). The Rebels’ offensive coordinator is Kent Austin and the defensive coordinator is Tyrone Nix. Gene Chizik is in his first season at Auburn and third overall with a record of 10-22 (.313). The Tigers’ offensive coordinator is Gus Malzahn and the defensive coordinator is Ted Roof.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN OLE MISS HAS THE BALL Dexter McCluster became the first Rebel in the modern era (records dating back to 1965) to top the 100-yard mark in both rushing and receiving. McCluster posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career with career highs of 123 yards and 22 carries. Over the last two games, junior QB Jevan Snead has totaled 572 passing yards (286.0 ypg) and five TD tosses, which pull him within one scoring strike of the SEC lead with 14 this year. Senior WR Shay Hodge is third in the SEC in receiving yards (65.6 ypg) and fifth in receptions (4.4 rpg). Craig Stevens leads the team and ranks fourth in the SEC with 69 tackles, while Josh Bynes is fifth with 67. Last year Stevens had 54 tackles all season, and Bynes had 53. Both players have also recorded interceptions, while Stevens is tied for second on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and Bynes recorded a safety against Ball State. Stevens has recorded double-digit tackles in three games this season, including a career high 12 at Arkansas. Antonio Coleman, a first-team preseason All-SEC selection, has 30 tackles including a team best of 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, an interception which he returned for a touchdown against Mississippi State and a fumble recovery. Coleman ranks sixth in school history with 18.0 career sacks, and his seven tackles for loss this year is tied for ninth in the SEC.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN AUBURN HAS THE BALL Junior DE Kentrell Lockett and senior LB Patrick Trahan are tied for fifth in the SEC with 4.0 sacks each. Lockett has been credited with at least a half TFL in all but one game and leads the team with 5.5. He boasts a team high eight QB. Senior LB Patrick Trahan topped the team in tackles for the second time this season with seven total stops against Arkansas. Trahan was also the Rebels’ tackle leader against Alabama with a career-high 11, including a pair of sacks. Junior S Johnny Brown tops the team and ranks 20th in the SEC in tackles at 6.6 per game. Running back Ben Tate is having a stellar senior season, ranking second in the SEC and 11th nationally averaging 115.4 yards per game. Tate has five 100-yard rushing games this season, which is the most by an Auburn player since Kenny Irons had eight in 2005. Tate has also added 13 catches for 66 yards and five kick returns for 139 yards (27.8 yards per return). His average of 141.0 all-purpose yards per game ranks 29th nationally. Chris Todd ranks 28th in the nation in yards per completion (13.07) and 45th nationally in passing efficiency (133.71). His 12 touchdown passes are tied for 30th most in the NCAA.
SPECIAL TEAMS Senior K Joshua Shene is the lone SEC kicker that remains perfect in field goals, converting all eight of his attempts this year including a pair from 40 or more yards. Shene tied his career high with three field goals against Arkansas. His streak of 88 straight PATs which stands as the second-longest in school history, came to an end at Vanderbilt as his third extra point attempt of the game was blocked. It marks Shene's only missed kick of the year. He is the SEC active career leader in field goals. Junior Wes Byrum has excelled during his junior season, connecting on 12-of-13 field goals and all 30 extra point attempts. Among kickers who have attempted at least 10 field goals, Byrum's percentage of .923 ranks tied for second nationally, and no kicker who has attempted as many field goals as Byrum has a better percentage. Byrum, who ranks fifth in school history with 40 career made field goals, is tied for third in the SEC with 12 field goals and tied for second in scoring with 66 points. He made a career-high four field goals in a 26-22 win at Tennessee, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: AU, 24-9 • Last: Ole Miss, 17-7 (2008 at Oxford) This is the 20th consecutive year that the two schools have faced each other ... Auburn has won the last two meetings in Jordan-Hare Stadium since the Rebels' last victory in Auburn in 2003 ... The last two meetings have been the two lowest-scoring games in the series since 1998 ... The two teams scored a total of 44 points in the last two games combined, after seven of the previous eight games saw the teams combine for at least 40 points ... The largest margin of victory in the series is 41 points when the Tigers defeated the Rebels, 41-0, in 1985 ... Auburn has scored a rushing touchdown in 26 of the last 27 meetings (1999 the only exception) in the series ... Auburn has had 20 rushing touchdowns in the last nine games against Ole Miss, while the Rebels have just six rushing TDs during that span, including only two in the last seven years.
Georgia at Florida 2:30 p.m. CT Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (80,000)
THE COACHES Mark Richt is in his ninth season at Georgia and overall with a record of 86-25 (.775). The Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator is Mike Bobo and the defensive coordinators are Willie Martinez and John Jancek. Urban Meyer is in his fifth season at Florida with a record of 51-9 (.850) and in his ninth season overall with a record of 89-17 (.840). The Gators’ offensive coordinator is Steve Addazio and the defensive coordinator is Charlie Strong.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN GEORGIA HAS THE BALL Georgia sophomore A.J. Green is building on a successful freshman season and is currently leading the SEC in total receiving yards (682), receiving yards per game (97.4) and rec. per game (5.9). His 682 yards ranks 19th in the nation. The Bulldogs have had four different leading rushers through seven games. Sophomore Richard Samuel started the first six games and freshman Washaun Ealey started against Vanderbilt. Ealey had a career-high 71 yards in that game. Carlos Dunlap has recorded five sacks (including a career-best three against Mississippi State), six tackles for loss, two pass breakups and 21 tackles (13 solo) on the season. The UF linebacker corps has started Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper and A.J. Jones in every game this season. A.J. Jones recorded his first career pick against Mississippi State. Dustin Doe also grabbed an interception, taking it 23 yards for a touchdown, the first by the Gator D this season. Ryan Stamper tallied a career-best 13 tackles against Mississippi State.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN FLORIDA HAS THE BALL Junior WLB Rennie Curran leads the Southeastern Conference with 10.3 tackles per game (72 tackles this year) and he has led the Bulldogs every game. He is the top returning tackler in the SEC after recording 115 stops in 2008. Curran set a new career high with 16 tackles versus #4 LSU in 2009. The Bulldog defensive line features three seniors as Jeff Owens returns from a 2008 injury to rejoin Geno Atkins and Kade Weston. Atkins was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he equaled his career high with eight tackles after coming off the bench against Vanderbilt Tim Tebow has rushed for six touchdowns this season, bringing him to 49 for his career, tied for the all-time SEC record with Herschel Walker. Tebow’s career rating of 170.2 currently ranks No. 1 in SEC history (min. 300 completions). Florida’s Danny Wuerffel ranks second at 163.6. Jeff Demps paces the Gator running backs with 463 yards, five rushing touchdowns and a 7.9 yards-per-carry average. Overall, UF’s three-pronged attack of Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody has accounted for 1,094 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries (7.7 avg.) in 2009. Aaron Hernandez has 392 yards on a team-best 33 grabs along with two touchdowns. Riley Cooper has 27 receptions for a team-high 396 yards and three touchdowns.
SPECIAL TEAMS In his first season as a starter, redshirt sophomore Drew Butler is leading the NCAA with an average of 49.4 yards on 34 punts. The school record is 45.4 set in 1984 by Chip Andrews. Zach Renner blocked the third punt of his career late in the opening half against Tennessee for a safety. Brandon Boykin is the first player in SEC history with two 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same season after picking up his second one during the matchup at Tennessee. Chas Henry, a 2008 semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award who is again on the award’s Watch List, has punted 18 times for a 39.8 average. None of his punts have been returned this year, and seven have been inside the 20. Brandon James, UF’s all-time punt return yards leader with 1,177, ranks fourth in the NCAA among active players in career punt return average (12.0) and second in punt return yards. He is also second among active players with four career punt return touchdowns and tied for third in combined kickoff and punt return touchdowns.
SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: UG, 47-38-2 • Last: Florida, 49-10 (2008 at Jacksonville) The Georgia-Florida series began in 1904, a 52-0 Bulldog win in Macon... Georgia leads the series 47-38-2, including 40-35-1 in Jacksonville... In 2007, No. 20 Georgia celebrated a 42-30 win over No. 9 Florida... However, the No. 5 Gators topped the No. 8 Bulldogs 49-10 last season...After Georgia dominated the 1980s by going 9-1 in the series, the Gators have won nine of the past 12 meetings.
Mississippi State at Kentucky 7 p.m. ET Lexington, Ky. Commonwealth Stadium (67,942)
THE COACHES Dan Mullen is in his first season at MSU and overall. The Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator is Les Koenning and the defensive coordinator is Carl Torbush. Rich Brooks is in his seventh season at Kentucky with a record of 36-44 (.450) and 19th overall with a record of 127-153-4 (.454). The Wildcats’ offensive coordinator is Randy Sanders and Steve Brown serves as the defensive coordinator. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN MISSISSIPPI HAS THE BALL Not only has Anthony Dixon etched his name in the record books for career work, he is among the nation’s leaders in rushing during the 2009 season. Dixon has racked up 749 yards in seven games this season, good for an average of 107.0 yards per game - 15th highest in the nation and third in the Southeastern Conference. Dan Mullen’s first Mississippi State team has been held under 20 points only twice this season and the Bulldogs have scored a total of 211 points in its first eight games. Senior linebacker Sam Maxwell currently ranks tied for fourth in the SEC and ranks 11th nationally in passes defended, averaging 1.29 per game. Trevard Lindley is tied for fourth in the SEC in passes defended with 1.25 per game. He also is the only defensive player to score a touchdown for the Wildcats this season. The Wildcats linebackers are paced by senior Micah Johnson, who leads the team in tackles with 55 stops. The first-team Coaches All-SEC team selection last season currently ranks eighth in the SEC in tackles per game. Johnson now has 235 in his career. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN KENTUCKY HAS THE BALL A year ago, Johnthan Banks was playing quarterback and linebacker for East Webster High School, a 1-A school in the Mississippi high school ranks. Last weekend, he intercepted two passes and returned them both for touchdowns against Florida. He became the first SEC player since 1968 and only the third all-time to return two passes for scores in the same game. With four interceptions on the year, Banks is tied for the SEC lead. In MSU’s three wins, the Bulldog defense has allowed only one touchdown (in the fourth quarter against Jackson State) and held opponents to 45.7 yards rushing per game. Morgan Newton has completed 8-of-19 passes for 56 yards and he also has rushed for 24 net yards and a touchdown. UK has won both games with Newton in the starting lineup. Derrick Locke ranks fifth in the SEC in rushing yards per game, averaging 70.7. Randall Cobb leads UK and is tied for sixth in the SEC in receptions per game. In seven games he has 28 catches for 349 yards for an average of 4.0 catches per game. He also has four TD receptions. Kentucky is fielding the second-most experienced offensive line in the SEC in 2009, based on the number of games started by returners. SPECIAL TEAMS Last season, MSU did not score a single touchdown from a non-offensive source - it was all touchdowns, extra points and field goals (and one safety). Through the first eight games of the 2009 season, State has scored an SEC-best six. One on a blocked punt, one on a kickoff return and four on interception returns. The school record for non-offensive touchdowns in a season is eight, set by the 1998 squad, and the mark for interception returns for scores is six, set in 1994. Locke leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in kickoff returns with a 32.1 average. Locke had a 100-yard touchdown return vs. Louisville and became the first player in school history to have two 100-yarders in a career, a feat he first did last season vs. Western Kentucky. Ryan Tydlacka inherits full-time punting duties from departed All-SEC punter Tim Masthay. He is averaging 39.5 yards per punt, a mark that ranks ninth in the SEC. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: UK, 21-15 • Last: Kentucky, 14-13 (2008 at Starkville) Kentucky and Mississippi State meet for the 37th time in school history … Kentucky leads the all-time series 21-15 and has won three of the last four, including last year’s matchup in Starkville, 14-13 ... UK is 12-5 against MSU in Lexington, which includes a 7-4 advantage in Commonwealth Stadium ... The two teams first played in 1914 and faced each other for the next three years… The Wildcats and Bulldogs did not meet again until 1944 and then they played each other six times during the 1950s before playing home-and-home series in 1972-73, 1976-77 and 1984-85 … Since 1990, the teams have met annually.
Eastern Michigan at Arkansas 6 p.m. CT Fayetteville, Ark. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (72,000)
THE COACHES Ron English is in his first season at Eastern Michigan and overall. Ken Karcher serves as the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator is Eric Lewis. Bobby Petrino is in his second season at Arkansas with a record of 8-11 (.421) and seventh overall with a record of 52-30 (.634). The Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator is Paul Patrino and the defensive coordinator is Willie Robinson. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN MICHIGAN HAS THE BALL Jacory Stone has now played in 43 games for the Eagles, turning in 34 starts with 175 catches for 1,777 yards and eight receiving touchdowns during his career. Stone is now ranked third in EMU history in career receptions and fifth in receiving yards. Stone saw his consecutive streak for pass receptions end at 15 games after he was held without a catch in the Sept. 19 game at Michigan. Junior center Eric Davis started 23 consecutive contests over the past three seasons before missing, Oct. 17, with a slight shoulder injury. Davis returned last weekend, Oct. 24, and started the game against Ball State. Defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard leads the SEC with nine tackles for loss this season. His career total (35) are tied for seventh in school history. Sheppard has led the Razorbacks in tackles for loss each of the last two seasons. He has had at least half of a tackle for a loss in each of the last 15 games. Sheppard leads all Razorbacks in career sacks with 10. Jerry Franklin started his 19th-straight game at Ole Miss. Jerico Nelson made his third start of the season at Ole Miss and finished with four tackles and his first interception of the season. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN ARKANSAS HAS THE BALL The EMU pass defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 124.43 passing yards allowed per game. EMU senior safety Chris May came up with his team-leading fourth interception of the 2009 season with a pick last weekend May has four interceptions for 75 yards in returns. He currently ranks tied for eighth nationally and 2nd in the MAC. Andre Hatchett turned in the eighth double-digit tackle game of his career with 11 stops last weekend, Oct. 24, against Ball State. He also turned in double-figure tackles the previous week, Oct. 17, against Kent State when he had 12 stops. Brandon Downs continues to enjoy a strong final season, ranking tied for 50th in the NCAA in sacks with .64 per game. Ryan Mallett leads the SEC in total offense (265.5) and ranks 25th nationally. Mallett is second in the league in pass efficiency (143.94) and 28th in the nation. Mallett is first in the SEC and tied for 12th nationally with 15 passing touchdowns this season. Michael Smith ranks 10th in the SEC with an average of 60.0 rushing yards per game. Smith is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, which ranks third among those in the top 10 in the league in rushing. Greg Childs has had a touchdown reception in four of the last six games. He leads the team with five touchdown receptions this season. SPECIAL TEAMS EMU senior place-kicker Zach Johnson continued to be one of the bright spots of the kicking game for the Eagles through the first seven games this season, but his future status is unclear after suffering an injury on a blocked punt last weekend, Oct. 24, against Ball State. Johnson is currently ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and 47th in the NCAA with a 41.67 punting average. Against Ole Miss, Dennis Johnson returned five kickoffs for 122 yards to bring his career total to 1,624 yards, which ranks second all-time in school history. Felix Jones holds the record with 1,749 from 2005-07. Dennis Johnson leads the SEC and ranks 13th nationally with an average of 30.0 yards per kickoff return this season. Johnson has had four kickoff returns of 50-or-more yards this season. His 719 kickoff return yards rank as the second-highest single-season total in school history. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: First Meeting The game against Eastern Michigan will be the 88th Homecoming game in school history...The Razorbacks are 51-32-4 in the previous 87 Homecoming games...Arkansas has won its last three Homecoming games, including a 30-23 victory over then-No. 19 Tulsa last year...Arkansas is the only team in the SEC that has only played two games in its on campus venue to date.
Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt 6:30 p.m. CT Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt Stadium (39,773)
THE COACHES Paul Johnson is in his second season at Georgia Tech with a record of 16-5 (.762) and in his 13th season overall with a record of 123-44 (.737). Johnson serves as the offensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets and the defensive coordinator is Dave Wommack. Bobby Johnson is in his eighth season at Vanderbilt with a record of 29-63 (.315) and in his 16th season overall with a record of 89-99 (.473). Ted Cain serves as the offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator is Jaime Bryant. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN GEORGIA TECH HAS THE BALL Tech ranks second nationally in rushing offense (291.6 ypg) behind Nevada. The Jackets have rushed for more than 300 yards in a game six times this season. Junior quarterback Josh Nesbitt, over the last three games combined, has rushed for 344 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior Demaryius Thomas leads the ACC in receiving yards per game (93.4 ypg). Over the last four games, Tech has averaged 454.5 yards of total offense, 321.2 yards rushing and 38.2 points. Jonathan Dwyer ranks third in the ACC and 34th nationally in rushing yards per game (89.8). The Vanderbilt defense ranks among the SEC's top six in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and pass defense efficiency, and first downs allowed. Greg Billinger and Broderick Stewart contributed tackles for loss last week. Billinger added a QB sack, giving him a team-high 3.5 sacks for the year, while Stewart had three QB hurries. Sean Richardson contributed a career-high 12 tackles, including a team-high seven solo stops, to pace the Commodore defensive effort vs. South Carolina. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN VANDERBILT HAS THE BALL Derrick Morgan has 8.5 sacks on the season, which ranks first in the ACC and seventh nationally. He is attempting to become just the seventh player in Tech history to record 10 or more sacks in one season. Morgan has 8.5 of Tech’s 14 sacks. He has 11.5 tackles for loss, which ranks first in the ACC and tied for 21st nationally. Morgan Burnett has four interceptions this season and 14 for his career. His 14 career picks ties for the second-most in Georgia Tech history and ties for the 18th-most in the history of the ACC. Warren Norman continued to jump up the all-time Top Ten for Vanderbilt freshmen rushers with a sensational all-around performance at South Carolina. Norman topped the Commodores with 84 rushing yards, pushing his season total to 533 yards. He is now No. 5 on the all-time freshman rushing list. Freshman teammate, Zac Stacy, needs 112 yards to join Norman on the Top Ten list. Stacy did not play at South Carolina due to injury. For the year, Larry Smith has struggled with consistency, hitting on just 46.5% of his passes. He has three touchdown passes and seven INTs. SPECIAL TEAMS Sophomore Jerrard Tarrant has returned two punts for touchdowns this season and leads the ACC in punt return average (19.9 ypa). Tech’s junior kicker Scott Blair completed his only career passing attempt Sept. 10 against Clemson -- a 34-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas. If Blair never throws another pass, his career pass efficiency rating would be 715.6. Norman returned a South Carolina kick 99 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, becoming the first Commodore ever to return two kickoffs for touchdowns. He also returned an Army kickoff 76 yards for a score three weeks ago. Norman is on pace to shatter both the team's modern kickoff return average and total kickoff return yardage totals. His 29.0-yard average on kickoff return ranks fourth in the SEC. He also has 668 kickoff return yards, the fifth most ever by a Commodore and just 155 yards shy of the school record set by D.J. Moore in 2007. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: GT, 18-15-3 • Last: Georgia Tech, 24-17 OT (2004 at Nashville) Georgia Tech is one of the Commodores' most played rivals...The teams have met on 36 occasions... Vanderbilt has faced only two non-SEC teams with more frequency: Sewanee (52 games) and Tulane (48 games)...Georgia Tech has owned recently played games between the schools, going 9-0-1 in the last 10 meetings...The last encounter played between the teams, in 2004, resulted in one of the quickest overtime games in NCAA history: a two-play session that ended in a 24-17 Yellow Jacket win.
South Carolina at Tennessee 7:45 p.m. CT Knoxville, Tenn. Neyland Stadium (100,011)
THE COACHES Steve Spurrier is in his fifth season at South Carolina with a record of 34-24 (.586) and in his 25th season overall with a record of 223-105-2 (.679). Spurrier serves as the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator is Lorenzo Ward. Lane Kiffin is in his first season at Tennessee and in his third season overall with a record of 8-19 (.296). The Volunteers’ offensive coordinator is Jim Chaney and Monte Kiffin serves as the defensive coordinator. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SOUTH CAROLINA HAS THE BALL Stephen Garcia has completed 58.8 percent of his passes this season (151-for-257) for 1,794 yards with 11 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Garcia and Arkansas’ quarterback Ryan Mallett are the SEC’s only two quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 300 yards in a game this season twice. Redshirt freshman Kenny Miles, the team’s leading rusher, has become the chairman of the committee, starting the last four games. He is averaging 5.3 yards per carry, rushing 78 times for 410 yards and a touchdown. In the last three games, Alshon Jeffery has caught 19 passes for 382 yards (127.3 per game) and four touchdowns. Rico McCoy led the team in tackles for the fourth-straight game at Alabama, posting 12 stops and adding half a tackle for loss. He posted a career-high 16 tackles vs. Auburn and has led the team in stops 18 times in his career. He leads the team through seven games with 65 stops after posting 87 a year ago. His 65 tackles (9.3 per game) rank second in the SEC as well. While Eric Berry is second nationally among active players in interceptions with 13, he is also second on the team and eighth in the SEC in tackles with 55, an average of 7.8 per game. He is also third on the team in tackles for loss with five for nine yards. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN TENNESSEE HAS THE BALL Eric Norwood, with six sacks this season, leads the SEC in that category and is tied for 33rd in the NCAA. He is fourth in the league with 8.5 total tackles for loss. Norwood and Cliff Matthews are first and third, respectively, in the SEC in sacks; Norwood and Matthews are 1-2 in tackles for loss. Matthews’ 5.0 sacks this season has already surpassed his career total coming into the season. Chris Culliver is third on the squad with 46 tackles, including 29 over a four-game span. In his last three games, Jonathan Crompton has completed 61 of 106 (.566) passes for 834 yards and seven touchdowns vs. two interceptions. In those three games, Crompton averaged 278 yards through the air and an interception every 53 attempts. In seven starts during the 2009 season, senior tailback Montario Hardesty has averaged 102.9 yards per game and scored six rushing touchdowns. In the last three games, Gerald Jones has caught 19 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Junior tight end Luke Stocker has nine catches for 147 yards in the last three games. SPECIAL TEAMS Spencer Lanning is tied for fourth in the SEC with his 12 field goals and is tied for 20th in the nation. This season he ranks fourth in the SEC and 38th in the country in punting, averaging 42.3 yards per punt with a long of 56 yards. In his three years at Carolina, Culliver has amassed 2,169 yards on his 90 kick returns and averaged 24.1 yards per return. His yardage total is fifth all-time in SEC history. His longest return came last season against Tennessee when he ran one back for 67 yards. This season, he has had a 61-yard return against Kentucky and a 57-yard runback against Georgia. After not having to punt in the season opener, Chad Cunningham has kicked 28 times for a 40.9-yard average. He kicked three times for a 49.5-yard average vs. UCLA, which was the best single game average of his career. In the Auburn and Georgia games, he played a key role in slowing the opponent’s offense, placing seven of 15 punts inside the 20-yard line. On those seven drives, opponents managed just three points. At Alabama, he booted a career-long 58-yard punt in the fourth quarter. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: UT, 21-4-2 • Last: South Carolina, 27-6 (2008 at Columbia) Tennessee holds a 21-4-2 all-time advantage in the series and a 13-1 advantage in games played in Knoxville... The two teams have split the last four games, with the Vols winning in 2006 and 2007 and the Gamecocks claiming victory in 2005 and 2008...Since Steve Spurrier took over in Columbia, the Vols and Gamecocks have played three of four games to final margins of a touchdown or less... Only the 2008 game finished with a two-score final margin.
Tulane at LSU 7 p.m. CT Baton Rouge, La. Tiger Stadium (92,400)
THE COACHES Bob Toledo is in his third season at Tulane with a record of 8-23 (.258) and 15th overall with a record of 86-91 (.486). The Green Wave’s offensive coordinator is Dan Dodd and the defensive coordinator is Steve Stanard. Les Miles is in his fifth season at LSU with a record of 48-12 (.800) and ninth overall with a record of 76-33 (.697). The Tigers’ offensive coordinator is Gary Crowton and the defensive coordinator is John Chavis. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN TULANE HAS THE BALL Andre Anderson currently ranks fourth among the league’s backs for rushing yards per game with 92.29. Anderson finished with 92 yards on 19 carries (6.0 ypr) last week at Southern Miss. He has two 100+ rushing games, including a season-high 199 yards vs. McNeese State. Anderson is third on the team in receptions (20) and receiving yards (168) and is averaging 116.3 all-purpose yards per outing. Jeremy Williams continues to burn opponents’ secondary’s this season with 44 receptions for 662 (15.0) yards and three touchdowns, and he has two 100-yard and one 200-yard receiving games. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 13.9 points and 304.0 total yards (127.0 rushing, 177.0 passing). LSU's trio of linebackers pace the Tigers in tackles - Kelvin Sheppard (57), Harry Coleman (47) and Perry Riley (47). Coleman had perhaps his best game in an LSU uniform against Auburn with nine tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Coleman finished with a total of 2.5 tackles totaling 18-yards in losses. LSU goes into the Tulane game having intercepted a pass in nine straight games. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL Senior safety Chinonso Echebelem leads the Wave in tackles with 10.0 per game (70 total; 42 solo), which ranks fourth among C-USA players and 15th nationally. Echebelem has four games with 10 or more tackles this season, including a season-best 13 vs. No. 23 Houston. Echebelem leads all C-USA players and ranks second nationally in forced fumbles with four. Alex Wacha is second in tackles with 56, while Travis Burks is third in total stops with 54. LSU goes into the Tulane game averaging 24.1 points and 306.6 total yards (123.6 rushing, 183.0 passing). LSU is paced on offense by RB Charles Scott (85 att., 347 yards, 2 TDs), QB Jordan Jefferson (112 of 176, 1,258 yards, 9 TDs, 3 Ints) and WRs Terrance Toliver (34 rec., 442 yards, 3 TDs) and Brandon LaFell (33 rec., 393 yards, 6 TDs). Toliver and LaFell have combined for more catches (67) than any other tandem in the SEC. SPECIAL TEAMS Williams has evolved into one of the nation’s top all-purpose players this season. Williams is averaging 130.3 all-purpose yards per outing, which ranks sixth among Conference USA players and is 44th nationally. Williams is averaging 94.6 receiving yards, 3.5 rushing yards (95 total) and 22.1 per kickoff return (7 returns for 155 yards) per contest. He has touched the ball 80 times for 912 yards for an average of 11.4 yards per play. Chad Jones' 93-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State ranks as the second-longest punt return in school history. Eddie Kennison holds the school record with a 100-yard return against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium in 1994. By returning a punt for a TD, LSU now has two punt returners on its roster - Jones and Trindon Holliday - who have returned at least one punt for a touchdown during their career. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: 68-22-7 • Last: LSU, 35-10 (2008 at Baton Rouge) LSU faces Tulane for the fourth straight year … LSU and Tulane mutually agreed to cancel the remainder of what was a scheduled 10-game series back in September … LSU and Tulane had six years remaining on the 10-year deal that was signed in May of 2005 … The teams will play this year in Tiger Stadium and one more game in the future, but the date of that game has yet to be determined … The teams renewed their rivalry in 2006 in Baton Rouge when LSU posted a 49-7 victory … Last year, LSU beat the Green Wave, 35-10, in Tiger Stadium … LSU has won 17 straight in the series … LSU is 37-10-1 vs. Tulane in Baton Rouge … LSU has won 10 straight over Tulane in Tiger Stadium … Tulane's last win over LSU came in 1982 when the Green Wave posted a 31-28 victory in Tiger Stadium.