SEC: West goes 3-0 against East foes

When Nick Saban took over the head coach spot at Alabama, the rest of the SEC knew it was only a matter of time before the Crimson Tide contended for a title. After last season’s 7-6 record, the expectations in 2008 weren’t too high. After all, this was a team that was struggling to get consistent quarterback play and expected to start several freshmen this season. How things have changed in a matter of weeks.

The Crimson Tide officially announced to the rest of college football they are a contender for the national title with their 41-30 domination of Georgia. Led by a powerful running game and a suffocating defense in the first half, the Crimson Tide jumped to a 31-0 lead at intermission. Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno entered Saturday averaging 114 yards per game and the Crimson Tide held him to 34 yards on nine carries.

The Alabama offense didn’t put up huge numbers, but had an 11 minute edge in time of possession and didn’t turn the ball over. Running back Glen Coffee led the way with 86 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while quarterback John Parker Wilson threw for 205 yards and a touchdown on 13 of 16 passes.

Although the Crimson Tide dominated the Bulldogs and moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2005, Saban has reasons to be upset. The Crimson Tide didn’t play with the first half fire that propelled them to a 31-0 lead, which allowed the Bulldogs to get back into this game. The special teams are a source of concern, especially after the Bulldogs returned a 92-yard punt for a touchdown.

Saban downplayed the expectations for this team going into this year, and hasn’t exactly warmed up to the idea of the Crimson Tide as a contender after Saturday’s win. “These are not the kinds of things we’re worried about right now,” Saban said.

However, the rest of the SEC is on notice – the Crimson Tide should be taken seriously as a national title contender.

Scoreboard:

Ole Miss 31, Florida 30
Texas 52, Arkansas 10
Auburn 14, Tennessee 12
Kentucky 41, Western Kentucky 3
South Carolina 26, UAB 13
LSU 34, Mississippi State 24
Alabama 41, Georgia 30

Team of the Week: Alabama

Thanks to a dominating first half performance by both sides of the ball and a 31-0 lead at halftime, the Crimson Tide rolled to a 5-0 start and a top five ranking in the national polls. The Crimson Tide has not trailed at any point this season, and their 41 points scored against Georgia was the most by Alabama in this series. Next week’s game against Kentucky may not seem like much of a roadblock, but the Crimson Tide have to be wary of a letdown.

Disappointment of the Week: Florida

The Gators simply imploded in Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss. Entering Week 5, the Gators had no turnovers and their defense was one of the best in the country. However, against the Rebels, the Gators turned the ball over three times and their defense had a blown coverage on an 86-yard pass play for a touchdown. Considering the Gators have a favorable schedule down the stretch, don’t count them out of the national title race.

Player of the Week: Charles Scott, RB, LSU

LSU didn’t have its best performance against Mississippi State, but it was more than enough to get the job done. Scott led the way on the ground, rushing for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Scott has four consecutive 100-yard performances, which is the first time a LSU player has accomplished that feat since Charles Alexander in 1978.

Freshman of the Week: Stephen Garcia, QB, South Carolina

Garcia’s got plenty of work to do, but was solid in his first extended performance. After watching Chris Smelley and Tommy Beecher struggle, the Gamecock offense has little to lose by giving Garcia a shot to start the rest of the season.

Rebels score huge win, Gators let one get away

Looking back, with losses by USC and Georgia on Saturday, the Gators had a chance to climb into the discussion for the No. 1 team had they won over Ole Miss. The Rebels weren’t that impressive on offense, especially since quarterback Jevan Snead was 9 of 20 for 185 yards. However, they took advantage of the Gator mistakes and blocked an extra point that would’ve tied the game at 31 deep in the fourth quarter.

The blocked extra point was a point of emphasis by Florida coach Urban Meyer after the game, as he thought an Ole Miss defender illegally hurdled one of the Gator linemen. “One guy hurdled and one guy came through the line. We did not protect it well enough,” Meyer said.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had a solid performance, but missed on a couple of throws late in the fourth quarter and was unable to convert on a fourth and one with less than two minutes to play.
"I'm sorry. I'm extremely sorry,” Tebow said. “We were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something Florida's never done here. But I promise you one thing — a lot of good will come out of this”

“You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of this season and you'll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season, and you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season."

Moreno, Stafford injured in loss

Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno suffered an injured elbow in Saturday’s loss to Alabama and his status for the October 11th game against Tennessee is questionable. “He has a pretty good contusion on the elbow,” coach Mark Richt said. “He’s already getting some good movement back. He has a shot of playing in the next game but it’s not guaranteed though.”

Matthew Stafford was dealing with headaches after Saturday’s loss and was tested for a concussion. The results were negative and the junior quarterback should be able to play when the Bulldogs take on Tennessee.

Woes continue for Tennessee against Auburn

If Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer wasn’t feeling the heat after last week’s loss to Florida, he’s definitely feeling it now. The Volunteers are 1-3 and need a miracle to get back into the SEC race. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton completed 8 of 23 passes for 67 yards and running back Arian Foster had another lackluster performance. Following the loss and the struggles by Crompton and Foster, Fulmer announced his quarterback competition was open, and Montario Hardesty could start at running back against Northern Illinois.

Chris Todd vs. Kodi Burns part 100

Auburn’s 14-12 win over Tennessee wasn’t pretty. In fact, the offensive effort was downright offensive. Chris Todd completed 14 of 23 passes for 93 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Although Todd and the Tiger coaching staff say he is 100 percent, it’s pretty clear his arm strength isn’t what it needs to be. Fan favorite Kodi Burns doesn’t quite have the passing prowess of Todd, but completed four of six for 36 yards against the Volunteers. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has named Chris Todd his starter against Vanderbilt, but Burns will likely see some snaps.

Gamecocks win, but does Spurrier find his quarterback?

South Carolina dispatched UAB 26-13 to notch back-to-back victories for the first time since October 2007. With the struggles of the Gamecock offense this year, coach Steve Spurrier promised changes – starting under center. South Carolina fans have been waiting for their first extended look at redshirt freshman quarterback Stephen Garcia and they got exactly that against UAB. Garcia completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, along with adding 86 yards and a score on the ground. Garcia threw an interception and struggled on deep throws, but provided some hope for the South Carolina offense. The redshirt freshman’s mobility was especially valuable, as top running back Mike Davis was suspended due to a violation of team rules. The Gamecocks still have offensive question marks, but Garcia is clearly earning his way into more snaps.

“Stephen Garcia did some good things today. His rushing was what really helped us,” coach Steve Spurrier said. “Obviously we got to let Garcia play, and he's got to live with his mistakes. And obviously we can't audible very much, but he can run out there.”

Arkansas blown out again

When you struggle to beat Western Illinois and UL Monroe, getting blown out by Texas and Alabama isn’t all that surprising. The Razorbacks have lost 101-24 in the last two weeks, which left coach Bobby Petrino rather speechless after Saturday’s loss to Texas. “That's a beating,” Petrino said.

It won’t get any easier in the next couple of weeks for the Razorbacks. After a date with Florida this Saturday, the Razorbacks travel to Auburn and Kentucky, followed by home dates against Ole Miss and Tulsa.

LSU sluggish, but holds off pesky Bulldogs

After struggling with Wesley Carroll under center, Mississippi State gave Tyson Lee a shot against LSU. It didn’t make much of a difference. Lee completed 17 of 26 for 175 yards and a touchdown, but the Bulldogs weren’t able to muster enough offense, even in a so-so performance by LSU.

With Andrew Hatch sidelined with a concussion, Jarrett Lee got the call at quarterback for LSU and completed 18 of 27 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Lee has made quite an impression the last two weeks and should be the LSU quarterback for the rest of the year.

The Bulldogs had to be pleased with some of the things Lee accomplished, but the offense still has a lot of work ahead in the coming weeks. “I liked his tempo and I liked the way he was in command throughout the course of the game,” coach Sylvester Croom said. “He made some excellent throws.”

Kentucky handles WKU

The non-conference portion of the schedule is over, and Kentucky is in great shape heading into SEC play. The Wildcats dominated in-state foe Western Kentucky 41-3, in what was the first meeting between these two schools. Wildcat quarterback Mike Hartline completed 19 of 30 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown while four running backs got seven or more carries. The Wildcats have struggled at times on offense, but the defense hasn’t given up more than 14 points this year. In Saturday’s win, the defense suffocated the Hilltopper offense and allowed only 15 passing yards.

"The first phase of our season is complete,” Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. “We're 4-0, and we couldn't expect, I don't think, to be better than that. You play four non-conference games and win all four. We go through and didn't give up a touchdown again tonight, even though we gave up some position with the turnover and a long kickoff return where they could have been in position to score, our defense didn't allow it.”

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