Entering the Fourth....Cats continue to trail

Arkansas 17, Kentucky 7

3^rd Quarter

Kentucky continued to struggle out of the half as Arkansas was able to do as they pleased on offense. Casey Dick connected to receivers for gains of 13, 11, and shorter yards. With the passing game beginning to click, the safeties and linebackers began to back up and that gave Michael Smith room to run. The struggles out of the box for the Cats were fixed after a few first downs as Arkansas offense eventually stalled and were forced to punt.

BUT, on the punt, a PEE WEE football special teams mistake was made as the punt hit the returner putting the ball in play and was scooped up by the Razorbacks. With the ball on the 7, Arkansas was not able to score a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal. Holding the Razorbacks to just three was an emotional stop but still; points were given up as the Wildcats trailed by 17 mid way through the 3^rd quarter.

However, on the ensuing drive, Mike Hartline threw a screen pass to Alfonso Smith out of the backfield. Smith refused to go down as he threw a vicious stiff arm to a Razorback defender and sped down the right side line for a 71 yard touchdown. The Cats now trailed by just ten and proved they could muster a little fight on the offensive side of the ball.

Following the initial surge, the quarer remained a punting and field position battle. Nooone scored or had much success at moving the ball…And so we enter the fourth with the Cats needing some kind of spark to overcome the 10 point deficit.

Kentucky Down Big at Half

Arkansas 14, Kentucky 0

Halftime-

The game has gone back and forth with punts to this point in the game. Kentucky has tried Hartline, Cobb and went back to Hartline at quarterback and received the same dismal results. One step up and two steps back. Only three players have the four offensive completions and the WORST RUSHING DEFENSE IN THE SEC has held Kentucky to only 77 total yards on the ground.

With less than two minutes left in the half and Wildcat offense backup in it’s own end, Derrick Locke fumbled and gave the ball to Arkansas again in the redzone. Two plays later, Casey Dick connected with Michael Smith for a 13 yard touchdown to go up 14-0 at half time.

With the Wildcats have NO ABILITY to muster up any offense it is hard to see any ray of hope that the Cats can come back from this deficit in the 2^nd half. The crowd has been quiet, the defense has been missing tackles and the offense has been the offense…..Cats are down 14-0.

Keys-

Kentucky now has 2 turnovers that resulted in 2 quick ARKANSAS scores.

- Kentucky has controlled the ball longer than the Razorbacks, but have failed to do anything with the possessions.

- Michael Smith of Arkansas has reached his weekly mark in rushing yardage as he has rushed for 113 yards on a mere 16 carries.

Kentucky Trails after 1 quarter of action

Arkansas 7, Kentucky 0

First Quarter

To open the game the Arkansas Razorbacks won the toss and decided to defer to the second half. Forcing the Cats to start on offense to begin the game, Kentucky continued their struggles from last week, as the opening drive amounted three yards in three plays and resulted in a quick punt.

Just as Kentucky picked up where they left off last week, so did Arkansas. Senior QB Casey Dick was able to hit receivers early and kept the Cats defense guessing with the SEC’s leading rusher Michael Smith. But the movement was ended by senior corner David Smith who intercepted the ball at the Kentucky four to end the Razorback drive.

The seceding drive, quarterback Mike Hartline made his usual mistake by throwing into coverage and getting picked off. The interception was run back into the redzone.

With tremendous field position and a winded defense, Arkansas was again able to move the ball at will, however this time come away with points, as running back Michael Smith pounded the ball in from two yards out to get the early lead.

Off the turnover, Rich Brooks went to freshman Randall Cobb under center. Almost instantaneously the offense became alive. The line was opening holes, running backs ran with vision, and receivers discovered their hands. However, the initial surge of production stalled and again the Cats were forced to punt. But, the promise shown by the offense might be a sign of good things to come.

KEYS-

Arkansas has moved the ball at will against the Kentucky defense. Michael Smith has already accrewed 82 yards on the ground. However, the yards have only contributed to seven points as Casey Dick killed a drive by an interception and Michael Smith fumbled on the goal line.

---Kentucky’s defense is picking up the offensive slack, but with the second series of Randall Cobb’s quarterbacking under way, the offense might be able to muster some type of momentum through the remainder of the game.

Week 8 in the NCAA

Good Morning again from the bluegrass!!! It is College football Saturday once again as there are many intriguing matchups on today’s sleight. Capping off the action tonight will be the Kentucky Wildcats taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks on ESPN U at 7 p.m eastern. This is a huge game with a lot on the line for both teams and should be exciting….

In the booth last week, the Cats had several very important visitiors. The Sugar Bowl was there to take in the game as was the Capital One Bowl. This was the second trip to Lexington thus far for the folks at the Capital One Bowl, which is played New Years Day in Orlando….are they high on the Cats or just love the atmosphere in the Bluegrass? The Sugar Bowl representatives were a surprise to most as both South Carolina and Kentucky will likely not even sniff a BCS bowl this year, next year and so on…

Anyways lets get to the projections---

NCAA Predictions-(18-14)

Week 8

A lot of struggles last week in College Pick projections…HOWEVER, both upset specials were CORRECT! I was not sold on OKLAHOMA being the best team in the nation…they played nobodies and BOB STOOPS has a tendency to not win when it matters…I was really surprised MISSOURI fell to Oklahoma State….I think they were looking past the undefeated team to this weeks match up in AUSTIN….The SEC showed that every team is strong and that no one will go unscathed….FLORIDA dominated LSU but lost to Ole Miss a few weeks ago….GEORGIA got dominated by ALABAMA but bounced right back against Tennessee…The SEC will have more surprises and upsets through the remainder of the season…

Anyways, here are the top conferences Picks of the Week along with all the SEC predictions!

ACC- (18) North Carolina O Virginia

BIG 10- Wisconsin O Iowa

BIG 12- (4) Oklahoma o (16) Kansas

BIG EAST- UCONN o Rutgers

PAC 10- Arizona O (25) Cal

UPSET SPECIALS-

1) Middle Tennessee O Louisville

2) Stanford o UCLA

3) (11) Missouri o (1) Texas

SEC PREDICTIONS

LSU o South Carolina- Spurrier says that GARCIA is now the starter for the COCKS…how long will that last? LSU got embarrassed last week, but TYSON LEE threw the ball well late and will tear apart the USC defense…LSU

GEORGIA o Vanderbilt- Vandy was exposed last week against MISS ST last week and the UGA team will outmatch the Dores in every phase of the game…the disparagy in athletes will lead to a GA victory…UGA

TENNESSEE o Mississippi State- It needs to happen sooner or later…and here will be where Tennessee salvages a WIN…but it will be close…TENN

ARKANSAS o Kentucky- Until the Kentucky offense can muster any offense they will not win a GAME in conference play, pair that with the loss of senior receiver Dickey Lyons and this match up will be a tough one….BUT Arkansas ranks last in defense in the SEC and is in the negatives in turnover margin @ -1.33 per game…Cats win in a close one…UK

ALABAMA o Ole Miss- Both teams are coming off a bye BUT NICK SABAN at home is too good to lose this one…BAMA will stay undefeated for at least another week…ALA

Arkansas Coming in Hot?

Can this be a set up in the Blue Grass?

As Arkansas comes in to the Commonwealth, they look like a lower tier SEC school. The Razorbacks have been outscored by a season total of 112-212 and rank DEAD LAST in nearly all defensive categories. The Razorbacks have struggled to put points on the board in the opening quarter and have fell behind BIG early in games which is depicted by the mere 3 total points of offensive production in the opening quarter combined all season.

But are these numbers deceiving? Can it be that the Razorbacks are better than their record shows, and are they just subject to a tough opening schedule?

Up to this point, Arkansas has had to face three of the top 5 teams in the nation and four teams overall all that have been in the top 25. To this point in the season, Arkansas has had the second toughest in the nation, just behind another SEC team, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Thanks in part to a hurricane in Texas that moved a game to a bye week, the past month has been a constant struggle with no breaks in between. Arkansas has had to play Alabama(#2), go to Texas(#1), host Florida(#5), and face Auburn. Although Auburn is not ranked currently, when the Razorbacks went into the game Auburn was ranked #22. In this rough stretch of top tier opponents the Razorbacks went 1-3, with the win coming just last week in an emotional and season saving upset of the Auburn Tigers 25-22.

Now, with the toughest part of the schedule behind them, Arkansas hopes salvage their season. National pundits and odds makers feel that this team SHOULD be an underdog and not amount to much the remainder of the season. This is obvious by the 12 points they are projected to lose by this week against an inconsistent and nonexistent offense in Kentucky.

So, the Cats must be wary. Arkansas is coming in to the game off an emotional victory and is battle tested. With the Auburn victory last week, it can be hitting that Arkansas is peaking and hitting its stride at the right time….

This is a MUST WIN for Arkansas just as it is for the Kentucky Wildcats and so this game is likely to be a battle of wills and emotion.

The winner of this game will get to redeem their season and get one step closer to bowl eligibility and national respectability, while the loser of the game might be written off the remainder of the season as the hole in which the team will be in could be too deep to get out of in a rugged and vicious SEC conference.

Kentucky Faces A Third Straight SEC Challenge

Cats Prepare for Next Challenge: Arkansas Razorbacks

It’s big. Really Big. After winning the first four games against lesser opponents the Wildcats have failed to win the last two in conference games and now face a must-win Saturday against Arkansas.

If the Wildcats hope to get off the losing path they MUST get some kind of offensive production. The offense has seen its woes all season but really wasn’t fully exploited before last week, when South Carolina held the Cat offense to just a 1for 16 mark on third down and failed to move the ball at any point in the game. Mistakes made by quarterback Mike Hartline seemed more prevalent than ever as he constantly over and under threw receivers.

Hartline acknowledged it was not his best game but did not take the full blame as he handed some of the offensive problems to his supporting cast.

. “Some of those passes were on me but some were on the receivers as well”, said Hartline. With the lack of help from his supporting cast of play makers the Cats will continue to have problems moving the ball and scoring points.

However, the offensive struggles might be able to subside with this week’s opponent. Arkansas enters the Commonwealth with the worst defense in the SEC. They have been outscored by a total of 112-212 this season and give up 183 yards per game in on the ground.

The lack luster defense that Arkansas fields plays right into the Cats offensive stragegy. They will look to run early and often with the rotating backs of Locke, Smith, and Dixon. So far this season, the rushing attack has averaged 129 yards per game and has scored 9 of the teams 19 offensive touchdowns.

Another reason for the Cats to be hopeful to getting off the losing path is that Arkansas has been out scored BIG early in the game. The Razorbacks have scored only 3 points total in the first quarter. It will be crucial for Kentucky to get off to a fast start.

The game is a must win for the Cats as four of the next five games are against ranked opponents. A win gets Kentucky one game closer to bowl eligibility and a chance to shake up the SEC Eastern division.

KEYS to Victory-

1) Start Fast- Kentucky MUST score early and put Arkansas in a hole. Arkansas is -1.3 turnover margin and seems to struggle most in the passing game. IF the Cats can get up early, they will be forced to pass and this is a MAJOR WEAKNESS for the Razorbacks.

2) RUN- Wildcats need to run the ball early and often…the passing game is NON EXISTANT for the Wildcats and teams are having tremendous success against the Razorback front seven.

3) GET TURNOVERS- Its something the Cats defense has thrived on all season. Kentucky leads the SEC in takeaways and scoring defense.

OVERALL PROJECTION—

Two straight weeks of SEC losses will end this weekend. Kentucky’s offense might be terrible, but so too is most SEC teams this season. The defense will make plays and create points on its own. Kentucky’s defense is playing at a level NEVER seen in the BLUEGRASS and that will continue.

Kentucky 27, Arkansas 13

Tennessee Looks to Bounce Back

Its Must Win in Knoxville

After last years surprising SEC East Conference championship, hopes were high for the coming season in Vol Nation. Rocky top returned their entire starting offensive line, had a running back that was an outside Heisman hopeful and the defense was full of talent. With all the returnees and talent it is truly shocking to see what the 2008 Volunteers have become. They are off to their worst start in 20 years and are in DIRE need for a win this week against Mississippi State to save face and maintain hopes of getting a third straight bowl bid.

Their season began with a tough trip to the west coast to face a new era UCLA team which had a new coach and new mind set. Upon losing in overtime, the Vols continued their struggles the rest of the month. They lost in succession to Florida and Auburn. With a 1-3 start Rocky Top nation began getting restless and painted a rock outside of the Tennessee Athletic facility which read: Fire Fulmer.

The intensity to fire the coach that has accrewed an overall 147-45 record at Tennessee with a national title, increased following more struggles through this month. At home against Northern Illinois the Volunteers struggled to put points on the board and get any offensive momentum by only defeating the lesser opponent by a score of 13-9.

Now Tennessee stands with a 2-4 record and is 0-3 in conference play. The game against Mississippi State will be crucial for the Volunteers if they have any hopes to salvage their dismal season. And if six wins is enough for a bowl, the Vols face an up hill battle because following the match up with Mississippi State, their remaining opponents carry a overall 22-10 record with five of those losses from one school, Wyoming.

It still isn’t to late to salvage the season, but the Volunteers must work fast to attempt to climb back into national credibility.

South Carolina Prepares to take on #13 LSU

SEC EAST BREAKDOWN-

Show Down For South Carolina

Did the Gamecocks turn the corner against Kentucky? Was the change to Stephen Garcia at quarterback a step in the right direction? Or will the Gamecocks continue with their inconstant play which has haunted Spurrier during his tenure in Columbia.

The Cocks enter the game with LSU on a high as they overcame four early turnovers and sloppy offensive play to take down the Kentucky Wildcats in the fourth quarter 24-17. Following the emotional win Spurrier said that “Stephen (Garcia) is the starter now. He made the plays he needed and its his offense to run.” Without duking it out in practice, watching film of the game or any logical thinking Spurrier placed his confidence in Garcia.

Garcia, a red shirt freshman, was ecstatic to get the confidence of his coach and this week explained how his team was ready to turn the corner and compete for SEC East supremacy..

“The offense is improving and we can take another huge step forward by beating the defending national champions,” said Garcia.

To take that step forward, the Cocks must avoid costly mistakes which have haunted them through out the season. The Gamecocks have averaged 2 interceptions per game and have struggled when games are on the line.

And despite Garcia’s initial excitement, quarterbacks have been depleted and belittled in Spurrier’s tenure, as has frantically substituted one quarterback for another and another as he looks for a mistake free offensive leader. The lack of faith in one quarterback keeps the offense in constant flux and to beat the Tigers they will need some sort of rhythm and cohesion. But with the constant change at the most important position, it is hard to see the South Carolina Gamecocks competing against the LSU Tigers this Saturday.

Practice Starts Friday as anticipation mounts...

The 2008-2009 Kentucky Wildcat basketball campaign began last Friday with Big Blue Madness. Now after such hoopla, it is time for the Cats to begin to focus in on the season ahead.

It will be the Wildcats 2^nd year in the Coach Billy Gillespie era and the players know what to expect this coming training camp that begins Friday. The Cats are anxious to start practice as Jodie Meeks, explained that the team’s hard work this offseason should be very noticeable in the early part of the season.

“We have been working hard with out conditioning and workouts…our goal is to win every game but we are just going to try to work hard”, said Meeks. It was the lack of conditioning last year which saw the Wildcats drop five of their first eleven games.

Coach Gillespie has also commented that this is his most conditioned team that he has coached thus far and sees no Gardner Webb losses coming to this team.

With the better conditioned team Kentucky is hoping to start fast. They will need to start fast as they will face off against the number 1 team in the nation, the North Carolina Tarheels early in the November schedule.

With the offseason coming to a close and practice beginning in the Bluegrass Friday, sophomore leader and stand out Patrick Patterson feels that the Kentucky team should send shock waves through the college basketball nation.

“We all feel that this is our year and we can win it, we can get a national championship and we can make it to the final four.” Big words from Patrick Patterson, however with the way the team gelled late in the season it is not an improbable thought to believe the Cats can have a special season.

Practice starts tomorrow and the Bluegrass nation is eagerly anticipating play to get underway. It is only 18 days away until Rupp Arena will be full of 23,000 screaming fans and a new season of basketball will begin.

SEC Game of the Week:

It’s the BIGGEST game for the Vanderbilt Comm0dores maybe ever. After a loss last week to Mississippi State, the Commodores now must head into Athens and gain respect and prove,yet again they are for REAL this year.

According to co-captian and offensive center Bradley Vierling feels the team is better for the tough loss in Starkville.

“I think we're even higher than we've been to be honest with you, because I think this loss is going to help our team more so than anything. I think it would've been great to be 6-0. It would've been great to be 4-0 in the SEC, but that didn't happen. So how are we going to respond...we have a loss, we're 5-1 right now. We're on the verge of being bowl eligible for the first time in over 20 years. I think that is a huge positive for us, and that's what we're focusing on right now. We're focusing on Georgia. As soon as the (Mississippi State) game was over, that's what we started talking about.”

And don’t look for the Bulldogs to disregard the upstart Vanderbilt team as Mark Richt’s weekly press conference gave tremendous praise to the NEW look Vandy team.

“They are an outstanding team. We are excited. The head-to-head battles are the ones that count the most when it comes to deciding who is going to play for the Eastern Division championship. It’s one we absolutely need to win if we are going to keep pace. It should be exciting. It is homecoming and I know it is a special time for Georgia and the Georgia people to comeback and relive some old memories. I am looking forward to seeing how the fans enjoy this weekend. Hopefully we can give them a victory.”

With both teams extremely excited it should be an new school SEC slug fest. With in the teams matchup, Georgia leads in most categories. Georgia is first in conference in total offense and 4^th overall in defense. The Dogs average 33 points per game and come into the showdown only giving up 18 points.

While Georgia is stout on both sides of the ball, Vandy’s statistics are far less important. The Dores are scoring more than 10 points less per game than Georgia and are giving up nearly as many as they score.

In hopes to spark the Vandy offense in time for the BIG match up, Coach Bob Johnson is making a quarterback change from Chris Nixon to MacKenzie Adams. Following an injury to Nixon in the Auburn game it was Adams who sparked the offense and team and led them to a victory. Adams is a fierce competitor and should prove to be a factor in the matchup…for good or for bad has yet to be seen. It is difficult to make a QB change and not divide a locker room and break apart chemistry with a team.

Saturday will be the Commodores statement game within the SEC East, a win and fear will be issued through out the Eastern division and a loss might knock them back down to size…

QB Coach Explains Saturday's Woes

Kentucky's quarterback coach Randy Sanders, the former University of Tennessee quarterback coach explains that the woes of Mike Hartline is his fault.
Sander's explained that they tried to adjust his grip to prevent the slippages that occurred against Alabama and resulted in Alabama scores.
"We tried to mess with it a little bit last week and I think it hurt him in last weeks game. It was not the grip he normally has and what he is used to, so I messed him up a little bit and so we are going to go back and try something different and hopefully get the accuracy that we need."
A change in mechanics is usual protocall in the middle of the season but Sander's went onto say that it became such an issue that something needed to happen to try and ammeliorate the mistakes and miscues.
Sanders has had experince with coaching up freshman and young quarterbacks. At the University of Tennessee he worked and fine tuned Brett Schaffer and Erik Angie during the 2002 season. He said that that experience at Tennesse has better prepared him to deal with the apparent woes at quarterback at the University of Kentucky.
With the struggles, Sanders feels that Hartline is playing with confidence as he stated, "He is trying to play with confidence and is playing with that confidence on the field."
One can surmise by the quotes of Coach Sanders, the move to Randall Cobb is highly unlikely. Cobb, the freshman from Alcoa, Tennessee sparked the offense against Norfolk State and there have been rumblings to make him the eminent starter. However an injury at reciever against Middle Tennessee forced him to miss valuable learning time and has impeded his progress. Kentucky will march on with Hartline leading the offense for the remainder of the season.....and hopefully problems with his "grip" can be resolved before Saturday's MUST WIN game agaisnt the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Tuesday Practice Notes

Lose one, gain one

Following Tuesday’s practice Coach Rich Brooks announced that senior receiving leader Dickey Lyons will be out the rest of the season with a knee injury that occurred in the 2^nd half of the Kentucky/South Carolina game. This ends a career which he ranks in the top 5 in receptions for the university.

The loss of Lyons will be devastating but on a brighter side, DeMoreno Ford, who sustained an injury while scoring a 48 yard touchdown catch against Alabama, will return to action this week. Ford is now Kentucky’s most experienced wide out as a junior.

Showdown Looms in The Bluegrass

It might not be a Eastern conference game that is played yearly, but when Kentucky faces Arkansas it is always a fierce battle with SEC hopes riding on the outcome.

Last year it was the Cats who entered a hostile environment against the 2006 SEC West Champion Razorbacks. The Cats were undefeated coming in and looked to gain respect from the nation with a crucial win. Kentucky dominated in all phases of the game and came home to Lexington with an unblemished record and a 42-29 win.

The Wildcats lead the overall series 3-2, however each game has been close and the last time the Razorbacks came to Commonwealth they played a game to be remembered for the ages. The year was 2003 which had the HEFTY LEFTY, Jared Lorenzen behind center. Lorenzen engineered an improbable comeback late in the 4^th quarter to get the game into overtime. Once in overtime, an outrageous back and fourth battled ensued. Touchdown followed by touchdown led to a total of seven overtimes and an Arkansas victory 71-63. The Cats entered the game 4-3 and after the War of Attrition with Arkansas they lost the remainder of their games to finish will a dismal 4-8 record, while the Razorbacks turned their season around to go onto a 9-4 record and BOWL VICTORY.

This week there is something on the line once again! Kentucky is 0-2 in SEC play and needs the win to keep bowl hopes and SEC respectability in tact. The Razorbacks also need the victory as they have fallen to a 1-2 record in the TOUGH WEST, which might see them BOWLLESS without this victory. With both teams very much needing this game, it is destined to be a good one!

Arkansas/Kentucky Breakdown is coming near the end of the week as well as a SEC game of the week break down, which pits the Georgia Bulldogs against the tenacious 5-1 Vanderbilt Commodores.

SEC Week 7 Round up

After week seven, only one team remains unbeaten, the Alabama Crimson Tide…Other than the Tide the war of attrition that is the SEC schedule is in full stride. The most impressive team of the week was the FLORIDA GATORS. Gator nation has been uneasy all season as they have lacked the National title competitiors feel. But this weeks domination of LSU shows this team is on a mission.

Underdogs flourished this week…South Carolina’s 4 offensive turnovers seemed to be not too costly as the took down Kentucky, Arkansas destroyed the fierce Auburn defense, and Mississippi State squashed Vanderbilt’s undefeated dreams. But, all the upsets do not match the overall disappointment that is the TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS. Rocky Top is off to their worst start in 20 years and the schedule does not look to promising as they continue searching for an SEC victory. The offense’s poor play and lack of stoppages on defense has made this team the worst in the SEX as they have been outscored 70-32 in SEC play.

STANDINGS

WEST Next Week East Next Week

1) Alabama 6-0(3-0) Ole Miss 1) Florida5-1(3-1) IDLE

2) LSU 4-1(2-1) @USC 2) Vanderbilt 5-1(3-1) @UGA

3) Auburn 4-3(2-3) IDLE 3) Georgia 5-1(2-1) VAND

4) Arkansas 3-3(1-2) @UK 4) South Carolina 5-2(2-2) LSU

5) Ole Miss 3-3(1-2) @ALA 5) Kentucky 4-2(0-2) ARK

6) Miss St 2-4(1-2) @Tenn 6) Tennessee 2-4(0-3) MSU

Florida Looks to Get back in National Title Discussion and Kills LSU

LSU @ Florida- Florida 51-21

Florida- Following the loss to Ole Miss, Tim Teebow confronted the media and let out a proclamation….Florida would not lose again! And for the past two weeks he has been correct. Florida dominated the #4 team in the land. The Gators lit up the score board with 475 yards of offensive production. Star wide-out Percy Harvin was questionable going into the game having been in a stability boot all week. But the boot and lack of practice time seemed to be a non issue as Harvin caught six passes for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. This win has sent a message to the rest of the SEC and the nation that the Gators are looking to a NATIONAL TITLE. Florida will now get a needed bye week and then host Kentucky in two weeks.

LSU- When the Tigers enter a game with the Gators undefeated they usually lose. It has occurred not 4 of 5 meetings. Florida’s defensive schemes riddled the LSU offense into making 3 costly turnovers that the Gators turned into points. The Tyson Lee, Jared Hatch quarterback situation appeared to be a non issue as Coach Les Miles stuck with Lee through a good majority of the game. Lee struggled though, throwing 2 interceptions. The strength of LSU is usually the defense, but after DT Francois opened his mouth about going after Tim Teebow, the Gators made the Tigers pay by embarrassing the Top defense in the SEC. The loss is BIG , but LSU is not out of contention for anything. Later this month they will face the only undefeated team in the SEC Alabama and with a victory they can keep their National Championship hopes alive. Next week the LSU Tigers must go into a confident South Carolina where they have a NEW starting quarterback….

Arkansas upends Auburn to get first SEC win!

Arkansas @ Auburn- ARKANSAS 25-23

Auburn- Just two days prior to the game, Auburn pulled the trigger and fired first year coordinator Tony Franklin. With a new offensive mindset, things still looked the same in Auburn. The offense threw three interceptions and failed to get any momentum in the running game. The lack of production on offense forced the defense into too many negative positions as they loss for the 2^nd straight week. The Tigers now get a bye and a chance to step outside their conference with a match up with the Big East’s West Virginia in two weeks.

Arkansas- Never in Coach Bobby Petrino’s collegiate coaching career had he lost three straight games…and hoping not to make it a 4^th, the Razorbacks efficiently ran and passed the ball to come out the victor and gain some confidence going into a tough October stretch. Arkansas offense seemed to dominate the fierce Auburn defense with over 400 yards total offense. With the offensive explosion the Arkansas Razorbacks displayed, their defense was able to step up and make stop the slow Auburn offense to get the first victory in SEC play…Arkansas road trip will continue this coming week as they head to a desperate Kentucky…Petrino has NEVER lost to Kentucky as he owned the series with the Wildcats while with Louisville.

Georgia Wins and gives Tennessee worst start in 20 years

Tennessee @ Georgia(10)- Georgia 26-14

Georgia- Coming off the bye the Dawgs came out against rival Tennessee and dominated in every phase of the game. Georgia’s defense held Tennessee to only 10 first downs all game and constantly forced them into 3^rd and long field positions. The offense also bounced back with force as Matt Stafford threw for over 300 yards. The offense overall, amassed 458 total yards and controlled the game by holding onto the ball for nearly fifty minutes of the sixty minute game! Georgia will now welcome the UPSTART Vanderbilt Commadores who have played them close in recent years and is coming in with an upset on their mind.

Tennessee- It’s hard to believe that it has gotten this BAD this FAST in Tennessee. They are off to their worst start in 20 years and for only the 2^nd time in the Phil Fulmer era, the Vols are 0-3 in SEC play. Rocky Top’s offense continued to struggle, as the offensive lines lack luster blocking performance caused the Tennessee team to only gain 1 total yard on the ground. The lack of a running game seemed to lead to the Volunteer demise. Tennessee will now host Mississippi State and hope to get their first win in SEC play…if they don’t, maybe the boosters fire coach Phil Fulmer mid season…something needs to change in Rocky Top.

Vanderbilt Believes Hype and Falls in Starkville

Vanderbilt(13) @ Mississippi State-Mississippi State 17- 14

Vanderbilt- Well, maybe this Vandy thing is not for real…maybe they started believing their own press or maybe….the SEC is just rugged. Whatever is the answer the Commodores could not solve the Mississippi State Defense. The offense truly struggled as they threw 2 interceptions AND had only 9 first downs all game. The offensive struggles were enough to give the ‘Dores their first loss of the season…Now they go into Athens to prove to the world that Vandy is a worthwhile team…

Mississippi State- Typical Mississippi State….Pounding, thudding and huring their way to victory. The offense held the ball for nearly 40 minutes. The Bulldogs forced two turnovers and did not commit any themselves…Don’t coun this team out or as an easy victory. Coach Sly Croom has this team in every game and could easily be 3-2 or 4-1 if they had some breaks go their way…Next on their sleight is a desperate Tennessee team…winner gets a hope at bowl eligibility…loser makes their path A LOT more difficult!