Knoxville News Sentinel
Transcription
Knoxville News Sentinel
IP SHEET SOUTHCAROLINA ATTENNESSEE Time:7:45 p.m. at Neyland Stadium. TV: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe) Radio:WIVK-FM 107.7, WNMLAM 990/FM 99.1, WNRX-FM 99.3 Line: Tennessee 22 VolWalk: 5:30 p.m. Gametimeforecast: Clear, 57 degrees NEWS SENTINEL GAMEDAY [[ VV OO LL RR EE PP OO RR TT Thisnewspaper complimentsofVerizon ]] VR2 GOVOLSXTRA.COM | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2007 | 50¢ ALMOSTBOWLING Tennessee only needs two more victories to become bowl eligible for the 14th time in 15 seasons under coach Phillip Fulmer. UT could become bowl eligible by winning against South Carolina tonight and again next Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette, which has won only one of eight games. The SEC has alliances with eight bowl games, so that many conference teams are assured of a bid as long as they win thenecessarysixgames.Withseven other SEC teams ranked in the top 25,theVolsmighthaveagoodshotat one of the two in-state bowls — the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in Nashville on New Year’s Eve or the AutoZoneLibertyBowlinMemphis on Dec. 29. CHASINGGAULT LaMarcus Coker doesn’t have to be faster than Willie Gault to catch him. Coker is on pace to surpass the former UT sprinter and wide receiver in kick returns. Gault holds single-seasonschoolrecordsinkick returns (28) and return yardage (641). Coker already has 18 returns for 461 yards, and the UT defense should give him plenty of more opportunities to return kicks. RECORD-SETTINGPACE Aftergivingup226pointsthrough its first seven games, UT’s defense should surpass the school record for most points allowed in a season. The 2004 team gave up 295 points. ThecurrentVolsalreadyhavegiven up more points than 92 UT teams. In the Vols’ three losses, they have given up 145 points, which is only 30 points fewer than Fulmer’s first team allowed in 1993. POLL RESULTS What’sthebiggestsurpriseintheSEC East? A two-loss team is leading the division 24 percent (525 votes) Steve Spurrier has South Carolina in the title chase 1 percent (43 votes) Kentucky is ahead of Tennessee in the standings 39 pecent (852 votes) Vanderbilt is the only team keeping Tennessee out of the basement 34% 751 votes 2,171totalvotes ON GOVOLSXTRA.COM ■ Blog:Leave your comments during tonight’s game with Josh Ward. MORE ■ Kenny Chesney on UT football and friendship with Steve Spurrier. B1 ■ Pennington: Youth is not automatically served by next year. GV3 ■ Adams: Spurrier should dine on secondary. GV3 ■ Witten, Shuler support Fulmer. GV4 At the crossroads UT, South Carolina in almost same fix BY DREW EDWARDS [email protected] On the surface, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier appear to be polar opposites. Fulmer loves to run like the former offensive lineman he is. Spurrier still calls plays like he’s lined up under center. Fulmer would rather post his game plan online than jab an opponent in print. Spurrier’s one-liners are the stuff of SEC legend. But entering tonight’s 7:45 kickoff (TV: ESPN) in Neyland Stadium, Spurrier and Fulmer will be trying to do the same thing: Rally their teams from embarrassing losses a week ago and reclaim their place in a crowded SEC East race. The 15th-ranked Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2 SEC) can’t wait to get past an ugly 17-6 defeat against Vanderbilt last week, Spurrier’s first loss in 15 games against the Commodores. Meanwhile, the Vols (4-3, 22) have a chance to atone for the egg laid last week in a 41-17 loss to rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa. “A win this weekend changes everything back to close to where it was before the Alabama game,” UT quarterback Erik Ainge said. Both Spurrier and Fulmer would love to see their offenses roll back a week as well. South Carolina hasn’t scored a touchdown since the first half of its 21-15 victory over North Carolina two weeks ago. Tennessee failed to score in the second half last week and struggled to maintain balance on offense. What the Vols have done as well this season as any team in the nation is protect the quarterback. ErikAingehasn’tbeensacked sinceUT’sfirstoffensivepossessionoftheseason,astreakof253 passes without being sacked. SouthCarolina,whichboasts the nation’s top-rated pass defense, will use a variety of de- See VOLS on GV4 .500 OCTOBERS AwinoverSouthCarolina putsTennesseeat3-1inOctober, whilealossdropstheVolsto2-2 inthefirstmonthoffall. Here’s how the Vols have fared under UT coach Phillip Fulmer in October: Year Record 2006 3-0 2005 1-3 2004 4-1 2003 1-2 2002 1-2 2001 2-1 2000 2-1 1999 4-0 1998 4-0 1997 3-0 1996 3-0 1995 3-0 1994 3-1 1993 3-0-1 54 80 53 75 50 79 78 28 Defensive end 40 Eric Norwood 43 Ryan Brown W linebacker 83 Cliff Matthews 24 Cody Wells 1 21 Cornerback 1 Captain Munnerlyn 23 Mike West Pos. CB RB WR QB CB QB QB WR WR DB WR QB WR P/PK WR QB QB WR TE RB FS TB CB LB RB FS FS CB LB LB FS LB SS SS LB CB FB CB DE DE FS DE LB LB FB FB LB LB DS LB LB LB OC OG LB LS DT OG OG OG OC OT OG OL DS OG OC OL OT OT OC OT OT DT TE WR WR DE WR TE WR P TE TE WR TE DT DE TE PK DT DE P/PK DT Ht. 5-9 6-1 6-3 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-0 5-10 5-7 6-0 5-10 5-9 6-2 5-10 5-10 5-10 6-0 5-11 5-9 5-11 6-1 5-10 5-11 5-9 5-8 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-3 6-6 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-7 6-3 6-4 5-11 6-2 6-4 5-4 6-5 6-4 5-10 6-1 6-5 5-10 6-3 6-1 6-5 6-4 5-6 6-1 6-7 6-2 6-1 Wt. 180 214 203 212 192 221 221 209 180 179 181 211 189 213 173 216 205 208 226 215 216 196 219 217 212 201 195 195 223 233 215 219 194 204 224 196 247 175 264 254 197 256 239 217 226 224 238 221 252 257 262 222 284 295 221 221 307 287 320 320 271 286 320 269 190 300 291 276 304 293 297 295 323 302 267 193 211 234 164 236 194 177 215 283 179 245 294 220 255 154 290 270 233 294 Defensive tackle 91 Ladi Ajiboye 98 Joel Reaves 45 53 Class SO SR FR FR JR SO FR JR SO FR JR SR FR JR FR SO FR FR FR SO SO JR SR SR JR SR SR SO JR SO SO SR SR JR SR JR SR SR SO SR JR SR JR SO JR FR SO SO FR SR SR JR SO SO SO FR FR FR FR FR FR SO SR FR FR SO SR FR FR JR JR JR JR JR SR SO SO FR SO SO FR FR JR FR JR FR FR FR SR SR JR FR SO SR Wide receiver 18 Dion Lecorn 82 Freddie Brown S linebacker 45 Rodney Paulk 30 Yvan Banag W linebacker 5 Rico McCoy 34 Dorian Davis 17 7 5 W, 38-23 W, 21-15 L, 17-6 7:45p.m.ESPN 8 p.m. TBA TBA GP 7 5 7 5 PASSING GP 7 5 7 7 Erik Ainge Jonathan Crompton Total Opponents Att. 110 41 229 245 Gain 630 189 1,109 1,198 Att 256 8 266 237 Loss Net 5 625 5 184 76 1,033 94 1,104 Cmp 169 4 174 138 RECEIVING GP 7 7 7 7 Lucas Taylor Austin Rogers Total Opponents TACKLES Jerod Mayo Rico McCoy TD 8 2 11 9 L, 45-31 W, 39-19 L, 59-20 W, 48-27 W, 35-14 W, 33-21 L, 41-17 7:45ESPN 4/PPV TBA TBA TBA Long 42 11 42 44 Int 4 2 6 5 Yds 1,797 29 1,882 1,743 Td 13 0 14 13 No. 43 32 174 138 Yds 633 392 1,882 1,743 TD 3 1 14 13 G 7 7 Solo 38 32 Ast 13 18 Avg/G 89.3 36.8 147.6 157.7 Long 53 16 56 69 Avg/G 256.7 5.8 268.9 249.0 Long 51 32 56 69 Total 51 50 Avg/G 90.4 56.0 268.9 249.0 Sacks 0 1 2007 SOUTH CAROLINA STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING GP 8 8 8 8 Cory Boyd Mike Davis Total Opponents PASSING Chris Smelley Total Opponents Att. 107 90 264 338 GP 6 8 8 Gain 558 448 1,176 1,663 Loss 27 21 256 241 Att 157 267 231 RECEIVING Kenny McKinley Cory Boyd Total Opponents TACKLES Emanuel Cook Eric Norwood # Net 531 427 920 1,422 Cmp 89 153 114 GP 8 8 8 8 Avg 5.0 4.7 3.5 4.2 Int 6 12 11 No. Yds 41 525 23 250 153 1,804 114 1,167 G 7 8 TD 4 5 9 8 Yds 1,136 1,804 1,,167 Long 29 18 29 50 TD 9 13 7 Avg 12.8 10.9 11.8 10.2 Solo 45 28 TD 6 1 13 7 Ast 12 18 39 Punter 14 Ryan Succop 87 Spencer Lanning Strong safety 14 Eric Berry 19 Jarod Parrish Avg/G 66.4 53.4 115.0 177.8 Lng Avg/G 48 189.3 48 225.5 35 145.9 Long Avg/G 48 65.6 27 31.2 48 225.5 35 145.9 Total 57 46 Sacks 3 5 No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 30 31 33 34 34 35 36 37 38 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 63 65 66 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 94 95 95 96 96 97 98 99 RETURNERS S linebacker 39 Ryan Karl 48 Adam Myers-White 33 Punt returner 33 Jonathan Hefney 21 Austin Rogers 31 22 Cornerback 31 Marsalous Johnson 24 DeAngelo Willingham TENNESSEE ROSTER 2007 TENNESSEE STATISTICAL LEADERS Arian Foster Montario Hardesty Totals... Opponent 14 Right end 89 Antonio Reynolds 91 Robert Ayers 14 TENNESSEE SCHEDULE W, 28-14 W, 16-12 W, 38-3 L, 28-16 W, 38-21 RUSHING M linebacker 7 Jerod Mayo 35 Ellix Wilson Free safety 33 Jonathan Hefney 23 Ricardo Kemp SEPTEMBER 1 at California 8 Southern Miss 15 at Florida 22 Arkansas State OCTOBER 6 Georgia 13 at Mississippi St. 20 at Alabama Today SouthCarolina NOVEMBER 3 La.-Lafayette 10 Arkansas 17 Vanderbilt 24 at Kentucky 589 Right tackle 99 J.T. Mapu 55 Dan Williams 33 Left cornerback 13 Brent Vinson 24 DeAngelo Willingham SOUTH CAROLINA SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 1 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette 8 at Georgia 15 vs. South Carolina St. 22 at LSU 29 vs. Mississippi St. OCTOBER 4 vs. Kentucky 13 at North Carolina 20 vs. Vanderbilt Today atTennessee NOVEMBER 3 at Arkansas 10 vs. Florida 24 vs. Clemson 599 Left tackle 98 Demonté Bolden 95 Walter Fisher 13 Kickoff returner 17 Chris Culliver 1 Captain Munnerlyn Cornerback 5 Carlos Thomas 26 Brandon Isaac 598 Left end 93 Xavier Mitchell 94 Wes Brown Punt returner 1 Captain Munnerlyn 11 Kenny McKinley Tight end 80 Andy Boyd 84 Jared Cook PUNT TEAM Right tackle Right guard Center Left guard Snapper Left tackle 78 Justin Sorensen 57 Lemuel Jeanpierre 71 William Brown 63 Seaver Brown 77 Jamon Meredith 59 Charles Turner 74 Heath Batchelor 67 James Thompson 70 Garrett Anderson 75 Gurminder Thind 6 Tommy Beecher 593 1 5 Free safety 32 Darian Stewart 36 Stoney Woodson Wide receiver 11 Kenny McKinley 9 Moe Brown 8 Larry Freeman 11 RETURNERS Defensive end 51 Casper Brinkley 42 Travian Robertson 32 Strong safety 21 Emanuel Cook 33 Chris Hampton SOUTH CAROLINA ROSTER No.Name 1 Captain Munnerlyn 3 Cory Boyd 4 Jason Barnes 5 Stephen Garcia 5 Carlos Thomas 6 Tommy Beecher 7 Chris Smelley 8 Larry Freeman 9 Moe Brown 10 Jamire Williams 11 Kenny McKinley 12 Blake Mitchell 13 Mark Barnes 14 Ryan Succop 15 Matt Clements 16 Michael McQueeney 17 Zac Brindise 18 Dion Lecorn 19 Nick Prochak 20 Taylor Rank 21 Emanuel Cook 22 Bobby Wallace 23 Mike West 24 Cody Wells 25 Mike Davis 26 Brandon Isaac 27 Ty Erving 28 Chris Hail 30 Yvan Banag 31 Gerrod Sinclair 32 Darian Stewart 32 Marcus Davis 33 Chris Hampton 34 Douglas Peterson 35 Greg Wright 36 Stoney Woodson 39 Lanard Stafford 39 Ranzino Valentine 40 Eric Norwood 41 Jordin Lindsey 42 Mike Newton 43 Ryan Brown 44 Dustin Lindsey 45 Rodney Paulk 46 Bryan Kingrey 47 Patrick DiMarco 48 Vandaral Shackleford 49 Damien Wright 50 Chris Vaughn 51 Casper Brinkley 52 Jasper Brinkley 53 Marvin Sapp 54 Hardee Sanders 57 Lemuel Jeanpierre 58 John Guerry 59 Charles Turner 61 Donte’e Nicholls 62 Pierre Andrews 63 Seaver Brown 64 Kevin Young 65 Ryan Broadhead 66 Hutch Eckerson 67 James Thompson 68 Kyle Nunn 69 Joshua Gonzalez 70 Garrett Anderson 71 William Brown 72 Quintin Richardson 74 Heath Batchelor 75 Gurminder Thind 76 Jeremy Burgess 77 Jamon Meredith 78 Justin Sorensen 79 Marque Hall 80 Andy Boyd 81 Paul Haile 82 Freddie Brown, III 83 Cliff Matthews 83 Scott Spurrier 84 Jared Cook 85 Joe Hills 87 Spencer Lanning 87 Alex McGrath 88 Weslye Saunders 89 Leon Gamble 90 Foxy Foxworth 91 Ladi Ajiboye 92 Byron McKnight 93 Robert Pavlovic 94 Thomas Hooper 95 Nathan Pepper 96 Clifton Geathers 97 Nate Spurrier 98 Joel Reaves Defensive tackle 79 Marque Hall 99 Jonathan Williams Middle linebacker 53 Marvin Sapp 6 Melvin Ingram 83 551 591 579 Quarterback 7 Chris Smelley 12 Blake Mitchell 78 18 Wide receiver Tight end Right tackle Right guard Center Left guard Left tackle Snapper 81 Josh Briscoe 28 Chris Brown 78 Ramon Foster 79 Chris Scott 50 Josh McNeil 75 Anthony Parker 54 Eric Young 53 Morgan Cox 87 Q. Hancock 45 Kevin Cooper 71 Steven Jones 65 Jacques McClendon 73 Michael Frogg 51 Vladimir Richard 72 Ramone Johnson 57 Nick Guess 540 Holder 6 Tommy Beecher 83 Scott Spurrier 57 Punter 47 Britton Colquitt 95 Chad Cunningham Fullback 39 Lanard Stafford 47 Patrick DiMarco 71 Tight end 80 Jeff Cottam 88 Luke Stocker 47 WHEN THE GAMECOCKS HAVE THE BALL Tailback 3 Cory Boyd 25 Mike Davis Placekicker 14 Ryan Succop 87 Spencer Lanning 63 12 Quarterback 10 Erik Ainge 8 Jonathan Crompton KICK TEAM 14 77 85 81 Wide receiver 12 Lucas Taylor 21 Austin Rogers 83 Denarius Moore WHEN THE VOLS HAVE THE BALL Tailback 27 Arian Foster 2 Montario Hardesty 22 LaMarcus Coker PUNT TEAM 6 Placekicker 26 Daniel Lincoln 47 Britton Colquitt Kickoffs 47 Britton Colquitt 95 Chad Cunningham Holder 85 Casey Woods 47 Britton Colquitt 26 knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL 80 KICK TEAM GOVOLSXTRA 59 GV2 Saturday, October 27, 2007 NAME Kenny O’Neal Montario Hardesty Lennon Creer Gerald Jones Rico McCoy Ja’Kouri Williams Jerod Mayo Jonathan Crompton Daryl Vereen Erik Ainge Todd Campbell Tyler Maples Lucas Taylor Brent Vinson Eric Berry Sinclair Cannon Nick Stephens B.J. Coleman Jarod Parrish Nevin McKenzie Austin Rogers LaMarcus Coker Ricardo Kemp DeAngelo Willingham Art Evans C.J. Fleming Daniel Lincoln Arian Foster Chris Brown David Holbert Marsalous Johnson Jonathan Hefney Dorian Davis Roy Olasimbo Ellix Wilson Anthony Anderson Antonio Gaines David Campbell Antonio Wardlow Ryan Karl Chris Donald Dennis Rogan LaMarcus Thompson Savion Frazier Josh Hawkins Kevin Cooper Andre Mathis Britton Colquitt Adam Myers-White Josh McNeil Vladimir Richard Victor Thomas Morgan Cox Eric Young Dan Williams Nick Reveiz Nick Guess Donald Langley Adam Gillem Jacques McClendon Cody Sullins Darius Myers Steven Jones Ramone Johnson Michael Frogg Jarrod Shaw Anthony Parker Darris Sawtelle Cody Pope Ramon Foster Chris Scott Jeff Cottam Josh Briscoe Ahmad Paige Denarius Moore Chris Walker Casey Woods Brad Cottam Quintin Hancock Luke Stocker Antonio Reynolds Ben Martin Robert Ayers Xavier Mitchell Wes Brown Chad Cunningham Walter Fisher Michael Crain William Brimfield Chase Nelson Demonte’ Bolden J.T. Mapu HT. 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-6 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-9 5-9 6-2 5-10 5-10 6-0 5-9 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-1 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-6 6-6 6-5 6-8 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-5 6-8 6-3 6-6 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-6 6-4 6-6 6-4 WT. 195 205 202 185 215 190 230 230 196 220 185 190 185 190 195 215 215 205 200 210 185 195 190 195 185 173 204 225 250 250 180 185 215 195 225 175 180 200 185 218 225 182 203 210 195 240 255 205 215 280 297 265 225 305 310 225 230 290 260 330 285 315 305 310 290 345 305 295 285 325 305 260 183 175 185 220 215 270 200 235 270 230 260 255 256 210 265 230 300 256 290 290 Kick returner 22 LaMarcus Coker 41 Dennis Rogan YR. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So.. Sr. Jr. Fr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Fr. So. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. So. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. Sr. POS. WR TB TB WR LB DB LB QB TB QB WR WR WR WR DB DB QB QB DB DB WR TB DB DB DB DB PK TB TE TE DB DB LB TB LB DB DB P DB LB DE TB LB LB TB TE DE P LB C OG DT DS OT DT LB DS DT DE OG OL OG OT OT C OT OG OG OL OT OG TE WR WR WR DE WR TE WR TE DE DE DE DE DE P DT DE DT DT DT DT #( # )'*! )# ' !%** !$* &# !$** '' ' ((( #( # NEWS SENTINEL | knoxnews.com GOVOLSXTRA Saturday, October 27, 2007 GV3 Youth is not automatically served by next year “He said, ‘don’t look surprised old man I’m older than you think.’ ” — MontgomeryGentry Tennessee is a young football team. There’s no denying that. The Vols are starting two freshmen in the secondary and have five more sophomores in the first-team line-up. Those JOHN players should PENNINGTON improve in the future, though that’s no guarantee (We’ll talk about Arkansas in a minute). But youth is a relative thing. If Tennessee’s team played in a vacuum rather than in the SEC, then youth could be used as a solid rationalization for UT’s three lopsided losses. But Tennessee does play in the SEC. And the SEC is young just about all over. Having heard some chatter about this Vol team being “a year away,” I decided to see if the facts meshed with the “wait ’til next year” reasoning. I went to the official athletic department sites for each SEC school, clicked on their most recent game notes (for the week of October 20th) and examined their depth charts (you can do the same). Did I find that Tennessee is indeed younger than most of the other teams in the conference? Are they at a disadvantage because of their youth? No, in fact, Tennessee has the fourth highest percentage of UPPERclassmen starters in the SEC right now. Only four teams start more seniors than Tennessee’s eight (LSU with 12, Arkansas with 10, Vandy with 10, and Kentucky with 9). Arkansas is an interesting situation. Seventeen of their 22 starters are returning upperclassmen from last year’s Capital One Bowl team. Apparently “a year older” does not guarantee players will be “a year better.” In the SEC, only four teams start fewer underclassmen than Tennessee. Last week’s opponent, Alabama, starts four more underclassmen than the Vols and just as many freshmen (2). They beat Tennessee 41-17. Florida also starts four more underclassmen than UT and they start twice as many freshmen (4). They beat the Vols 59-20. Auburn (4), Georgia (5) and South Carolina (5) are all starting more freshmen than Tennessee, too. This doesn’t mean Tennessee’s players can’t be coached up farther than their opponents’ young players in the years ahead, but it does show that nearly every team is young. YOUTH IN THE SEC The networks may well be picking up more interesting Breakdown of starters for SEC teams for games played on Oct. 20. games from across the country. Team Sr. Jr. Soph. Fr. Underclassmen The South Floridas and Alabama 6 5 9 2 11 Kentuckys of the world are draws now, too. Florida 4 7 7 4 11 But this might also have Georgia 5 6 6 5 11 something to do with Auburn 6 6 6 4 10 Tennessee’s recent record on South Carolina 6 6 5 5 10 national television. In the past five seasons (and half of this Kentucky 9 6 7 0 7 one), UT has played on a national Ole Miss 7 8 6 1 7 network 44 times. Their record Tennessee 8 7 5 2 7 is 22-22. In those 22 losses, the Vanderbilt 10 6 6 0 6 Vols have been defeated by a Arkansas 10 7 5 0 5 combined 308 points. That Miss. State 7 10 4 1 5 averages out to a 14-point loss when the Vols lose on national LSU 12 6 4 0 4 TV. That’s not good for ratings. Teams listed by number of underclassmen starters, then That’s also part of an overall alphabetically when tied. trend. From 1992 to 2001, Depth charts for week of Oct. 20th provided by schools’ official Tennessee played 123 total athletic department Web sites. games. They lost by 13 or more points just six times. That was once every 20.5 games. Since 2002, Tennessee has Tonight’s game on ESPN may played 70 games (including this To automatically assume be important for Tennessee not that “next year is the year” is to year’s 4-3 record). The Vols purposefully ignore the fact that just in terms of the East division have lost by 13 or more points 13 race, but also in terms of national times in that span. That’s a 13some of the Vols’ biggest rivals (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and drawing power. point loss once every 5.3 games. Last week’s Alabama game South Carolina) are all younger Instead of one big loss every two wasn’t broadcast nationally for than the Vols. years, UT is now averaging two the first time since 1988. The Alabama starts 11 per season. Mississippi State game was underclassmen, Florida 11, Unless that turns around, the Vols’ first non-televised Georgia 11, and South Carolina you may have to get used to SEC game since 1995. Next 10. The Vols are starting seven. more regional and pay-per-view week’s game against Louisianagames. A big win on ESPN Lafayette will be the first UT “Who’s watching? Tell me, tonight would be a step in the who’s watching? Who’s watching game since 1994 that hasn’t been right direction. available on television at all. me?” — Rockwell Spurrier should dine on Vols’ secondary Tennessee will need more than a loud crowd tonight. It will need a smart crowd. That became obvious last Saturday while watching Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson and wide receiver DJ Hall play pitch-and-catch at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Go ahead and ask: “What does that have to do with tonight’s game at Neyland Stadium.” Answer: Everything. In case you didn’t hear the particulars of UT’s 41-17 loss to Alabama, the Vols need help. In fact, they need more help than trained professionals, a.k.a. as coaches, can provide. It took UT’s trained professionals an entire half to figure out that Alabama was going to throw the ball to Hall. By then, he already had 10 catches. The Vols don’t have to JOHN worry about ADAMS Hall tonight. They have to worry about South Carolina wide receiver Kenny McKinley, who has 41 catches — or 18 more than the Gamecocks’ second-leading receiver, who is a running back. You might assume that UT would make McKinley a top priority. You also might have assumed that UT would have had at least one defender within shouting distance of Hall. Don’t assume anything with this defense. And don’t bother screaming incoherently when the Gamecocks approach the line of scrimmage. If you want to influence tonight’s outcome, you will have to yell smart. Before every South Carolina play, UT fans should be chanting “11,” McKinley’s number. The defense should get the message by the second quarter. Fans usually are encouraged to be quiet when their team has the ball. But these are desperate times for coach Phillip Fulmer’s program. “Usual” no longer applies. Whenever UT has the ball, UT fans should be chanting “27,” running back Arian Foster’s number. The offense should get the message by the second LSU last week. That’s why they should win by only 24 points. Ole Miss, which hasn’t given up fewer than 27 points in a conference game, finally put together an offense to match its defense last week in a 44-8 loss to Arkansas. Kentucky34,MississippiState 24: The Wildcats also are due for a letdown after back-to-back games against LSU and Florida. The Bulldogs are due for a better first quarter. West Virginia outgained Mississippi State 221 yards to 18 in the first quarter and led 310 six seconds into the second quarter. Vanderbilt 27, Miami (Ohio) 13: What’s the only Division IA school in Tennessee which hasn’t given up at least 50 points in a game this season? Wrong answer: UT, MTSU or Memphis. The Commodores haven’t allowed more than 35 points in a game. They have given up 126 points in seven games, or 26 more points than UT gave up to Alabama and Florida combined. Arkansas 45, Florida International 7: According to the schedule, the Razorbacks played in Oxford, Miss., last Saturday. But the final score suggested their road trip was a lot longer — all the way back to 2006 when they were SEC West champions. After losing their first three SEC games, the Razorbacks actually looked like a division champion against Ole Miss, which apparently became bored with losing close games. Top25: Ohio State 27, Penn State 20; Southern Cal 27, Oregon 24; West Virginia 34, Rutgers GERRY BROOME/ASSOCIATED PRESS 27; Arizona State 38, Cal 31; South Carolina’s Kenny McKinley, left, and Chris Smelley celebrate McKinley’s touchdown reception in the South Florida 34, Connecticut first half of an Oct. 13 game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. 20; Texas A&M 27, Kansas 24; Missouri 41, Iowa State 24; Hawaii 52, New Mexico State 13; Never mind that he doesn’t quarter. other SEC quarterback, whose Texas 34, Nebraska 17; Michigan South Carolina leads the SEC have an exceptional quarterback name escapes me. But I do 38, Minnesota 10; Virginia 30, or a wealth of receivers. He in pass defense. It ranks 10th in remember he has a couple of N.C. State 24. will find a way to score enough rushing defense. Foster is UT’s quarterbacking brothers. points, and South Carolina’s best running back. As for Tebow, he at least Record: 133-37 (.780) overall, defense will do the rest. It’s not that complicated. should be able to beat the 75-72 (.510) against the spread. Bulldogs with a bruised right Tebow34,Georgia27:Florida SouthCarolina24,Tennessee20: shoulder. Sports editor John Adams may quarterback Tim Tebow said he What does Gamecocks coach be reached at 865-342-6284 or could beat the Bulldogs with one Steve Spurrier do best? Auburn 34, Ole Miss 10: The hand tied behind his back. Answer: He exploits Tigers are due for a letdown after [email protected]. Just kidding. That was some weaknesses in the secondary. a deflating last-second loss to “Don’t call it a comeback. I been here for years, rockin’ my peers and puttin’ suckas in fear.” — LLCoolJ In 2006, with folks closely eyeing the Cal game to see which direction the program was headed, Phillip Fulmer led the Vols to their best performance of the year … a nationally televised rout of the Golden Bears that immediately erased the taste of the previous 5-6 season. Just a couple of weeks ago, with fan polls showing displeasure and talk shows calling for heads, Fulmer did it again. His Vols pounded Georgia in their most complete performance of the season, silencing critics and firing up the fanbase. After Bama, some folks are upset again, but it won’t last. Fulmer knows how to get his team ready when his back’s against the wall. He’s also 3-3 in his last six versus Steve Spurrier. By 11 tonight, Neyland Stadium will smell like a church picnic… plenty of fried chicken. The Gamecocks may be higher ranked, but the only upset would be if Tennessee doesn’t smack them around the way the Vols normally blast opponents when their coach gets his dander up. John Pennington hosts the Hall’s Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. No time for UT to tense up Oh, how the times have changed. The Ol’ Ball Coach is no longer terrorizing the SEC, although South Carolina seems to be on the rise. Steve Spurrier, the coach whom Vol fans love to hate, seems to be receiving a little less animosity these days. Heck, the Fulmers and the Spurriers are even good friends outside the white lines. I’ll bet they get a kick hearing how the visor would look good roaming the Big Orange sideline on ShieldsWatkins Field after Phillip’s gone. Well, I guess it’s all part RICK of college football’s RUSSO changing landscape. What hasn’t changed is the need to come out on top. I’ve heard it said that winning is sports deodorant — masking all that isn’t good. No question, the Vols have been a bit offensive, especially on the defensive side of the ball. A combined 100 points allowed against rivals Florida and Alabama won’t cut it this year or any year in a conference which continues to increase in the degree of difficulty. Setting goals is great, but achieving them is even better. It’s amazing to think the Vols are a Florida loss and five wins away from achieving theirs. The sweet smell of success, however, doesn’t come without good coaching, solid execution and maybe, most importantly, a bit of fun. Senior tight end Chris Brown was quoted as saying, “A lot of people need to relax more. A lot of people aren’t just out there having fun playing football. They’re worried about making mistakes.” Well, the “T” in Tennessee has never stood for Tense and it shouldn’t start now. Rick Russo is sports director of WVLT. GV4 Saturday, October 27, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL Witten, Shuler easily come to Fulmer’s defense BY MARK BURGESS [email protected] Jason Witten called it “nonsense.” HeathShulerblamediton“parity.” Two former University of Tennessee football star players came to the defense of UT coach Phillip Fulmer after the Vols’ walkthrough at Neyland Stadium on Friday. Both were asked to share their feelingsonfandissatisfactionwith the Vols’ 4-3 record and lopsided losses to Alabama and Florida. “I think it’s a little bit of nonsense,”Wittensaid,visitingKnoxville with the Dallas Cowboys enjoying a bye week. “I think he has done a great job here for a long time. “Hehashadsometoughlosses, but he’s a man of character and he’s going to bounce back on his feet.” Shuler, now a congressman fromNorthCarolina,hadasimilar message with a different twist. “We’re seeing the parity in college football,” the former UT quarterback said. “Who would have ever guessed in such a short period of time South Florida would be where they’re at today. Kentucky is playing incredibly well right now. Vanderbilt beat South Carolina. “There’s so much parity, it’s very difficult year in and year out to be on the very top.” For Fulmer, the recent grumblings aren’t anything new or unexpected. “When you have been at it as longasIhave,youlearntoweather those times,” he said just after having a short conversation with UT athletic director Mike Hamilton. “Anybody who has had any longevity in coaching has had years or games or whatever that haven’t gone quite like you would want them to go. “The only exception I know of is (former Nebraska coach) Tom Osborne and everybody was always mad at him for not beating Oklahomaenough.That’sjustthe way it is.” Fulmerhascontinuallystressed tohisteamthatthebiggestgameis the next one — week after week. “We’re fighting through this and we’re sitting here talking about this at the same time we’re He finished with 91 yards on 13 carries (7.0 yards per carry) and caught four passes for 74 yards. The Vols eventually lost 4117, but Foster doesn’t hold any grudges. “I don’t hate the guys across from me,” he said. “I don’t wish any bad on them. “I smile, talk to guys between plays and try to get the refs to crackasmileeverynowandthen. Fun With Foster: UT tight end That’s just my style.” Chris Brown sent the message Penalties No Fun: One thing that early this week that the Vols need to relax and have more fun on the obviously wasn’t any fun at Alabama on Saturday was UT’s seafootball field. Running back Arian Foster son-high 11 penalties for 81 yards. “Itwasincredible,”Fulmersaid. couldn’t agree more. “When we’re down, we just “We’ve been one of the least petry to make the best of it,” he said. nalized teams in the conference. “We go out there and play hard We had eight on defense for the every down, but you have to re- yearandallofasuddenwegetout there and give up a couple. member it’s still just a game. “You just can’t do that. We’ve “Idon’tknowabouteverybody else, but I know I play my best addressed it in practice and we certainly addressed it Monday when I’m having fun.” It looked like Foster was en whenwewatchedthetape.We’ve route to a really fun day against been our own worst enemy at Alabama last week. The Tide times.” couldn’t stop him, but the carries SellItElsewhere: Fulmer doesn’t slowed as UT dug itself a hole on believeSouthCarolina’soffenseis the scoreboard. still in the championship mix,” he said.“Wecontrolourowndestiny to some degree if we win. “We’re planning to win the football game. We’ve got five to play and we’re only focused on this one right now.” Witten’spartingshotwasaplea for patience. “I would just ask the people to hang in there with him,” he said. 1 at California 8 Southern Miss. 15 at Florida 22 Arkansas St. L ,45-31 W, 39-19 L, 59-20 W, 48-27 OCTOBER 6 Georgia 13 at Miss. St. 20 at Alabama Today SouthCarolina NOVEMBER 3 La.-Lafayette 10 Arkansas 17 Vanderbilt 24 at Kentucky Associated Press W, 35-14 W, 33-21 L, 41-17 7:45,ESPN 4 TBA TBA TBA VOLS from GV1 fensive fronts to try to end that streak. “They’ve got some schemes andtheycomeatyoualotofdifferent ways,” UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said. “That’s one of the fun parts of my job is to kind of piece all that together. I love pass protection systems and schemes.” The Vols would love to find a way to stick with the run. Last week against Alabama, the Vols ran the ball 19 times despite the fact starter Arian Foster averaged better than 7 yards a carry. Fortheseason,Fosterisaveraging 5.7 yards a carry, trailing only Kentucky’s Rafael Little (6.4 YPC) and Arkansas’ Felix Jones (9.6 YPC) among the SEC’s leaders. But a limited number of carries and an inability to convert keythirddownsgavetheCrimson Tide some 15 minutes and 27 more plays on offense last week. “We didn’t have enough long drives because of the circumstances where we stopped ourselves,” Cutcliffe said. “But I really don’t think that running or throwing has anything to do ColquittsEndowScholarship:The Colquitt family, which has produced four all-star punters at UT over the last 30-plus years, has endowedascholarshipatTennessee.Thecontributionof$100,000 by UT’s First Family of Fourth Down permanently endows a football scholarship. “The Colquitts have made a mark on Tennessee football for more than 20 years,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This gift ensures they continue to make an impact for years to come.” Tennessee’s football records book has its very own Colquitt wing. Jimmy (1981-84) is the career punting average leader at 43.9 yards per attempt, followed by current Vols punter Britton at 42.9, Dustin (2001-04) at 42.6 and Craig (1975-77) at 42.5. Craig, Ann, Jimmy, Dustin, Christia and Britton Colquitt will maketheofficialpresentationbefore tonight’s game. “The University of Tennessee, through its academic and athletics departments, has enhanced the Colquitt family’s pursuit and accomplishments,” said CraigColquitt,whoisthefatherof Dustin and Britton and the uncle of Jimmy. “Therefore, with gratitude and appreciation we want to reinvest our time and resources.” Series History: Tennessee holds a 20-3-2 advantage against South Carolina dating back to 1903. The Vols have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, the loss a 16-15 decision in 2005. Recruit’s dad details pay from Tide booster TENNESSEE SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER as bad as Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier wants people to believe. Acoupleofweeksago,Spurrier called his team’s second-half offensive effort “putrid.” Last weekend, Spurrier said it looked like some of his players “didn’t give a (darn)”asSouthCarolinalost17-6 at home to Vanderbilt. “Coach Spurrier is the master of trying to make you think about somethingthatisn’tthatrelevant,” Fulmer said. On Thursday, asked about the “putrid” offense comments, Fulmer wasn’t biting. “No, no, no, I’m not buying any of that,” he said. “We just need to play a lot better ourselves. “I’mworriedaboutourfootball team playing well.” MARY ANN CHASTAIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier covers his face as his team heads to a 17-6 loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday at Columbia, S.C. with it.” Time of possession could be critical tonight. SouthCarolinahasn’ttopped 300yardsoftotaloffensethelast two weeks. Part of that falls on an offensive line that allowed seven sacks against Vanderbilt and was whistled for five false start penalties. Redshirt freshman Chris Smelley will likely start at quarterback today, but regardless Spurrier isn’t looking for an offensive explosion any time soon. “Hopefully, we can get in a good, close, tight game and try to find a way to win it,” Spur- rier said this week. “We’re not a real explosive offensive team, soifwegetintoascoringmatch, we’re not pretty good probably in that situation.” Initsvictoriesthisseason,the Vols haven’t had much trouble scoring.Intheirlosses,however, the Vols have given up a combined 145 points to Alabama, California and Florida. A victory for South Carolina keepstheGamecocksincontrol of their own destiny in their hunt for a first-ever SEC Championship Game appearance. The Vols need a win to avoid joining Vanderbilt in last place. Bytheendoftonight,Fulmer and Spurrier will again be on divergent paths. Aingewantstomakesurethe Vols don’t travel the road they took on their way to a 5-6 finish in 2005. “We can go two ways from here,”Aingesaid.“Wecankeep gettingbetterandtrytowinthis football game this weekend, or we can be upset about the Alabama game. “And that would be a mistake.” Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274. SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — An Alabama booster’sdefamationsuitagainstthe NCAA has brought out testimony that$20,000incashwasgiventothe father of a Crimson Tide football recruit before signing day in 1996. ButKenSmithofSouthPittsburg, Tenn.,whotestifiedthathereceived the money, denied it had anything to do with his son’s decision to sign with the Crimson Tide. He also said he was intimidated by an NCAA investigatorwhenhemadestatements that he now says were incorrect. Smith’stestimonycameinthetrial ofasuitfiledbyanortheastAlabama timberman,RayKellerofStevenson, who is seeking $2 million from the NCAA. He claims defamation and invasion of privacy stemming from the NCAA’s 2002 press release announcing sanctions for recruiting violations at Alabama. Keller was one of three men describedinthereportas“rogueboosters” and “the parasites of intercollegiate athletics.” The university cut its ties with the three — Keller, the late Logan Young of Memphis and Wendell Smith of Chattanooga. Young was found dead in his MemphishomeinApril2006.Police atfirstthoughthehadbeenviolently assaulted, but later concluded he accidentally hit his head in a fall. Testimony continued Friday before Jackson County Circuit Judge JohnGrahaminatrialthatcouldlast through next week. Ken Smith testified Thursday he received $20,000 from Wendell Smith, who is unrelated, after moving his family to Bridgeport so his son, Kenny Smith, could play footballatNorthJacksonHighSchoolin northeast Alabama. SmithsaidWendellSmithbrought $10,000 in $100 bills to his home in late1995andanother$10,000incash justbeforetheFebruary1996football signing day. He repeatedly said the moneycamefromYoung,withWendell Smith as the middleman. Butlateinhistestimonyhesaidhe thought $11,000 of it came from the lateR.D.Hicks,alongtimesupporter of North Jackson High athletics. Trial testimony was reported Friday by The Huntsville Times and The Daily Sentinel of Scottsboro. Ken Smith said he saw no lega or moral problem with taking the money,andthatKeller“tomyknowledge” had no involvement with the $20,000, which was used partly to buy a car. He said Keller never pressured his son to sign with Alabama. But during a 2001 taped interview with NCAA investigator Richard Johanningmeier,Smithsaid“itwasunderstood” that Keller would be his son’ sponsorfor“thingsastudentneeds at Alabama. Kenny Smith signed with Ala bama but never joined the team because of grades. KenSmithsaidhefeltintimidated during the June 2001 interview with Johanningmeier, Alabama faculty athleticsrepresentativeGeneMarsh and Rich Hilliard, a University of Alabama attorney. Smith said the tape recorder was turned off during that interview, at whichtimeJohanningmeiertoldhim the IRS could be contacted about the $20,000. Smith also claimed Johanningmeier mischaracterized information. NCAA attorney Allen Dodd re peatedly played portions of the interview and asked Smith if what he had told Johanningmeier was correct. Smith said it was not, or he “thought it was true at the time but now I know it’s false.” “They were after Ray Keller and Logan Young,” Smith said of the meeting. “The whole interview was about Logan Young and Ray Keller. They weren’t after the truth.” Hesaidhehadaskedforthemeeting with the NCAA investigator. “I called him to set the record straight on the car,” he said. Undercross-examination,headd ed that “the University of Alabama never offered my son anything. Ray Keller never bought my son that vehicle, or any vehicle.” NEWS SENTINEL | knoxnews.com GOVOLSXTRA Saturday, October 27, 2007 GV5 GV6 Saturday, October 27, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL SEC STANDINGS EASTERNDIVISION Conference Overall School W-L W-L South Carolina 3-2 6-2 Florida 3-2 5-2 Georgia 3-2 5-2 Kentucky 2-2 6-2 Tennessee 2-2 4-3 Vanderbilt 2-3 4-3 WESTERNDIVISION ROB CARR/ASSOCIATED PRESS ALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS Alabama coach Nick Saban, center, leaves the field after Alabama de- LSU coach Les Miles cheers at the student section after the Tigers defeated Florida on Oct. 6 in Baton feated Tennessee 41-17 last Saturday. Rouge, La. LSU, Alabama get a break before showdown BY RON HIGGINS The Commercial Appeal best we have for focusing on our next opponent.” IntheAlabamacamp,thisweek provides ’Bama coach Nick Saban a chance to fire a preemptive strike about the anticipated hype surrounding the game between Saban and the school he coached toaBCSnationalchampionshipin 2003.SabanleftLSUafterthe2004 season to coach the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Then, he left the Dolphins after two seasons to coach for a team in the same league and in the same division as LSU. “We have great respect for LSU,” Saban said. “The people really supported us in our time there. LSU has a good coaching staffandagreatteam.I’mtryingto getourteamreadytoplay.Beyond that, there’s not much to it. It (the upcoming game) really is about the players.” Tell that to the 35,000 LSU fans who requested tickets for the game in Tuscaloosa. To the fans, it’s about beating someone they consider a traitor. Somebody in the SEC knew what they were doing giving LSU and Alabama open dates before next week’s Saban Bowl between the Tigers and Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. ForLSU,thisweekisachanceto getofftheemotionalrollercoaster it has ridden the last three weeks with two wins (Florida, Auburn) and a loss (Kentucky) being decided in the last minute or regulation or in overtime. “GoingintotheKentuckygame, everyone was talking about our gameagainstFlorida(theprevious week), and they couldn’t leave it alone,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “AftertheKentuckygame(priorto lastweek’sgameagainstAuburn), all everyone talked about was the Kentuckygame.Noonecouldget past the Kentucky game. “Coaches and players understand that by Monday, we’re on to thenextgame.Butthepeoplethat don’tseeyouforseveraldays,they ask you about last week’s game. Third-and-draw: When you have That’swhyit’snicetohaveapause this week. This break may be the backs as good as Arkansas’ Dar- ren McFadden and Felix Jones, you can get away with what Arkansas coach Houston Nutt did against Ole Miss. The Hogs ran draw plays three times in third down-and-long situations in the first half of last Saturday’s 44-8 blowout. McFadden gained 30 yards on third-and-10, Jones 8 yardson third-and-4 andMichael Smith 11 on third-and-10. Then in the second half, Jones gained 21 yards on third-and-7 on a draw. “I like it that Coach shows that type of confidence in us,” Jones saidofrunninginobviouspassing situations. Change Of Plans: Mississippi State’s defense may have one of the college football’s bigger weektoo-week adjustments this week. Lastweek,Statehadtopreparefor West Virginia’s option-oriented rungame,featuringthespeedand shiftiness of quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slayton. The Mountaineers ran for262yardsina38-13victory,and proved they are the best running team on State’s schedule. Thisweekend,StateplaysKen- Poole headlines four official visitors BY DAVE HOOKER [email protected] Tennessee’s football team will host four official visitors this weekend. Tauren Poole from Stephens County High School in Toccoa, Ga., will finally make his official trip — a year after committing to UT last October. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound tailback has said he is also considering South Carolina. With only one defensive lineman (Steven Fowlkes from Banneker High in College Park, Ga.) committed for the 2008 class, UT is focused on shoring up that position. The Vols will try to sway 6-3, 275-pound defensive tackle Jere- myLewisfromPalmBeachLakes (Fla.) High. Lewis is committed to Miami. Lavar Edwards is another defensive line possibility. Edwards is a 6-4, 275-pound defensive end from Desire Street Academy in Baton Rouge, La. UT also will host A.J. Alexander, a 6-foot, 180-pound versatile athlete from Altoona (Pa.) High. Floyd Concerns: UT’s coaches can’t be pleased that J.T. Floyd has decided to take at least four other official visits, in addition to the one he’ll take to Knoxville. However, there shouldn’t have been much surprise The 5-11, 180-pound athlete saidhewillvisitMichigan,Maryland, North Carolina State and, possibly, South Carolina in the coming months. Floydhaslongbeenconsidered a soft commitment so the visits were all but expected. But it’s what Floyd told the Greeneville News that should have the Vols concerned. “The real reason I’m looking around now is hearing all the coaching changes mentioned and things of that nature, I don’t want to go into a situation where I have coaches that recruited me, but they’re not the ones coaching me,” Floyd told the newspaper. “Coaching stability is a big thing.” tucky, the best passing team on its schedule featuring quarterback Andre Woodson. “We saw an offense and a defense last week that we normally don’t see,” State coach Sylvester Croom said. “This week, we’re playinganoffensethatwe’remore familiar with, a team we play every year, and we have a feel for whattheydo.Butwearereallygoingtogetchallenged,ourcorners, oursafeties.Ourcoverageisgoing tobechallengedprobablyasmuch as it has all season.” ESPN Adds Game: Arkansas will hostSouthCarolinainanationally televised game on either ESPN or ESPN2, the Razorbacks athletic department said Friday. Thenetworkwillbeannounced Sunday;thegametimeremaining the same. Kickoff for the Nov. 3 game is at 7 p.m. The game was not originally selectedaspartoftheconference’s television package, but ESPN approached the SEC about broadcasting the game after television selections for that weekend were announced. The Associated Press contributed to this report. School LSU Alabama Auburn Arkansas Miss. State Ole Miss Conference Overall W-L W-L 4-1 7-1 4-1 6-2 3-2 5-3 1-3 4-3 1-3 4-4 0-5 2-6 Today’sgames SouthCarolinaatTennessee7:45p.m., ESPN Miss. State at Kentucky, 12:30, WVLT Florida Int. at Arkansas, 1 Miami (Ohio) at Vanderbilt, 2 Florida vs. Georgia (at Jacksonville, Fla.) 3:30, WVLT Ole Miss at Auburn , 6 NextSaturday’sgames La.LafayetteatTennessee4p.m. Vanderybilt at Florida, 12:30, WVLT Troy at Georgia, 1 Northwestern St. at Ole Miss, 2 Tennessee Tech at Auburn, 2:30 LSU at Alabama, 5, WVLT South Carolina at Arkansas, 7 ESPN/ESPN2 NEWS SENTINEL | knoxnews.com TODAY’S SEC MATCHUPS Mississippi State (4-4, 1-3 SEC) at Kentucky (6-2, 2-2) Time: 12:30 p.m. (TV: WVLT) Skinny: It was a loss, but No. 14-ranked Kentucky was still impressive in a 45-37 defeat at the hands of Florida last week. On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi State remained unimpressive in a 38-13 loss to West Virginia. Kentucky leads the all-time series 20-14, including a closer-than-expected 34-31 victory in Starkville last year. Key Players: Just when you think you’ve seen the best from Kentucky QB Andre Woodson, he completes 35-of-50 passes for 415 yards and five TDs in the loss to Florida. The Wildcats are banged up with WR Keenan Burton and RBs Rafael Little and Tony Dixon nursing injuries. MSU RB Anthony Dixon has an SEC-high 11 rushing touchdowns. Line: Kentucky by 13½ Florida International (0-7, 0-3 Sun Belt) at Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC) Time: 2 Skinny: This could be a blood bath. ESPN. com ranks Florida International No. 1 in its “Bottom 10” of Division I programs. That’s what happens when you lose 19 in a row. Give FIU credit for playing a brutal schedule. The Golden Panthers’ first four losses of the season came to Penn State, Maryland, Miami and Kansas. This is the first meeting between the schools. Arkansas is coming off of last week’s 44-8 destruction of Ole Miss. Key Players: Arkansas RB Darren McFadden had 110 yards last week and leads the SEC with 133.1 rushing yards per game. His backfield mate Felix Jones had 101 against the Rebels and scored twice. That was status quo for the Hogs. The big news was QB Casey Dick throwing three TD passes. FIU relies on freshman QB Wayne Younger, who has thrown for 954 yards and rushed for a team-high 245 yards. Line: Arkansas by 39 GOVOLSXTRA Saturday, October 27, 2007 GV7 Hard to keep Eagles’ Hubbard secret SAC STANDINGS Tusculum Catawba Carson-Newman Wingate Newberry Lenoir-Rhyne Mars Hill x-Brevard Conf. 3-0 3-1 3-1 1-2 2-2 0-3 0-3 0-0 All 5-3 7-1 7-1 6-2 6-2 2-6 4-3 2-6 Today’sgames BrevardatCarson-Newman,1p.m. Wingate at Catawba, 1:30 Lenoir-Rhyne at Mars Hill, 2:30 TusculumatNewberry,7 Nov.3 Carson-NewmanatWingate,1:30p.m. MarsHillAtTusculum,1:30 Catawba at Brevard, 2 Newberry At Lenoir-Rhyne, 2 x-noteligibleforconferencetitle C-N return specialist ‘can make things happen’ BY ADAM GREENE [email protected] JEFFERSON CITY — There was a time when sophomore wide receiver Reggie Hubbardwasconsideredasecretweapon for Carson-Newman College. With a knack for making circus catches and busting huge kick returns, it’s safe to say Hubbard’s secret is out. “Reggie has been a weapon for two yearsandIthinkmoreandmorepeople are starting to find that out,” C-N coach Ken Sparks said Thursday after practice. “He has a knack for making the big play. He’s sneaky fast and can run by you in a heartbeat.” Hubbard has run by a lot of people forthe13th-rankedEagles(7-1,3-1South Atlantic Conference), who face provisional SAC member Brevard College at 1 p.m. today at Burke-Tarr Stadium. Hubbard does most of his damage on kick returns. He is averaging 27 yards a return this year and has scored one touchdown. “We come in with a great game plan andemphasizethekickinggame,”Hubbardsaid.“Wewanttosettheoffenseup in great field position and score some points.” Hubbard’s returns have done just that. In six games this season, CarsonNewman has scored more than 40 points. Hubbard has been such a factor intheonslaught,theEaglesareforcedto hide him in the kick return team. When the opposing team lines up to kick,HubbardandfellowreturnerBuck Wakefield stand side by side to fool the kicker. The Eagles give no other choice than to kick it to Hubbard. Then, things can get exciting. “He (Reggie) can make things happen,” Sparks said. ForHubbard,thesuccesscomesfrom trustinghisfellowplayersonthereturn unit. “I have faith in the wedge guys and just find a hole and go,” Hubbard said. “They pick up their blocks, do the hard work and get the job done. I just get to pick up the glory and run in the open field. Once you get past the wedge, all you’re looking at is the kicker.” Hubbard and the rest of the C-N squadwillhaveanewexperiencetoday Virginia Tech lets BC get away Ryan leads two-minute rally from 10-0 deficit Associated Press Miami, Ohio (4-4, 3-1 MAC) at Vanderbilt (4-3, 2-3 SEC) Time: 2 Skinny: Let’s see how the Commodores handle success. Vanderbilt upset previously sixth-ranked South Carolina 176 last week, the ’Dores’ biggest upset of a ranked opponent since 1937. Miami had won three games in a row before losing 24-17 at Temple last week. The last time Vandy and Miami got together, the Red Hawks grabbed a 33-30 victory in 2000. Key Players: Vandy QB Mackenzi Adams made the most of his first career start against the Gamecocks, passing for 123 yards and two TDs while rushing for 84 yards. Vanderbilt WR Earl Bennett needs two catches to become the SEC’s all-time leader. Miami QB Daniel Raudabaugh had a career-high 314 yards passing in the loss to Temple. Line: Vanderbilt by 13½ Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) vs. Georgia (5-2, 3-2) Time: 3:30 (TV: WVLT) Skinny: The crazy SEC East — with five teams sitting at the top with two conference losses apiece — gets a little clearer after this one. 20th-ranked Georgia leads the all-time series 45-37-2, but No. 9-ranked Florida has won 15 of the last 17 meetings, including a 21-14 victory last season. The Bulldogs had an open date to prepare for the Gators. Florida took down Kentucky in Lexington last week. Key Players: Who else? Hometown hero Tim Tebow returns to Jacksonville. Florida’s sophomore leads the nation with a 177.5 quarterback rating, but he has been limited in practice this week with a sore shoulder. Who knows if that slows down a guy who has 17 TD passes and 10 rushing scores? Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno has to carry the load after injuries to Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin. Line: Florida by 9 Ole Miss (2-6, 0-5 SEC) at Auburn (5-3, 3-2) Time: 6 Skinny: They don’t get much tougher than Auburn’s last-second, 30-24 loss to LSU last week. Ole Miss had its own frustration to deal with in a 44-8 loss to Arkansas. Auburn leads the series 23-8, but nine of the past 14 games have been decided by 10 points or less. This is a matchup of two bad offenses. Auburn ranks 102nd in the nation with 345.1 yards per game. Ole Miss is 110th in scoring with 20.3 per game. Key Players: Ole Miss is sticking with Seth Adams at QB despite four interceptions in the loss to Arkansas. That makes 10 interceptions in three games for Adams. Brent Schaeffer, a former UT player, could see relief duty early if Adams struggles again. Former Maryville High School star Carl Stewart continues to impress at fullback for the Tigers. He scored his first touchdown of the season last week against LSU. Line: Auburn by 17½ — Mark Burgess as they play host to Brevard for the first time.WithavictoryovertheTornadoes (2-6, 0-4) Carson-Newman will match its 2006 win total. “They (Brevard) are getting better every week,” Sparks said. “We have to bereadyforit.Wecan’thaveanymental lapses and think we’re better than we are. We’re still a team in progress and have some work to do.” BrevardplaysanAirForce-stylewing bone option, with junior tailback John Taylor picking up most of the rushing chores with 134 carries for 669 yards and 10 touchdowns. “They give you every formation known to man,” Sparks said. “You have to play assignment football and be disciplined. We need to get out there and get the job done. We have some work to do and I hope we’ll show up and do some of it.” Carson-Newman will be without centerEvanBeale.Bealewasthesecond offensive lineman to fall in consecutive weeks. The Eagles lost Ross Shaffer for the season against Catawba. Right tackle Jeff Weaver also left last week’s gameagainstLenoir-Rhyne,butshould be ready to play today. STEVE HELBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS BostonCollegerunningbackAndreCallender,left, liftsteammateKevinChallengerastheycelebratethegame-winningtouchdown against Virginia Tech on Thursday night in Blacksburg, Va. Playoff push makes sense now From the very start, the college football season has been one wacky, wild and highly entertaining week after another. Stanford, a Pac-10 bottom-feeder in recent years, stuns Southern Cal. And everybody else in the country. Little Appalachian State sets the tone with a season-opening upset of Michigan — in the Big House, no less. South Florida says hello to the top 10 then falls victim to the No. 2 curse. Well, the fun is coming to an end. On Dec. 2, to be exact. That, of course, is BCS selection day. The day when college football’s powers that be puff out their chests and declare they’ve identified the nation’s two best teams. Right. They’ll announce they’ve figured out how to get Britney back on track, too. “Even when you have two undefeated teams, somebody’s unhappy,” BCS analyst Jerry Palm said. “There’s always somebody unhappy. Whenever you pick two teams, it’s just not enough to make everybody happy.” Which is why there should be a playoff. After years of fans and media clamoring for a Division I playoff, this season is the perfect example of why one is needed. Take any team in the top five — heck, maybe even the top 10 — and there’s a case for why it should have a shot at the national title. Why it shouldn’t, too. Ohio State and Boston College are undefeated, but neither the Big Ten nor the ACC looks too mighty. LSU’s only loss was at Kentucky and it took three overtimes; though it did have close calls at home against Florida and NANCYARMOUR Associated Press Auburn. Oklahoma’s loss at Colorado doesn’t look so good, but it did beat Missouri and Texas. Oregon lost at home to Cal, but the Pac-10 might be the toughest conference in the country right now, and the Ducks offense is putting up numbers that would make Ernie Kent proud. And with a month still left in the season and conference championships still to be played, shake-ups in the standings aren’t close to being done. Odds are, the top two teams come Dec. 2 won’t be undefeated. There could even be a two-loss team near the top of the polls if defending champion Florida wins out and the folks in front of the Gators stumble enough. That means when the BCS announces which two teams will play for that big crystal football in the national championship game Jan. 7 in New Orleans, somebody — maybe a lot of somebodies — will cry foul. “I suppose that’ll make 95 percent of the people who want a playoff scream even louder,” Palm said. “But they’re screaming into the wind.” There are playoffs in nearly every sport at nearly every level. Even college football’s lower divisions make it work. Appalachian State was hardened by its championship runs through the playoffs in what was Division I-AA the last two years. But the BCS knows better. It insists its ranking system can produce a true 1-2 matchup and still keep the rest of the big-money bowl system relevant. Never mind that the ranking system has been tinkered with more than a beat-up car, or that it’s now as convoluted as golf’s FedEx Cup points system. Or that, since it began in 1998, the BCS has gotten it right about once every third year. (This isn’t that year, for those keeping track. The formula worked in 2005.) BCS proponents argue that a playoff system would diminish the importance of the regular season and reward teams for losing. If Michigan wins out, a 10-2 record likely would put the Wolverines in the mix in a playoff system. Never mind that loss to Appalachian State. But except for those rare years when there are two undefeated teams, the BCS system allows do-overs, too. Oftentimes, it’s the team that had the good fortune to get its losing over with early. Had Florida lost in the SEC title game instead of midway through the season last year, it wouldn’t have made the national championship game. Michigan, on the other hand, had no shot after losing to Ohio State in its season finale. A playoff system won’t answer all of college football’s problems. There still would be debates over the teams left out, and the No. 1 left standing at the end might be as lucky as it is good. But this wacky season has shown the days of a few super programs dominating college football are over. There’s little separating the top teams and the almost-top-teams, and watching them try and settle it on the field makes for great entertainment. Too bad it has to stop Dec. 2. Playing before a home crowd that stayed all night standing in sometimes drivingrain,No.8VirginiaTechthought it had another signature victory, and a well-deservedre-entryintothenational championship picture. It thought too soon. When Matt Ryan and No. 2 Boston Collegedidtheremarkable,scoringtwo touchdowns in the last 2:11 to win 14-10 on Thursday night at Blacksburg, Va., it wastheunbeatenEagleswhoenhanced their profile, and made believers of the Hokies and surely many others. “Iknewhewasgood,buthereallyimpressed me with those last two drives,” said cornerback Brandon Flowers, who had Virginia Tech’s lone interception. The Hokies had several other good chances, but dropped them all during the soggy early going. Still, they dominated about as much as a team can while leading only 10-0 until late in the final quarter, when the Hokies dropped their linebackers into a preventcoverage,Ryanscrambledaway fromtherushinglinemenandpickedthe Hokies apart. “That’s not his game, but he ended up staying alive and it’s hard to hang onto coverage that long,” BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski. “We ended having a guy open there late.” Held to 16-for-37 for 128 yards in the first 54 minutes, Ryan was 9-for-15 for 157 yards and two TDs the rest of the way. Drives of 91 and 66 yards ended with TD throws, and he even threw in an11-yardruntotheVirginiaTech16on the winning drive. “At the end, we pulled together and made plays,” Jagodzinski said. “It was something else, probably the best win I’ve ever been around.” TheHokies,whosehopesforachance to play for the national championship had returned in spite of a 48-7 loss at then-No. 2 LSU in the second week, were stunned. “I’d rather lose 48-7 than lose like this, to be honest with you,” left tackle DuaneBrownsaid.“Youthinkyouhave it sewn up. Four minutes left, you’re up by 10, you’re feeling pretty good on the sidelines and this happens? You really take a blow.” Georgia Tech Injuries: Georgia Tech, already missing ACC rushing leader Tashard Choice (knee), could be without backup Rashaun Grant for the rest of the season. Grant, who was expected to be Choice’sreplacementThursdayagainst Virginia Tech, was knocked out of the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s win over Army after taking a hit above his right ankle. In other college football news: ■ Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez will start today for the Trojans at Oregon. Sanchez is getting the start as regular starter John David Booty is still recovering from a broken right middle finger, coach Pete Carroll said. Booty, who threw in practice Tuesday and Wednesday, did not throw on Thursday. ■RunningbackJ.R.Hasty,theWashington state prep player of the year in 2004 who led Bellevue High School to four consecutive state titles before running into academic problems at Washington,hasquittheHuskies,coach Tyrone Willingham said. GV8 Saturday, October 27, 2007 GOVOLSXTRA knoxnews.com | NEWS SENTINEL SCOREBOARD GLANTZ-CULVER LINE Scores Friday Princeton 34, Cornell 31 Boise St. 34, Fresno St. 21 Widener 13, Delaware Valley 10 Today’s games FAVORITE South Florida at Wisconsin at Purdue at Wake Forest at Louisville at Illinois at Florida St. at Michigan at Auburn at Missouri at Vanderbilt at Buffalo Cent. Michigan at Kansas St. Kansas at Texas Tech at Wyoming at Tulsa at Tulane at Oregon La. Tech at Washington W. Michigan at East Carolina Florida-x Michigan St. Clemson Virginia at Texas at Nevada at Marshall Utah at Bowling Green at Oregon St. UCLA at Tennessee at Toledo at Kentucky West Virginia Ohio St. Houston at Arizona St. at Hawaii at Arkansas at Fla. Atlantic Troy Middle Tenn. OPEN 5½ 8½ 14 7 10½ 13½ 18½ 24 18 28½ 13 1½ +1 24½ 2 12½ 11½ 14 +1 3½ 3 3 5½ 14 9 3½ 3½ 3 20 17 8 6 8 12½ 6 3 3½ 13½ 7 4½ 4½ 3½ 25½ 39 6½ 4 12½ TDY 4 8½ 12½ 5½ 9½ 14 17½ 23 18 28½ 13 1½ 3 25½ 3 13½ 11 13½ 1½ 3 2½ 4 5 14½ 7½ 3 3½ 3½ 20½ 17½ 9 5½ 7 13½ 6 2½ 3½ 14 6 3½ 6 3 29½ 40½ 6 4½ 12½ UNDERDOG at Connecticut Indiana Northwestern North Carolina Pittsburgh Ball St. Duke Minnesota Mississippi Iowa St. Miami (Ohio) Akron at Kent St. Baylor at Texas A&M Colorado UNLV SMU Memphis Southern Cal at Utah St. Arizona at E. Michigan UAB Georgia at Iowa at Maryland at N.C. State Nebraska Idaho Rice at Colorado St. Ohio Stanford at Washington St. South Carolina N. Illinois Mississippi St. at Rutgers at Penn St. at UTEP California New Mexico St. Fla. Int’l La.-Monroe at Arkansas St. at North Texas x-at Jacksonville, Fla. Sunday’s game FAVORITE at Southern Miss. OPEN 3 TDY 3 UNDERDOG UCF Thursday SOUTH Bethel, Tenn. 44, Shorter 21 Boston College 14, Virginia Tech 10 New Mexico 34, Air Force 31 Wofford 47, W. Carolina 44 Summary No. 2 BOSTON COLLEGE 14, No. 8 VIRGINIA TECH 10 Boston College 0 0 0 14 – 14 Virginia Tech 0 7 3 0 – 10 Second Quarter VT–Royal 8 pass from Glennon (Dunlevy kick), 10:31. Third Quarter VT–FG Dunlevy 44, 5:33. Fourth Quarter BC–Gunnell 16 pass from Ryan (Aponavicius kick), 2:11. BC–Callender 24 pass from Ryan (Aponavicius kick), :11. A–66,233. BC VT First downs 19 15 Rushes-yards 18-32 41-116 Passing 285 149 Comp-Att-Int 25-53-2 15-25-0 Return Yards 7 27 Punts-Avg. 9-45.6 9-37.3 Fumbles-Lost 3-0 5-2 Penalties-Yards 9-83 5-44 Time of Possession 28:11 31:49 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING – Boston College, Callender 7-29, Whitworth 7-25, Ryan 4-(minus 22). Virginia Tech, Ore 20-97, Glennon 14-23, Weatherford 1-3, K.Lewis 2-2, J.Morgan 2-1, Royal 1-0, Team 1-(minus 10). PASSING – Boston College, Ryan 25-52-2-285, Flutie 0-1-0-0. Virginia Tech, Glennon 15-25-0-149. RECEIVING – Boston College, Robinson 5-86, Callender 5-38, Challenger 4-60, Purvis 4-40, Gunnell 334, Loyte 2-8, Jarvis 1-14, Megwa 1-5. Virginia Tech, Royal 4-77, Boone 3-30, Harper 3-17, Hyman 2-17, Wheeler 1-5, Weatherford 1-3, J.Morgan 1-0. Schedule Today’s games East Monmouth, N.J. (1-5) at Cent. Connecticut St. (52), 11 a.m. Rhode Island (1-6) at New Hampshire (5-2), Noon West Virginia (6-1) at Rutgers (5-2), Noon Penn (2-4) at Brown (2-4), 12:30 p.m. Yale (6-0) at Columbia (1-5), 12:30 p.m. Dartmouth (2-4) at Harvard (4-2), 12:30 p.m. Holy Cross (5-2) at Bucknell (2-5), 1 p.m. Akron (3-4) at Buffalo (3-5), 1 p.m. Duquesne (5-2) at Iona (5-2), 1 p.m. Colgate (4-3) at Lafayette (4-3), 1 p.m. Georgetown, D.C. (1-7) at Lehigh (3-4), 1 p.m. Delaware (6-1) at Navy (4-3), 1 p.m. St. Francis, Pa. (0-6) at Sacred Heart (3-5), 1 p.m. Albany, N.Y. (4-3) at Wagner (5-2), 1 p.m. Maine (1-6) at Northeastern (1-6), 2 p.m. Assumption (1-7) at La Salle (0-6), 3 p.m. South Florida (6-1) at Connecticut (6-1), 3:30 p.m. Hofstra (6-1) at Villanova (4-2), 3:30 p.m. Bryant (7-0) at Stony Brook (4-4), 4 p.m. Fordham (6-2) at Marist (1-7), 7 p.m. Ohio St. (8-0) at Penn St. (6-2), 8 p.m. South The Citadel (5-2) at Georgia Southern (5-2), Noon Pittsburgh (3-4) at Louisville (4-4), Noon North Carolina (2-5) at Wake Forest (5-2), Noon Richmond (5-2) at James Madison (5-1), 12:05 p.m. Mississippi St. (4-4) at Kentucky (6-2), 12:30 p.m. Presbyterian (5-3) at Liberty (3-3), 1 p.m. E. Kentucky (6-2) at Murray St. (2-5), 1 p.m. Howard (3-4) at Norfolk St. (6-1), 1 p.m. SE Missouri (2-5) at Tenn.-Martin (1-7), 1 p.m. Massachusetts (6-1) at William & Mary (4-3), 1 p.m. Chattanooga (2-5) at Elon (5-2), 1:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman (2-5) at N. Carolina A&T (0-8), 1:30 p.m. Delaware St. (6-1) at S. Carolina St. (4-3), 1:30 p.m. Edward Waters (3-5) at Savannah St. (1-6), 2 p.m. Miami (Ohio) (4-4) at Vanderbilt (4-3), 2 p.m. Samford (3-4) at Tennessee Tech (4-4), 2:30 p.m. Appalachian St. (5-2) at Furman (3-4), 3 p.m. Texas Southern (0-7) at Grambling St. (6-1), 3 p.m. Texas St. (2-5) at Northwestern St. (3-4), 3 p.m. Memphis (3-4) at Tulane (2-5), 3 p.m. " # (((( " &' % ! '" ! ! % ""!" ((( % &!"%! WEEKEND TV SCHEDULE 5. Oregon 6-1 1,355 7 6. West Virginia 6-1 1,228 9 7. Arizona St. (1) 7-0 1,156 12 8. Virginia Tech 6-1 1,111 11 9. Florida 5-2 1,107 14 9. Southern Cal 6-1 1,107 13 11. South Florida 6-1 980 2 12. Kansas 7-0 960 15 13. Missouri 6-1 925 15 14. Kentucky 6-2 719 8 15. South Carolina 6-2 649 6 16. Hawaii 7-0 573 17 17. Texas 6-2 497 19 18. California 5-2 444 10 19. Michigan 6-2 401 24 20. Georgia 5-2 394 21 21. Virginia 7-1 315 – 22. Alabama 6-2 263 – 23. Auburn 5-3 248 18 24. Penn St. 6-2 209 – 25. Rutgers 5-2 174 – Others receiving votes: UCLA 77, Boise St. 72, Wake Forest 50, Connecticut 26, Clemson 21, Wisconsin 17, Air Force 11, BYU 6, Texas Tech 6, Troy 4, Fresno St. 3, Oklahoma St. 3, Tennessee 3, Kansas St. 2, Cincinnati 1, Purdue 1, Texas A&M 1. Today’sgames noon — Citadel at Georgia Southern. CSS. noon — West Virginia at Rutgers. WATE. noon — Michigan State at Iowa. ESPN2. 12:30 — Mississippi State at Kentucky. WVLT. 3 — Appalachian State at Furman. SportSouth. 3 — Southern Cal at Oregon. FSN. 3:30 — Clemson at Maryland. WATE. 3:30 — Georgia vs. Florida. WVLT. 3:30 — Minnesota at Michigan. ESPN Classic. 3:30 — Richmond at James Madison. CSS. 6:30 — UCLA at Washington State. FSN. 6:30 — Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb. SportSouth. 7 — Kansas at Texas A&M. ESPN2. 7 — Troy at Arkansas State. CSS. 7:45 — South Carolina at Tennessee. ESPN. 8 — Ohio St. at Penn State. WATE. USA Today Top 25 Poll The Top 25 teams in the USA Today college football coaches poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec. Sunday’sGame 8 — UCF at Southern Miss. ESPN. Alabama St. (4-3) vs. Alabama A&M (6-1) at Birmingham, Ala., 3:30 p.m. UAB (2-5) at East Carolina (4-4), 3:30 p.m. Florida (5-2) vs. Georgia (5-2) at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m. Clemson (5-2) at Maryland (4-3), 3:30 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe (2-5) at Florida Atlantic (4-3), 4 p.m. Ark.-Pine Bluff (1-6) at Jackson St. (4-3), 4 p.m. Florida A&M (2-5) at Morgan St. (4-4), 4 p.m. Rice (1-6) at Marshall (0-6), 4:30 p.m. Virginia (7-1) at N.C. State (2-5), 4:30 p.m. E. Illinois (5-3) at Tennessee St. (3-4), 5 p.m. Mississippi (2-6) at Auburn (5-3), 6 p.m. Hampton (4-3) at Winston-Salem (4-3), 6 p.m. Charleston Southern (3-4) at Gardner-Webb (3-4), 6:30 p.m. VMI (2-5) at Coastal Carolina (2-5), 7 p.m. N.C. Central (6-2) at W. Kentucky (4-3), 7 p.m. South Carolina (6-2) at Tennessee (4-3), 7:45 p.m. Duke (1-6) at Florida St. (4-3), 8 p.m. SE Louisiana (2-5) at McNeese St. (7-0), 8 p.m. Kansas (7-0) at Texas A&M (6-2), 7 p.m. Houston (4-3) at UTEP (4-3), 9:05 p.m. Midwest Sunday’s game Davidson (4-3) at Butler (4-4), Noon Ball St. (5-3) at Illinois (5-3), Noon Michigan St. (5-3) at Iowa (3-5), Noon Northwestern (5-3) at Purdue (6-2), Noon Indiana (5-3) at Wisconsin (6-2), Noon San Diego (7-0) at Dayton (7-1), 1 p.m. Cent. Michigan (4-4) at Kent St. (3-5), 1 p.m. Jacksonville (2-5) at Drake (5-3), 2 p.m. Iowa St. (1-7) at Missouri (6-1), 2 p.m. S. Utah (0-7) at N. Dakota St. (7-0), 2 p.m. Morehead St. (5-2) at Valparaiso (4-4), 2 p.m. W. Illinois (5-3) at Illinois St. (4-4), 2:30 p.m. Indiana St. (0-8) at Missouri St. (4-4), 2:30 p.m. W. Michigan (3-5) at E. Michigan (2-6), 3:30 p.m. Minnesota (1-7) at Michigan (6-2), 3:30 p.m. Baylor (3-5) at Kansas St. (4-3), 3:35 p.m. Youngstown St. (5-3) at N. Iowa (7-0), 4:05 p.m. Ohio (3-5) at Bowling Green (4-3), 6 p.m. N. Illinois (1-7) at Toledo (3-5), 7 p.m. Southwest Colorado (4-4) at Texas Tech (6-2), Noon Fla. International (0-7) at Arkansas (4-3), 2 p.m. MVSU (2-5) at Prairie View (4-2), 3 p.m. Sam Houston St. (3-4) at Stephen F.Austin (0-7), 3 p.m. SMU (1-6) at Tulsa (4-3), 3 p.m. Nebraska (4-4) at Texas (6-2), 3:30 p.m. Troy (5-2) at Arkansas St. (3-4), 7 p.m. Nicholls St. (5-2) at Cent. Arkansas (4-3), 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee (3-5) at North Texas (1-6), 7 p.m. Far West Montana St. (5-2) at N. Colorado (0-8), 2 p.m. UNLV (2-6) at Wyoming (4-3), 2 p.m. Southern Cal (6-1) at Oregon (6-1), 3 p.m. Arizona (2-6) at Washington (2-5), 3 p.m. Louisiana Tech (2-5) at Utah St. (0-7), 3:05 p.m. Idaho (1-7) at Nevada (3-4), 4:05 p.m. S. Dakota St. (3-4) at UC Davis (3-5), 5 p.m. Cal Poly (4-3) at Idaho St. (3-4), 5:05 p.m. E. Washington (4-3) at Sacramento St. (1-6), 5:05 p.m. Utah (5-3) at Colorado St. (1-6), 5:30 p.m. Weber St. (2-5) at Portland St. (2-5), 5:35 p.m. Montana (7-0) at N. Arizona (5-3), 6:05 p.m. Stanford (3-4) at Oregon St. (4-3), 6:30 p.m. UCLA (5-2) at Washington St. (2-5), 6:30 p.m. California (5-2) at Arizona St. (7-0), 10 p.m. New Mexico St. (4-4) at Hawaii (7-0), 12:05 a.m. South UCF (4-3) at Southern Miss. (3-3), 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 South Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 Midwest Temple at Ohio, 7 p.m. Akron at Bowling Green, 7:30 p.m. Far West Nevada at New Mexico St., 8 p.m. Polls The AP Top 25 The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25thplace vote, and previous ranking: 1. Ohio St. (57) 2. Boston College (2) 3. LSU (5) 4. Oklahoma Rec. 8-0 7-0 7-1 7-1 Pts Pvs 1,612 1,494 1,479 1,421 1 3 5 4 Pts Pvs 1. Ohio State (58) 8-0 1,498 1 2. Boston College (2) 7-0 1,412 2 3. LSU 7-1 1,319 5 4. Oklahoma 7-1 1,306 4 5. Oregon 6-1 1,225 6 6. West Virginia 6-1 1,134 7 7. Arizona State 7-0 1,089 12 8. Southern California 6-1 1,060 t9 9. Virginia Tech 6-1 1,052 11 10. Kansas 7-0 911 15 11. Florida 5-2 906 14 12. South Florida 6-1 813 3 13. Missouri 6-1 790 17 14. Hawaii 7-0 617 16 15. Kentucky 6-2 604 13 16. Texas 6-2 527 18 17. South Carolina 6-2 474 8 18. Virginia 7-1 466 24 19. Georgia 5-2 402 20 20. California 5-2 397 t9 21. Michigan 6-2 325 NR 22. Penn State 6-2 294 25 23. Auburn 5-3 179 19 24. Alabama 6-2 177 NR 25. Wisconsin 6-2 105 NR Others receiving votes: Boise State 103, Rutgers 96, Connecticut 75, Purdue 37, Texas Tech 28 UCLA 21, Clemson 17, Cincinnati 10, Texas A&M 6, Fresno State 5, Wake Forest 5, Brigham Young 4, Kansas State 3, Maryland 3, Oklahoma State 2, Vanderbilt 2, Illinois 1. Harris Top 25 The Top 25 teams in the first Harris Interactive College Football Poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking: Rec. Pts Pvs 1. Ohio State (111) 8-0 2,847 1 2. Boston College (1) 7-0 2,676 2 3. LSU (2) 7-1 2,550 5 4. Oklahoma 7-1 2,521 4 5. Oregon 6-1 2,281 7 6. West Virginia 6-1 2,157 8 7. USC 6-1 2,100 9 8. Arizona State 7-0 2,003 12 9. Florida 5-2 1,867 14 10. Virginia Tech 6-1 1,831 13 11. Kansas 7-0 1,671 15 12. South Florida 6-1 1,627 3 13. Missouri 6-1 1,568 17 14. Hawaii 7-0 1,265 16 15. Kentucky 6-2 1,156 11 16. Texas 6-2 1,054 18 17. South Carolina 6-2 1,031 6 18. California 5-2 873 10 19. Georgia 5-2 711 20 20. Virginia 7-1 650 24 21. Michigan 6-2 643 25 22. Penn State 6-2 404 NR 23. Auburn 5-3 333 19 24. Alabama 6-2 322 NR 25. Rutgers 5-2 249 NR Other teams receiving votes: Wisconsin 153 UCLA 116, Boise State 94, Connecticut 80, Wake Forest 42, Purdue 37, Texas Tech 36, Texas A&M 30, Cincinnati 20, Clemson 15, Kansas State 12, Oregon State 11, Illinois 5 BYU 4, Air Force 3, Oklahoma State 1, Tennessee 1.
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