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| Friday, September 15 Bulldogs trying to recover from loss to S. Carolina By Brian Bennett Special to ESPN.com | |||||
This was supposed to be the year the Bulldogs finally leapfrogged over
Tennessee and Florida in the SEC East. Coach Jim Donnan said in the offseason
he'd been waiting all his coaching life to have a team with this much
potential.
But after Saturday's shocking 21-10 loss at South Carolina -- which had lost
21 straight games entering this season -- Donnan instead can feel his seat
growing warmer by the minute. Bulldog fans have lit up radio talk shows and
Internet message boards this week with calls for Donnan's head.
"Fans have every right to be disappointed," Donnan acknowledged. "The team is
very disappointed, just like our fans."
Just about everything that could go wrong did Saturday for Georgia, which
was hammered by an aggressive Gamecock defense and repeatedly turned the ball over.
Alabama He was hailed as the savior coming out of high school, and now quarterback Tyler Watts has a chance to live up to his billing. Coach Mike DuBose named Watts the starter this week against Southern Miss. Watts rallied the offense for two fourth quarter touchdowns last week against Vanderbilt after Andrew Zow struggled early on. Watts started two games last year when Zow was injured, but it's the first time he's won the job outright. "This is the way every player wants it to be," he told the Birmingham News. ... It's back to the future for the Alabama offense, which has apparently ditched glitz for guts. The Crimson Tide ran the ball 42 times against Vandy while throwing only 15 times. Do-everything speedster Freddie Milons was shelved, getting only three touches. "I want us to be physical and establish the run," DuBose said. Arkansas The Ole Miss players and fans got their chance to play against the coach who jilted them last week, when Auburn and Tommy Tuberville came to Oxford. This week, Boise State gets the same opportunity. The Broncos travel to Fayetteville to take on former BSU coach Houston Nutt's Razorbacks. Nutt coached Boise State for one season before leaving for his home state in 1997. By Nutt's count, the Broncos will bring 18 players he either coached or recruited. ... Boise State boasts the nation's third-longest winning streak, at eight games. ... Junior cornerback Orlando Green returned to practice this week after missing two weeks with a pulled hamstring. But he's questionable still against Boise State, a team that loves to pass the ball. Auburn The Tigers have to play LSU at the worst possible place: Jordan-Hare Stadium. Incredibly, Aubun has lost a school record eight straight SEC home games, dating back to a November 1997 win over Alabama. "It's just unbelievable to think it's been that long," linebacker Rob Pate told the Birmingham News. "We sure don't want to go out like that." ... Senior linebacker Courtney Rose was named SEC defensive player of the week for his performance against Ole Miss, when he had seven tackles, a sack and an interception that set up a touchdown. ... Move over Hal Mumme, there's a new gambler in the league. Tommy Tuberville went for it three times on fourth-down against Ole Miss (the Tigers were 3-for-3) and called for a successful first-quarter onside kick. LSU The Nick Saban Era is off to a solid start, as the Tigers have put together wins against Western Carolina and Houston to start the season. But Saban knows his team faces a much tougher task this week at No. 24 Auburn. "We're a 3-8 team until we prove something else," Saban said. "And I think we have a lot of proving to do." ... LSU leads the conference and is seventh in the nation in total offense, at 488.5 yards a game. ... LSU has lost 13 of its last 15 SEC games since beating Auburn in the 1998 conference opener. ... Starting right tackle Trey Langley is out for the year after tearing ligaments in his right knee against Houston. Mississippi Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe said quarterback Romaro Miller suffered a slight injury to his throwing hand during Saturday night's loss to Auburn which might have affected his performance. Cutcliffe said he didn't realize how serious the injury was until after the game. ... Preseason All-SEC linebacker Eddie Strong remains day-to-day with a bone contusion in his left foot..... Here's a line for his Heisman Trophy press materials: Running back Deuce McAllister has scored more than one touchdown in seven of his last eight games. Mississippi State A short week and a long trip will keep Bulldogs players out of class most of this week. MSU is playing at BYU in the Thursday night ESPN game, and coach Jackie Sherrill elected to leave Starkville on Tuesday afternoon to get over the jet lag. "It's kind of an intriguing trip in that the time that it takes to get there is not easy," Sherrill told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. The Bulldogs should have fresher legs than their opponents, however. BYU played Air Force on Saturday, while Mississippi State had an open week. Florida Steve Spurrier insists there is no quarterback controversy in Gainesville. Though redshirt freshman Rex Grossman relieved starter Jesse Palmer during the second quarter of last week's win over Middle Tennessee, Spurrier says Palmer will start against Tennessee. Palmer has gotten off to strong starts before faltering in both of the Gators' games this season. "He's our best player," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, he'll play like it this weekend." ... Tailback Robert Gillespie, who sat out last week with an injured toe, is officially listed as day-to-day, but he vows to be ready against Tennessee. Gillespie rushed for 112 yards in UF's opener against Ball State. ... Spurrier on his offense: "We're so-so. Like a lot of other teams, we think we should throw and catch better. All summer we hoped one of our receivers would break out into a big-play, reliable guy, but that hasn't happened yet." Kentucky Points figure to come fast and furious when the Wildcats play host to rival Indiana this weekend. The Hoosiers have an explosive offense led by quarterback Antwaan Randle El and scored 38 points last week in a loss to N.C. State. "I expect it to probably be a shootout," UK coach Hal Mumme said. ... True freshman Chad Scott, who rushed for more than 100 yards against South Florida on Saturday, will make his first start against Indiana. But Mumme said sophomore Artose Pinner will still see plenty of snaps at the fullback position. "We're still kind of doing that by committee," he said. ... Mumme is pleased so far with the progress of redshirt freshman quarterback Jared Lorenzen, who tips the scales at nearly 290 pounds. Lorenzen leads the SEC in passing and total yardage. "He has the same numbers our other quarterbacks had at this point in their career," Mumme said. "And he's made some throw the last two games that nobody else could make." South Carolina It didn't take long for Gamecocks fans to start raising expectations. Coming off an 0-11 season and a 21-game losing streak, South Carolina is off to a 2-0 start after last week's upset of Georgia. Fans, who tore down the goal posts for the second straight game, complained that USC failed to crack the Top 25, and the buzz around town is on a holiday bowl trip. All of which has legendary pour- mouther Lou Holtz pleading for reason. "My goodness, we just lost 21 in a row," Holtz said. "We'll probably go to the Toilet Bowl in Flushing, N.Y." ... Holtz is more concerned with this week's opponent, Eastern Michigan. Holtz, who liked to bill every opponent as the nation's best team while at Notre Dame, said the Mid-American Conference teams always play hard against big-name schools, and he fears an emotional letdown by his Gamecocks. ... Running back Derek Watson was named the league's offensive player of the week after her rushed for 93 yards, caught four passes and returned a kick-off 53 yards against Georgia. He is the first Gamecock to win the award since current Philadelphia Eagles running back Duce Staley took the honor in 1996. Tennessee How's this for your first collegiate start? A.J. Suggs gets the call under center this Saturday in Tennessee's annual grudge match against Florida. "It could be better," said coach Phil Fulmer, "but it depends on how he handles himself. ... Joey Mathews, who started and proved ineffective in the Vols' 19-16 win over Southern Miss, is suffering from a swollen left knee. He could undergo arthroscopic surgery, which would sideline him for three weeks. Casey Clausen figures to be Suggs' backup this week. ... Suggs isn't the only young Volunteer with a tough task this week. Freshman offensive tackle Michael Munoz will be asked to fend off Florida's All- American defensive end Alex Brown. All Brown did last year against Tennessee was record five sacks and knock quarterback Tee Martin out of the game. But if any freshman could handle the assignment, it might be Munoz, a 6-foot-6, 310-pounder who's the son of NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz. Still, Munoz, was pulled in the third quarter of his first game after allowing a sack and knows he'll have to do much better this week. "I think I was tentative, and that's one of the biggest things I need to overcome," he told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "I wasn't coming off the ball." Vanderbilt All-SEC linebacker Jamie Winborn and receiver Jimmy Williams returned to practice this week after serving two-week NCAA suspensions for taking free financial advice and lines of credit from two Vanderbilt alumni. Both will play this week against Ole Miss. ... Coach Woody Widenhofer is considering a new starting running back for the third consecutive week, and this time he may turn to a freshman. Ray Perkins leads the team in rushing (76 yards on 14 carries) and has been more effective than veterans Rodney Williams and Jared McGrath. Widenhofer's only hesitation is Perkins' inexperience. "He's going to get a lot more playing time, there's no question about that," Widenhofer said. ... The Commodores sent the game tape of Saturday's loss to Alabama to the SEC office for review. Widenhofer complained about several cals that went againt his team, including two unsuccessful quarterback sneaks at the goal line and a disputed safety. | ALSO SEE Inside the Playbook: Florida at Tennessee Game Plan: No. 4 Florida Game Plan: No. 9 Tennessee Palmer starts for Florida -- will he finish? UT's Suggs ready for Gators Big Ten notebook Big 12 notebook Big West notebook Conference USA notebook MAC notebook Mountain West notebook WAC notebook AUDIO/VIDEO   USC's Derek Watson goes 21 yards for the touchdown.avi: 887 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 USC's Derek Watson breaks three tackles on this 2-yard TD run.avi: 411 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||
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