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ALABAMA: It was one of this week's most anticipated matchups, but in the end,
it proved to be just too much Crimson Tide for Penn State to handle, as the
defending national champions made light work of the Nittany Lions in
Tuscaloosa, 24-3. It didn't even matter that Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram
was still sidelined with a knee injury, as Alabama amassed 409 yards of total
offense in the rout. Sophomore tailback Trent Richardson rushed for 144 yards
and one TD, while QB Greg McElroy completed 16-of-24 passes, for 229 yards and
two TDs. The defense did the rest, forcing four turnovers, while limiting PSU
to a mere 283 yards. Alabama, which has now won 16 straight at Bryant-Denny
Stadium. Over the last 15 years, top-ranked teams are now a perfect 27-0 on
their home fields against ranked foes. The Crimson Tide will hit the road for
the first time this week, as they travel to Durham to take on the Duke Blue
Devils on September 18th, before opening up SEC play the following week with a
big showdown at Arkansas.
ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks moved to 2-0 on the young season with a rather easy
31-7 victory over Ul-Monroe this past weekend. Junior QB Ryan Mallett
solidified himself as one of the nation's top signal-callers, throwing for 400
yards and three TDs, while rushing for a fourth. It marked the third 400-yard
passing game in Mallett's career and was just eight yards shy of his school-
record (408 against Georgia last season). His top target against ULM was WR
Greg Childs, who set a career-high mark with 146 yards on 12 receptions, with
two TDs. The Arkansas defense was stifling once again, holding its second
straight foe under 200 yards of total offense, limiting the Warhawks to a
meager 188 yards. Joe Adams has been a big threat with the ball. He amassed
158 all-purpose yards in the first half against ULM and now has 303 yards in
the first two games. The Razorbacks will begin their SEC slate this weekend
when they travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.
AUBURN: Tiger QB Cameron Newton has asserted himself as one of the nation's
most productive players, as he has accounted for 563 total yards and seven TDs
through two games. Against Mississippi State in last week's SEC opener, Newton
led the team in rushing (70 yards), while passing for 136 yards and two
scores. The Auburn defense did the rest, limiting MSU to a mere 246 yards of
total offense, including an anemic 129 yards passing. Auburn is very
comfortable in Thursday night affairs, moving to 5-0 against SEC foes in such
games. The Tigers will return home for three straight games, starting with
this weekend's clash with ACC foe Clemson.
FLORIDA: In their first-ever meeting with in-state foe South Florida, the
Gators proved to be too much, as UF posted a 38-14 win and extended its
regular-season win streak to 22 games. The team is now 10-0 against Florida
schools under Urban Meyer. After posting four interceptions in the season-
opener against Miami-Ohio, the Gators duplicated that with another four picks
against the Bulls, leading to the win. Redshirt junior John Brantley completed
18-of-31 passes in his second career start, for 172 yards and two TDs. While
Brantley has played to mixed reviews in the first two games, the backfield has
been efficient, averaging 8.0 yards per carry and totaling 418 yards on 33
carries. The Gators will get their SEC slate underway this weekend with a trip
to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
GEORGIA: The SEC schedule did not get off to the start that Mark Richt and the
Bulldogs would have liked, as they struggled in a 17-6 loss at South Carolina
this past weekend. The real problem came on the defensive side of the football
for Georgia, which could not stop USC's talented young tailback Marcus
Lattimore, who rumbled for 182 yards and a pair of scores. The Georgia offense
was without superstar WR A.J. Green (four-game suspension) and it definitely
cost the Bulldogs, who were held without a touchdown for the first time in
three seasons. Things certainly won't get any easier for Georgia this week, as
they play host to the high-flying Arkansas Razorbacks in another pivotal SEC
showdown.
KENTUCKY: The Wildcats made light work of instate foe Western Kentucky over
the weekend, routing the Hilltoppers, 63-28. Senior QB Mike Hartline had a
strong outing, completing 16-of-20 passes, for 213 yards and three TDs. Junior
WR Randall Cobb was instrumental in the win as well, catching a TD pass,
throwing for another and returning a punt 50 yards for a third score. The
Wildcats handed WKU its 22nd consecutive loss and moved to 2-0 on the young
season. Kentucky has now won 17 consecutive regular-season non-conference
games and will put that streak on the line this weekend, as the team welcomes
the Akron Zips to Lexington.
LSU: Junior tailback Stevan Ridley rushed for a career-high 159 yards and the
LSU defense did the rest in a 27-3 rout of Vanderbilt in the SEC opener for
both teams. The ground game, spearheaded by Ridley, was lethal, amassing 280
yards on 50 carries. WR Russell Shepard registered his second rushing
touchdown of the season and fourth of his career on a 30-yard run.
Defensively, the Commodores were held to a meager 135 yards on 48 plays.
Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard had a game-high nine tackles with a half a sack.
Ryan Baker, who broke his jaw in camp, returned to action with six tackles and
a sack. In all, the Tigers collected six sacks in the game, led by DT Drake
Nevis' 2.5 sacks. The Tigers will continue with SEC action this weekend, as
they welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Baton Rouge for a Saturday
night affair.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: It was a defensive struggle but in the end the Bulldogs
came out on the wrong end of the 17-14 decision against Auburn in the SEC-
opener for both teams. With the loss, Mississippi State has now dropped 11
straight SEC openers. Thursday night has not been kind to the Bulldogs, who
are now just 17-24-2 in such games. MSU managed just 246 yards of total
offense in the game and while Auburn put up 348, the Tigers were held
scoreless in the second half. Defensively, Chris White paced the team with 11
tackles, while K.J. Wright finished right behind with 10 stops. The Bulldogs
also forced two turnovers (one interception, one fumble recovery) and totaled
two sacks in the game. The team will attempt to get back into the win column
this weekend as MSU travels to Baton Rouge to take on nationally-ranked LSU.
OLE MISS: Rebel QB Jeremiah Masoli accounted for 308 yards and two touchdowns
as Ole Miss got past Tulane 27-13 last Saturday. Ole Miss now leads the
series 42-28 and has won 10 straight games against Tulane dating back to 1989.
Masoli completed 14-of-20 passes for 281 yards, with one TD and one
interception. He also rushed for 27 yards and a score. Markeith Summers made
the most of his five receptions, going for 165 yards, including a 70-yard TD
strike. Linebacker Jonathan Cornell had a huge defensive game, recording three
sacks. The Rebels will open SEC play this weekend when they welcome Vanderbilt
to Oxford.
SOUTH CAROLINA: A great deal of hype entering the season surrounding the South
Carolina Gamecocks had renewed hope in the program in Columbia to start the
year. The Gamecocks have done little to stop it and in fact, may have improved
their chances with a thorough victory over Georgia last weekend in the SEC
opener for both squads. The 17-6 victory was fueled by the rushing exploits of
freshman tailback Marcus Lattimore, who made the most of his first foray into
SEC action with a whopping 182 yards and two TDs on 37 carries. Defensively,
the Gamecocks were equally impressive. Georgia's six points were the fewest
allowed by USC to a Bulldog team since a 2-0 South Carolina victory in 1904.
The Gamecocks will close out a three-game homestand to begin the season with
Saturday's clash with FCS foe Furman.
TENNESSEE: After completely dominating their season-opening opponent (50-0
over Tennessee-Martin), the Volunteers got a taste of the own medicine,
getting completely routed by the explosive Oregon Ducks in Knoxville this past
weekend, 48-13. To make matters worse, it was Tennessee which held a 13-3 lead
in the first half, but the team could not keep Oregon at bay, as the Ducks
reeled off 45 straight points to cruise to victory. The Vols were victimized
for 447 yards of total offense, including 245 yards on the ground. The loss
spoiled a terrific performance by junior tailback Tauren Poole, who amassed a
career-high 162 yards and one TD on 23 carries. The Volunteers will try to get
back in the win column this week, but it won't be easy, as they welcome the
Florida Gators to Knoxville.
VANDERBILT: It was yet another long game for the Commodores this past weekend,
as they were roughed up by the LSU Tigers in the SEC-opener for both teams,
27-3. Vanderbilt has now lost seven straight games in the series, with the
last win coming in 1990. Vanderbilt managed just eight first downs in the game
and was held to a meager 135 total yards of offense, showing no signs of life
on the ground (65 yards) or through the air (70). One bright spot was the play
of running back Warren Norman, who gained 68 yards on just eight carries. His
51-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter was his longest of the
season and second longest of his career. The Commodores will attempt to get in
the win column for the first time this season, as they travel to Oxford this
weekend for a SEC clash with Ole Miss.