2007 SEC Football - Week 12 Game Previews
Courtesy of The SEC
November 15, 2007
FAU at FLORIDA
12:00 p.m. ET
Gainesville, Fla.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548)
LIVE TV: PPV
THE COACHES
Howard Schnellenberger is in his 7th season at Florida Atlantic with a record of 38-41 (.481) and in his 23rd season overall with a record of 138-118-3 (.535). The Owls' offensive coordinator is Gary Norde and the defensvie coordinator is Kirk Hoza.
Urban Meyer is in his third season at Florida with a record of 29-7 (.806) and in hisseventh season overall with a record of 67-15 (.819). The Gators' offensive coordinator is Dan Mullen and the defensive co-coordinators are Greg Mattison and Charlie Strong.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN FLORIDA ATLANTIC HAS THE BALL
Willie Rose caught two touchdowns passes and also a 2-point conversion pass as Florida Atlantic came from behind win to beat Arkansas State 34-31. Trailing 31-20, a screen pass from quarterback Rusty Smith to Rose went 56 yards for a touchdown to close the gap to 31-26 with 9:57 left in the fourth. Smith finished 22-of-44 for 268 yards with two interceptions and three touchdowns.
Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe rank as Florida's leading tacklers with 101 and 67 respectively. Derrick Harvey recorded one and a half sacks at Kentucky to bring his career total to 18.5. With the effort, Harvey improved to ninth on Florida's all-time career list. Harvey has had a tackle for a loss in eight of the last 10 games. Tony Joiner made his second interception of the season at South Carolina, which is tied for the top total on the squad.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN FLORIDA HAS THE BALL
Junior linebacker Frantz Joseph is one of 62 players on the Butkus Watch list. He is just one of two from the Sun Belt. Phill Steele's 2007 Mid-Season Awards were announced recently. On the list was FAU redshirt- freshman Tavous Polo as a member of the 1st Team Defense. He had three interceptions versus Minnesota, including a game saving steal and one at Kentucky, which snapped the NCAA's longest consecutive completion streak.
Tim Tebow's passer rating of 177.1 is the second-highest in the nation. He has completed 67.8 percent of his passes, which is the 12th-highest mark in the country and is the best in the SEC. Tebow has rushed for 19 touchdowns in 2007. The total is tied for the most by any player in SEC history and is the most by any UF player in a single-season. Against South Carolina, Tim Tebow rushed for five touchdowns.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Following Keegan Peterson's performance at Oklahoma State he was added to the Ray Guy Watch List. Junior Warley Leroy kicked a 45 yard long field goal for his career best against Oklahoma State. Leroy was 2-for-2 on the day and scored the Owls only points. He earned 12 points in FAU's 30-20 North Texas victory.
On the season, Chas Henry has punted 28 times for an average of 62.8 yards. His season-long (53 yards) came in UF's outing against Georgia. He has placed 11 inside the 20-yard line this season. Joey Ijjas is 53-of-54 on extra points on the year and is eight-of-11 on field goals. Brandon James had his seventh return of 50-plus yards on the year with a 52-yard kick return against Vanderbilt.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: First Meeting
Florida returns to “The Swamp” to face Florida Atlantic... The Owls are led by head coach Howard Schnellenberger... Schnellenberger was the head coach at Miami from 1979-83... During that time, Coach Schnellenberger led the Hurricanes to a 3-2 record over the Gators... The two losses came in 1982 and 1983... In 1983, the Gators were the only team to defeat Miami (28-3 in Gainesville, Sept. 3) as Coach Schnellenberger went on to lead the Hurricanes to an 11-1 record and the national title.
KENTUCKY at GEORGIA
12:30 p.m. ET
Athens, Ga.
Sanford Stadium (92,746)
LIVE TV: Lincoln Financial Sports (Dave Neal, play-by-play; Dave Archer, analyst, Dave Baker, sideline reporter)
THE COACHES
Rich Brooks is in his fifth season at Kentucky with a record of 23-33 (.411) and in his 23rd season overall with a record of 114-142-4 (.446). The Wildcats' offensive coordinator is Joker Phillips and the defensvie coordinator is Steve Brown.
Mark Richt is in his seventh season at Georgia and overall with a record of 69-19 (.784). The Bulldogs' offensive coordinator is Mike Bobo and the defensvie coordinator is Willie Martinez.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN KENTUCKY HAS THE BALL
Quarterback André Woodson leads the SEC in passing yards per game, averaging 265.3 ypg. He has thrown for at least 200 yards and one touchdown in 16 straight games. He ranks second in the SEC and 17th nationally in passing efficiency (147.0). Dicky Lyons Jr. ranks second on the team in receiving yards with 45 catches for 523 yards and six touchdowns.
Marcus Howard now leads the team with 5.5 sacks for minus-48 yards. He had one sack through the first six games and14 tackles, but in his last four games he has tallied 4.5 sacks and 20 tackles. Dannell Ellerbe leads the team with 73 tackles. He has been the leading tackler for the Bulldogs in six games this year and is the only Bulldog linebacker to start every game. Kelin Johnson returned to the lineup against #18 Auburn and responded with a pair of interceptions.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN GEORGIA HAS THE BALL
Linebacker Wesley Woodyard leads the SEC in tackles, averaging 10.1 per game. Woodyard has recorded at least four tackles in 34 consecutive games, every game since the start of the 2005 season. Defensive end Jeremy Jarmon is second in the SEC and 13th nationally in sacks with 9.0 on the year.
Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno (1,104 yards) is only the 10th player in Georgia history to have 1,000 yards rushing in one season and the first since Musa Smith in 2002. He is the first back to rush for 100 yards in four straight games since Verron Haynes in 2001. Moreno ranks No. 2 nationally for freshmen in rushing yards per game (110.4). Matthew Stafford is14-4 as a starter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lones Seiber has now made 13-of-17 field goals this season. He has converted 40 extra points and is the team's leading scorer with 79 points. Tim Masthay is averaging a career-best 41.5 yards per punt and UK ranks fourth in the SEC in net punting, averaging 36.7 net yards per punt.
For his career, Brandon Coutu is 49-for-62 in FGs including 5- for-11 from 50+ yards. Also, he is a perfect 105-for-105 in PATs (third in the nation for active kickers). This season, Coutu is 14-19 in FG attempts (two of those attempts were from more than 50 yards). Brian Mimbs is third in the SEC with an average of 42.6 yards on 44 punts.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: UG, 47-11-2 • Last: UK, 24-20 (2006 at Lexington)
Georgia and Kentucky meet for the 61st time in a rivalry that began in 1939... Last season, Kentucky celebrated a 24-20 victory over the Bulldogs in Lexington including tearing down one of its goal posts... It was their first win over Georgia since 1996... Georgia leads the series with UK 47-11-2 including a 24-3-2 edge in Athens... In fact, the Bulldogs have won 14 straight over the Wildcats in Sanford Stadium... Kentucky's last win in Athens came in 1977... In its 2005 visit to the Classic City, Kentucky fell 45-13 to Georgia as the Bulldogs clinched the SEC Eastern Division title... This year, Georgia is in position to clinch a share of another division title with a win Saturday... However, the Bulldogs need Tennessee to lose one of its two remaining league games to advance to the SEC Championship Game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE at ARKANSAS
1 p.m. CT
Little Rock, Ark.
War Memorial Stadium (53,727)
LIVE TV: None
THE COACHES
Sylvester Croom is in his fourth season at Mississippi State and overall with a record of 15-28 (.349). The Bulldogs' offensive coordinator is Woody McCorvey and the defensvie coordinator is Ellis Johnson.
Houston Nutt is in his 10th season at Arkansas with a record of 73-48 (.603) and in his15th season overall with a record of 109-70 (.609). The Razorbacks' offensive coordinator is David Lee and the defensvie coordinator is Reggie Herring.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS THE BALL
Anthony Dixon has now rushed 404 times in his career for 1,582 yards and 22 touchdowns. He needs 13 carries to reach the school's all-time top 10 in that category. His rushing total against Alabama (26 carries, 84 yards, one touchdown) moved his career yardage to 16th on the school's all-time list. And his 22 rushing touchdowns have moved him into a fifthplace tie on the school's all-time list. True freshman quarterback Wesley Carroll threw his first interception of the season last week vs. ‘Bama.
Michael Grant is tied for fifth in the NCAA with 1.50 passes defended per game. The mark also leads the SEC outright. Jerell Norton is making a name for himself as well. He has five interceptions and 10 pass breakups this season and he isn't even listed as a starter. The sophomore ranks tied for 11th nationally in interceptions and is tied for 13th in passes defended (1.40).
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN ARKANSAS HAS THE BALL
Titus Brown, who has recorded at least one tackle for loss in nine of the season's first 10 games, is sixth in the league with 1.20 TFL per game. His 0.80 sack-per-game average is third best in the SEC. His 18.5 sacks are good for seventh place all-time at MSU in that category. Derek Pegues registered his third pass interception this season, the eighth of his career in the Bulldogs' win over Alabama.
Darren McFadden ranks fourth nationally in rushing with 143.1 yards per game. That mark also leads the conference. He is averaging 175.5 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks 13th nationally and tops in the SEC. He enters the Mississippi State game needing 113 yards to pass Auburn's Bo Jackson for third place on the SEC career rushing list and 367 yards to eclipse LSU's Kevin Faulk for second place.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Pegues ranks second on the school's all-time kick return (73) and yardage (1,604) lists, trailing only Tony James (1989-92; 78-1,862) in both categories. He also passed Tom "Shorty" McWilliams and ranks third on the all-time punt returns list (56), tied with Bernard Euell (56, 1992-95), and sixth on the all-time yardage ranking (532).
True freshman PK Alex Tejada is making a big impact early in his Razorback career. Tejada is 16 for 20 on field goal attempts and 45 of 47 on PATs. Tejada is tied for 22nd nationally in field goal made (1.60) and also tied for 22nd in scoring 9.30 points per game.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: ARK, 11-5-1 • Last: ARK, 28-14 (2006 at Starkville)
Mississippi State is 0-6-1 all-time in the state of Arkansas, having lost three times to Arkansas in Fayetteville and three times to the Razorbacks in Little Rock... The Bulldogs' 1993 team tied Arkansas 13-13 in the Natural State's capital city...MSU has now beaten two teams ranked in the nation's top 25 when it played them (in back-to-back weeks), and won three road games in the same season overall, for the first time since 2000... State has not won four true road games in the same season since 1986 and has not won four league games since 2000...State has qualified for post-season bowl consideration for the first time in seven years...Arkansas owns eight-consecutive victories and 12 wins in the last 13 meetings... Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt is 8-1 against Mississippi State in his tenure with the Hogs.
LA-MONROE at ALABAMA
1:30 p.m. CT
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Bryant-Denny Stadium (92,138)
LIVE TV: None
THE COACHES
Charlie Weatherbie is in his fifth season at LA-Monroewith a record of 19-37 (.339) and in his 15th season overall with a record of 64-101 (.388). The Tigers' offensive coordinators are Steve Farmer and Nate Kaczor and the defensvie coordinator is Kim Dameron.
Nick Saban is in his first season at Alabama and in his 14th season overall with a record of 112-63-1 (.639). The Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator is Major Applewhite and the defensvie coordinator is Kevin Steele.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LOUISIANA-MONROE HAS THE BALL
Running back Calvin Dawson leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 10th nationally with a 125.7 rushing yards per game. He led the Sun Belt Conference in rushing last season as a junior. Dawson rushed for over 100 yards in 10 consecutive games from Oct. 28, 2006 to Oct. 6, 2007. He has now gone over 100 yards in 14 of his last 15 games. Darrell McNeal leads the team with 48 catches, 457 receiving yards and is second with four receiving touchdowns.
Junior free safety Rashad Johnson leads the SEC and ranks third nationally with six interceptions this season. He also leads the league and ranks third nationally with 0.6 interceptions per game. Wallace Gilberry leads the Tide with eight sacks and 18 TFLs this season. Gilberry is second in the SEC and sixth nationally with 1.8 tackles for loss per game.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN ALABAMA HAS THE BALL
Greg James intercepted two passes against Arkansas State pushing his season total to four and career total to nine, just 22 games into his collegiate career. James is currently tied for 32nd nationally averaging 0.40 picks per game. James Truxillo is third on the team with 56 tackles. He also has an two interceptions, five pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.
In 10 games this season, John Parker Wilson has completed 203 of 373 passes (.544) for 2,231 yards, with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. D.J. Hall leads Alabama with 57 catches for 886 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. He is averaging a team-leading 15.5 yards per catch and an SEC-best 88.6 yards per game. Hall's 57 catches rank fourth on UA's single-season charts. Hall enters the ULM game with 17 career touchdown receptions, which leaves him one shy of Alabama's all-time record.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Scott Love are finding a lot of success punting the football this season. Love leads the Sun Belt and is 21st in the nation averaging 42.9 yards per punt and ULM ranks first in the conference and 22nd in the nation averaging 37.7 net yards per punt. Love has placed 17 of his 35 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Javier Arenas has 43 total kick returns for 907 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 21.1 yards per return this season. The speedster has 19 punt returns for 326 yards and one touchdown. Leigh Tiffin has made nine consecutive field goals and now leads the SEC and ranks third nationally with 2.10 field goals made per game this season. Tiffin is also fourth in the SEC and tied for 22nd nationally with 9.3 points per game.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: UA, 1-0 • Last: UA, 41-7 (2006 at Tuscaloosa)
Alabama posted a 41-7 win over UL Monroe on Sept. 16, 2006 in the only other meeting between the two schools... Alabama is 15-0 (1.000) against the current Sun Belt Conference field... The Crimson Tide was 2-0 against Sun Belt Conference teams last season, beating UL Monroe (41-7) and Florida International (38-3) by a combined 79-10... UL Monroe is 2-27-1 (.083) all-time against SEC schools. Their lone wins came against Kentucky (21-14, 1994) and Mississippi State (34-32, 1995)... ULM and MSU also played to a 21-21 tie during the 1971 season.
VANDERBILT at TENNESSEE
2 p.m. ET
Knoxville, Tenn.
Shields-Watkins Field / Neyland Stadium (102,037)
LIVE TV: PPV
THE COACHES
Bobby Johnson is in his sixth season at Vanderbilt with a record of 20-48 (.294) and in his 14th season overall with a record of 80-84 (.488). The Commodores' offensive coordinator is Ted Cain and the defensive coordinator is Bruce Fowler.
Phillip Fulmer is in his 16th season at Tennessee and overall with a record of 144-44 (.766). The Volunteers' offensive coordinator is David Cutcliffe and the defensvie coordinator is John Chavis.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN VANDERBILT HAS THE BALL
Earl Bennett added to the SEC career receiving record he broke three weeks ago by catching eight passes for 67 yards in Vanderbilt's 27-20 loss to Kentucky. Through 10 games, Bennett leads the SEC with 67 receptions and ranks sixth with 739 receiving yards. He also has four touchdown catches. Bennett is on pace to reach 75 receptions for the third consecutive year. He is the only receiver in SEC history to post consecutive seasons of 75 receptions.
Jerod Mayo led the team with nine stops vs. Arkansas, also returning an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. Ryan Karl had seven tackles and Rico McCoy posted six. Jonathan Hefney led the unit with eight stops vs. Arkansas. Eric Berry posted six tackles and two interceptions vs. the Hogs while earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Berry has four interceptions and 207 INT return yards this year, which is a single-season school record. Hefney is fourth on the team with 61 tackles.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN TENNESSEE HAS THE BALL
Jonathon Goff came up big against Kentucky, contributing 12 total tackles and a tackle for loss in the tough loss. Goff leads the team in total tackles, is tied for second in sacks, and has nabbed two interceptions. D.J. Moore had four total tackles before leaving the game in the second quarter. Moore is tied for second in the SEC with five interceptions, and ranks third with a 27.6-yard average on kickoff returns.
Erik Ainge is 24-9 as a starter in his career. He has an efficiency rating of 132.0, which is the fourth-best mark in the SEC this season. He is fourth in the conference in total offense aswell (225 yds/gm). Arian Foster has 586 yards rushing and nine touchdowns in his last six games after notching 83 yards and a score against Arkansas. Foster is third in the SEC in rushing touchdowns with 12 and sixth in yards per game with 88.3. He needs just 117 yards to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Though having entered the Kentucky game converting on 11 of 15 field goal tries, Bryant Hahnfeldt missed field goals from 44 and 33 yards and a key extra point try against the Wildcats. Driving the ball late in the game, Vanderbilt was forced to try to convert fourth downs instead of possibly positioning itself for a winning Hahnfeldt field goal.
Daniel Lincoln is an SEC-best 18-of-21 on field goal attempts and 41-of-41 on PATs through ten games. Lincoln kicked his career-long 48-yard field goal vs. South Carolina ... Dennis Rogan replaced Hefney as the punt returner before the Louisiana-Lafayette game. Against Arkansas, Rogan averaged 8 yards per punt return and had one kick return for 78 yards.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: UT, 68-27-5 • Last: UT, 39-10 (2006 at Nashville)
Tennessee leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 68-27-5, dating to 1892... The Volunteers hold a 34-10-1 edge in games played in Knoxville... The last time these teams met in Neyland Stadium, the Commodores snapped a streak of 22 straight Vol victories in the series (Nov. 19, 2005)...Tennessee avenged that loss last year in Nashville, using 429 yards of total offense and a two-touchdown performance by quarterback Erik Ainge to post a 39-10 win...Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer, a native of Winchester, Tenn., who worked as an assistant coach at Vandy in 1979, boasts a 13-1 career record against Vanderbilt. Commodores head coach Bobby Johnson is 1-4 against the Vols.
LSU at OLE MISS
2:30 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss.
Hollingsworth Field / Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (60,580)
LIVE TV: CBS (Verne Lundquist, play-by-play; Gary Danielson, analyst, Tracy Wolfson, sideline]
THE COACHES
Les Miles is in his third season at LSU with a record of 31-5 (.861) and in his 7th season overall with a record of 59-26 (.694). The Tigers' offensive coordinator is Gary Crowton and the defensive coordinator is Bo Pelini.
Ed Orgeron is in his third season at Ole Miss and overall with a record of 9-24 (.273). The Rebels' offensive coordinator is Dan Werner and the defensive coordinator is John Thompson.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL
Senior RB Jacob Hester leads the way for the offense with 706 yards and eight TDs. Senior QB Matt Flynn has completed 144-of-260 passes for 1,856 yards with 14 TDs and 10 interceptions. Sophomore WR Brandon LaFell boasts 39 receptions for 535 yards and two scores, while senior Early Doucet and junior Demetrius Byrd have each hauled in four TDs passes.
Junior LB Tony Fein has put on tackling display of late, totaling 37 stops over the last three games. Fein followed up his 13-tackle performance against Arkansas with a career-high 16 at Auburn. Junior DL Peria Jerry has been a force of late, totaling 9.5 TFLs and 31 total tackles in the last six games. He is currently tied for sixth in the SEC in TFLs with 12.0. Junior DB Jamarca Sanford was credited with a career-high two TFLs and a career-high tying 13 total tackles against Northwestern State.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN OLE MISS HAS THE BALL
Senior SS Craig Seltz tops the squad with 68 total tackles and four interceptions, and sophomore LB Ali Highsmith has collected 60 stops with six QB hurries. On the line, senior ends Kirston Pittman and Glenn Dorsey have each notched 11.5 TFLs and six sacks.
At 967 rushing yards on the year, senior RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis is now 33 yards short of 1,000 yards. If he reaches that mark, he would become only the second player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard single-season mark twice in his career. Sophomore WR Shay Hodge tallied a career-high 88 receiving yards on four catches vs. the Demons with his fourth TD of the year, a 10-yarder from Brent Schaeffer.
SPECIAL TEAMS
With three field goals against Louisiana Tech, LSU PK Colt David tied the school record for field goals in a season, running his 2007 total to 19. The 19 field goals ties the mark set by David Browndyke in 1988. This year, David has converted 19 of 25 field goals. The 19 field goals ranks second in the SEC.
Junior Mike Wallace notched his first return for a TD with his 77-yard kickoff return against Northwestern State. It marked the first kickoff return for a TD by a Rebel since Jason Armstead's 93-yard score in the 2001 Murray State game. Ole Miss has blocked three kicks this year — two punts and one field goal.
SERIES/GAME NOTES
Record: LSU, 54-37-4 • Last: LSU, 23-20 OT (2006 at Baton Rouge)
This game will be the 96th all-time between the Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers dating back to 1894... LSU is Ole Miss' second-most played opponent besides Mississippi State, whom the Rebels will play for the 104th time on November 23... LSU holds a 54-37-4 advantage in the series... The Tigers have won five straight overall and three in a row at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.. LSU holds a 7-4-1 edge in Oxford and prevailed 40-7 in 2005... Ole Miss' last victory in the series was a 35-24 triumph in Baton Rouge in 2001 and the last win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was a 37-31 overtime finish in 1998...Four of the last five games in the Ole Miss-LSU series have been decided by three points or less, including the Tigers' 23-20 overtime win a year ago ... The Rebels are facing the nation's No. 1 team for the first time since 1994.
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