A sampling of what writers around the nation and are saying about SEC football: ALEX SCARBOROUGH-ANDERSON The Auburn (Ala. ) Plainsman

After firing Tony Franklin on Oct. 8, Tommy Tuberville and Steve Ensminger called plays on offense, sticking to elements of the Spread offense installed by Franklin. However, the Tigers ’ offense was not enough to beat Arkansas, falling 25-22 and to 4-3, 2-3 in the SEC.

Tristan Davis couldn’t leave the field when the final seconds ticked off the 25-22 loss to Arkansas. He sat on the bench well after all the other players had left. One of 13 seniors, Davis has seen his season go from SEC championship aspirations to barely staying afloat from week to week. “I’m pretty sure that us seniors are going to get together and talk about what we need to do, especially at a time like this,” Davis said. Senior receiver Rod Smith was beside himself following the game. “It’s just baffling right now,” Smith said. “We are definitely a team facing adversity right now with some of the changes that were made this week,” Smith said. “It was a distraction this whole week from my standpoint of what was going on with Coach Franklin.” Kodi Burns (Fort Smith Northside ) led the team in rushing and passing. Burns threw two interceptions in the game, including Matt Harris’ with 29 seconds remaining. “It’s not Auburn to be 4-3,” Burns said. “That’s just not Auburn.” Senior tight end Tommy Trott felt the blame should be placed on those wearing the pads. When asked how Auburn had fallen from a Top 10 team and SEC West favorite, to a losing record in SEC play, Trott simply replied, “Us.”

RON HIGGINS Commercial Appeal

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(Memphis ) Lots of open-date drama at Ole Miss last week involving defensive end Greg Hardy, who played poorly against South Carolina. Coach Houston Nutt said Hardy was never voted off the team last week and voted back on. When quarterback Jevan Snead was asked in a Tuesday radio interview about Hardy’s rumored dismissal, Snead diplomatically answered, “I feel like he’s a great player, and he does help the team out quite a bit. He makes big plays. One thing he needs to work on is to try to get his stuff together. That’s what he’s doing. He’s working on that. He’s a good guy.” Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, a former Outland Trophy winner, hasn’t been as diplomatic. “I don’t know what was wrong [with Hardy ], but I got a lot of kids out here that want to play,” Rocker said. “ Counseling time is over. JD WILLIAMS

Kentucky Kernel Broad are the shoulders of the wide-eyed freshman thrown onto the gridiron in the nation’s most challenging conference. He’ll snap his chin strap and take his stance as the coaching staff and fans look on, hoping for the best. Such is life for Kentucky and freshman Randall Cobb, whose job just got more intense.

In a season where reliable hands are hard to come by and an offense is in disarray, there are more questions than answers facing the Cats right now and for weeks to come.

Who will replace numbers put up by Dicky Lyons Jr. ? Will Randall Cobb go back under center ?

On and on, the questions keep coming for UK Coach Rich Brooks.

The sigh of relief the Cats felt when Cobb led them to a victory against Norfolk State and the anticipation of a two-quarterback system is now a distant memory following Cobb’s injury, his return, and now the injury to Lyons. Cobb would add another dimension to a struggling offense, but his presence is requested elsewhere, mainly at wide receiver because he is now the No. 1 guy that Mike Hartline will be looking to throw to. Brooks said Cobb is the best receiver the Cats have right now. The coaching staff has played musical chairs with Cobb this season, letting him take snaps early on, putting him at receiver and returning kicks. It’s evident that his role for the rest of the season was defined when Lyons went down. That role is playing wide receiver for the Cats. The next question is determining if Cobb is ready for the offensive load. Brooks stressed that Cobb is just a freshman, even though UK is asking a lot of him. One year removed from high school into the best and most physical football conference in the nation, Cobb is feeling the downside of football in the SEC. But in order for the Cats to rebound from the loss of Lyons, Cobb will have to be strong, both physically and mentally.

JAY ST. PIERRE

Daily Reveille (LSU ) The year was 1990. The LSU Tigers were off their second consecutive four-victory season and trying to fill a coaching vacancy left by the recently fired Mike Archer. And then it happened. Possibly one of the worst coaching decisions LSU has ever made. Just three years into becoming a college head coach, then-Florida coach and current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier sat down with then-LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean to talk some business. Unfortunately, Dean hired Southern Miss Coach Curley Hallman on Nov. 28, 1990, and passed on Spurrier.

Ever wonder what would have happened if Spurrier donned the purple and gold instead of Hallman ?

For starters, the team wouldn’t have compiled a 0. 364 winning percentage (16-28 ) during the next four years under Hallman — the lowest percentage of any coach in school history that coached at least 10 games.

The Tigers wouldn’t have suffered their worst loss in program history Oct. 9, 1993, when Spurrier led Florida to a 58-3 whipping of LSU in Tiger Stadium.

But more importantly, the Tigers would have secured one of the all-time greatest SEC coaches, and LSU would have been spared the school’s secondworst coaching decision when they hired former coach Gerry DiNardo.