Randy Shannon, the Arkansas Razorbacks' linebackers coach from 2013-2014, has embraced being Florida's interim coach for the last four games this season.
Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin promoted Shannon from defensive coordinator to head coach Sunday night after firing Jim McElwain.
The Gators play at Missouri on Saturday.
"We've got to go out there as a whole team and unit and coaching staff and have fun with these guys," Shannon said. "Be very enthusiastic, be very positive and whatever happens in the game early, we've got to weather the storm."
This isn't Shannon's first time running a team. He was Miami's coach from 2007-2010 and led the Hurricanes to a 28-22 record.
"The guys so far this week have been doing a tremendous job of preparing for Missouri," Shannon said. "They've been very upbeat, very positive. There's been a lot of enthusiasm in practice."
Shannon made some big changes this week when he said senior Malik Zaire will compete for the starting quarterback job with Feleipe Franks; promoted defensive line coach Chris Rumph to defensive coordinator; promoted quality control assistant Robb Akey to defensive line coach; and opened practice to the media.
Zaire, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, hasn't started a game this season, but Shannon wants to at least give him a shot to see what he can do this week.
"You always want the guy that's up, the guy that's going to bring the energy, the guy that's going to bring the operation, the things that will make you win games," Shannon said. "That's why when you can make guys compete in practice, you're really going to find out what you're going to get in the game."
Shannon said he's not going to continue to call plays on defense, instead focusing on all facets of the team.
"Managing a team in this short amount of time, you have to be able to coach on both sides of the football and make sure they understand what you're trying to get done as a team," Shannon said. "In practice, I want to be able to watch both sides of the football and get an idea of what's going on."
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Bret Bielema said he expects Shannon will do a good job as interim coach.
"I think the world of Randy and what he's all about," Bielema said. "That's never going to be an easy situation to pop into, so whatever they are doing there, I'm sure he'll handle it well."
Hastings earns it
Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said receiver Will Hastings, a junior from Little Rock who played at Pulaski Academy, is a worthy nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy.
Hastings is among 63 nominees for the award, which is named in honor of former Razorbacks All-American offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth and since 2010 has been presented to the top college player who began his career as a walk-on.
Hastings walked on at Auburn as a kicker, but he moved to receiver and was placed on scholarship in August.
"Will has really earned everything he's gotten since he's been here," Malzahn said. "We were short some bodies two springs ago at receiver, and he came in and really caught our coaches' eye and my eye.
"He had a pretty good year last year, and this year he's one of the guys we try to get the ball to."
Hastings has 17 catches for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns this season after having 11 catches for 98 yards and 1 touchdown as a sophomore.
"I just can't say enough good things about him as a player, but he's even better as a person," Malzahn said. "Just a hard worker and a guy you can really count on."
Mullen to Florida?
Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen's name is being mentioned as a leading candidate for Florida because of his connections to the Gators and Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin.
Mullen was Florida's offensive coordinator for Urban Meyer from 2005-2008 before becoming the coach at Mississippi State, where he has a 67-44 record, including 6-2 this season.
Stricklin was Mississippi State's athletic director for six years from 2010-2016 before going to Florida, so he already has worked with Mullen.
Considering Stricklin is a Mississippi State graduate, talking about Mullen is especially sensitive for him.
"I'm going to be really careful because I want to be respectful of their situation," Stricklin said when asked about his relationship with Mullen after McElwain was dismissed. "They've got a good season going.
"I will just say I enjoyed working with Dan and I think he would probably say the same. Dan can be direct and I can be direct and sometimes we had direct conversations like you would with anybody that you work with closely.
"He has done a really nice job there and as an alum of that school, I'm proud of the job he has done at my alma mater."
Mullen told reporters this week he doesn't like to speculate on other jobs and that he's concentrating on Mississippi State's game against Massachusetts.
"Everybody knows that as the year goes on it gets into that silly season of who's going where and what's going to happen," Mullen said. "I'm very happy with what we're building here. We're building a great future at Mississippi State."
Just a distraction
Georgia Coach Kirby Smart is downplaying the Bulldogs being ranked No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff poll released Tuesday night.
"Like we say all the time, it really means nothing right now," Smart said. "It's really nothing more than a distraction and our kids realize that.
"They acknowledge it and they understand that's the way of the world. That's the system we live in, and it's really built to generate ratings and generate some publicity for our sport."
One for the road
Missouri broke an 11-game road losing streak when the Tigers won 52-12 at Connecticut on Saturday.
It was Missouri's first road victory since it beat Arkansas State 27-20 on Sept. 12, 2015, in Jonesboro.
"I was excited the way that our kids played," Tigers Coach Barry Odom said of beating Connecticut. "They took ownership on executing the things we asked them to do. I thought our staff did a nice job collectively coaching and teaching.
"We've grown up and matured as a team in the last two to three weeks, and that's a positive thing. In conference, out of conference, whatever it is, when you can win away from home that's a big deal. It's a step in the right direction for us."
Tennessee AD speaks
Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie broke his silence about Coach Butch Jones on Monday night, though he spoke on the Big Orange Hotline radio show, not with reporters.
Speculation about Jones being fired has increased with Tennessee at 3-5, including 0-5 in SEC play.
"With any particular decision ... you've got to make decisions that you truly believe are best for your program," Currie said, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "I believe that supporting our staff and supporting our players, getting ready for the Southern Miss game, is the best I can do for our football program right now."
Currie said he met with Jones on Sunday after Tennessee lost 29-26 at Kentucky, but said he typically goes to the football offices the day after a game.
"That's been one of my practices the whole time," said Currie, who was hired in the spring from Kansas State. "The nine years I've been an athletics director now, I always try to go into the building on Sunday, win or lose."
Currie said he understands the frustration Tennessee fans are feeling.
"The bottom line is, one of the reasons I came back here to the University of Tennessee is this is a national program with a national following and incredibly passionate and fevered fans. That knife cuts both ways, right?" Currie said. "You're excited when you win, and you're disappointed and angry when you lose. It's the same for the staff and the AD and the players, too.
"I know folks are frustrated with the won-loss record. I am, too. Coach Jones is. We all are. I believe, right now, the most important thing to do is support our players."
Jones led Tennessee to 9-4 records the previous two seasons, but his overall record in his fifth season is 33-26, including 14-23 in SEC games.
Mond to start
Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Starkel -- who suffered an ankle injury in the opener at UCLA -- is cleared to play, but Aggies Coach Kevin Sumlin said true freshman Kellen Mond will stay in the lineup against Auburn after struggling in last week's 35-14 loss to Mississippi State.
Mond completed 8 of 26 with 56 yards and 2 interceptions against the Bulldogs, then was replaced by Starkel, who completed 8 of 15 passes for 133 yards for 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
"I thought Nick did some good things, but there were also some issues," Sumlin said. "The situation will remain where it is. He made a couple mistakes ... and there's a little rust on him, too, right now."
Mond, who has started seven games since Starkel's injury, has completed 104 of 205 passes for 1,281 yards and 7 touchdowns with 6 interceptions and rushed 86 times for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Two-minute drill
• Auburn junior tailback Kamryn Pettway, who rushed for an SEC-leading 1,224 yards last season, fractured his shoulder blade against Arkansas and will be out an extended period of time, Coach Gus Malzahn said. Pettway has been slowed by injuries much of this season and has 305 rushing yards.
• Alabama Coach Nick Saban is 12-4 in the Alabama-LSU series, with victories on both sides. He went 4-1 against Alabama as LSU's coach and is 8-3 against LSU as Alabama's coach.
• Mississippi State's 35-14 victory at No. 24 Texas A&M last week was the Bulldogs' largest winning margin on the road against a ranked team since 1942 when they won 33-0 at No. 12 Vanderbilt.
• Georgia's four rushing touchdowns in a 42-7 victory over Florida matched the number the Gators had allowed in their first six games.
SEC TOP TO BOTTOM
Rank(prev);record;comment
1(1);Alabama;8-0;Saban has been tough on LSU
2(2);Georgia;8-0;Bulldogs look like Bama of East
3(4);LSU;6-2;Hasn't beaten Saban since 2011
4(5);Auburn;6-2;Hoping to hand Aggies another home loss
5(7);Mississippi State;6-2;Going bowling for eighth year in row
6(6);South Carolina,6-2;Needs to beat Georgia to hang in East race
7(9);Kentucky;6-2;Beat Vols for second time in 34 years
8(3);Texas A&M;5-3;Sumlin's margin for error razor thin now
9(8);Florida;3-4;Shannon takes over for fired McElwain
10(10);Tennessee;3-5;Vols fans want Jones gone yesterday
11(13);Arkansas;3-5;Second half goes Hogs' way for a change
12(14);Missouri;3-5;Hopes to keep Florida reeling
13(11);Ole Miss;3-5;Couldn't hold 24-point lead against Hogs
14(12);Vanderbilt;3-5;5-game losing streak since beating Kansas State
PLAYER TO WATCH
Kentucky sophomore running back Benny Snell was the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing 27 times for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns against Tennessee, and he figures to have another big game against Ole Miss on Saturday considering the Rebels' struggles against the run.
Ole Miss ranks last in the SEC and 127th nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 261.1 yards, after Arkansas gained 260 yards on 53 attempts last week.
Snell has rushed 160 times for 721 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. His average of 90.1 rushing yards per game ranks fourth in the SEC.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Alabama vs. LSU
WHEN 7 p.m. Saturday (CBS)
WHERE Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
RECORDS Alabama 8-0, 5-0 SEC; LSU 6-2, 3-1
RANKINGS Alabama is No. 2 in the College Football Playoff poll and No. 1 in The Associated Press and USA Today polls. LSU is No. 19 in the CFP and AP polls and No. 20 in the USA Today poll.
LINE Alabama by 21
LSU fans used to love Nick Saban. Now they can't stand him.
When Saban left LSU to coach in the NFL after the 2004 season, it was tough for Tigers' fans, but they appreciated that he led their team to the 2003 national title.
Then after two seasons in the NFL, Saban not only returned to college football but also to the SEC West at Alabama -- LSU's chief rival.
LSU won the 2007 national title -- highlighted by a 41-34 victory over Alabama -- but since then Saban's Crimson Tide are 8-2 against the Tigers, including a 21-0 victory to win the 2011 national championship.
Saban has won four national championships at Alabama since 2009, and the Tide look ready to win another this season.
Which leaves LSU fans to wonder what kind of dynasty Saban might have built in Baton Rogue if he had stayed more than five seasons.
Saban is 127-19 at Alabama in his 11th season, including 73-12 in SEC games.
BY THE NUMBERS
1 minute, 18 seconds -- Average length of the 138 replay reviews in 67 games involving SEC teams this season.
100 -- Percent of the time Georgia has scored in the red zone with 22 touchdowns and 9 field goals.
0.62 -- Sacks allowed per game this season by Texas A&M. Opponents have 5 sacks in 8 games.
OVERHEARD
"No, no, no. I am finished as a head coach. I said I may come back and coach high school ball, quarterbacks or something like that."
-- Steve Spurrier to The State newspaper on whether he had interest in being Florida's interim coach.
Sports on 11/02/2017