SEC report

Cowbells just noise to Mullen

Florida head coach Dan Mullen talks with Florida defensive back Trey Dean III (21) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

When Dan Mullen was Mississippi State's coach, he pushed for an SEC rule change passed in 2014 that allowed fans to ring cowbells at home games -- except when the center is over the ball preparing to snap it -- without being penalized.

Mullen said on Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference that he doesn't regret helping to get the rule changed and that he isn't dreading his return to Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday as Florida's coach to face Mississippi State.

"It won't have much effect on me," Mullen said of the cowbells. "I've been hearing them for many a year now. I know the environment"

Mullen led Mississippi State to a 69-46 record the previous nine seasons before taking the Florida job.

"I've always said I think the cowbells are one of the great traditions in college football," he said.

Mullen will be the first SEC coach to play at his previous school the year after leaving for another job since 2008, when Houston Nutt returned to Fayetteville in his first season at Ole Miss after coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 75-48 record the previous 10 seasons. The Rebels beat the Razorbacks 23-21 in Nutt's return.

"Emotionally for me, it's not much," Mullen said of his return to Mississippi State. "My focus is really on the game and trying to make sure our team comes in ready to execute at a high level."

Joe Moorhead, the former Penn State offensive coordinator who replaced Mullen as Mississippi State's coach, said he understands the impact the game might have on the Bulldogs.

"There may be an emotional component attached to this game with some of our players because of their history with the Florida staff," Moorhead said. "But we always talk about competing against a standard rather than an opponent.

"So we're worried about how well we prepare, how hard we play and how well we execute. The other part of it is something that's out there, I'm sure the team is aware of, but it won't have a bearing on the game come kickoff time."

Snell yeah

Kentucky has launched a website -- SnellYeah.com -- to publicize the accomplishments of junior running back Benny Snell. The site includes videos and stats for the SEC's leading rusher.

Snell is averaging 135.0 yards per game after rushing 25 times for 165 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Wildcats' 28-7 victory over Mississippi State.

"You can call me nothing special, you can tell people not to buy the hype," Snell said in a video on the website. "That's fine. I don't play for recognition. I don't play for awards. I play for Kentucky."

Snell has set Kentucky's career record with 39 touchdowns -- passing Randall Cobb's 37 -- and is closing in on 3,000 rushing yards with 2,936 going into Saturday night's game against South Carolina.

"He's always had a great work ethic and he's always had that attitude, that chip on his shoulder to get tough yards. To get every yard," Wildcats Coach Mark Stoops said. "He takes it personal when he does not get yards. He's like that every day. He's been like that since day one."

Snell was asked after the Mississippi State game whether he should be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

"I'm going to let that just be in the air," he said. "It is what it is. My play speaks for itself. That's all I can say."

Looking for 14-0

If Alabama Coach Nick Saban, 66, puts off retirement long enough, it'll be interesting to see whether there ever is a season where all of the Crimson Tide's opponents are led by former Saban assistant coaches.

It will happen at least three times this season and perhaps more in postseason games.

Saban will face a former assistant coach for the second consecutive week on Saturday when No. 1 Alabama plays Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Ragin' Cajuns are coached by Billy Napier, who was Alabama's receivers coach from 2013-16.

Last week, Alabama beat Texas A&M 45-23 to make Saban 13-0 against his former assistants. The Aggies are coached by Jimbo Fisher, who was Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04.

When the Tide play at Tennessee on Oct. 20, Saban will face Vols Coach Jeremy Pruitt, his defensive coordinator at Alabama the previous two seasons.

Last season in the College Football Playoff title game, Saban faced Georgia Coach Kirby Smart -- his defensive coordinator at Alabama for eight seasons -- and the Tide and Bulldogs could meet again in the postseason. Maybe even twice.

If Georgia falters and South Carolina wins the SEC East, Saban could face Gamecocks Coach Will Muschamp -- his former defensive coordinator at LSU and assistant with the Miami Dolphins -- in the conference title game.

Along with Fisher (0-2), Smart (0-1) and Muschamp (0-2), other former assistants Saban has beaten are Derek Dooley (0-3), Jim McElwain (0-3) and Mark Dantonio (0-2)

TD streak ends

Missouri senior quarterback Drew Lock had his streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass end at 13 games when Georgia beat the Tigers 43-29 last week.

Lock threw 42 touchdown passes during the streak, including five in the Tigers' 48-45 victory at Arkansas in the 2017 regular-season finale.

Prior to last week, the last game in which Lock hadn't thrown a touchdown pass was a 35-3 loss at Purdue last season.

Frustration shows

Mississippi State's 16 penalties at Kentucky last week included four for unsportsmanlike conduct and one for roughing the passer.

"It became too emotional and turned into a bunch of individual battles as opposed to playing as a team," Bulldogs Coach Joe Moorhead said at his Monday news conference. "I think you can compete hard, exert maximum effort and do the things necessary to be successful on every play without losing your head and being hot-tempered.

"There's a difference between playing hard and picking up the ball and throwing it at somebody or pushing somebody after [the whistle]. That's not toughness. That's unnecessary and unacceptable."

Moorhead said if a player is called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the future, he'll be replaced immediately.

"I'm going to pull the guy out of the game, and he'll come stand next to me and he'll go back in when I tell him to," Moorhead said. "One way to catch their attention is to take away their playing time."

Kentucky fined

Kentucky was fined $100,000 by the SEC after fans stormed the field after the Wildcats beat Mississippi State 28-7 last week.

It was the second offense for Kentucky, which was reprimanded for the same reason after a 45-38 victory over South Carolina 2014.

Coach O, Ole Miss

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron will look to go 3-0 against Ole Miss -- where he was the head coach for three seasons from 2005-07 -- when the Rebels play at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night.

Orgeron said the LSU-Ole Miss game carries a lot of emotion, but not because he used to coach the Rebels.

"It was a tremendous opportunity for me, but we've moved on from then," he said. "I've been to several schools since then.

"I'm an LSU Tiger now and glad of it. But I understand this rivalry, and I know we're going to get the best football."

Oh brother

Vanderbilt defensive ends Dayo and Dare Odeyingbo -- who are brothers -- collaborated on a turnover in South Carolina's 37-14 victory over the Commodores last week.

Dayo Odeyingbo forced a fumble by South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle, and Dare Odeyingbo recovered the ball at the Vanderbilt 2.

Private screening

Tennessee players reviewed film Sunday in position groups of their 47-21 loss to Florida. The coaches weren't present at the film sessions.

"We have to take it and live with it," Vols cornerback Baylen Buchanan told reporters. "We can't get that game back. It's important we learn from our mistakes."

Tennessee Coach Jeremy Pruitt said the position film sessions were organized by the players.

"That's the first time I've seen that," Pruitt said. "But I saw some ownership during the game the other day that excites me about moving forward."

Buchanan said safety Nigel Warrior called the defensive backs together to talk after the loss, the Knoxville News-Sentinel reported, and they agreed it was necessary to get in the film room together Sunday.

"We didn't do that last week," Buchanan said. "So it's new. I think it was good that we all got in there and saw ourselves on film as a collective unit without the coaches."

SEC TOP TO BOTTOM

Rank;prev;record;comment

1;(1)Alabama;4-0;Tide keep rolling along

2;(2)LSU;4-0;Coach O playing Ole Miss

3;(3)Georgia;4-0;Bulldogs looking to pound Vols again

4;(4)Auburn;3-1;Offense struggled against Hogs

5;(6)Kentucky;4-0;Can Wildcats challenge Georgia in East?

6;(7);Texas A&M;2-2;Losses to Clemson and Alabama

7;(5)Mississippi State;3-1;Welcoming Mullen back to Starkville

8;(9);South Carolina;2-1;Looking to end losing streak to Kentucky

9;(8);Missouri;3-1;Open date to get ready for Gamecocks

10;(11);Florida;3-1;Cowbells will be ringing in Mullen's ears

11;(12)Ole Miss;3-1;Road trip to Baton Rouge

12;(10)Vanderbilt;2-2;Got roughed up at home by Gamecocks

13(13);Tennessee;2-2;Pruitt vs. Smart in matchup of Saban coordinators

14;(14);Arkansas;1-3;Hoping to break losing streak to Aggies

PLAYER TO WATCH

It hasn't been a super senior season for Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, but that could change against his old coach Saturday.

The Bulldogs will face Florida and Coach Dan Mullen -- Mississippi State's coach the previous nine seasons. Mullen was the only coach from a Power 5 conference to offer Fitzgerald a scholarship and helped mold him into one of the SEC's top quarterbacks.

Fitzgerald no doubt wants to show out against his old coach, but he'll need to take his game to a higher level than it's been so far this season. Fitzgerald sat out the first game while serving a disciplinary suspension, and in three games he has completed just 41 of 80 passes (51.2 percent) for 542 yards and 4 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. He's rushed for 286 yards and five touchdowns.

In Kentucky's 28-7 victory over Mississippi State last week, Fitzgerald passed for 145 yards and was held to 20 rushing yards. He'll likely need much better numbers if the Bulldogs are going to beat their old coach.

GAME OF THE WEEK

South Carolina at Kentucky

WHEN 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network)

WHERE Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.

RECORDS Kentucky 4-0, 2-0 SEC; South Carolina 2-1, 1-1 SEC

RANKINGS Kentucky is No. 17 in The AP poll.

LINE Kentucky by 1½ points

Kentucky has become a surprise contender in the SEC East after beating Florida for the first time since 1986 and shocking Mississippi State. If the Wildcats are going to put themselves in position to win the East title for the first time, beating South Carolina at home is critical.

BY THE NUMBERS

2007 -- The last time Kentucky was nationally ranked prior to this week when the Wildcats were voted No. 17 in The Associated Press poll

37 -- Calls reversed after replay reviews in SEC games this season, according to supervisor of officials Steve Shaw

2,500 -- Tickets sold by Florida from a 7,500 allotment for the Gators' game at Tennessee

OVERHEARD

"What Tua's doing is not fair to the rest of the planet."

-- ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

"Ultimately, I'm going to point a thumb at myself first and not make any excuses. I'm accountable for every facet of this football program and assume full responsibility for a loss, and that's on me. We're going to get it right."

-- Mississippi State Coach Joe Moorhead on Kentucky's 28-7 victory over the Bulldogs

Sports on 09/27/2018