Plenty has been made out of Auburn linebacker Anthony Swain at least appearing as if he faked an injury during the Tigers’ 35-17 victory at Arkansas last week.
The Razorbacks had converted on a fourth-and-3 to the Auburn 2 on the last play of the third quarter. Swain made the tackle on tight end Austin Tate, got up and walked across the field, then fell to the ground and grabbed his right knee.
As ESPN showed replays of Swain’s collapse, the announcers accused him of faking an injury to slow down the Razorbacks’ momentum.
“Guilty as charged, my friend,” color analyst Matt Millen said.
Swain sat out the fourth quarter, and Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said after the game he doesn’t have his players fake injuries. He reiterated that stance Tuesday during his weekly news conference.
“At the time I did not see it happen, but after watching the TV copy I could see why people questioned it,” Malzahn said.
“I’ve coached for 23 years and I’ve never told any player to fake an injury. I promise you this - moving forward there will be no questionable issues like that again.”
Before the season, Malzahn said having defensive players fake injuries to slow down hurry-up offenses was a concern.
“If you’re going to look at rules changes, officials, we need to look at the guys on defense that are faking injuries to slow down these pace teams,” Malzahn said in July.
“That’s an issue of integrity.”
‘I’m the backup’
Missouri redshirt freshman quarterback Maty Mauk has started the past three games in place of injured senior James Franklin, but Franklin may be ready to return for Saturday’s game at Kentucky.
Franklin, who sprained his right shoulder against Georgia on Oct. 12, is listed as questionable for the Kentucky game. Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said Wednesday it probably won’t be determined until today whether Franklin will be available to play.
Mauk said earlier this week that he’s ready for Franklin to take over as the starter whenever he’s ready.
“This is James’ offense,” Mauk told reporters.
“It’s just obvious. He’s the No. 1. I’m the backup. Right now, he’s down with a shoulder, so I’ve kind of taken over for a couple of weeks.
“If he’s ready this week, he’ll be back and I’ll step back into that No. 2 role.”
No extra motivation
As of Wednesday, Alabama is listed as a 12-point favorite over LSU by oddsmakers, but Tigers Coach Les Miles said he hasn’t talked to his players about being underestimated.
“I can tell you that this team does not take on an underdog’s mentality,” Miles said. “It’s a team that really feels like it can play with anyone, and so I don’t know that we use it as motivation.”
Miles said the Tigers don’t need extra motivation to get ready to play the No. 1 Crimson Tide.
“There’s a little more energy in the step of your team, their attention to detail is greater,” Miles said. “Their attention to watching film and extra time is something that they put in. And yeah, I enjoy it very much.”
Malzahn defends QBs
Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn took exception to Pat Dye referring to the team’s quarterbacks’ last season “as cowards” during remarks to the Knoxville (Tenn.) Quarterback Club on Monday.
Dye didn’t name the quarterbacks, but the three who played the position for Auburn last season when the Tigers finished 3-9 - including 0-8 in the SEC - were Kiehl Frazier, Clint Moseley and Jonathan Wallace.
“We had two last year and they both were cowards,” Dye, who as Auburn’s coach in 1981-1992 led the Tigers to four SEC titles, said according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel. “How can you win with a coward at quarterback? Now one of them might have been a coward mentally, and there’s a difference between being a coward mentally and a coward physically.
“If you’re a coward physically you’ve got no chance to overcome that, but you can grow up from being a coward mentally. But it didn’t happen so we had no chance.”
Malzahn, who was Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2009-2011 before returning to the program this season, either coached or recruited all of last year’s quarterbacks.
Two newcomers have played quarterback for the Tigers this season - junior college transfer Nick Marshall and freshman Jeremy Johnson - as Auburn has bounced back to start 8-1.
“Of course I recruited all the quarterbacks here and they’re nothing but champions,” Malzahn said Tuesday during his weekly news conference when asked about Dye’s comments. “I’m proud of the guys.”
“Pretty sure Pat Dye was talking about Clint and I, not Jonathan,” Frazier, who played at Shiloh Christian and is now at receiver for Auburn, tweeted. “Jonathan did the best he could in a bad situation.”
Dye has called Frazier to personally apologize, AL.com columnist Kevin Scarbinsky reported. Scarbinsky wrote that Dye owes the quarterbacks a public apology as well.
Airing it out
LSU has a potent receiving combo in juniors Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, who have 16 touchdowns this season.
Going into Saturday night’s game at Alabama, Landry has 58 receptions for 889 yards and 8 touchdowns and Beckham has 48 receptions for 1,009 yards and 8 touchdowns.
“No team is invincible and no defense is invincible.” Landry told the reporters about facing the Tide. “They do a lot of great things well, but we do a lot of great things well, also.
“It comes down to individual guys making plays.”
Landry said he and Beckham need to win their share of one-on one match ups against Alabama’s defensive backs.
“A lot of defenses do the same stuff as them, but I guess Alabama does it better,” Beckham said. “I’m looking forward to it.” Let’s get physical
This usually is the time of the season when coaches are having shorter and lighter practices to help their players stay fresh, but Tennessee Coach Butch Jones is taking the opposite approach.
After Missouri rushed for 339 yards in beating the Volunteers 31-3, Jones said Tennessee is having more physical practices this week to prepare for Auburn, which is averaging 306.2 rushing yards per game to lead the SEC.
“He made it evident that we need to get back to the physical part of Tennessee and playing physical Tennessee football,” Vols defensive end Jacques Smith told reporters. “It won’t do anything but help us. I think Coach Jones has the best intentions for our football team, and I can’t wait to get out there and get better.
‘We know that we’re a great football team. From the standpoint of what situation we’re in right now, we have to improve on our confidence. I think that’ll improve with our play.”
Jones said he wants his to be “Tennessee Tough,” and added that’s not a just a slogan.
“Tennessee football’s not going to be soft,” Jones said.
Prescott loses mom
Mississippi State sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott’s mother, Peggy, died Sunday from colon cancer. Dak Prescott is the youngest of her three sons.
“The best way I can judge someone is how she raised her son,” Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen said. “I hope my son turns out like Dak. He’s a great student, football player, a great effort guy, teammate and leader.
“He does everything the right way and does it as hard as he possibly can. Going through all she’s had to go through and showing the love that she had for not only Dak but all three of her sons is pretty amazing.”
Prescott, who leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 568 yards and 10 touchdowns and also has passes for 1,393 yards, has been at home in Vinton, La., this week with family members.
It’s not known if he’ll play in Saturday’s game against Texas A&M.
Mississippi State senior Tyler Russell has been sidelined by a concussion and ankle injury this season, but he is expected to start if Prescott doesn’t play.
More pain for Gators
Florida, which has been hit hard by injuries, lost another player when offensive tackle Tyler Moore broke his right elbow after being involved in an accident while riding home on his scooter after Tuesday’s practice.
Moore is the ninth Florida player and fifth starter to be lost for the season. His injury means the Gators will be starting their third left tackle in the last four games when they play Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Murray turning 50
Georgia senior Aaron Murray so far has been able to avoid the injury-bug which which has bitten so many SEC quarterbacks this season.
Murray is set to make his 50th consecutive start when the Bulldogs play Appalachian State on Saturday.
“It’s luck, some good protection from the offensive linemen,” Murray told reporters this week. “But I’m definitely thankful.
“There’s always bumps and bruises along the way and I’ve had my share of minor injuries here and there. But luckily nothing serious has occurred, and hopefully it will stay that way.”
SEC top to bottom
RK (PREV.) TEAM REC. (SEC) COMMENT
(1) Alabama 8-0 (5-0) Saban hosting his old team in Tuscaloosa
(2) Auburn 8-1 (4-1) Turnaround keeps getting bigger and better
(3) LSU 7-2 (3-2) Won 9-6 on last visit to Alabama
(4) Texas A&M 7-2 (3-2) Manziel ready to beat up on Mississippi State
(5) South Carolina 7-2 (5-2) Open date to heal up for Florida
(6) Missouri 8-1 (4-1) No hangover
(7) Ole Miss 5-3 (2-3) Can get bowl eligible by beating Hogs
(8) Georgia 5-3 (4-2) Stays in East race by beating Gators
(9) Florida 4-4 (3-3) Lost three in a row since beating Hogs
(10) Vanderbilt 4-4 (1-4) Hopes to pull upset at Florida
(11) Tennessee 4-5 (1-4) Looking to slow down Gus bus
(12) Mississippi State 4-4 (1-3) Tough road trip to Aggieland
(13) Arkansas 3-6 (0-5) Bad time to have Kentucky off the schedule
(14) Kentucky 2-6 (0-4) Bad time to have Arkansas off the schedule
Game of the week
No. 13 LSU at No. 1 Alabama
7 p.m. Central on Saturday, CBS
The Tigers and Crimson Tide will meet in a prime time match
up that would be a little bigger if the Tigers hadn’t been upset at Ole Miss, but it always will carry a ton of weight with Alabama Coach Nick Saban going against his former team. Saban’s defense will be tested by a more balanced LSU offense featuring improved passing by quarterback Zach Mettenberger.
While LSU is a long shot to win the West with two SEC losses, beating Saban and knocking Alabama from the top spot in the Bowl Championship Series would mean a lot to the Tigers and their fans who still view Saban as a traitor for taking the Tide job after his NFL stint with Miami didn’t work out.
By the numbers
43◊Alabama Coach Nick Saban’s record against LSU, his former employer, since he became the Crimson Tide coach
+15◊Missouri’s SEC-leading turnover margin. The Tigers have 24 takeaways compared to 9 turnovers.
“Overheard”
“You say we’ll put two guys on Manziel and two guys on Evans, but then there are seven on the other nine and we’re two short. That could be a problem.”
- Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen on facing Texas A&M QB
Johnny Manziel and WR Mike Evans “I like this kind of football.”
- Alabama Coach Nick Saban on the Tide’s smash-mouth match up against LSU
Sports, Pages 22 on 11/07/2013