THE SCOOP
Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley says he sometimes sings along to “Rocky Top” while hearing it over and over again whenever the Gators face Tennessee. “Something gets so annoying, you got to make the best out of it,” Easley said. It may be the only thing that Tennessee has that the Vols can use to bother Florida. The Gators have won eight in a row in the series, and coach Butch Jones realizes the task ahead Saturday in the Swamp. “Right now, moving forward, we are not a very mentally tough football team,” Jones said. “Everything we do in our football program is about mental conditioning, mental toughness.”
MIZZOU DENIAL
Two members of the University of Missouri’s governing board say they did not order coach Gary Pinkel to dismiss star running back Derrick Washington after the player’s 2010 arrest on sexual-assault charges. He was Missouri’s leading rusher as a sophomore and junior until he was kicked off the team before his senior season after the accusations by a tutor. He was convicted in in 2011 of deviate sexual assault and served four months in prison. Washington’s mother told the authors of “The System,” a book released Tuesday, that Pinkel wanted to keep her son on the team, but was overruled by Missouri’s Board of Curators.
FINISHERS
There have been bright spots for Gus Malzahn’s first Auburn team as the Tigers (3-0) hit the road for LSU and their first road game. They’ve outscored opponents 20-0 in the fourth quarter, and they are one of six teams in the nation, and the only one in the SEC, to be perfect on scoring inside the opponents’ 20 (10-for-10). Conditioning also seems improved: “Late in the game I can definitely notice a difference from the past couple of years that we’re just a lot fresher,” linebacker Jake Holland said. “We’re able to run to the ball and gang-tackle.”
BELL RINGINGS
The losing continues for Mississippi State, which has lost seven of its past nine games, and it’s sure to cut down on the cowbell ringing by fans if the Bulldogs don’t turn things around. Coach Dan Mullen is trying to keep spirits up as well as fix issues on offense and defense. “It’s never as good and it’s never as bad as it seems,” Mullen said. “If we made one play in that (Auburn) game, it looks like we have all the answers. We’re jumping up and down, patting ourselves on the back.”
SCRAMBLING BACK
Alabama sophomore cornerback Geno Smith, from St. Pius, saw limited playing time Saturday after being suspended for the season opener. Smith was replaced by Jarrick Williams, who had the deflection that set up Vinnie Sunseri’s 73-yard interception return for a touchdown. “Geno’s got to beat somebody out. He lost his job,” coach Nick Saban said.
BY THE NUMBERS
31-3 Margin by which Vanderbilt has been outscored in the first quarter of the Commodores' first three games.
12 LSU's rank in the preseason, behind five SEC teams. At 3-0, the Tigers are No. 6 and trail only No. 1 Alabama among SEC teams.
