NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derek Mason and his Vanderbilt Commodores are showing that experience matters. Vanderbilt is off to its best start in years at 3-0 with the latest win an upset of Kansas State. Mason says it’s not as hard as everyone thinks. The key is experience, and he has 27 juniors and seniors on his depth chart. Top-ranked Alabama is up next.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — There’s just not a whole lot of history between Georgia and Mississippi State, who share a league and a nickname but little else. Despite being alleged rivals in the Southeastern Conference, these teams have met only 23 times over the years. When they face off Saturday night in Athens, it will be the first time they’ve played with both ranked in the Top 25.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Just three games into his first full season in his “dream job” as LS’s football coach, Ed Orgeron finds himself having to explain a historically lopsided loss to his fellow Louisiana natives. LSU has dropped from No. 12 to 25 in the national rankings after 37-7 loss to Mississippi State which represented the Tigers’ most lopsided setback in a series that dates back to 1896. Oregon says he learned a lesson about preparation and that the game “better” serve as a wake-up call for the team.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks walked into his American History class and was handed a trophy. It was award his professor gives students for asking really good questions. Franks got it for delivering the ultimate answer against Tennessee. Franks heaved a 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland as time expired Saturday and gave Florida a 26-20 victory over the Volunteers. The redshirt freshman spent the last two days getting praised for a play that will go down in program lore.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama can now officially begin its quest for a fourth straight Southeastern Conference title. The top-ranked Crimson Tide has conquered one highly ranked team, Florida State, and produced lopsided wins over a pair of Mountain West Conference opponents. Next up is undefeated Vanderbilt.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Butch Jones is facing some of the toughest criticism he’s encountered in his five-year tenure after losing a Southeastern Conference opener that turned into a showcase for second guessing. The grumbles that started with Tennessee’s late-season fade last year have grown louder following a 26-20 setback at Florida that was decided on a 63-yard touchdown pass as time expired.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Jim McElwain says cornerback Duke Dawson is “highly questionable” to play at Kentucky on Saturday because of a head injury. Dawson has nine tackles and two interceptions in two games for the 20th-ranked Gators. Dawson, though, was quick to counter McElwain’s prognosis and vowed to play.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi receiver A.J. Brown has a sprained MCL in his left knee, but could be ready for the team’s game against No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 30. Coach Matt Luke said on Monday that Brown will likely be sidelined one to two weeks. He was injured early in the team’s 27-16 loss to California on Saturday.
