Alabama has continued its domination of Mississippi State during Coach Mike Leach's three seasons.
The Crimson Tide improved to 85-18-3 against Mississippi State with a 30-6 win last Saturday that extended their winning streak over the Bulldogs to 15 games.
Alabama has outscored Mississippi State 120-15 against Leach-coached teams.
"We've got some guys that are afraid of the jersey that says 'Alabama' on it," Leach said after the Tide's most recent pounding. "We spent a lot of time frightened of their jerseys.
"You want to scare some of the guys on our team, put an Alabama jersey on. It'll scare the hell out of them."
Leach, when asked what can be done for the Bulldogs to overcome their fear of Alabama, said he didn't know the answer.
"Maybe we have to hang [Alabama jerseys] in their lockers because there are other really good teams that we're not afraid of their jerseys," Leach said. "But we're afraid of Alabama's jerseys."
At least the Bulldogs scored a touchdown last week on Jo'quavious Marks' 1-yard run on the game's final play.
It was the first time Mississippi State scored a touchdown against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium since Nov. 15, 2014, on Dak Prescott's 4-yard pass to Jameon Lewis with 15 seconds left in the Tide's 24-20 victory.
It had been 240 minutes and 15 seconds of game time, according to AL.com, between touchdowns for the Bulldogs on the road against Alabama.
Big-play Foucha
LSU safety Joe Foucha, a senior transfer from Arkansas, had a game-changing play in the Tigers' 45-20 victory over Ole Miss last week.
The Tigers led 24-20 in the third quarter, but the Rebels were threatening to regain the lead when they had a second-and-goal play from the LSU 9.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was pressured by linebacker Micah Baskerville and threw a pass in the end zone that Foucha intercepted with one hand.
LSU scored on its next possession, continued to build on its lead and Ole Miss didn't drive closer than the Tigers' 40 the rest of the game.
"The momentum really shifted there. The interception was probably the biggest play because they were threatening to score in that situation," LSU Coach Brian Kelly said. "That was probably the one big play in the game that gave us the ability to pull away a little bit from them."
It was the second key interception made by a former Razorback for LSU this season.
Senior Greg Brooks' interception sealed the Tigers' 21-17 win at Auburn.
Carolina ranked
South Carolina has become the latest SEC team to crack The Associated Press poll.
The Gamecocks (5-2) are ranked No. 25 in this week's poll after beating Texas A&M 30-24 for their fourth consecutive victory.
It's the first time South Carolina has been ranked since 2018.
"It's significant in the fact that it's a testament to being on the right track and that we've got some great people in this program -- players, coaches, staff," said Coach Shane Beamer, who has a 12-8 record with the Gamecocks. "It's not the end goal for us. The only ranking that really matters is the one at the end of the season.
"But certainly to be in the top 25 midway through my second year here is something that we're excited about. It's just validation that we're doing some really good things right now. We've got to continue to get better.
"By no means have we arrived. We've got to improve in a lot of different areas, but it's a good step as we continue to get this program where we want it to be."
South Carolina is the 11th SEC team to be ranked this season.
Now the challenge for the Gamecocks is to try to stay in the poll.
Among the SEC teams that have fallen out of the poll this season are Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
SEC teams currently ranked along with South Carolina are No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 6 Alabama, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 18 LSU and No. 19 Kentucky.
Offense struggling
Missouri Coach Eli Drinkwitz, asked Tuesday at his weekly news conference about calling plays, said he wouldn't be opposed to handing off that responsibility to an assistant.
The subject came up because Missouri ranks 92nd nationally in total offense (averaging 364.4 yards per game) and 98th in scoring offense (24 points points per game) going into Saturday's game against South Carolina.
"I dream about it all the time, honestly," Drinkwitz said jokingly according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Usually on third downs."
Drinkwitz, who grew up in Alma, called plays as North Carolina State's offensive coordinator from 2016-18. He's also called plays in all four seasons as a head coach, including 2019 at Appalachian State and since 2020 at Missouri.
"As you continue to grow and develop as a head coach, you look back and see the things that you're doing well and the things that you've got to improve," Drinkwitz said. "Maybe there's a weakness here or a blind spot there.
"So absolutely, I can see myself doing that if the timing was right with the right people with the right scenario and situation."
Drinkwitz said he'll continue to call plays at least through the end of this season.
"I think one of the things that I have accepted the challenge right now is that this is a situation that I've created, and I need to fix it," he said. "It's not somebody else's responsibility.
"I can't walk out of that room right now because it's not working. I've got to dive in there with everybody and say, 'OK, what can we do? How can I help these guys?' Whatever the future might hold as far as that we'll decide at the end of the season."
More A&M losses
Texas A&M, which has lost three consecutive games for the first time in Jimbo Fisher's five seasons, has also lost some players for Saturday's game against Ole Miss.
Three freshmen from the Aggies' No. 1-ranked signing class have been suspended indefinitely because of a locker room incident last week at South Carolina after Texas A&M's 30-24 loss, according to multiple media reports.
Billy Liucci, executive editor of TexasAgs.com, was the first to report defensive back Denver Harris, receiver Chris Marshall and offensive lineman PJ Williams were suspended.
Fisher, asked about the suspensions on Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, declined to confirm them, saying all disciplinary actions are done in-house. But Fisher didn't deny the players have been suspended or refute the reports.
Harris and Marshall have played as reserves. Harris has 14 tackles and 3 pass breakups in 5 games, and Marshall has 11 receptions for 108 yards in 6 games. Williams hasn't played.
Earlier this week, Fisher announced three offensive linemen -- Bryce Foster, Aki Ogunbiyi and Jordan Spasojevic-Moko -- are out for the rest of the season due to injuries. The three have a combined 26 career starts.
Home please
Georgia Coach Kirby Smart reiterated this week he wants the Bulldogs' game against Florida moved from its neutral site in Jacksonville, Fla., to the schools' on-campus stadiums for recruiting purposes.
The game has been played annually in Jacksonville since 1933, except for 1994 and 1995 when it was moved to Gainesville, Fla., and Athens, Ga., because TIAA Bank Field was undergoing renovations.
The Bulldogs will be the home team Saturday for their 101st matchup against Florida, and recruits can accept tickets from Georgia to attend the game. But Smart and his staff aren't allowed to interact with the high school players as they would if the game was on campus.
"We can't legally see them," Smart said at his Monday news conference. "We can't talk to them. We can't host them, visit with them.
"We can say, 'There's a ticket at the gate. Enjoy the game.' So that's really all we can do. We'll do that. We'll have some kids go to the game."
Smart, an ex-Bulldog in his seventh season as head coach, said he understands the tradition of playing Florida in Jacksonville.
"I enjoy the pageantry of going down there and playing," Smart said. "I enjoyed playing there as a player. I enjoy tradition. I enjoy all those things."
But what Smart said he enjoys more is recruiting at home games.
"I firmly believe that we'll be able to sign better players by having it as a home-and-home," Smart said. "Because we'll have more opportunities to get them to campus."
Georgia and Florida have a contract to play in Jacksonville through next season. Both schools then have a two-year option to continue the game in Jacksonville through at least 2025.
"Typically both schools begin conversations regarding future games in the series as the last contracted game nears," Florida and Georgia officials said in a joint statement released this week. "We anticipate following that timeline."
Out-bid
Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin will match wits Saturday with Texas A&M defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, who held the same position with the Rebels the past two seasons.
"We got out-bid," Kiffin said Wednesday when asked about Durkin leaving Ole Miss for Texas A&M. "Kind of a common theme with that program."
Aggies Coach Jimbo Fisher hired Durkin to replace Mike Elko, who became the coach at Duke after being the Aggies' defensive coordinator for four seasons.
Durkin's salary at Texas A&M hasn't been reported, but Elko made $2.1 million in his old job -- triple the $700,000 Durkin made at Ole Miss, according to media reports.
"D.J. really turned our defense around here and played pretty good," Kiffin said. "especially the second half of last year.
"We tried to keep him. He did a great job with the players. ... And he's doing a really good job there. Very multiple and doing a lot of different things."
Big half
Tennessee's 52 points in the first half of its 65-24 victory over Tennessee-Martin last week were the most in a half by the Volunteers since they became charter members of the SEC in 1933.
When Tennessee beat Carson-Newman 73-0 in 1929, the Vols scored 53 points in the first half.
SEC top to bottom
RK (PRV) TEAM RECORD COMMENT
1. (1) Georgia 7-0 Ready to cocktail party with Gators
2. (2) Tennessee 7-0 Welcoming Kentucky to Neyland
3. (3) Alabama 7-1 Open date to get ready for LSU
4. (5) Kentucky 5-2 Looking to upset Vols
5. (6) LSU 6-2 Open date to get ready for Alabama
6. (4) Ole Miss 7-1 Hoping to keep Aggies reeling
7. (8) Arkansas 4-3 Hasn’t beaten Auburn since 2015
8. (11) South Carolina 5-2 4-game winning streak
9. (7) Mississippi State 5-3 No match for Alabama
10. (10) Florida 4-3 Napier faces Georgia for first time
11. (9) Texas A&M 3-4 Getting bowl eligible won’t be easy
12. (12) Auburn 3-4 Harsin survived open date
13. (13) Missouri 3-4 Beat Vandy at least
14. (14) Vanderbilt 3-5 Second open date of season
Game of the week
No. 19 Kentucky at No. 3 Tennessee 6 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
WHERE Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
RECORDS Kentucky 5-2, 2-2 SEC; Tennessee 7-0, 3-0 LINE Tennessee by 12 1/2 Tennessee is off to its first 7-0 start since 1998 and fans are likely anticipating a showdown with No. 1 Georgia the following week, but the Volunteers figure to have their hands full with Kentucky.
It’s the third time both teams are ranked when they play, and the first time since 1951, when No. 1 Tennessee won 28-0 at No. 9 Kentucky. The game will feature a matchup of two senior quarterbacks expected to be high NFL Draft picks in Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Kentucky’s Will Levis.
Other games
Arkansas at Auburn
WHEN 11 a.m.
RECORDS Arkansas 4-3, 1-3 SEC; Auburn 3-4, 1-3 TV SEC Network LINE Arkansas by 3 1/2
Florida vs. No. 1 Georgia
WHERE TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
WHEN 2:30 p.m.
RECORDS Florida 4-3, 1-3 SEC; Georgia 7-0, 4-0 TV CBS LINE Georgia by 22 1/2
Missouri at No. 25 South Carolina
WHEN 3 p.m.
RECORDS Missouri 3-4, 1-3 SEC; South Carolina 5-2, 2-2 TV SEC Network LINE South Carolina by 3 1/2
No. 15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M
WHEN 6:30 p.m.
RECORDS Ole Miss 7-1, 3-1 SEC; Texas A&M 3-4, 1-3 TV SEC Network LINE Ole Miss by 1 1/2
By the numbers
$85,950,000 Jimbo F i s h - er’s fully guaranteed buyout if he’s fired at Texas A&M after this season without cause
38 Consecutive home victories by Alabama in October after the Crimson Tide beat Mississippi State 30-6. Alabama hasn’t lost at home in October since Oct. 2, 2004, when South Carolina beat the Tide 20-3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
54442 Georgia’s all-time record in games against Florida
1951 Last time No. 3 Tennessee and No. 19 Kentucky played when both were ranked teams