John Clay's Sidelines

Florida's Erik Murphy. (AP photo)

SEC links for Monday:

• Freshman guard Bradley Beal starting to feel comfortable at Florida, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• Erik Murphy is adding a spark to Florida’s inside game, writes David Jones of Florida Today.
• LSU basketball prepares for visit from No. 11 Marquette, reports Luke Johnson for the Times-Picayune.
• Alabama starts practice for its BCS rematch with LSU, reports Izzy Gould of the Birmingham News.
• LSU kicker Drew Alleman ready for his return to the Superdome, reports Scott Hotard of The Advocate.
• Bobby Petrino wants the Texas-Texas A&M series to be played in Arlington, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Auburn freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier wants to take a step forward with bowl game, reports Joel Erickson of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain will be named the new head coach at Colorado State, reports Izzy Gould of the Birmingham News.
• After loss to Austin Peay, Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is looking for leaders and defense, writes Beth Rucker of the Associated Press.
• Auburn talking to Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops about opening, reports Cole Harvey of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Florida fans are not exactly snapping up tickets to Gator Bowl game with Ohio State, reports Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun.
• Even though it involves two SEC teams, the BCS title game will not have SEC officials, reports Ivan Maisel of espn.com.
• Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino doesn’t know why he was yelling at the LSU sideline last month, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.

SEC links for Thursday:

• Vanderbilt’s David Williams is more than an AD, which is why he earns $2.56 million.
• Pat Summitt says she has a game plan, and is ready to get started at Tennessee.
• “Honey Badger” awaits Florida in Baton Rouge, writes Pat Dooley of Gainesville Sun.
• Mike Bianchi wants to know why Florida is playing games with its quarterbacks.
• LSU’s Blue enters Saturday with a lot on his mind.
• UT’s DaRick Rogers says the Georgia game is “sort of personal.”
• Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has no fear and a stone-cold glare.
• Auburn’s punter has played major role in field-position gambit.
• Petrino optimistic about Bequette’s return.
• Missouri needs to Mi-zippit, says Mr. SEC.

SEC links for Friday:

• Brantley must beat Alabama to win fans, writes Mike Bianchi of Orlando Sentinel.
• Ex-Bama coach Perkins helped Weis, reports Tommy Deas of Tuscaloosa News.
• Kirkpatrick sparks Tide secondary, writes Michael Casagrande for Advertiser.
• Muschamp made good first impression, reports Times-Union’s Mike DiRocco.
• Auburn’s Dyer ready for bigger role, writes John Zenor of AP.
• Auburn’s Ford out for the season, reports Ledger-Enquirer’s Andy Bitter.
• South Carolina D-line moving forward, writes Brad Senkiw of Anderson Independent.
• Crowell still looking to take it to the house, reports Chip Towers of AJC.
• Petrino wants players fresh, reports Chris Bahn of Arkansas 360.
• New UT AD says SEC will expand beyond 13, reports Beth Rucker of AP.
• Mr. SEC grades potential SEC partners.
• Tennessee kicker looks ahead, reports Patrick Brown of Times Free Press.

SEC links for Sunday:

• Fans are seeing red, but players like Georgia’s new football uniforms
• Spurrier says South Carolina is a “bunch of overrated dudes right now”
• Joe Medley: Not disrespect, just logic that has Auburn at No. 23 in AP poll
• Dissecting the AP college football poll
• Angry Les Miles promises more discipline at LSU
• Is karma catching up to LSU?
• No compliance director can save a school from a rouge booster
• Will Muschamp backs Florida assistant coach mentioned in Miami scandal story
• Ole Miss decides to let quarterback battle continue
• Vanderbilt quarterback spot crowded with transfer
• At Alabama, Nick Saban likes his quarterbacks
• Petrino confident in team leadership at Arkansas

Continue reading ‘SEC: Fans seeing red over Georgia’s new uniforms’

Bobby Petrino

If you can find it in your heart, you should feel sorry for Bobby Petrino.

Seriously.

The Arkansas coach has lost possibly the best back in the SEC, Knile Davis, who fractured his left ankle in a scrimmage on Thursday and is gone for the season.

There were some who felt Petrino’s Razorbacks had a shot at upending the SEC West apple cart and surprising division favorites Alabama and LSU. But losing Davis, who rushed for 1,322 yards last season, is a huge blow to the Arkansas offense.

Then again, whatever you might think of Petrino, he does know how to coach offense. He lost Michael Bush to a broken leg in Louisville’s season opening rout of Kentucky back in 2006, yet went on to a 12-1 season. It will be interesting to see if he can pull of a similar magic trick in Fayetteville.

Here is Petrino’s statement on the Davis injury:

“I am extremely disappointed for Knile. He is a captain who was incredibly focused on the upcoming year. His leadership throughout the offseason was significant in the development of this team. Our athletic trainers and medical staff are the best in the country, and Knile’s mental toughness will be an asset to him during the recovery process. I am fully confident in the mindset of our running back group and their ability to perform.”

Mike Slive (AP photo/Dave Martin)

SEC links for Thursday:

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive has too much to do to retire, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Joe Medley of the Anniston Star writes that the SEC commissioner started off the proceedings with some big talk about academic reform and NCAA rules.
• Slive shows he wants to be out in front of the debate, says my H-L column.
• Slive wants to alter the landscape, writes Mark Schlabach of espn.com.
• The commish has ideas and they’re not stupid, says Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel argues that Ron Zook left Urban Meyer a better program at Florida than Meyer left Will Muschamp.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC doesn’t think Muschamp is the next Zook.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has his old swagger back after winning division title, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Spurrier knows that repeating won’t be easy, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L.
• With former UK associate AD Scott Stricklin at the helm, Mississippi State pulls in a record $37.6 million in private donations, reports the AP.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Slive’s big ideas, Spurrier’s swagger and Gators’ chip’

Nick Petrino

Nick Petrino, former Louisville Trinity quarterback and son of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, was arrested early this morning in Indiana on drug and DWI charges.

Excerpt:

The Huntingburg Police Department in southern Indiana said 23-year-old Dominic R. Petrino, of Fayetteville, Ark., was arrested at 12:06 a.m. Monday and charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, illegal possession of prescription drugs and possession of paraphernalia.An outstanding quarterback on the high school level, Petrino transferred to Arkansas in the spring of 2009.

Nick Petrino had been a back-up quarterback on his father’s team at Fayetteville, but is no longer with the squad. After helping Louisville Trinity to two state titles, he spent a year at Georgetown College, redshirting before transferring to Arkansas Tech. He moved from there to Montana State-Northern in 2008.

Nick Petrino is 23. Here’s an interview he did last year.

Around the SEC on a Friday morning:

Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on Tennessee’s 69-56 win at Auburn. The Vols did not have Scotty Hopson, out with a sprained ankle. But that was no problem. Griffith: “Tennessee showed its resiliency once again. The Auburn men’s basketball team continued to exhibit ineptitude. The Vols, missing their head coach and leading scorer, dominated from start to finish in a 69-56 men’s basketball victory Thursday night before a crowd of 6,274 at Auburn Arena.”

Mike Strange of the News-Sentinel writes that Tennessee threw it weights around on the road. Strange: “For the second consecutive game the Vols steamrolled an SEC West opponent on the road. The margin was 17 points at Ole Miss on Saturday. Both were welcome developments for Tony Jones, whose job filling in for suspended Bruce Pearl has grown progressively less ulcer-inducing.”

The Vols are now 5-2 in the SEC, second behind first-place Florida at 6-2. Kentucky is 4-3.

The AP reports that an SEC school complained to commissioner Mike Slive about Alabama’s signing day webcam. “Web photos on what Alabama calls its “Fax Cam” showed an unidentified female student in a short, slitted skirt standing next to the fax machine and a board where names of each confirmed signee were posted as they arrived. The student is a Crimson Cabaret dancer who works in the football offices and was wearing her uniform. The dance team performed at halftime of the men’s basketball game Wednesday night, which tipped off some seven hours after the signing day Web cam went offline.”

Brad Locke of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal reports on the continuing circus that is Mississippi State basketball. Locke: “Rick Stansbury is muting his players’ voices on the social network. Mississippi State’s basketball coach announced Thursday that all players have been banned from using Twitter, the micro-blogging site that senior Ravern Johnson used to express his frustration after the Bulldogs’ 75-61 loss to Alabama on Wednesday. On his Twitter page, Johnson wrote that he understood why players transfer – a reference to the departures of Elgin Bailey and Twany Beckham – and criticized Stansbury’s coaching.”

The guess here would be that after everything that has happened this year in Starkville, Stansbury is on very thin ice.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Tennessee picks up win; Trouble at Alabama, MSU’

SEC links for Friday:

• Vanderbilt could have a new football coach today, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• LSU needs overtime to beat McNeese State 78-66, reports Scott Hotard of The Advocate.
• In football, LSU forfeits two scholarships for violations, reports Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times.
• Two Georgia players aid an accident victim, reports Tim Tucker of the AJC.
• Renardo Sidney needs to be great for Mississippi State, writes Brad Locke of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Vandy may hire coach; LSU forfeits scholarships’