John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo)

Big news Saturday night was Miami taking the axe to head coach Randy Shannon after the ‘Canes loss to South Florida. And in such situations, doesn’t take long for the speculation machine to start humming.

Two names receiving a large amount of play: Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and Louisville’s Charlie Strong.

Mullen is well-known to Miami fans for his tenure as offensive coordinator at Florida. All the Gators did was win a pair of national championships during Mullen’s stay. And the Florida offense has turned into a popgun since he departed for Starkville. Meanwhile, Mullen has State in a bowl game in just his second season.

Continue reading ‘Dan Mullen, Charlie Strong high on Miami list?’

Gene Chizik and Pat Dye. (AP photo/Jamie Martin)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Pat Dye defending Cameron Newton is a joke, writes George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Jeff Schultz of the AJC thinks that Georgia’s Mark Richt does deserve to be back next season.
• Florida beats Florida Atlantic 79-66 in basketball, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• LSU and Arkansas will match strengths on Saturday, writes Randy Rosetta of The Advocate.
• Gene Chizik’s path is similar to Nick Saban’s path, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier reports that South Carolina claims it is not looking past Clemson.
• One writer judges Auburn with or without the facts, writes Mr. SEC’s John Pennington.
• Jeffery Taylor has added the three-pointer to Vanderbilt’s offense, writes Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean.
• Auburn’s Nick Fairley could be a handful for the Alabama offensive line, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser writes that Auburn’s Cameron Newton still has a smile.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Dye defends Newton as Iron Bowl ramps up’

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen has tilted the best to the West, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Mullen asks MSU students to obey cowbell rules, reports David Brandt of the AP.
• Brandon Knight shines in UK’s Blue-White basketball scrimmage, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Kentucky’s porous run defense meets Mississippi State’s potent run game, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Kentucky receiver Brian Adams comes back after life-threatening clot, writes Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel.
• UK quarterback Mike Hartline has been added to the Manning Watch List, says H-L report.
• Mo Mitchell mysteriously out as UK gymnastics coach, says H-L report.
• Freshmen lead the way in Blue-White game, writes Matt May of the Cats Pause.
• Kentucky’s iron men show steel in scrimmage, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Calipari’s Cats have eye of the Tiger, reports David Jones of Florida Today.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Knight shines for UK; Mullen elevates MSU’

Raymond Sanders (H-L photo)

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• Randall Cobb is tried of opponent’s cheap shots, reports Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Again, the Cats turn out to be good, but not great, says my Monday column.
• Kentucky is better than it showed against Georgia, writes Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.
• Cats switch focus from East title to bowl bid, reports Brett Dawson of the C-J.
• The NCAA Clearing House is irrelevant, says a Kentucky Kernel editorial.
• Mississippi State wants a cleaner effort against UK, writes David Brandt of the AP.
• Sluggish win over UAB irks MSU coach Dan Mullen, writes Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Tom Leach says Kentucky got killed by the run Saturday night.
• Kentucky searching for answers, writes Brett Carney of WLEX-TV.
• Patience is the key for Daniel Orton, writes Sam Gardner of Fox Sports Florida. (Hat tip to allkyhoops.com)

(AP photo/Wade Payne)

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Reality is a bummer for Tennessee fans, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• After seven years together, Nick Saban and Derek Dooley face off Saturday, reports Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Alabama players are feeling their SEC schedule, writes Michael Casagrande of the Anniston Star.
• Les Miles calls Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton “one of a kind,” reports Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register.
• LSU is sticking with its two-quarterback system, writes Scott Rabalais of The Advocate.
• Urban Meyer is missing Dan Mullen, writes Rick Cleveland of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Mullen has Mississippi State on the fast track, writes Chris Low of espn.com.
• The fall of the Gators starts with Urban Meyer, writes George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel.
• It’s back to the drawing board for South Carolina, reports Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.
• Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett is improving, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Billy Donovan talks about Florida basketball’s high expectations for this season, reports Andy Marks of the Gainesville Sun.
• Les Miles and Stephen Garcia will meet in SEC title game, says Clay Travis of AOL FanHouse.
• Arkansas worried about its offensive misfires, reports Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News.
• Caleb King’s status unclear at Georgia after arrest, reports Tim Tucker of the AJC.
• Mullen and Meyer yield to conflicting self interests, reports Brandon Marcello of the Clarion-Ledger.
• John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel thinks SEC could still be in the mix for national title.
• Julio Jones undergoes surgery on broken hand, reports A. Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Alabama trying to figure out what happened to its running game, writes Chase Goodbread of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Vanderbilt offense has been slow to start, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.
• Two-quarterback system working at LSU, writes Randy Rosetta of The Advocate.

(AP photo/David Quinn)

SEC links for Monday:

• It was quite a September for Alabama, writes Joe Medley of the Anniston Star.
• Gators get ready for top-ranked Tide, writes Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun.
• Florida-Alabama is the only SEC game that matters all year, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Just wait until Mark Ingram’s knee is completely healed, writes Don Kausler, Jr. of the Birmingham News.
• There is plenty of motivation for the Florida defense, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
• Burton’s showing against Kentucky gives Bama something to worry about, writes David Jones of Florida Today.
• Somehow, Alabama found a way to win over Arkansas, writes Harry King of the Arkansas News.
• Cameron Newton’s numbers should be grabbing attention, writes Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Newton’s balancing act getting national attention, reports Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Newton earns his superlatives, writes Matt Hinton of Dr. Saturday.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Bama-Florida a game that truly matters’

Bart Starr

SEC links for Sunday:

• George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel asks what has Tim Tebow done to deserve all this hate?
• Bryce Brown and Jeremiah Masoli show the system needs changing, writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.
• Heisman winner Mark Ingram being pushed by Trent Richardson at Alabama, writes Michael Casagrande of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Some fall camp story lines for South Carolina, presented by Joseph Person of The State.
• Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald presents five questions for Georgia pre-season.
• Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times has five questions for LSU’s fall camp.
• Bart Starr returns to his old high school, reports Wesley Lyle of the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Houston Nutt has to roll the dice with Jeremiah Masoli, writes Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Quarterback situation is the big issue for Ole Miss, reports David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Dan Mullen hopes big Egg Bowl win will carry over for Mississippi State, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Why all the hate for Tim Tebow?’

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Ex-Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to Ole Miss is a thorny possibility, writes David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Tennessee Titans slap Lane Kiffin with a lawsuit, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
• NCAA requests only one Georgia player for interview, reports Marc Weiszer of the AJC.
• Weiszer also reports that Mark Richt is urging Georgia fans to be patient with new quarterback Aaron Murray.
• “We want our fans to be proud,” Richt tells boosters, reports Mark Bradley of the AJC.
• Paul Finebaum of the Mobile Press-Register jumps on the kick Vandy out of the SEC bandwagon.
• It’s full speed ahead for South Carolina receiver Dion LeCorn, writes Seth Emerson of The State.
• Dan Mullen is the real Darth Visor, Jr., writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Eight wins just ain’t enough for Auburn, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Jordan Jefferson is set to be more than LSU’s quarterback, reports Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times.
• Gene Stallings got Alabama back on top, at least for a little while, writes Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News.
• Ex-UT star Tyler Smith joins the SEC parade of basketball players to Turkey, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

(AP photo/Butch Dill)

SEC links for Thursday:

• As expected, Agent-gate consumes SEC Media Days, writes Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Maurkice Pouncey says he didn’t take money, reports Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Now Georgia is on the NCAA investigation list, reports Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.
• Tim Tucker of the AJC writes that NCAA is calling its trip to Georgia an “inquiry.”
• Saban’s pimp-slap won’t change unjust system, writes Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Saban shot from the hip, and drained his ammo clip, writes Joe Biddle of the Tennessean.
• Complaints over agents sound rich to John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Unscrupulous players, not agents, is the problem, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• David Ching of the Athens Banner-Herald believes that money is ruining the college game.
• SEC media overload at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, writes Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Forget blocking and tackling, it’s all about agents’