John Clay's Sidelines

SEC links for Tuesday:

• South Carolina’s Weslye Saunders finds more trouble in a suspension, reports Joe Person of The State.

• Can Jeffery top breakout freshman season at South Carolina? asks Travis Haney of the Charleston Post and Courier.

• Vanderbilt’s top playmaker, Warren Norman, to have MRI on knee, reports Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean.

• Only label Matt Simms missing at Tennessee is starter, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Eric Gordon a vicious hitter for the Vols, writes Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

• Ole Miss’ Jeremiah Masoli is awaiting clearance from NCAA, writes David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.

• With season fast approaching, Urban Meyer says he has concerns at Florida, reports Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun.

• Meyer says he’s starting to hit the panic button a little, reports Anthony Chiang of the Orlando Sentinel.

• Jordan Jefferson to take more risks as LSU’s quarterback, writes Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times.

• It’s Aaron Murray’s time to shine at Georgia, writes Steve Hummer of the AJC.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Stewart Mandel of SI.com writes that taking Jeremiah Masoli proves that Houston Nutt is a dirty coach.
• John Pennington of Mr. SEC writes that Dan Mullen faces a Lane Kiffin litmus test on Nutt.
• Bruce Feldman of espn.com looks at all angles of the Jeremiah Masoli case.
• Vanderbilt drops the interim tag on coach Robbie Caldwell, reports Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean.
• Warren Norman is a bright spot for the Commodores, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC writes that Mark Richt is already taking out the trash at Georgia.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Writer says Houston Nutt a “dirty” coach’

Charlie Strong

SEC links for Tuesday:

Pat Dooley of Gainesville Sun reports on Charlie Strong’s visit with Louisville: “Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong confirmed to The Sun on Monday morning that he was interviewed by Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich on Sunday night but that no decision was made on whether Strong will be the next coach at Louisville.”

C.L. Brown of the Courier-Journal on Strong: “Joe Headon called Strong a ‘father figure,’ and Janoris Jenkins labeled him a ‘players’ coach.’ And all the players talk as much about what Strong does for them off the field as they do about what they learn from him on it. ‘If you have problems, he’s the one you go see,’ said Jenkins, a sophomore cornerback.

Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser reports on Auburn’s win over Virginia: “The highs and lows came quickly for Brendon Knox on Monday night. The senior missed a critical free throw with 31 seconds remaining. Thirty seconds later, he watched teammate Dewayne Reed miss on a drive and saw the ball carom into a perfect position.
The world slowed down. His moment had arrived.”

Paul Newberry of AP reports on Alabama’s domination of All-SEC selections: “The Crimson Tide picked off Seven first team selections, including the top three individual awards: running back Mark Ingram was named offensive player of the year, linebacker Rolando McClain led the vote for the top defensive player and Nick Saban claimed his second straight coach of the year honor.”

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Louisville talks to Charlie Strong’

Anthony Grant

SEC links for Thursday:

• Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register reports that crowd of 10,245 shows up for Anthony Grant’s first game at Alabama.
• Mark Bradley of the AJC writes that Georgia AD Damon Evans still made his point while backing Mark Richt.
• Randy Rosetta of The Advocate writes about the challenge facing LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson.
• Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News writes that Alabama wants to improve its downfield passing game.
• Jeff Lockrige of the Tennessean reports that Vandy back Warren Norman is running for league’s top freshman.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Anthony Grant makes Alabama debut’