Bulldogs, Gamecocks lock horns, Tebow, Gators collide with Tigers
Brandon Harris
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Sports
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One of the most interesting Southeastern Conference matchups of the weekend won't feature the likes of LSU, Florida or Tennessee, but it will feature a pair of 3-1 teams who have certainly turned heads thus far.
Any guesses?
Try Mississippi State and South Carolina.
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks are both 1-1 in conference play and battle at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
After a season-opening loss to No. 2 LSU, Mississippi State thumped Tulane, surprised Auburn on the road and defeated Gardner-Webb. The Bulldogs aren't necessarily championing themselves as a top team in the SEC, but they're certainly in a better spot than they're used to being.
"The big thing is that we're 3-1 for the first time since I have been here," said Bulldogs coach Sylvester Croom. "It's always nice to win. You can coach a whole lot better whenever you win than when you lose."
The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were ranked as high as No. 12 last week before falling 28-16 at LSU. Coach Steve Spurrier is still working the kinks out of his offense, though, as senior quarterback Blake Mitchell has been benched in favor of redshirt freshman Chris Smelley.
"He's playing simply to see if he can play better than Blake has been playing," Spurrier said. "We're trying to see if we can get a little better play out of the quarterback."
Tigers, Gators Collide
Auburn might be without some of its luster, but undefeated Florida certainly isn't. The Gators and Tigers meet up at 7 p.m. Saturday in a game that has traditionally pitted two of the conference's top teams against one another.
Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC) has struggled with home losses to South Florida and Mississippi State, but No. 4 Florida has simply glided to its spot in the polls behind the stellar performance of sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.
The Gators average more than 49 points a game, but struggled last week at Ole Miss. The Rebels exposed a Florida defense that has shown difficulty in stopping the spread offense, especially long passes down the field.
Any guesses?
Try Mississippi State and South Carolina.
The Bulldogs and Gamecocks are both 1-1 in conference play and battle at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
After a season-opening loss to No. 2 LSU, Mississippi State thumped Tulane, surprised Auburn on the road and defeated Gardner-Webb. The Bulldogs aren't necessarily championing themselves as a top team in the SEC, but they're certainly in a better spot than they're used to being.
"The big thing is that we're 3-1 for the first time since I have been here," said Bulldogs coach Sylvester Croom. "It's always nice to win. You can coach a whole lot better whenever you win than when you lose."
The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were ranked as high as No. 12 last week before falling 28-16 at LSU. Coach Steve Spurrier is still working the kinks out of his offense, though, as senior quarterback Blake Mitchell has been benched in favor of redshirt freshman Chris Smelley.
"He's playing simply to see if he can play better than Blake has been playing," Spurrier said. "We're trying to see if we can get a little better play out of the quarterback."
Tigers, Gators Collide
Auburn might be without some of its luster, but undefeated Florida certainly isn't. The Gators and Tigers meet up at 7 p.m. Saturday in a game that has traditionally pitted two of the conference's top teams against one another.
Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC) has struggled with home losses to South Florida and Mississippi State, but No. 4 Florida has simply glided to its spot in the polls behind the stellar performance of sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.
The Gators average more than 49 points a game, but struggled last week at Ole Miss. The Rebels exposed a Florida defense that has shown difficulty in stopping the spread offense, especially long passes down the field.
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