Georgia (Coach Mark Richt, Receiver Muhammad Massaquoi, Defensive tackle Jeff Owens)
Ole Miss (Coach Houston Nutt, Defensive tackle Peria Jerry, Tackle Michael Oher)
Tennessee (Coach Phil Fulmer, Running back Arian Foster, Defensive end Robert Ayers)
Celebrate Good Times
Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens knew which question he would be asked the most Thursday: Did the Bulldogs plan their massive celebration against Florida in 2008?
In case you forgot, Georgia coach Mark Richt was criticized for encouraging his team to celebrate its first touchdown against the Gators. He was trying to get the Bulldogs to show some emotion, but vows he didn’t instruct players to leave the bench. It drew a celebration penalty that is still being talked about.
“It wasn’t planned,” Owens said. “It was a one-time thing.”
For the record, Richt said Thursday he won’t do anything like that again. Owens said it won’t happen, either. But his reason for leaving the bench sounded pretty legit.
“I didn’t want the cameras to look at the bench and be the only one still sitting there,” Owens said.
Say What?
Unusual questions aren’t uncommon during SEC Media Days. Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt got one during an interview with television reporters Thursday.
The Ole Miss coach was asked if he had any advice for new Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who replaced the departed Nutt last December.
Nutt’s answer was simple and to the point: “No.”
Not A Big Reader
Even though he’s the subject of the best-selling book, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game,” Ole Miss offensive tackle Michael Oher admitted he hasn’t read it.
“They said it was a good book, though,” Oher said. “If a movie comes out (based on the book), I’ll go watch it.”
When asked which actor would play the 6-foot-5, 318-pound offensive tackle in the film version, Oher said, “I have no idea.” The senior offered a pretty good reason for why he hasn’t read the book based on his childhood as a homeless kid in Memphis who develops into a highly coveted football recruit.
“I lived it and (author Michael Lewis) asked me a lot of questions, so I felt like I knew everything in it,” Oher said.
Saban: Miles Didn’t Lie
Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked Thursday for his reaction to a recent joke by LSU coach Les Miles that it “seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat” Alabama.
The Crimson Tide lost to LSU and Louisiana-Monroe to end the 2007 regular-season on a four-game losing streak.
The remark created some scathing responses from Alabama fans, but it didn’t seem to bother Saban, Miles’ predecessor at LSU. At least publicly.
“Well, he told the truth,” he said. “He told it like it was.”
Up Next
Auburn (Coach Tommy Tuberville, Center Jason Bosley, Defensive end Sen’derrick Marks)
Kentucky (Coach Rich Brooks, Defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, Wide receiver Dicky Lyons, Jr.)
Arkansas (Coach Bobby Petrino, Linebacker Elston Forte, Center Jonathan Luigs)
South Carolina (Coach Steve Spurrier, Linebacker Jasper Brinkley, Wide receiver Kenny McKinley)
— Alex Abrams and Robbie Neiswanger • The Morning News
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