Moreno Must Thrive Behind Revamped Line

No. 10 Georgia welcomes No. 22 Vanderbilt to Athens today, surely having remembered the outcome of the Commodores’ last trip to Sanford Stadium. Vandy won 24-22 at Georgia in 2006, and the Bulldogs won on a field goal as time expired to escape Nashville with a victory last season.

So Mark Richt won’t need to remind his Bulldogs of the visitors’ ability. He’ll have to worry more about getting Georgia’s ground game back in top form.

Sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno simply hasn’t lived up to the Heisman Trophy hype thus far this season. Sure, his numbers aren’t awful. Moreno’s average of 98.3 yards per game ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference.

But he averaged only 71.3 against Georgia’s three SEC foes — Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. Not helping matters is the fact that injuries will force the Bulldogs to start two sophomores and three freshmen on their offensive line.

Another sub par game from Moreno may not matter anyway. Vanderbilt quarterbacks Chris Nickson and Mackenzi Adams, hoping to get the Commodores bowl eligible, each looked terrible last week at Mississippi State.



A Worthy Challenge

Maybe today’s trek to No. 2 Alabama is exactly what the Ole Miss Rebels need right now. Maybe all Houston Nutt’s team needs is to be the underdog. That worked three weeks ago, at then-No. 2 Florida, when the Rebels shocked the Gators.

The Rebels have struggled as a favorite in SEC play, losing at home to Vanderbilt and South Carolina. But they’re back in a similar spot to three weeks ago as they travel to Tuscaloosa with few expecting them to contend.

Coming off a bye week, Ole Miss has had ample time to prepare for Glen Coffee, the junior running back who ranks second in the SEC with an average of 118 yards per game.



Tough Timing

Not the best week for Steve Spurrier and his South Carolina Gamecocks to welcome a visit from No. 13 LSU. Initially, this seemed like a sneaky tough matchup for the Tigers, considering this game is sandwiched in between high-rated foes Florida and Georgia.

But the loss to the Gators renders that perspective meaningless. LSU still hasn’t lost hope for a Western Division title. The Tigers’ margin for error, though, is gone.

Les Miles will undoubtedly have his Tigers ready. Establishing junior running back Charles Scott must rank atop LSU’s to-do list. Getting pressure on South Carolina freshman quarterback Stephen Garcia, who makes his first career start, isn’t far behind.



Quick Hitters

• Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has played Kentucky four times as a head coach. His Louisville teams won all four of those matchups, and he looks for win No. 5 over the Wildcats today in Lexington.

• Mississippi State, last in the Western Division, had bowl aspirations for this season. Tennessee, last in the Eastern Division, had more. But both teams enter today’s tilt in Knoxville at 2-4.

• Auburn gets another week to stew over its home loss to Arkansas last Saturday, and No. 4 Florida has seven more days to relish its 30-point blowout of LSU.