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By The
NUMBERS
SEC STANDINGS
EASTERN DIVISION
SEC AU Top 25 PF PA
Georgia 6- 2 9-2 3-2 315 161
Florida 5-3 8-3 3-2 312 202
S. Carolina 5- 3 7-4 2-3 253 241
Vanderbilt 3-5 5-6 0-3 299 321
Tennessee 3-5 5-6 1-4 205 205
Kentucky 2-6 3-8 0-4 239 375
WESTERN DIVISION
SEC All Top 25 PF PA
LSU 7- 1 10-1 4-1 329 148
Auburn 7-1 9-2 2-1 376 162
Alabama 6- 2 9-2 2-2 250 118
Arkansas 2-6 4-7 0-5 283 271
Miss. State 1-7 3-8 0-5 153 259
Ole Miss 1-7 3-8 0-4 148 245
TEAM LEADERS
Average per game
PASSING OFFENSE
Vanderbilt. . . . 280.6
Georgia . . . . . 235.3
LSU...... . 232.7
Auburn . . . . . 222.9
Florida . . . . . 222.0
South Carolina . 216.6
Alabama. . . . . 211.1
RUSHING OFFENSE
Arkansas . 216.9
Auburn . . 202.7
Georgia . . 158.7
LSU . . . . 145.9
Florida . . 144.7
Alabama. . 142.3
Miss. State . 137.6
TOTAL OFFENSE
Auburn . . 425.6
Vanderbilt . 395.6
Georgia . . 394.0
LSU . . . . 378.6
Florida . . 366.7
Arkansas . 360.6
Alabama. . 353.4
PASSING DEFENSE
Alabama. . . . . 154.8
Georgia . . . . . 175.4
South Carolina . 176.1
Ole Miss.... . 179.4
LSU...... . 187.9
Auburn . . . . . 189.7
Florida . . . . . 192.1
RUSHING DEFENSE
Tennessee 82.5
LSU. . . . 90.8
Alabama . 93.6
Florida . . 97.7
Auburn . 104.4
Georgia . 128.6
Arkansas 132.6
TOTAL DEFENSE
Alabama. 248.4
LSU 278.7
Florida . 289.8
Auburn . 294.1
Tennessee 298.2
Georgia . 303.9
Ole Miss. 332.6
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Totals
PASSING YARDS
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt. 3,073
Chris Leak, Florida . . 2,361
JaMarcus Russell, LSU. 2,314
Brodie Croyle, Alabama 2,224
D.J. Shockley, Georgia 2,199
Brandon Cox, Auburn. 2,187
Blake Mitchell, South Carolina.....2,104
RUSHING YARDS
Kenny Irons, Auburn .... 1,205
Ken Darby, Alabama .... 1,161
Jerious Norwood, Miss. State 1,136
Darren McFadden, Arkansas.......1,113
Rafael Little, Kentucky 1,045
Arian Foster, Tennessee. 879
Joseph Addai, LSU . . . 774
RECEIVING YARDS
Sidney Rice, South Carolina...... 952
Earl Bennett, Vanderbilt....... 876
Chad Jackson, Florida......... 824
D.J. Hall, Alabama.......... 676
Erik Davis, Vanderbilt......... 619
Dwayne Bowe, LSU.......... 585
Dallas Baker, Florida......... 550
TOTAL OFFENSE
Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt........ 3,288
D.J. Shockley, Georgia....... 2,440
Chris Leak, Florida......... 2,411
JaMarcus Russell, LSU. . ...... 2,313
Brandon Cox, Auburn........ 2,090
Brodie Croyle, Alabama....... 2,062
Blake Mitchell, South Carolina . . . 1,975
SCORING
Brandon Coutu, Georgia....... 99
John Vaughn, Auburn........ 82
Kenny Irons, Auburn........ 78
Sidney Rice, South Carolina..... 72
Chris Balseiro, Arkansas...... 70
Chris Hetland, Florida........ 70
Darren McFadden, Arkansas..... 68
Bryant Hahnfeldt, Vanderbilt . . . 68
INTERCEPTIONS
Jonathan Joseph, South Carolina . . 4
Jeramie Johnson, Miss. State . . . . , 4
Vickiel Vaughn, Arkansas...... ,4
10 players tied with 3
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SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Georgia vs. LSU
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’Dogs could be spoiler
T he playing spoiler LSU in for football Saturday's the national team SEC is championship, still Championship clinging to but a Game slim Georgia hope and can of knock play
the Tigers completely out of the Bowl Championship Series
equation.
Ranked fourth in the BCS rankings, LSU needs a victory over
the Bulldogs and upset losses by either top-ranked Southern
California or No. 2 Texas this weekend to have any shot of
earning an invitation to the Rose Bowl. Even if all three of those
scenarios come to fruition, the human polls and their computer
counterparts could still relegate the Tigers to a return trip to
Atlanta for the Sugar Bowl against West Virginia.
A victory would give Georgia the Sugar Bowl berth and the
millions that come with it. and provide the organizers of the Fiesta
and Orange Bowls with the opportunity to bypass LSU in favor of
Oregon, Ohio State or possibly Auburn.
M Records: Georgia 9-2 (6-2 SEC East); LSU 10-1 (7-1 SEC
West). N Coaches: Georgia's Mark Richt (51-12); LSU's Les
Miles (38-22). 9 Series: LSU leads 14-10-1. & Kickoff: 6 p.m.
ET Saturday in Atlanta. ■ TV: CBS.
Keys: Here's a look at a key player for the Bulldogs and Tigers in
each of the game’s three phases who could effect Saturday night’s
lottery drawing.
Offense
Georgia QB D.J. Shockley. The 14-10 loss to Florida proved
that the Bulldogs’ fortunes rest on Shockley. With the 6 -foot-i.
206-pound senior and first-year starter sidelined by an injured
right knee, Georgia was knocked out of the national title hunt as
its attack struggled with Joe Tercshinski under center.
Shockley completed 20 of 36 passes for 304 yards and two
scores in his return', a 31 -30 loss to Auburn. Suffering a hit of a
hangover from the last-second loss in the Deep South's oldest
rivalry, the Bulldogs struggled in the first quarter before exploding
for 24 second-quarter points en route to a 45-13 victory over
Kentucky.
Shockley didn’t look like the league's most efficient passer in
last week's 14-7 victory over Georgia Tech. He completed only 15
of 34 attempts for 198 yards, but still managed to account for the
game-winning touchdown with a 19-yard pass to Bryan
McClendon with 3:18 left.
Shockley’s ability to lead the Bulldogs down the field will be
tested by LSU, which ranks fifth nationally in pass efficiency
defense and rushing defense.
LSU RB Justin Vincent. Vincent rushed for a championship
game record 201 yards and two touchdowns, including a
87-yarder in the first quarter, as the Tigers whipped Georgia 34-13
in 2003 to earn a spot in the Sugar Bowl.
After earning MVP honors in the SEC title game, Vincent
picked up 64 yards on the first play from scrimmage in the Sugar
Bow! against Oklahoma. The freshman finished with 117 yards,
including the game-clinching 18-yard touchdown run, as the
Tigers claimed the BCS National Championship with a 21 -14
victory.
Vincent's inability to hold on to the ball cost him the starting
tailback spot early last season and he finished 2(X)4 with 322 yards
on 76 carries. Vincent splits catties with Joseph Addai and is
averaging just 42.5 yards per game this season, but he had a
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS — Thursday, December 1,2005
season-high 20 lushing attempts last week against Arkansas and
scored a touchdown in his fifth straight game.
Defense
Georgia DE Quentin Moses. No one in Athens will ever forget
David Pollack, but Moses has done an exceptional job filling the
void left by the three-time All-America selection.
The 6-5.248-pound junior ranks second in the conference in
sacks and tackles for loss with 10 and 17.5, respectively. The
Georgia Tech offensive line had a difficult time containing Moses
as the NFL prospect recorded five tackles, including two tackles
for a loss, and a sack.
Since giving up five sacks in a 21-17 victory over Florida in
mid-October, the LSU offensive line has yielded only five sacks in
the last six games.
LSU LB Cameron Vaughn, Leadership can’t be measured with
statistics.
Vaughn, a senior who started all 12 games last season at the
weak side linebacker, moved into the middle to replace all¬
conference selection Lionel Turner. Vaughn ranks only 30th on
the league’s tackle chart, with 61 stops, but he has adapted to the
responsibility of being the defensive quarterback and making the
calls.
After giving up an average of 29 points in the first two games
of the season, Vaughn is a big reason why the Tigers haven’t
allowed more than 17 since.
Special Teams
Georgia K Brandon Coutu. The Bulldogs experienced a bit of
a drop-off in the kicking department last season.
Unlike his predecessor and all-time Division I-A leader in field
goals, Billy Bennett, Andy Bailey left too many points on the
board in 2004. Bailey made 14 of his 20 field goals attempts, with
five misses from 30 or more yards, and was replaced by Coutu
toward the end of the season.
Coutu is the conference’s leading scorer this season, with 99
points. The sophomore is a perfect 36-of-36 on point-after
attempts and has converted 21 of 27 field goal attempts, including
a career-best 56-yarder against Kentucky.
Coutu has the best leg of any Georgia kicker since former
Chicago Bear Kevin Butler and is a potential scoring threat any
time the Bulldogs get inside the LSU 40.
LSU KR/PR Skyler Green. During the Tigers’ national
championship season, the then-sophomore led the nation in punt
returns, with an average of 18.5 yards, and earned first team All
America recognition from ESPN.com and Sl.com.
In addition to his success on special teams, Green was LSU's
second-leading receiver in 2003 and his 34-yard scoring grab with
less than two minutes remaining helped the Tigers beat Georgia
17-10 during the regular season. A high ankle sprain, which he
suffered last preseason, appeared to slow Green down as he
struggled early and averaged only 9.7 yards per punt return for the
season.
Green, who is ranked third in the league with a punt return
average of 13.6 yards and sixth with a kickoff return average of
22.3 yards, and the nation's second-best punt team are the keys to
winning the field position battle.
— PAGE 9B
2-MINUTE
drill
i&ABAMA A pair of former Crimson
Tide standouts are among
25 semifinalists for the Pro Football
of Fame's Class of 2006. Quarterback
Stabler played at Alabama from
1965-67 before spending 16 years in the
with the Raiders, Oilers and Saints,
the late Derrick Thomas played in
from 1985-1988 before he
nine Pro Bowl appearances as a
for the Kansas City Chiefs.
AR KANSAS R azor backs capped
a 4-7 season with last
19-17 loss at LSU. "When things
don't go just right, you can always identify
real players that will step up," head
Houston Nutt said. "We had every
of going to a bowl game this
and boy, you stumble a little bit and
hurts."
Offensive tackle Marcus
McNeill is one of three
for the (Jutland Trophy, which is
to the nation's best interior
The 6-foot-9, 338-pound senior
started 38 games in his career and
allowed a sack in 41 consecutive
iPStmlDA VI nnmfl By blowing out state rival
norMa S(ate 34 _ ? [ast
the Gators beat their biggest rivals
Tennessee, Georgia and the Seminoles
— for the first time since 1995. Urban
became the first first-year head
coach since Galen Hall in 1984 to hit the
trifecta.
^ RF-flRRIA UttblA The Bulldogs held Georgia
Tech standout receiver
Calvin Johnson to 14 yards on two
receptions in last week's 14-7 victory. "The
main thing was seeing how long
(cerneiback) DeMario Minter could hold
up against him," Georgia head coach Mark
said. "We've got a lot of confidence
in DeMario, and he played a fantastic
game."
sHiNTUCKY Rafael Little set a
school record for
receptions by a running back with 11 in
last week's 27-8 loss to Tennessee. The
sophomore tailback had 176 all-purpose
yards against the Volunteers and finished
with a school-record 1,982 all-purpose
yards for tire season.
M1U haR°n Landry's interception
with 57 seconds remaining helped
thwart an Arkansas rally and clinched the
SEC West Championship for the Tigers.
"Oh, I love games like that, knowing that
we're going to come out and finish the
game on defense," said LSU strong safety
Jessie Daniels.
MISSISSIPPI Junior linebacker
Patrick Willis was
credited with 11 tackles, three assisted
tackles and his first career interception in
the loss to Mississippi State. Willis, the
nation's leader in solo tackles with 9.0 per
game, is expected to decide in the next
few weeks whether he will return for his
senior season or enter the NFL draft.
§MSS STATE Senior Jerious
Norwood rushed for
204 yards and accounted for four
touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 35-14 victory
over Ole Miss last Saturday. "This was the
Egg Bowl, and it does not get much better
than winning this game," Norwood said.
^CAROLINA Walk-on wide receiver
Tim Frisby has said
that the Gamecocks' bowl game will be his
last. Frisby, a 40-year-old father of six,
spent 20 years in the U.S. Army before
enrolling at South Carolina and earning a
spot on the team in the fall of 2004.
Although he has two years of eligibility
remaining, Frisby plans to focus on
earning a degree in broadcast journalism.
1WINESSEE Offensive line coach
Jimmy Ray Stephens
and wide receivers coach Pat Washington
were fired a day after the Volunteers'
season-ending victory at Kentucky. "I
appreciate everything Jimmy Ray and Pat
have done for Tennessee over the years,"
head coach Phillip Fulmer said in a
statement. "This was a difficult decision to
make, but I feel it is in the best interest
for the future of our football program."
BMNDERBILT
quarterback Jay Cutler to be selected in
the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Cutler would be the first Commodore
selected in the first round since 1986,
when the Buffalo Bills took tackle Will
with the 20th pick.