THE BIG STORY

LSU senior defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey does not see his coach leaving for Michigan should Michigan coach Lloyd Carr resign this season.

“I’d be surprised,” Dorsey told Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett News Service on Monday. “I get the impression he loves it here. I feel like he feels comfortable here. But who knows?”

LSU coach Les Miles played at Michigan in the mid-1970s and coached there under the late Bo Schembechler from 1980-81 and again from 1987-89. He remained on staff under coach Gary Moeller, who replaced Schembechler after the 1989 season. When Moeller was replaced by Carr for the 1995 season, Miles did not remain on the staff and went to Oklahoma State as an assistant.

“You know what? I’ve got to be real honest with you. I have not given a lot of thought to it because frankly it’s something that’s not imminent,” Miles said of the Micgihan job. “I want to look at this football team, and if anything that I did in talking about or thinking about that took me away from this football it’d be unfair to them. So I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t like that talk. I want to focus on this team and what we’re doing here, And that’s it. I really don’t want to talk about it. I have nothing to say. I don’t want to say to them anything, and I want our kids to understand that there’s a task at hand, and we’re going to do the things that we need to do to be the best team we can be and I’m not going to worry about anything else. And I’m not going to talk about anything else.”

Asked if he was in an awkward situation being an ardent Michigan alum, he said, “I can only tell you honestly that I’m not going to give any thought to it. I’m not going to worry about it. I’ve received no calls because I’ve put the word out, ‘Leave me alone.’ I’m just saying that I’m about taking care of this football team. This is a very important team to me. And so I want to make sure that I do everything I can to prepare, period.”

Should LSU win the national championship this season and then lose Miles to Michigan, it would mark the second time in a five-year span that LSU won a national title and lost its coach. Former LSU coach Nick Saban won the national championship in 2003 and left for the Miami Dolphins after the 2004 season. LSU’s first national championship team also lost its coach when Paul Dietzel left to coach Army after the 1961 season. He won the national championship in 1958.

A look at the league:

ALABAMA

For the second straight week, tailback Terry Grant on Monday was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after he rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Vandy. “It’s just another day’s work,” Grant said of the award. “Just go out there and play the game like you play.”. . .The kickoff for the Sept. 22 game between Alabama and Georgia won’t be determined until Sunday. CBS will choose between Georgia-Alabama and South Carolina-LSU for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. The game CBS does not choose will be carried on ESPN at 6:45 p.m. . .Alabama is looking forward to facing Arkansas running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones on Saturday. “It’s fun to play against an offense like that,” defensive end Wallace Gilberry said. “Once you convince yourself that these guys are no different than me, it’s just football.”

ARKANSAS

Arkansas defensive end Marcus Harrison is expected to play Saturday night against Alabama, but it remains to be seen just how much. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said Monday afternoon that he’ll have a better idea as to how much Harrison will play after watching the senior practice this week. Harrison was listed as the starting left defensive end at the end of preseason camp, but he was suspended following his Aug. 24 arrest on a felony drug charge and several misdemeanors. “He’s eligible to play. Again, we don’t know how many snaps, or as far as putting a number on what he can do. We don’t know that yet,” Nutt said. “Again, it’s going to depend on this week and we’ll see how the game is going and how he’s going to fit.”. . .Arkansas wide receiver Marcus Monk (two arthroscopic knee surgeries) and tight end Ben Cleveland (nerve damage in the neck) aren’t expected to play on Saturday at Alabama. get any action in Saturday’s rematch because of injuries. “Right now, we’re not counting on them, no,” Nutt said.

AUBURN

Redshirt freshman Tim Hawthorne, true freshman Chris Slaughter and sophomore Montez Billings could all see more action in what appears to be a shakeup of Auburn’s receiver rotation. Senior Prechae Rodriguez, who had at least one drop Saturday, could be the odd man out. Although practices are closed, Hawthorne said he worked with the first team on Sunday. Slaughter also said he took reps with the No. 1 unit. Robert Dunn, normally a slot receiver, is also working at other positions. . . .Head coach Tommy Tuberville has all but guaranteed that true freshman quarterback Kodi Burns will redshirt this season.
“Kodi doesn’t know the passing game as well as (starting QB) Brandon Cox,” Tuberville said. “His elusiveness will probably help a little bit. But you’re still going to have to throw it most of the time. They are not going to sit back and give you an opportunity to run it, either. A couple more games go by, and Kodi will be looking at redshirting for sure.”

FLORIDA

Senior receiver Andre Caldwell will miss Saturday’s game with a sprained MCL in his right knee, Gators coach Urban Meyer said Monday. “That’s a blow,” Meyer said. “That’s a frontal shot right there.” Caldwell suffered the injury in the third quarter of Florida’s 59-31 win over Troy last Saturday night. An MRI on Sunday revealed the sprain. Sophomore Riley Cooper is expected to start in Caldwell’s place. Caldwell, a first-team preseason All-SEC pick, had four catches for 111 yards this season. He also has four rushes for 19 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run against Troy. Caldwell suffered a season-ending broken leg during the 2005 Tennessee game, but was granted an extra year of eligibility. Meyer said he wasn’t sure if Caldwell will be able to return for the Gators’ Sept. 22 game at Ole Miss.”He heals real fast,” Meyer said. In other injury news, freshman safety Bryan Thomas will also miss the Tennessee game with an MCL sprain. Brandon James is expected to return from a sprained ankle suffered Saturday as is another sophomore, Jarred Fayson. Meyer also said receiver Percy Harvin (tendinitis) is “as close to 100 percent as he’s been in 2007.”. . .Florida’s Sept. 22 game at Ole Miss will begin at 11:30 a.m. CDT and will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports.

GEORGIA

Georgia steps away from conference play this week before returning to SEC play for five straight games. “I’m not going to talk much about the conference race this week especially because we’re not playing a conference game,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “We’re going to look on continuing to improve and playing hard-nosed Georgia football. We’ll work more on just getting better.”. . .The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs (1-1) will try to build up some positive momentum Saturday against Western Carolina (0-2). “Last year was definitely tough losing four out of five,” tight end Tripp Chandler said. “We definitely don’t want to go down that road again. Hopefully we’ll figure it out before we have to go that deep into trouble.” The lessons of last year can be beneficial this week, Richt said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about it,” Richt said. “We’re certainly not in the position right now that we were in a year ago with that streak of five games. I certainly don’t want this one to last that long, that’s for sure. I think our guys can draw from that.”

KENTUCKY

Kentucky will try to end a four-game losing streak to No. 9 Louisville on Saturday. “I’ve been honest with my team forever, I think,” Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. “To make them think it’s just another week is pretty silly. Obviously it’s not. This is a huge game. It’s a big week and we approach it as that.” First-year Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe has an offense that has rolled up 131 points and 1,384 yards of total offense in its first two games. Neither Brooks nor the UK players can see any major differences from previus Louisville coach Bobby Petrino’s system to Kragthorpe. “I can’t tell,” said sophomore defensive tackle Corey Peters. “They’re still putting up a lot of points. They look just as good if not better.”. . .Kentucky defensive tackles Ricky Lumpkin (hip) and Myron Pryor (pectoral muscle) underwent MRIs on Momday. Brooks listed Lumpkin as doubtful and Pryor as questionable. Brooks said that free safety Marcus McClinton (ankle) and cornerback David Jones (appendectomy) are probable.

LSU

Quarterback Matt Flynn did not practice Monday because of the ankle injury suffered against Virginia Tech Saturday, but Miles did not seem overly concerned about Flynn’s status for Saturday’s 7 p.m. home game between the No. 2 Tigers (2-0) and Middle Tennessee (0-2). “I don’t think that his injury is a real worry at this point,” Miles said at his press luncheon on Monday. “We have taken some precautionary steps by giving him the day off. We will look at him on Tuesday and Wednesday.” Flynn also did not meet with reporters on Monday as he was getting treatment for his ankle. Meanwhile, Miles continues to be impressed with No. 2 quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who completed all five of his passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns in the 48-7 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. Perrilloux also rushed four times for 21 yards. “We’re fortunate to have another talented quarterback to split reps with a guy who has a similar ability,” Miles said. “That gives your team the luxury of preparing two quarterbacks to play regularly.”

OLE MISS

Ole Miss is ranked last in the SEC in total defense (507.5 yards a game) and pass defense (336.5). The marks rank 109th and 110th, respectively, among 119 Division I teams. The Rebs are also 95th in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 46.9 percent of the time. Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on new defensive coordinator John Thompson, who was hired to take some of the pressures off his shoulders. “I know he’s disappointed in the defensive performance, but I’m involved in all the game planning of the defense,” he said. “So I have to share and take most of the fault for that. He’s doing mostly what we want to do.” Thompson promises Ole Miss will get it “worked out.” “We’ve just got to keep digging and get the right guys at the right time,” Thompson said. “But still, it comes back to: You’ve got to play aggressive.”

MISS. STATE

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said Auburn losing last week to South Florida doesn’t chnage anything from his end as the Bulldogs prepare to play at Auburn on Saturday. “They’re still one of the better teams in the conference,” Croom said. “We’re going to prepare that way and we go in expecting a tough football game from them. … I look at it as we’re playing Auburn and what happened last week doesn’t make a whole lot of difference as far as I’m concerned.”. . .Junior defensive back Jasper O’Quinn (quad pull) is questionable for Saturday’s game.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Carolina is trying to improve its offensive line by stealing players from the defensive line. “They’ve got too many guys over there (on the defensive line),” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. “We’ve probably done a poor job of trying to beef up our offensive line. We’ve got too many guys stacked up on the D-line right now.” Redshirt freshmen Kenrick Ellis and Terrence Campbell are moving to the offense, and may serve as backup guards as soon as Saturday’s game against South Carolina State. Campbell has not played in South Carolina’s first two games. Ellis played at defensive tackle in the opener, but sat out last Saturday’s win against Georgia. Spurrier also said that junior Gurminder Thind, who has backed up at tackle and guard, may start at guard this week. Thind played most of the second half in relief of starter Lemuel Jeanpierre, who moved over from the offensive line last spring. Kevin Young was due to start at right guard at Georgia before getting hurt. He is still out with a left ankle injury. . .Backup quarterback Chris Smelley, who missed the Georgia game with a shoulder injury, returned to practice but was limited to throwing. Linebacker Cody Wells returned to practice after missing last week with a leg injury.

TENNESSEE

In last year’s 21-20 Tennessee loss to Florida, the Vols finished with minus-11 yards rushing in a 21-20. Vols’s Phillip Fulmer hasn’t shied away from reminding his players just how close they came to winning despite the Vols’ worst rushing performance in his 16-year tenure. “It does come up,” Fulmer said. “It’s a very important statistic in winning a football game. Even with that, somehow or another, we were ahead 17-7 in the (third) quarter. You bring that up as well - that we need to finish a game. (Quarterback) Erik (Ainge) played very well and our defense for the most part held up, and we gave up a couple plays that ended up being the difference in the ballgame.”. . .Fulmer didn’t seem too concerned about UT’s use of the no-huddle in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, one of the loudest venues in the SEC. Fulmer said visual signals should help overcome a crowd that he said will probably be twice as loud as the Cal game.

VANDERBILT

Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Nickson, who pulled a hamstring in Saturday’s 24-10 loss to Alabama, is questionable for this weekend’s game against Ole Miss. “We didn’t let him do anything (Sunday),” Commodores Coach Bobby Johnson said during his weekly press conference Monday. “It’s going to be an evaluation period the next couple of days, just to find out how he’s going to be. It’s too early to tell. But he’s not ‘out.’ “If he can’t go, we’ve got a lot of confidence in Mackenzi Adams, and Richard Kovalcheck will be ready to go.” Adams has played in each of Vanderbilt’s first two games, seeing extensive action Saturday after Nickson ran just one play in the second half. On the season, the redshirt sophomore has completed 13-of-24 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Kovalcheck, who transferred from the University of Arizona prior to the 2006 season, completed 10-of-14 passes for 63 yards in limited action last fall. “If Mackenzi gets the reps in practice (that) your starting quarterback is going to get, he’ll be much sharper,” Johnson said.”He’s got talent. He’s a ballplayer. He’s a tough guy, loves to compete.”