THE BIG STORY

Frustrated by unruly behavior at football games, University of Georgia President Michael Adams told he Athens Banner-Herald that the institution and the UGA Athletic Association and its board are “increasingly ready to go” to a policy of revoking the ticket privileges of misbehaving fans.

Speaking at a media briefing following the September meeting of his cabinet, Adams said such “issues of misconduct are increasingly pervasive” at collegiate football games, at the University of Georgia and elsewhere. Recounting his experience at the UGA-Alabama game Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Adams said he was doused with beer by Alabama fans while walking through a stadium tunnel.

“The presence of 93,000 people (on the UGA campus for a football game) demands some self-control,” Adams told reporters Wednesday as he mentioned the possibility of a ticket revocation initiative. The university took some steps toward controlling fan behavior last year with the Gameday Gameplan initiative. Gameday Gameplan prohibits tailgaters from setting up before 7 a.m. on gamedays, establishes alcohol-free family-friendly areas, increases the number of trash receptacles on campus for football Saturdays, and reminds fans of which campus restrooms are available for their use.

UGA’s president further used Wednesday’s media session to issue something of an ultimatum to fans heading to Athens for Saturday afternoon’s home football game with the University of Mississippi.

“I want Ole Miss to be treated this weekend better than we were treated at Alabama. … Ole Miss should be treated as guests,” Adams said.

A look at the league:

ALABAMA

Recent history makes Saturday’s game between Alabama and Florida State in Jacksonville, Fla., all the more interesting. For the first time, Jimbo Fisher’s offense will battle Nick Saban’s defense in a live game. matching LSU’s former offensive coordinator against his old boss. Saban sees Fisher as “a great coach” and can’t believe he isn’t a head coach yet. Fisher considers Saban a friend and credits him for much of the success in his own career. Saban called Fisher “one of the best offensive coordinators in the country.” Because he liked Fisher so much at LSU, Saban offered him that job at Alabama soon after arriving in Tuscaloosa. UAB was also interested in Fisher, who said it was “shocking” when an opportunity for his first head coaching job fell through with the Blazers. He eventually chose the opportunity to work for Bobby Bowden, instead of a reunion with his old pal Saban, who hired Major Applewhite instead. “It was a very tough time,” Fisher said, “because you never knew if you were making the right decision.”

ARKANSAS

When the Razorbacks hit the field Saturday against North Texas, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said their attention will be on collecting their second win of the season. “There’s nobody that wants to win more than these players and coaches—there’s nobody,” Nutt said. “All we want to do is win.” With all the attention paid to execution on special teams, Nutt knows the importance of the kicking game and the role it can play in the Razorbacks success. “(Special teams) are always setting the tempo of the game,” Nutt said. “If you can set the tempo, you can control the game by dominating (and) executing the kicking game.” Peyton Hillis will continue to get work on the punt return team, as well as Jerell Norton. Nutt said the senior fullback will be looking to take advantage of punts when he can and will also need help from his blockers. “I think there were a couple of times where he realized he could have taken it, but we’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on catching the ball,” Nutt said. “So I think he’s gotten into a groove now and caught a lot of balls. I think he’s ready to go.”

AUBURN

The Tigers have won six consecutive SEC road games and 12 of their past 13. Auburn’s only road loss since the start of the 2004 season was a bizarre overtime defeat at LSU in which kicker John Vaughn missed five field goals. Over the past five years, only two teams — Southern Cal and Boise State — have a better record in road and neutral site games. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said there’s no secret to Auburn’s road success. “We try to stick with fundamentals,” Tuberville said. “We’re not a fancy team. In the past, we’ve won games on defense and (by) not turning it over.” The Tigers committed five turnovers in each of their two losses this season — both home games. In fact, Auburn’s most frustrating or embarrassing losses over the past three seasons have come at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

FLORIDA

Wide receiver Percy Harvin, who has missed most of practice this week to rehab a hip pointer, practiced for a significant amount of time Thursday. “He practiced,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said of Harvin. “I wouldn’t say 100 percent, but I’d say he’ll be 100 percent come game time. He was out (on the practice field) the whole time. It takes a while to loosen that thing up.” This is the second time Harvin has been slowed by injury this season. He just recovered from tendinitis to his Achilles’ tendon and knee. He leads the leads the Gators with 21 catches for 336 yards and three scores. UF will also have senior kicker Joey Ijjas (quad muscle) ready to start Saturday against Auburn. Meyer also said that sophomore receiver Riley Cooper is about 90 percent healthy and should be fine come game time. Fifth-year senior Andre Caldwell practiced, but is not expected to play.. . .Meyer said it will be a game-time decision to see who - freshman Major Wright or senior Kyle Jackson - will start at free safety. . .The Gators have won five of the last six meetings with Auburn, including the last three played at Florida Field.

GEORGIA

No team had ever blocked a punt against Georgia under Mark Richt until Ole Miss did it twice in last year’s 14-9 Georgia win. The second block was called back because of penalty. “They exposed our punt protection like no one had ever,” Richt said. Punter Brian Mimbs said his protection has been strong in his first season in the job. The Bulldogs aim to get off a punt is two seconds or less. Georgia did that for the first time this season once against Alabama. “I’ve got to get it off faster than I normally would,” Mimbs said. “They’re going to come for it and are going to look for any advantage they can to get on us.” Ole Miss blocked a punt for touchdown in its opener against Memphis. Jamarca Sanford was credited with a 28-yard return on the play that was recovered in the end zone by Kendrick Lewis. That’s the only punt return credited to Ole Miss this season. Marshay Green is the Rebels’ punt returner. “I think he’d have more punt return yardage if they weren’t so adamant about blocking your punt,” Richt said. “They got us last year and I’m sure they’re going to try and get us again, but they try to get everybody’s punt. When you sell-out to block a punt, you don’t have as many guys blocking for the return man.”

KENTUCKY

Florida Atlantic, Kentucky’s opponent Saturday, blocked two punts last week in its win over Minnesota. UK punter Tim Masthay has struggled in the past with a slow release, but UK coach Rich Brooks said that’s no longer a huge concern. “He hasn’t hit it as well as I’d like, but his get-off has been great ever since fall camp compared to last year,” Brooks said. Masthay has been excellent on kickoffs. His 11 touchbacks are by far a league-high. Placekicker Lones Seiber hasn’t had many chances, going 3-for-4 on field-goal attempts. Seiber has missed three extra points, however.

LSU

LSU quarterback Matt Flynn’s ankle has continued to improve this week, and he’s expected to be close to 100 percent when No. 2 LSU (4-0) plays Tulane (1-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Louisiana Superdome on ESPN2. “I’ll be better,” Flynn said earlier this week. “I’m hoping to be 100 percent.” Backup QB Ryan Perrilloux has put up some astronomical numbers in relief. He has completed 27 of 34 passes for 403 yards and six touchdowns with one interception for a 231.33 efficiency mark that is off the charts and not counted in the Southeastern Conference statistics because of the small number of attempts. If he had enough attempts, Perrilloux would be second in the nation in passing efficiency. “Matt Flynn’s the quarterback,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Matt Flynn’s our starter, period.”

OLE MISS

The Ole Miss defense had trouble getting spread all over the field by teams like Florida and Missouri, but are hoping Georgia’s more conventional offense on Saturday - two running backs, two receivers, tight ends - will help them snap a rough start. The Rebels are last in the SEC in most statistical categories. They’re 12th in total defense (476.2 yards) and passing defense (283.5). They’re 10th against the run (192.8 yards) and in scoring (30 points a game). The Rebels don’t have much depth in the secondary to put five or six defensive backs on the field, they lack speed at linebacker and are inexperienced in key spots. So spreading the field, putting weapons in space and letting them make plays one-on-one proved problematic for a team that has missed tackles and blown assignments all season. “They’ve spread us all out,” defensive coordinator John Thompson told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “With some of the things we’ve gone through, that obviously hasn’t been our strength. We haven’t played good defense because of that.”

MISS. STATE

State coach Sylvester Croom plans to play Wesley Carroll and Josh Riddell at quarterback at South Carolina on Saturday. Croom doesn’t know who he’ll start, but he does know one thing, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “After this ballgame, we’ll pretty much know who our quarterback is going to be,” the MSU coach said. “But they’ll both play and then we’ll see how they do and we’ll know how we’ll approach the rest of the season.”. . .Reserve quarterback Zack Harrington has decided to leave the MSU program. Harrington, a walk-on, was a prep star at Oak Grove who signed with Southeastern Louisiana. He left the Hammond, La., school after Hurricane Katrina and walked on at MSU a year later. He saw action in one game last year, the 20-17 loss at Ole Miss. Harrington approached Croom about his decision last week, but Croom asked him to stay a few more days. “Just felt like it had become a little bit of a grind to him, and he gave it up,” Croom said. “What he was concerned about was how we would feel about him and that kind of thing. I told him I had the greatest respect for him and it can be a grind. And when it gets to be a grind, it’s time to give it up.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Shane Beamer may have left Mississippi State, but the USC assistant is still close to the school that gave him his first big break in coaching As much as the South Carolina assistant wants to stomp on Mississippi State, Beamer knows doing so will leave cleat marks on friends, former colleagues and the man who gave him his first full-time job. Beamer, who coaches the Gamecocks’ outside linebackers and is the co-special teams coordinator, spent the past three years on Sylvester Croom’s Mississippi State staff. He met his wife in Starkville, learned a lot of Xs and Os there and formed bonds with the Bulldogs’ coaches and players. But Beamer will put those feelings on hold for four hours Saturday. “I’m a competitor, but at the same time, those people there, those players, I still think the world of them,” said Beamer, who arrived in Columbia in February. “It’s tough playing people you care a lot about. I’m the biggest fan they’ve got. And after Saturday, no one will be pulling harder for them than me.”

TENNESSEE

Vols’ quarterback Nick Stephens threw for 162 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in UT’s 37-20 win at Neyland Stadium over Hargrave Military Aacdemy on Thursday. Playing without a scholarship player at wide receiver or running back, Stephens finished 10-of-19 and showed flashes of the ability that’s led some to believe he could challenge for UT’s starting job next year. “I think Nick got better as the game went on,” said Cutcliffe, who shared head-coaching duties with defensive coordinator John Chavis. “He created some plays, which I thought was outstanding, and managed himself.” He also managed to make a couple of big plays. Known for his strong arm and penchant for throwing downfield, Stephens connected on passes of 29, 33 and 49 yards. “You know what you can do,” Stephens said. “But when you’re put to the test, it definitely shows what you can do.”

VANDERBILT

Tailback Jeff Jennings is likely to miss Saturday’s matchup against Eastern Michigan, as he is still recovering from a high ankle sprain sustained on Sept. 8 against Alabama. “It’s coming along, but it’s not coming along fast enough to play this weekend,” Coach Bobby Johnson said of Jennings, who was held out of the Sept. 15 win over Ole Miss because of the left ankle sprain. With Cassen Jackson-Garrison coming off a 119-yard effort in Vanderbilt’s last game, and with Jared Hawkins and Kennard Reeves backing him, Johnson said getting Jennings back on the field Saturday is less of a priority. “There’s no need to try to rush Jeff back in there,” he said. “You just want to make sure he’s healthy when he is ready to go back. Those ankle sprains, you never know how they’re going to react. It’s agonizing sometimes because they take so long. He’s pretty close.”