ESPN College Football

AUBURN, Ala. -- When running back Cameron Artis-Payne arrived at Auburn in January, there were high expectations. He was ranked No. 35 in the ESPN Junior College 100 and No. 2 at his position. In the spring game, he rushed for 117 yards and took home offensive MVP honors.

However, he’s been relegated to running-back-by-committee duties this season with fellow backs Corey Grant and Tre Mason. In the last game against LSU, he took a backseat to Mason who carried the ball 26 times for 132 yards. Meanwhile, Artis-Payne had just seven carries.

“Tre was hot,” head coach Gus Malzahn said. “You could tell he was running good, running strong, so we just kind of stayed with the hot hand. The good thing for us is that we’ve got three guys that we feel good about. Obviously, Tre is the most experienced guy in that group, and he just did an outstanding job and made some very tough yards.”

Don’t expect Artis-Payne to get discouraged. He’s been part of a three-back system before.

Back in 2005, the Pennsylvania native was a sophomore at Bishop McDevitt High School where he and fellow classmate Mike Jones backed up a guy named LeSean McCoy. Jones went on to play at Syracuse while McCoy has established himself as one of the top running backs in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“To coach a guy that some say is the best or one of the top three running backs in the NFL right now, and then coach another kid that went up and played at Syracuse and another kid that’s playing at Auburn, you feel pretty good as a coach,” McDevitt coach Jeff Weachter said. “You had a chance to have all those kids all in the same backfield. We knew back then that it was a special group.”

Now, eight years and five schools later, Artis-Payne finds himself in a similar situation at Auburn. His former coach believes Auburn is a perfect fit for him.

“Everybody is going to more of a two-or-three-back set just to keep their guys fresh,” Weachter said. “With Cameron, he’s a between-the-tackles runner. He’s a physical runner. So it’s good. It’s not wearing him down.

“… It looks like the two kids are real nice complements to each other.”

Through four games, Artis-Payne has rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. In week two, he rushed for a career-high 102 yards against Arkansas State and scored his first touchdown with the Tigers.

Artis-Payne reminds some of former Tigers running back Ben Tate, and it’s not just because they both have No. 44 with the Tigers. Tate, a big, strong back who has surprising quickness like Artis-Payne played under Malzahn during his senior season at Auburn and rushed for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Tate was drafted in the second round by the Houston Texans, and now he finds himself in his own backfield timeshare, splitting carries with NFL star Arian Foster.

“Sometimes it's tough,” Tate said. “But at the same time, there are positives to it as well. You're fresher at the end of games, and you're more liable to make a longer run because you're fresher towards the end of the game. That's when teams are getting tired.”

Tate is making the most of his opportunity with the Texans, and Artis-Payne plans to do the same while he’s at Auburn. He knows his number could be called at any time, and no matter the situation, he needs to be ready to deliver.

“You can't just be satisfied with mediocre play by anybody on any certain play,” Artis-Payne said. “We're aiming to be the best and that's what Coach Malzahn wants from us. We're aiming for perfection at this point.”

All three running backs are likely to be called on this weekend when Auburn hosts No. 24 Ole Miss in an SEC West battle.

“We’ve got three running backs that we feel very good about,” Malzahn said. “Week to week, we’ll see what they’re giving us. Week to week could be a little different.”

From defensive struggles to quarterback quandaries to head coach hot-stove talk to even nature walks, there's plenty going on in SEC football this week. Here's a sampling of discussion points from around the league:

• The speed Alabama uses on special teams has helped its kickoff and punt coverage units play better this season.
• Now that they have seen some SEC action, Auburn freshman receivers Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens could play bigger on-field roles moving forward.
• Georgia got a huge defensive stop late to help secure a win over LSU. But if the Bulldogs have national title hopes, their defense can't allow as many points as it did Saturday.
• Texas A&M's defense struggled against Arkansas, but it continued to play hard every snap. And for that, Jackie Sherrill says it deserves credit.
• LSU coach Les Miles said the Tigers have to fix problems in their secondary that contributed to big pass plays allowed in the loss to Georgia.
• South Carolina's ability to close games has to get better and one player -- Jadeveon Clowney -- was making that point clear on the sidelines against Central Florida.
• Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease took his quarterbacks on a nature walk in order to clear their minds during downtime leading up to the Gators' game against Kentucky.
• Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is moving on from the Tyler Siskey controversy and will not ask the SEC to investigate the issue.
• Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said he saw a "feisty, aggressive, angry, competitive" spirit in quarterback Brandon Allen, who returned from a shoulder injury on Saturday against Texas A&M.
• Former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, who attended a Volunteers practice last week, said "it's going to take time" and that Butch Jones "has got lots of challenges" ahead of him in getting Tennessee back where it wants to be.
• Missouri has revenge on its mind against Vanderbilt, a team to which the Tigers lost 19-15 at home last season.
• Kentucky coach Mark Stoops would love to have a definitive answer at quarterback but feels it's "reckless" to name a starter right now just for the sake of naming one.
• James Franklin's name is a hot one being thrown around for the USC job, but the Vanderbilt coach deflected questions on the topic on Monday, saying he's focused on Missouri.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Auburn as it gets ready to face No. 24 Ole Miss on Saturday. The Tigers are coming off an open week that was used to rest up and get healthy, while the Rebels were physically beaten up by Alabama, the No. 1 team in the country.

Before Saturday, Ole Miss was being tabbed as one of the darlings of the SEC, a surprise team that had a chance to compete with the elites. But that changed when the Rebels visited Alabama and laid a goose egg against the Crimson Tide. Now they must regroup in a hurry or their season could head downhill in a hurry.

“It’s just disappointing, not what I anticipated happening, obviously,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said after the loss to Alabama. “But it did, so we have to go back and regroup. We have a difficult stretch of games, and we can’t let this one get us next week. We have to go back, put it in the trash can tomorrow after we watch it and move on.”

As Ole Miss licks its wounds, Auburn is salivating at the chance to play the Rebels on Saturday. It’s potentially the biggest game of the season for the Tigers and their best chance to knock off a top-25 opponent. A win would put Auburn on track for a bowl game appearance, a huge step for a team that finished 3-9 a year ago.

The week off allowed for Auburn to heal its own wounds following a physical defeat at the hands of LSU, but it also gave the coaches and players extra time to study and prepare for Ole Miss.

“It helps,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. “We needed it physically, too. We needed it really badly physically. We could have used it earlier, but it helps.

“You get more repetition on their formations, adjustments, the blocking schemes, routes, recognition. It doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be better prepared, but we'll have some things we've spent more time on.”

When Gus Malzahn was at Auburn the first time as offensive coordinator, the open week almost always fell before the Alabama game. In 2009, Auburn used the extra time and nearly upset the No. 2 ranked Tide. The next year, the Tigers did knock off their cross-state rival en route to a BCS national championship.

There won’t be quite as much on the line this time, but the Auburn head coach will have his team prepared just the same.

“The biggest thing we're preaching to them, starting with Coach Malzahn, is the urgency,” Lashlee said. “We have to have a great sense of urgency every day this week in practice. Every time in meetings: this is a big football game. We have to practice and prepare like it's a big football game.”

Everybody is still recovering from the weekend that was in the SEC. Let's see what people are saying about the top games and performances from Week 5.

• Alabama started the season 3-0, but it didn’t look like the No. 1 team in the nation. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide finally played with passion in a shutout victory over Ole Miss.
• Saturday’s loss to Alabama wasn’t pretty, but all things considered, the Ole Miss defense held its own against the Tide.
• When former roommates Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger competed against each other on Saturday, it was Murray who got the last laugh as Georgia defeated LSU in a shootout.
• Mettenberger and Murray will meet again -- if not in December, in the near future on Sunday.
• LSU coach Les Miles always covers for his players, in victory or defeat, but he can’t cover for the Tigers' defensive woes against Georgia.
• With Johnny Manziel and a balanced rushing attack, the Texas A&M offense keeps getting better, but eventually the Aggies will need their young defense to mature.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is hopeful that quarterback Connor Shaw will return in two weeks. In the meantime, Dylan Thompson will start for the Gamecocks.
• The Florida coaches raved about running back Matt Jones coming into the season. They knew they weren't wrong. Jones stepped up for the Gators with a career-high 176 yards against Kentucky on Saturday.
• Auburn has had a week to prepare for what could be its biggest game of the season.
• For better or worse, Justin Worley is Tennessee’s quarterback. Coach Butch Jones stuck with Worley in Saturday’s win over South Alabama.

Anybody hot … or not?

It’s that time again as we review the week that was in the SEC.

GLOWING EMBERS

Alabama’s intel: Alabama’s defense was already fired up thanks to what the Tide perceived as smack talk by some of the Ole Miss players leading up to the game. Let’s face it: There’s a fine line sometimes between a player answering a question honestly and his comments mushrooming into full-blown bulletin board material. Either way, the Alabama defense was amped by some of the things Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was quoted as saying earlier in the week, even though what Wallace said was pretty tame. We’re not exactly talking about any “Archie who?” banter here. But where the Crimson Tide really stuck it to the Rebels was with a little inside intel thanks to Tyler Siskey, Alabama’s assistant director of football operations. Siskey was on the Ole Miss staff last season as director of recruiting development. He was in the Alabama coaches' booth for the game with a set of binoculars, and even though Ole Miss changed up its signals, there weren’t many times that the Tide were fooled by what the Rebels were doing offensively. As ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge noted during the broadcast, Siskey’s knowledge of the Ole Miss offense was a big asset to an already imposing Alabama defense in its preparation for the game. The Tide might not have had the Rebels’ signals, but they were sure locked in to the Rebels’ tendencies on offense and played lights-out in shutting out a Hugh Freeze-coached team for the first time in his college career.

HOT

Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines: When you start reeling off the top cornerbacks in this league, don’t forget about Gaines. He’s off to a terrific start to the season. In the 41-19 win over Arkansas State, he had nine total tackles, including one for loss, and his third interception of the season to set up Missouri’s final touchdown. Gaines is more than just a cover guy. He leads the Tigers with 19 solo tackles.

NOT

LSU’s defense: The Tigers have a way to go defensively. When you lose as many good defensive players early to the NFL draft as they have over the last couple of years, that kind of talent drain has a way of catching up with even the best defenses. Veteran coordinator John Chavis knew this defense would be a work in progress, but seeing all the blown coverages in the 44-41 loss at Georgia and wide-open receivers running free in the LSU secondary was difficult for anybody on that LSU staff to stomach.

HOT

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray: So much for the “can’t win the big game” label. Murray has been fabulous in Georgia’s two wins over top-10 teams this season, with eight touchdown passes and just one interception. There’s no substitute for his experience, and it shows in the way he’s carving apart defenses right now.

NOT

SEC defenses: Only one SEC team (Florida at No. 2) is ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense this week. For that matter, only two are ranked in the top 20. Mississippi State is 20th. In scoring defense, Alabama is still among the national leaders at No. 13. The offenses have taken center stage this season in the SEC, and suddenly the defenses are trying to catch up. Keep in mind, too, that six of the seven national champions during the SEC’s streak have finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense.

HOT

South Carolina running back Mike Davis: He’s the SEC’s rushing leader heading into the month of October and seemingly gets better every week. He carried the Gamecocks in the 28-25 win over UCF after Connor Shaw went down, and finished with a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns. He has had a run of 50 yards or longer in three of his four games.

NOT

Schedule balance: Talk about a contrast in October schedules. Alabama doesn’t play anyone that should come within 20 points of the Crimson Tide (and that’s being kind) until LSU comes to town on Nov. 9. Arkansas, meanwhile, has Florida, South Carolina and Alabama over the next three weeks, and Florida and Alabama are on the road. Tennessee gets Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama in October. Ole Miss also has a tough October stretch that will go a long way toward shaping the Rebels’ season. They travel to Auburn this weekend and then come back home for back-to-back games against Texas A&M and LSU. Georgia gets a little bit of a break, although the Bulldogs do have to go on the road to face both Tennessee and Vanderbilt in October. Given their September gantlet (three top-10 opponents), nothing should seem too daunting the rest of the way.

FREEZER BURN

Staying healthy: Geez, what a bad week on the injury front for a handful of SEC teams and players. Florida was already reeling after losing starting quarterback Jeff Driskel to a season-ending injury two weeks ago against Tennessee. And then last week in practice, star defensive tackle Dominique Easley was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Easley was playing as well as any defensive lineman in the league. This past weekend, we saw South Carolina quarterback Shaw go down with a right (throwing) shoulder sprain that will sideline him for two to three weeks. Alabama will be without starting center Ryan Kelly for two to three weeks after he suffered an MCL injury to his knee, and Georgia running back Todd Gurley injured his ankle in the win over LSU. Georgia coach Mark Richt said Gurley would be “day-to-day” in preparation for Saturday’s game at Tennessee and wouldn’t need any kind of surgery. The Bulldogs played the final three quarters without Gurley. Texas A&M defensive tackle Kirby Ennis had to leave the Arkansas game with a left knee injury. Depending on the severity of Ennis’ injury, he will have some extra time to recover. The Aggies are off this week before traveling to Ole Miss on Oct. 12.

Well, the top team in our Power Rankings certainly made sure everyone knew exactly why it was No. 1:

1. Alabama (4-0, 2-0 SEC; last week: 1): The Crimson Tide defense was tired of hearing how good it wasn't. It didn't like hearing that Ole Miss was going to score on it. So it shut the Rebels out and held them to just 205 yards of offense and 11 first downs. The Alabama offense rolled up 434 yards of offense as well, quieting a lot of doubters in the process.

2. Georgia (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 4): Well, it's pretty clear that the SEC Eastern Division is now Georgia's to lose. After a thrilling 44-41 win over LSU, the Bulldogs showed that no matter how bad their defense plays, the offense will be there to rescue it. The only real defensive test remaining for this unit is Florida. But can Florida's offense keep up with the Dawgs if they score?

3. Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 3): Like Georgia, the Aggies are equipped with an offense that can bail out its struggling defense. The Razorbacks gave A&M quite the scare in Fayetteville over the weekend, but Johnny Manziel and Co. didn't have much trouble piling on points against a struggling Arkansas defense. Still, that rushing defense has to improve with SEC play heating up.

4. LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 2): The Tigers' defense showed its youthful age against Georgia on Saturday, especially in the secondary. Georgia churned out nearly 500 yards and averaged 7 yards per play. It didn't help that the front seven didn't generate enough pressure on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who threw four touchdowns. But we learned that LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is the real deal. He delivered some NFL throws and might have outplayed Murray between the hedges.

5. South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 5): I don't know what it is with this South Carolina team. It overcame the loss of starting quarterback Connor Shaw by scoring 28 straight points on UCF Saturday, but then turned around and let the Knights end the game on a 15-0 run. The good news for the Gamecocks is they might have one of the most underrated players in the SEC in running back Mike Davis, who leads the SEC in rushing yards per game (127).

6. Florida (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 7): This is officially Tyler Murphy's team, and he's been solid since replacing Jeff Driskel at quarterback. No one really expects much from the passing game going forward, so the running game has to carry this team (again). It did just that with its 246 yards in the win over Kentucky. That defense might be missing Dominique Easley, but it was fantastic against the Wildcats.

7. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 6): Quarterback Bo Wallace took some heat for saying the Rebels' offense would score some points on Alabama. Well, he ended up scoring for the Crimson Tide with his safety in the fourth quarter. The high-flying offense we saw in the first three games didn't make it to Tuscaloosa, and now the Rebels are gearing up for a crucial conference game at Auburn this weekend.

8. Missouri (4-0, 0-0 SEC; LW: 8): We still don't know a ton about this team, but the Tigers scored at will against their nonconference foes, averaging 45.5 points and 549 yards through the first four games. But SEC play starts now with a trip to Vanderbilt this weekend. We'll find out very soon if there was any substance to the Tigers' fast start to the season.

9. Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 9): The Tigers had the week off after their loss to LSU. That gave this team time to rest and try to get the passing game in better shape for the Rebels. What Gus Malzahn and his running backs had to be excited about was seeing Ole Miss' defense give up 254 rushing yards and rushing touchdowns of 68 and 50 yards to the Tide.

10. Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2 SEC; LW: 10): The offense is only getting better, and wide receiver Jordan Matthews is getting closer and closer to breaking SEC records for career receiving yards and career receptions. With eight catches for 115 yards and touchdown in Vandy's 52-24 win over UAB, Matthews has had 100-plus yards or a touchdown in four of Vandy's five games.

11. Arkansas (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 11): After a rough loss at Rutgers, the Hogs made things interesting in their 45-33 loss to the Aggies. This running game bounced back against A&M with 201 yards, while Brandon Allen's return at quarterback led to 282 passing yards. Still, this team has to clean things up on defense. The Aggies averaged 7 yards per play.

12. Mississippi State (2-2, 0-1 SEC; LW 12): The Bulldogs were off after their 62-7 win over Troy. It was an impressive win for a team looking for more of an offensive spark at the beginning of the season. The way quarterback Dak Prescott is playing, this offense has to feel confident going into this weekend's matchup with LSU. But do the Bulldogs have the horses to keep up with an LSU team that has to be frustrated after its loss to Georgia?

13. Tennessee (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 13): Somehow, the Volunteers tried to give it all away late against South Alabama on Saturday. Tennessee was outscored 17-7 in the second half of its 31-24 win and even blocked its own field goal. A win is a win, especially for a program with a new head coach, but the Vols now have to regroup and face a Georgia team capable of scoring 50 in Knoxville this weekend.

14. Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC; LW: 14): The Wildcats' only real positive from Saturday's 24-7 loss to Florida was that their touchdown came on a fake field goal. Other than that, the Gators dominated Mark Stoops' team. When your kicker is your leading rusher in a game (25 yards), you know you have major problems in the playmaking department.

Not much movement in this week's SEC bowl projections.

Alabama's shutout win over Ole Miss and LSU's shootout loss at Georgia shed some light on the true pecking order in the SEC West. And while we gave some thought to moving Georgia up a spot into a BCS bowl, the Aggies haven't done anything to lose the honor just yet.

VIZIO BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 6: Alabama
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Texas A&M
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1: Georgia
AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 3: LSU
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1: South Carolina
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Florida
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Ole Miss
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Missouri
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn
BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 4: Vanderbilt
AdvoCare V100 Bowl, Dec. 31: Arkansas

It was another wild weekend in the SEC. Here are five things we learned around the conference in Week 5.

Georgia and LSU are title contenders: Everything about the game lived up to the hype. Well, except maybe the defenses, but we'll get to that later. LSU and Georgia nonetheless played a game for the ages Saturday afternoon, with quarterbacks Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray trading blows seemingly every time their teams got the football. Georgia ultimately prevailed, of course, but it's impossible to walk away not feeling like both teams are well positioned to make a run at an SEC championship. It's only LSU's first loss, and we've seen how that's no deterrent to making a run at the postseason. The Tigers will get their shot at No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 9. And Georgia, by winning, avoided a dreaded second loss on its resume. The Bulldogs seasoning-opening loss to Clemson actually might end up adding some style points in the end. With Florida's offense struggling and South Carolina playing inconsistent football, Mark Richt has to feel good about his program's position in the East.

Get used to high scoring games: Calm down all you doomsday sayers: The SEC isn't imploding before your very eyes. Yes, it is very unusual to see this many shootouts in a league that's long prided itself on dominating defense. Georgia and LSU used to win in knockdown drag-outs, but Saturday was so much different as the schools combined for 943 yards and 85 points. But what happened in Athens, Ga., wasn't the final nail in the coffin of SEC defenses. Let the season progress. Mettenberger and Murray are two of the best passers in the country, and the LSU and Georgia defenses are very young. They're talented. They'll learn. And they're not going to be happy with what happened, neither one of them. Alabama pitched a shutout against a high powered Ole Miss offense, and Florida gave up just one touchdown to Kentucky. When it comes to defense, maybe not all is lost. Not yet.

Alabama showed why its No. 1: The week was all about questioning Alabama -- everything from the secondary to the offensive line to whether the Tide was actually worthy of being ranked No. 1. Nick Saban asked for positivity from his fan base and warned against playing to expectations. Alabama's head coach wasn't worried about answering any one question in particular, just the simple matter of whether his team could beat No. 21 Ole Miss. As it turns out, his team won and answered most of the questions in the process. The Tide's defense was dominant once again, pitching a shutout against Ole Miss' high powered offense, and the offense, which couldn't move the ball consistently or effectively on the ground before, suddenly rediscovered both. Alabama ran for a season-high 254 yards against the Rebels and moved the chains, converting on 8 of 17 third-downs. In short, Alabama looked like itself again, thumping a ranked team at home.

Mike Davis belongs in the conversation: He doesn't usually come up much when discussing the league's top tailbacks. T.J. Yeldon and Todd Gurley usually dominate that conversation. But Mike Davis' name belongs in that group. The South Carolina sophomore has earned his stripes through four games this season, rushing for 508 yards and six touchdowns. The Gamecocks needed every one of his 167 yards Saturday afternoon against UCF, 150 of which came in the second half of the 3-point win on the road in Orlando.

Tennessee is a ways off: This was supposed to be the much needed breather before returning to its gauntlet of a schedule. The Vols, fresh off beatings at the hands of Oregon and Florida in consecutive weeks, couldn't get out of their own way against lowly South Alabama at home on Saturday, winning by the skin of their teeth, 31-24. Maybe they were looking ahead to Georgia and South Carolina, which come to town the following two weeks. Whatever the reason, Butch Jones shouldn't be happy. Tennessee wasted a 24-point lead before holding on with a late interception on fourth-and-goal. Justin Worley and the Vols offense turned the ball over three times and were just 4 of 11 on third downs.

From Zachary (@ZacharySMT): In the hierarchy of the SEC, where do you see the South Carolina program after the Ole Ball Coach retires?

Alex Scarborough: I'd tell you it all depends on who would be hired as his replacement, but you already know that. Steve Spurrier has built a solid program in his time at South Carolina, and I don't see it as one that would fall apart dramatically should he leave. There's plenty of talent on both sides of the football, especially in terms of skill players on offense and big front-seven guys on defense. Whoever the South Carolina administration hires will have an enormous task ahead of them, though, and I'd prepare for a slight dip in the early going as things are settled. People have to remember where that program was before Spurrier, with 12 sub-.500 finishes since 1980 and not a single division title. He basically built it from nothing. Competing against North Carolina and the rest of the SEC for recruits isn't easy, and the SEC East only continues to improve.

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From Press Thornton (@thornton_press): Your prediction on Bama-Ole Miss?

Alex Scarborough: Ah, I knew someone would ask this. And here I'd gone the whole week without making an official prediction. Well, I guess that streak ends here. While I'd like to say with certainty either way, I can't get behind either team completely. That said, I expect that if Alabama sorts out some of the kinks and plays to its standard, the home team will win and remain undefeated. But Ole Miss has a real shot to knock off the Tide in Tuscaloosa. If Hugh Freeze can get the tempo going and pressure Alabama's lackluster, thin secondary, the Rebels could pull off the upset. And with the receivers he has at his disposal, I think they're entirely capable of doing it. I see it as a high-scoring game either way and I give Ole Miss a 33 percent chance of winning the shootout.

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From Joe Piccoli (@joepic8049): Missouri's three-man running back rotation a little overlooked right now?

Alex Scarborough: I'm looking at Missouri's rushing statistics now, and I'd have to say so. The Tigers are 33rd nationally in rushing yards (810), 17th in rushing yards per game (270) and 17th in rushing touchdowns (17). Russell Hansborough, Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy are doing an excellent job. But -- and here's where I'll counter those numbers -- I don't think I'm ready to say they're overlooked to a large extent. Frankly, Missouri hasn't faced anyone of consequence. The Tigers haven't played an SEC game and let's face it, Murray State, Toledo and Indiana aren't exactly stalwarts when it comes to stopping the run. Since I'm in a stats mood, Toledo and Indiana are ranked 67th and 117th nationally in rushing yards per game, and Murray State doesn't even show up on my readout. (Further inspection shows the Racers are allowing 173.5 yards per game on the ground.) While I like what I've seen from Missouri's running game so far, I want to see it continue past Arkansas State and on into Vanderbilt, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina in October.

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From Fake Ned (@FakeNed): Is the SEC West stronger than last year with the improvement of Mississippi?

Alex Scarborough: That's a tough thing to say based on how good it was last year, when Alabama won the national championship, Texas A&M took the world by storm and LSU continued to do its thing. But I don't see any of those teams as being significantly better than a year ago. Alabama has shown it's flawed on defense and up front on the offensive line, Texas A&M's defense can leak like a sieve at times and LSU is so young that I don't know what to expect from them. LSU's offense is certainly improved, but the second half against Auburn gave me pause. That said, I see improvement at the back end of the West with Ole Miss continuing its surge, Auburn rebuilding in a hurry and Arkansas looking much improved. If the division is better or worse than a year ago, it's not by a wide margin.

Happy Friday to you all. Saturday is almost here and that means another weekend of entertaining SEC football. Here is some reading to get you ready for game day:

• Tennessee has struggled to create big plays offensively thus far this season. Head coach Butch Jones said the Volunteers need "big chunk plays."
• During the Rebels' off week, head coach Hugh Freeze looked closely at Oregon's explosive offense and found a few things he hopes to add to Ole Miss' attack.
• Ole Miss and Texas A&M both run up-tempo offensive attacks, but they're different in style, which meant adjustments in preparation for the Alabama defense, which faced the Aggies on Sept. 14 and meets the Rebels on Saturday.
• Former Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips, who is now a receivers coach at Florida, makes his return to Lexington on the opposite sideline and it's a special return for he and his family.
• The running backs in Georgia-LSU are good ones, particularly Todd Gurley for the Bulldogs and Jeremy Hill for LSU. Though the focus is often on the quarterbacks, Gurley-Hill is an interesting subplot on Saturday.
• Georgia has been spending time trying to improve its special teams.
• South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw is saving his best for last, trying to put together a strong senior campaign.
• Dominique Easley's injury means others will have to step up at defensive tackle for Florida, and that even includes some true freshmen.
• Auburn coach Gus Malzahn won't be watching Alabama-Ole Miss when the game starts; he'll be out on the road recruiting. He will watch it on his own time though, saying "I'll sit down and study it."
• Missouri's big receivers, Dorial Green-Beckham and Marcus Lucas, each reached the 100-yard receiving mark last week, the first time since 2010 that's happened in a single game for the Tigers.
• Mississippi State running back LaDarius Perkins is someone coach Dan Mullen said the Bulldogs want to get the football to.

It’s time to dip into the SEC recruiting mailbag and answer your questions. Because of the amount of questions we’ve received, we won’t be able to get to all of them today -- but we encourage you to ask again next week by tweeting your questions to @DerekTysonESPN or @HamiltonESPN and use the hashtag #SECRecruiting.

@UTSportsAction: Are the #SEC schools recruiting in states that are not known for football... #DiamondInTheRough

Derek Tyson: There is no question that several SEC schools are willing to go anywhere to get top recruits, but for the most part, SEC schools stick within the usual southern states to fill out a majority of their recruiting class. Alabama signed quarterback Cooper Bateman from Utah last year, but Bateman was one of the most highly rated quarterbacks in the country and would have been highly recruited no matter where he lived. This year, however, Florida has a commitment from four-star defensive end Taven Bryan from Wyoming. He's the first person the Gators have ever landed from the state. Ole Miss has a commitment from kicker Will Gleeson, who is from Australia. As for a diamond in the rough, I believe Bryan could be that player. He's a physical defensive end that has a lot of upside.

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@SportsNewsTN: Who in ESPN's Top 300 is #TENN's Butch Jones going after to help finish out their 30 total recruits?

DT: Tennessee still has a shot a few different ESPN 300 members. Defensive tackle Garrald McDowell (Covington, La./Covington) named the Vols in his top four along with Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss on Thursday. Wide receiver Josh Malone (Gallatin, Tenn./Station Camp), wide receivers Travis Rudolph (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman) and Braxton Berrios (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville), running back Derrell Scott (Havelock, N.C./Havelock) and linebacker Clifton Garrett (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) are all planning to visit Tennessee next weekend. There is still a long way to go until signing day, and some recruits might wait to see how Tennessee's season plays out, but in the end I think the Vols will end up with at least two of these players, if not more.

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@will_hartley21: Who do you think will turn out to be Florida's top DB recruit? Also what other top DB's will possibly be the next UF commit?

DT: Based on their current defensive back commitments J.C. Jackson (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee), Duke Dawson (Cross City, Fla./Dixie County), Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School) and Chris Lammons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Plantation), I believe Lammons could be the best prospect, but not by much. They all have their own unique skill sets and are all solid additions to Florida's class, but Lammons has that big-play ability that you are looking for in a defensive back. Come signing day, my answer could be very different. The Gators have a great shot at landing safety Jamal Adams (Lewisville, Texas/Hebron) and are in the mix for Adoree' Jackson (Gardena, Calif./Junipero Serra). As far as who could be the next DB to commit. I'd say Adams would be most likely.

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@guru1039: What are the chances Bo Scarbrough decommits from Bama? Is it true he wants to be an RB in college?

DT: I spoke with Scarbrough a few weeks ago and he claims he doesn't care where he plays, but from everything I've heard and seen with my own eyes, it does appear that he wants to play running back in college. Though committed to Alabama, he is planning to take all five official visits, including trips to Florida, UCLA, Notre Dame and Georgia. Alabama likes Scarbrough's size and athletic ability to play linebacker, and that could be something that Scarbrough is considering, but it does appear he is keeping his options open. His recruitment will continue on for some time.

When Ben Tate was at Auburn, he led the team in rushing three consecutive seasons, but it wasn’t until his senior season in 2009 that he really began to flourish. Coincidentally, that’s when new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn arrived on campus.

Tate rushed for 1,362 yards, fifth-most in program history, and 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Tigers. Now he’s playing on Sundays for the Houston Texans.

The former Auburn star took some time out of his schedule to reflect on his college career and talk about his former offensive coordinator and current head coach of the Tigers.

First off, how is your season going with the Texans?

Ben Tate: It's going pretty good. I feel like we should be 3-0. We haven't played up to our potential yet, but we'll get there.

I saw a stat that you lead the NFL in yards/rush after contact. What's the secret?

Tate: Just running hard and the will of not wanting to go down after that first person hits you.

It wasn't long ago when you were at Auburn. What do you remember from your time on the Plains?

Tate: I remember Coach [Gene] Chizik and his staff just bringing energy back to the program after having a horrible year in '08, and our offense being one of the reasons why. Having Coach Malzahn come in and bring a new staff, and those guys giving the ball to your playmakers. They didn't really choose who should do what. They just let the best players play, and it helped them become a better team.

How did they make you a better player?

Tate: For one, they gave me the ball. I felt like I was the best running back on that team for some time, but for some reason, I was never really given the opportunity to totally let go and play. Coach Malzahn told me once he had gotten there that if I was doing everything the right way, there shouldn't be a reason why I'm not getting the ball 20 times a game, putting up numbers. He didn't lie. That's exactly what we did.

If you can, describe Malzahn's offense.

Tate: He's always the first one to tell you that it's not a pass-first offense. He wants to run and use play action. That's truly what it is, but also I think he plays to the strengths of his team and the personnel that he has. He's a very smart coach. The year I was there, he played to our strength, which was running the ball. Our running backs were pretty good. Then you could tell he changed it the year they won a national championship. They still ran it, but they became more quarterback-oriented with him running more read options with Cam [Newton] and doing different things like that. He adjusts according to his personnel, and that's what good coaches do.

Is there a funny story you remember about Coach Malzahn?

Tate: Not really. We were always making fun of him, just the way he talks and the way he yells and screams. He doesn't cuss, so it's pretty funny when he gets mad and starts yelling and screaming.

Do the two of you stay in touch?

Tate: I actually talked to him the last time I went back for the spring game. I talked to him quite a bit there. After that, I might have talked to him once, but I try not to bother him. He's a busy guy as a coach at a big-time program. And I'm busy doing my thing, too.

Have you been able to keep up with Auburn this year?

Tate: Yes. I think I watched three of their games.

What are your thoughts on the team so far?

Tate: It's a team that's young. Their quarterback, he shows flashes, but he's still a huge work in progress. The running backs, I like Tre Mason. He's pretty good, but I don't feel like they have that one running back that's a game-changer. I don't feel like they have that on the team right now. The other running back, [Cameron] Artis-Payne, I think he's OK. But I think they should definitely be trying to get Tre Mason the ball a little more. Sometimes I feel like they try to force it to the other guys.

Are you going to try and make it back for an Auburn game this year?

Tate: If my schedule allows me to, yeah I'd definitely like to go back and support Coach Malzahn and those guys. But I'm not really sure this year if I'm able to do that or not.

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn has played four games under new coach Gus Malzahn, and although the Tigers are coming off a loss to LSU, the results have been fairly positive. They started 3-0, won their first conference game in nearly two years and stayed competitive in Death Valley.

With no game this weekend, the Tigers are planning for the future.

“The open date comes at a very good time for our team,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got four games under our belt for our coaches to evaluate our personnel, see where we’re at as a team and plan moving forward for the rest of the year to put our guys in the best place to be successful.”

But more importantly, the week off gives Auburn a chance to get healthy.

“I don’t think I’ve been around a team that had that many (injuries) this early and to main impact players,” Malzahn said. “Defensively, we’ve been playing without a lot of our impact players, and even when we get them back, they’re not quite 100 percent yet. But they’re getting there.”

Both Dee Ford and Justin Garrett missed the first two games due to injury but returned against Mississippi State. Ford, the team’s top pass rusher, sprained his MCL in fall camp but is slowly working his way back. Garrett sprained his foot in camp and has since moved positions from the Star to weakside linebacker.

Against LSU, Auburn was without cornerback Chris Davis and defensive end Craig Sanders as both players suffered ankle injuries prior to the game. Davis led the Tigers with 10 tackles against Arkansas State in week two and also serves as the team’s primary punt returner.

Additionally, running back Corey Grant, defensive back Robenson Therezie and linebackers Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy all missed time or were limited against LSU.

Needless to say, the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Auburn.

“That may be the biggest blessing of the off week that we have a chance to get some of our guys healed up,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got guys that weren’t 100 percent that played anyway last week, so hopefully this week will help them get back to 100 percent. And the guys that haven’t played, we’ll have a chance to have two weeks before our next game and have a chance to get one of those guys back on the field.”

Defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker is among those who have yet to play this season, but his status is a little more in question. The two-year starter suffered a knee injury in fall camp that required surgery, and the coaching staff said they plan to make a decision on his future in the coming weeks.

The team also confirmed this week that wide receiver Jaylon Denson would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

“To lose a guy like Jaylon Denson is a huge blow, but it creates opportunities for other people,” Malzahn said. “The good thing is for the future we’re playing a whole bunch of young guys. That will do nothing but helps us for the future.”

Next up for Auburn is a home game with Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 5.