ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

A look at what's making headlines around the SEC:

• Florida returns to the site of one of the most important days in the program's history, writes Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun.

• For Alabama defensive back Robby Green, football was all that was normal after Hurricane Katrina, writes Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register.

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive issues memos, not penalties, in what's been a busy week for the league office.

• South Carolina's receivers are taking turns in the starring role this season, writes Travis Haney of The Charleston Post and Courier.

• Despite not starting in a month, Georgia defensive tackle Geno Atkins is coming off his best game of the season against Vanderbilt.

• Kentucky running back Derrick Locke is upgraded to probable for Saturday's game after spraining his knee last week.

• Ole Miss' Marshay Green is a different cornerback than the guy Arkansas went after a year ago.

• Freshman DeQuinta Jones has had a big impact on Arkansas' defensive front.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina thought it might be able to hit a few shots down the field against the Ole Miss secondary.

There haven't been any big gainers to this point, but the Gamecocks have gotten cornerback Marshay Green twice on pass interference penalties. The 5-foot-9 Green is giving up a lot of size to South Carolina's taller receivers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Tired of the public bickering, SEC commissioner Mike Slive tells Urban Meyer and Lane Kiffin to zip it ... again.

• Kentucky fullback John Conner will take on an expanded role in the Wildcats' offense and get a look at tight end.

• Georgia's Bulldogs are in a defensive deficit, writes David Paschall of The Chattanooga Times Free Press.

• Former Alabama linebacker legend Barry Krauss likes what he sees in this group of linebackers for the Crimson Tide.

• The last two weeks have tested the short memory of Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin, who was burned for two long touchdowns last week against Arkansas after playing brilliantly the week before against South Carolina.

• It's time for Ole Miss to be special in special teams, writes David Brandt of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

• Auburn spreads its message without the help of the outside media, writes Evan Woodbery of The Mobile Press-Register.

• Les Miles and LSU aren't reluctant to throw the deep ball. The Tigers just have to hit some of those passes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The numbers were staggering last season for Ole Miss' defense.

The Rebels led the nation along with Florida State with 112 tackles for loss. That's an average of 8.62 per game.

They tied for fourth nationally with 39 sacks and held four of their last five opponents to 13 or fewer points.

Other than All-America defensive tackle Peria Jerry, just about all the key pieces are back from that defense.

Tyrone Nix's reaction?

So what.

"I'm not concerned with what we did last season. I'm concerned with this unit and that they can be as good as they can be," said Nix, entering his second season as the Ole Miss defensive coordinator.

"It's different guys, a different team and a different schedule. Nothing stays the same, and we've got to get better. As long as this team and this defense plays up to their expectations, I'll have no complaints."

One thing we know about Nix's defense in 2009 is that it's going to be an attacking, in-your-face, pressure defense. It's the way he played the game as a standout linebacker at Southern Miss in the early 1990s and the way he's coached the game at Southern Miss, South Carolina and now Ole Miss.

When you start talking about some of most underrated defensive coordinators in college football, the 36-year-old Nix is right there at the top.

But, then, if the Rebels pick up defensively next season where they left off a year ago and make a run at their first SEC championship in more than 40 years, Nix isn't going to be underrated for much longer.

The heart of Ole Miss' defense will again be the defensive line. Nix thinks he will be able to go eight deep across the defensive front next season, especially with the emergence this spring of tackle Jerrell Powe.

Playing on the defensive line in Nix's system is akin to playing receiver at Florida back in the Fun 'N Gun days under Steve Spurrier.

"We want athletic guys, guys who can run," Nix said. "That's why we do so many stunts and use so much movement, to allow all those guys to make plays. We don't ask our linemen to eat up blocks and keep offensive linemen off our linebackers. We want them to make plays, and that's what they've done."

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