SEC: Moe Brown
Gamecocks motivated by gas-pumping comment
South Carolina freshman receiver Alshon Jeffery has taken the high road this week and declined to discuss Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin's gas-pumping comment from earlier this year.
But Moe Brown, one of the Gamecocks' senior captains, said he was offended by the whole thing and said Jeffery confirmed to teammates that Kiffin did tell him that he would end up pumping gas if he signed with South Carolina.
"I’m taking it very personally," Brown said. "I’m taking it personally to the point where I’m going to show him how we do pump gas at South Carolina.”
Jeffery and his high school coach, Walter Wilson, both told ESPN.com for a story in March that Kiffin made the comments during a late-night phone call on the eve of signing day. Wilson said he took it more as an act of desperation by Kiffin when he realized he'd lost Jeffery to the Gamecocks. Kiffin has steadfastly denied making the comments.
Either way, Brown said they won't soon be forgotten.
"I’m a South Carolina native as well as a student here at the University of South Carolina," Brown said. "I’m a 3.2 finance-marketing major, and I feel I’m very intelligent. The last thing I’m going to be doing is pumping gas after I get through at the university here. Some things are just better to go without saying, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t expect for it to come out ... but it did."
Lunchtime links: Gamecocks' Brown likely out
A few SEC links for your Monday munching enjoyment:
- A concussion suffered in the Alabama game will likely keep South Carolina receiver Moe Brown out of the Vanderbilt game.
- Despite being No. 1, Florida coach Urban Meyer puts his focus on his team's deficiencies.
- Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy hasn't been in tune the last two games.
- LSU's defense has played well to this point, but the Tigers' players say they can play better in the second half of the season.
- Tennessee linebackers coach Lance Thompson won't be Mr. Popularity when he returns to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
- Georgia is coming off its best rushing performance of the season, but still doesn't have a clear-cut No. 1 tailback.
- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen knows there won't be anything easy about facing his old boss this weekend.
- Kentucky coach Rich Brooks see progress after the win over Auburn, but not perfection.
- Auburn coach Gene Chizik comes to Chris Todd's defense and says the team in general needs to regroup, not just Todd.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- South Carolina receiver Moe Brown was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with a concussion.
Otherwise, he checked out fine and will be able to return with the rest of the team later Saturday night to Columbia. Brown suffered a huge blow to the head right before the half after catching a pass over the middle. He was taken to the hospital for precautionary purposes.
Halftime analysis: Alabama 13, S. Carolina 6
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Despite being uncharacteristically careless with the football, No. 2-ranked Alabama took a 13-6 lead over No. 22-ranked South Carolina into halftime Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Here’s a quick halftime analysis:
Turning point: Following what was about a 10-minute delay when South Carolina receiver Moe Brown took a huge blow to the head, suffered a concussion and was carted off the field after giving the Gamecocks a first down at the Alabama 5, the Crimson Tide defense held the Gamecocks to a field goal after they failed to connect on three straight fade routes to Alshon Jeffery into the end zone. Jeffery had the second-down pass on his hands, but couldn't hold on.
Stat of the half: Alabama had committed just four turnovers all season coming into the game, but has three in the first half. Quarterback Greg McElroy had gone 141 pass attempts without an interception entering the game, but was picked off twice in the first half. The other turnover came when McElroy was unable to handle a high shotgun snap.
Best player of the half: Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram just gets a little bit better every week. He has 146 yards rushing on 14 carries and set up Leigh Tiffin’s 35-yard field goal with a 54-yard romp.
Red zone offense tormenting Gamecocks
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Nobody likes short field goals.
But that’s what you get when you’re last in the league in red zone offense.
If South Carolina loses this game, the Gamecocks can thank a red zone offense that continues to lag behind.
After botching a couple of good touchdown opportunities in the first half, South Carolina comes out in the second half and gets the play it’s looking for -- a 69-yard completion from Stephen Garcia to Moe Brown.
But first-and-goal from the Ole Miss 9 leads to another short Spencer Lanning field goal. The Gamecocks simply can't make any plays (or avoid penalties) near the goal line.
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
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SEC in the headlines: Harvin ready to roll
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Checking in around the league. Sounds like Florida's Percy Harvin is healthy, which isn't good news for Tennessee:
* Florida's Percy Harvin says he's ready to cut it loose against Tennessee. He says he's as healthy as he's been in some time.
* Gamecocks find a go-to receiver in Moe Brown, who's coming off a career game against Georgia.
* It's back to the drawing board for the Tigers and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who says it's no time to panic.
* LSU is trying to figure out a way to break Auburn's third-down stranglehold. Auburn's defense has allowed just three third-down conversions in three games this season.
* Bryan Mullen of The Tennessean takes a look at the five most memorable games from the Florida-Tennessee series over the last 25 years. Mullen picks the 1998 game first, which will sit well with Tennessee fans. Something tells me Florida fans would have taken 1995, 1996, 1997 or 2006 first.
* Georgia heads west looking to regain some respect nationally against Arizona State after falling in the polls the last two weeks.
* Despite the ugly numbers, Mississippi State's coaches and players insist they're not that far away from being a good offense.
* Vanderbilt, looking to go to 4-0 this week against Ole Miss, is knocking on the door of being nationally ranked for the first time in nearly 25 years.
* Get ready to be entertained. Rarely has there been anything dull about Alabama and Arkansas hooking up.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chris Low
Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
Edward Aschoff
Aschoff joined ESPN.com in 2011 after spending four years covering the University of Florida for The Gainesville Sun. He grew up in Oxford, Miss., before attending UF, graduating with a B.S. in journalism.
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