Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, using some amazing spin, announced on Tuesday that head coach Rich Brooks will be back next season as coach. Brooks, in the third-year of a five-year contract, is 8-23 and has won just three of 21 SEC games. "We asked Coach Brooks to take a take a program in ruins and rebuild it," Barnhart said. The only ruins Barnhart must have been referring to is taking over a program on NCAA probation that occurred two coaches ago under Hal Mumme. The reason Brooks got hired was to replace Guy Morriss, who UK was too cheap to give a new contract after he went 7-5 in 2002. Barnhart also noted on Tuesday that UK had improved the last three weeks, losing 13-7 at Ole Miss, winning 13-7 against Mississippi State and getting rolled 49-27 by Auburn. Yep, that's progress.

Nothing to celebrate

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson was eager to speak with Bobby Gaston, the SEC's supervisor of officials, after Saturday's double-overtime loss at Florida. Johnson was baffled over a celebration penalty whistled against Vandy receiver Earl Bennett after Bennett caught a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler with just 54 seconds remaining to cut Florida's lead to 35-34. Johnson was going to go for a two-point conversion and the win before Bennett's penalty forced placekicker Bryant Hahnfeldt had to kick a 35-yard extra point to send the game in overtime. By the letter of the rule, excessive celebration is a player stepping away from teammates and drawing attention to himself. Bennett was face-to-face with happy teammates when he did a little dance step that got him flagged. "I've quit trying to interpret that rule because I've seen a lot of things before that were excessive and weren't called," Johnson said. ... Florida quarterback Chris Leak has a changed perspective on what it takes to win in the suddenly defense-oriented SEC. "Sometimes, you have to play it safe," he said. "You've got to know a punt isn't always a bad play."

Eye on the Tigers

Georgia, which is coming off an open date to play Auburn on Saturday, is 8-1 under Bulldogs' coach Mark Richt after open dates. The only loss came at Auburn in 2001. Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley, who sat out the Florida game with a sprained left MCL is expected to start against the Tigers wearing a knee brace. ... Tennessee's defense has enormous respect for Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams, the nation's leading rusher. Tennessee linebacker Omar Gaither said that Williams is "a guy they want to get the ball in his hands anyway possible, sort of like a LaDainian Tomlinson." Now, that's bringin' it with the props. ... Carolina redshirt freshman Sidney Rice has had such a fabulous year that an opponent finally decided to double-team him. After Rice caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in the first half against Arkansas on Saturday, he was shut out by the Razorbacks in the second half. That's when the Hogs often lined up side-by-side and played physical, press coverage. "That's really about the first time in my coaching career I've seen two guys line up on one," Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. Added Rice, "They doubled me, sometimes even tripled."

Audible

Quarterback Blake Mitchell of bowl-eligible South Carolina on how he doesn't care what bowl Carolina plays in:

"I've never been to a bowl. I'm just glad to be going."