The aggressive, in-your-face LSU defense that Tiger fans loved under former coach Nick Saban may finally be back in business despite a coaching change. In the last two games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, the Tigers have turned up the defensive heat, with more blitzes and more lockdown one-on-one coverage by its cornerbacks. In its 34-6 win at Vanderbilt last Saturday, LSU put a physical beating on Vandy quarterback Jay Cutler. He was just 11-for-32 for 113 yards and two interceptions, getting sacked five times and knocked down 14 times.

LSU’s defensive plan had its cornerbacks belly up on receivers, freeing more players for blitzes.

"We sent more people," first-year coach Les Miles said. "We sent them from different areas."

High Tide



For the Crimson Tide of Alabama, all the motivation they need for Saturday’s trip to Ole Miss comes from their last visit to Oxford in ’03. That’s when Eli Manning and company hopped on ’Bama by a 24-0 count in the first quarter en route to a 43-28 victory. Tide quarterback Brodie Croyle hasn’t forgotten. "We know what it feels like to be at the other end of it," Croyle said, "so there’s no way we’re going to have a letdown. We’ve got too much senior leadership. We started out this season running — we’re going to end it running."... If Arkansas can develop or find a big-time trigger-man at quarterback, the Hogs might have something, because their freshmen tailbacks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones are light years ahead of what coach Houston Nutt has had recently. They became the first pair of Arkansas freshmen to rush for 100 or more yards in the same game in school history in the Razorbacks’ 44-15 victory over Louisiana-Monroe Saturday. McFadden, who started, rushed 11 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and had a 64-yard kickoff return. Jones rushed 14 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and caught two screen passes for 31 yards. "They don’t act like freshmen," Nutt said.

Tough guy



Forget the fact that Mississippi State running back Jerious Norwood sprained his knee during the preseason, bruised his shoulder against Auburn and suffered a mild concussion and neck sprain against LSU. In Saturday’s 35-9 loss at Florida, besides rushing for 111 yards on 13 carries with a 76-yard touchdown run, he returned to a previous role of returning punts. In the third quarter, with State coach Sylvester Croom looking for a special teams spark, Norwood returned a punt 76 yards only to have it nullified by a penalty. "I was as desperate as you can get," Croom said of using Norwood as a returner. ... It looks like Auburn has settled on Brad Lester as its starting tailback. Lester, who missed all spring and just about all of two-a-days from a hamstring problem as a result of over-training, is averaging 6.7 yards per carry. "There’s no telling where he would be if he had been practicing," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said.