UAB coach Watson Brown's post-game lament Saturday: "We just needed to make another play."

That one play might have been an option by talented quarterback Darrell Hackney. But Brown didn't want to risk it.

"I tried my best not to let him overdo it," Brown said after UAB's 17-10 loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. "If I second-guessed myself, I would have called a few more of his (option) plays in the second half.

"You saw what happened when we called one. We ran that one option and broke it for big yardage."

Hackney, who passed for 282 yards, gained 16 yards on an option run in the third quarter.

"I don't want to kill him if it's not worth it," Brown said. "But if you're close and you've got a shot, I probably should have given it to him a couple of more times."

Nowhere To Run: Three SEC teams had no semblance of a running game in their season openers.

Florida managed just 91 yards on 36 carries against Wyoming. That underscored new coach Urban Meyer's concern, which dates back to the spring.

The Gators, who played without suspended tailback DeShawn Wynn, were led in rushing by Skyler Thornton with 38 yards on eight carries.

Auburn had only 50 yards rushing in a 23-14 loss to Georgia Tech. Even if you don't count the 31 yards quarterback Brandon Cox lost in sacks, the Tigers still didn't come close to 100 yards rushing.

South Carolina was the worst of the bunch, producing just 31 yards rushing in a 24-15 victory over Central Florida on Thursday night.

Shockingly Good: Georgia senior quarterback D.J. Shockley always has been regarded as a great athlete with a strong arm. But a couple of questions always followed the praise: Could he complete a high percentage of his passes and could he perform at a high level on a consistent basis?

Shockley, who completed only 43.3 percent of his passes as a backup to David Greene last season, answered the "accuracy" question in Georgia's 48-13 victory over No. 18 Boise State on Saturday. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 289 yards and five touchdowns.

Georgia opponents can only hope the performance was an aberration. But based on the season openers, the Bulldogs have the most complete team in the SEC.

Shaky Start For Spurrier: After watching quarterback Blake Mitchell on Thursday night, you could conclude that coach Steve Spurrier always will find somebody who can throw for a lot of yards. Quarterback Blake Mitchell completed 18 of 23 passes for 330 yards in South Carolina's 24-15 victory over Central Florida.

Another conclusion: Spurrier might wish he's back with the Redskins before this season is done. At least, he got paid more.

The Gamecocks couldn't mount a running game, couldn't hold on to the football, and struggled terribly defending the pass in the second half. All of that against a team which was 0-11 last season.

If that doesn't concern the Gamecocks, they should check their schedule. Three of their next four games are against Georgia, Alabama and Auburn.

Breaking A Trend: It's surprising enough when Vanderbilt beats anybody. It's even more surprising when it wins a close game.

In three prior seasons under coach Bobby Johnson, the Commodores were 1-11 in games decided by seven points or fewer. But after blowing an early lead, they rallied in the final minutes for a 24-20 victory over Wake Forest.

Ex-Bulldog Still In Doghouse: Former Mississippi State running back Nick Turner had a chance to play against his old team Saturday night. He didn't take advantage of it.

Turner, who now plays for Murray State, was suspended by coach Joe Pannunzio last week and did not make the trip to Starkville, Miss. Turner, a former high school All-American, was dismissed from Mississippi State's team last year by coach Sylvester Croom.

Extra Points: Alabama sophomore wide receiver Keith Brown should be happier than anybody to have a healthy Brodie Croyle at quarterback. He had five catches for 84 yards in a 26-7 victory over Middle Tennessee State after catching only 17 passes last season. Alabama's salty defense picked up where it left off last season, holding MTSU to 22 yards and two first downs in the second half Mississippi State quarterback Omarr Conner tied a school record by throwing four touchdown passes in the 38-6 victory against Murray State. Arkansas shouldn't get carried away with its running attack after rushing for 483 yards in a 49-17 victory over Missouri State, which allowed 218 yards per game rushing in Division I-AA last season.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.