LSU coach Les Miles got a vote of confidence after Saturday's 41-34 victory over Alabama. And it came from a Nick Saban recruit.

"(Miles) has been through so much," LSU running back Jacob Hester told the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. "So much scrutiny and so many people saying he didn't deserve this job, that he wasn't the best coach for it.

"I think (Saturday) he really proved that he's a great coach - one of the best in the country."

LSU rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Alabama and Saban, the Tigers' former coach.

Recruiting Too Well: You could say that Saban beat himself. The players whom Saban recruited to LSU figured prominently in the outcome.

Hester and Early Doucet each scored two touchdowns against their former head coach's team. Three other Saban recruits - Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson and Kirston Pittman - combined for five of LSU's seven sacks.

Upon Further Review: The Tide didn't fare well on replays. Three of the four calls that were reversed went against Alabama.

"I'm sure they were the right calls," Saban told the Huntsville Times. "They have the TV cameras, the review and that type of things."

Wishful Thinking: Florida coach Urban Meyer remains optimistic about his team's chances of winning the East despite three losses in the SEC.

"The feeling among our team and players is that if we win next week (against South Carolina), we're going to make it to Atlanta (for the SEC championship game)," Meyer told the Gainesville Sun.

Both Tennessee and Georgia, with two conference losses each, are ahead of the Gators in the standings.

Another Pouncey: Florida started the second of the Pouncey twins Saturday, and it paid immediate dividends.

True freshman Michael Pouncey, who had been playing as a backup offensive lineman, started at defensive tackle in the 49-22 victory over Vanderbilt.

"It helped a lot because he's a high-energy guy," freshman cornerback Joe Haden told the Gainesville Sun. "He came over (to defense) Tuesday and played great that first day."

Michael's twin brother, Maurkice, has started all season in the offensive line.

Holding It Down: Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville took out many of his starters after the first quarter of a 35-3 victory over Tennessee Tech, and no one was more appreciative than opposing coach Watson Brown.

"He handled it well and got what he needed to out of it," Brown told the Mobile Press-Register. "That showed a lot of class to me."

Ole Miss Attrition: The Rebels aren't just losing games. They're losing players.

Three more players were suspended for Saturday's game. That makes six suspensions in the last month.

Starting linebacker Ashlee Palmer was the biggest name suspended Saturday. Without him, the Rebels gave up 499 yards to Division I-AA Northwestern State. Ole Miss already was without star defensive end Greg Hardy, who has been suspended indefinitely.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.