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More SEC News

• Meyer says 'people sniffing around' coaching staff
• Georgia's defense sacked by critics on message boards
• Ole Miss' Polynice out for season

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There are senior days.

And there are senior days like Alabama offensive lineman Justin Britt is about to experience Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.

Britt is the third - and final - Britt brother to play for the Crimson Tide. That, in itself, is special. Like older brothers Wesley and Taylor, all Justin wanted to do when he was a kid was to suit up in an Alabama uniform.

"There are emotions that the Britt legacy is coming to an end," Justin said. "I don't want it to be over, but it is what it is. You have to move on with your life, and one day I will look back and say this has been a great time for us. I would not trade it for anything in the world."

But what makes today's game extra-special for Justin is that his mother, Vera, will be in the stands. She was hospitalized for nearly a month after suffering a fractured skull in a fall in early October.

Last Tuesday, she was released from Birmingham's Trinity Medical Center. When Justin walks on the field for Senior Day festivities this weekend, with his mother at his side, you can bet there won't be a dry eye in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"I've been thinking about it all week, getting all the arrangements done," Justin said. "I'm just grateful. It's nothing short of a miracle for her to be able to come to my last game at Bryant-Denny."

Justin has been inspired by the way his mother has recovered.

"Her brain is just starting over, and it's going to take time," Justin said. "But there are some good things coming out of this. The doctors told her this is the time she could learn piano and learn a new language."

The Mad Hatter: With LSU climbing to No. 1 in the BCS rankings, "Fear the Hat" T-shirts and bumper stickers are spreading around Baton Rouge. The catchphrase is in honor of Tigers' coach Les Miles, who wear hats high on his head and who has come up big on gamble after gamble this season. Miles, 31-5 as the Tigers' coach, was asked this week if anyone should indeed fear the hat.

"Only if the hat is coming at you," he said jokingly. "I have no reason to fear the hat. I put it on my head every day. I think the hat comes with a pretty quality football team. I don't think it has a lot to do with the hat."

What's Up?: One unanswered question from last week's 34-13 Arkansas loss at Tennessee: What was Darren McFadden doing standing on the sideline when fullback Peyton Hillis got stuffed for no gain on a fourth-and-one gamble at the Arkansas 45 in the second quarter? Hogs coach Houston Nutt had no definitive answer.

"Well, it's about 6 inches. I don't know, a yard or less," Nutt said. "You've got to be able to get a yard or less."

But with a Heisman Trophy candidate as a spectator?

How Good Is He?: As good as Mississippi State cornerback Anthony Johnson has gotten this season - 47 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions, including Saturday's game-breaking 100-yard interception return in a 17-12 win over Alabama - he's not close to being a finished product.

"Anthony is just realizing that just his athletic ability is not enough to perform at a high level in this conference," State coach Sylvester Croom said. "He has to become a bona fide technician to excel and become one of the best corners in the country."

Color Them Winners: Georgia's ploy to break out black jerseys in last week's 45-20 victory over Auburn was so popular that Bulldogs' coach Mark Richt said former Georgia players in the NFL are contacting the school to get a black jersey with their old number on it.