SEC notebook: No rest stop for Vanderbilt

HOOVER, Ala. - Forgive the Commodores if they're a little tired when they arrive in Knoxville on Nov. 21.

Vanderbilt, which already has one of the SEC's toughest schedules with trips to LSU and Florida as well as a non-conference game against Georgia Tech, will have played 11 consecutive games by the time it faces face Tennessee in Neyland Stadium.

Vanderbilt's lone bye comes on Nov. 28, the final week of the regular season and seven days after they face the Vols.

"I'm not really happy about it," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "I don't think there's anything anybody could do to avoid it. We certainly would have if we could have. In fact, we tried to fix it up a little bit last year when we found out it would work out that way, but we just couldn't get it done."

Preparing for 12 consecutive games presents a challenge, and it could result in less full-contact work when practice begins in August.

"You have to plan for it," Johnson said. "You have to be smart in the preseason, not just work them to death. During the season, you've got to be smart about any kind of contact that you have during the week and the length of your practices."

Center Bradley Vierling hopes the Commodores wind up with an even longer season, like last year when they earned just the fourth bowl berth in school history.

"We finally got to a bowl game last year, and we got that feeling," Vierling said. "We want more of it, we absolutely do. We want to go to another bowl game. At least - at least - like the Music City Bowl. We want to go to a bigger and better bowl."

Brooks On Cobb: Kentucky coach Rich Brooks raved about former Alcoa High School standout Randall Cobb, who made a major impact last season as a true freshman.

"He has great play-making ability," Brooks said. "Not only that, he has the maturity and leadership to go with it. He's extremely quick out of the break. He can accelerate with the ball in his hands. He can throw it, and he can run it."

Despite starting four games at quarterback, Cobb is expected to play mostly at receiver this fall in addition to a few snaps at quarterback in Kentucky's aptly named Wildcat package.

Brooks also praised former Alcoa receiver Kyrus Lanxter, who caught 23 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown last season.

Any Questions?: Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen began his first appearance at Media Days by joking that he'd only answer questions posed via Twitter or Facebook. For a while, it seemed that might be the case.

Mullen spent nearly 15 minutes on his opening remarks from the podium (coaches are scheduled for 40 minutes) before ending with another joke.

"I can prepare my 40-minute speech, 39 minutes, 15 seconds, take one question, get on out the door," Mullen quipped. "None of you would be real happy with that."

The one question Mullen was likely dreading wasn't even asked. No one in the large ballroom asked about running back Anthony Dixon, who was charged Monday with DUI.

In The Family: Ryan Mallett isn't the only quarterback transferring to Arkansas this season.

Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino's son, Nick, will be on the roster this fall. And his journey is a little longer than Mallett, who considered Tennessee after leaving Michigan.

Nick Petrino, who played at Trinity High in Louisville, Ky., redshirted in 2007 at Georgetown (Ky.), an NAIA school, before transferring to Arkansas Tech in spring 2008. He then went to Montana State-Northern for fall 2008 before joining his dad at Arkansas.

"He's got aspirations to be a football coach. I thought his mom would get that out of him, but she didn't," Petrino joked. "I think it will be great. It's real exciting he'll be around and be part of our team."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.