SEC Report

Suspensions multiplying for SEC teams

Arkansas, which has suspended senior defensive end Randy Garner for Saturday's game against Southwest Missouri State as part of its self-imposed sanctions, isn't the only SEC team that will open the season short-handed.
Vanderbilt announced Wednesday that two starters -- All-SEC junior linebacker Jamie Winborn and senior cornerback Jimmy Williams -- are suspended for the first two games this season against Miami of Ohio and Alabama after receiving free financial planning advice and help with getting individual lines of credit from a bank.
At Georgia, seven players must sit out one of the team's first two games for improper use of a long-distance telephone card, a secondary NCAA rules violation.
Bulldogs Coach Jim Donnan said that of the players involved -- defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Charles Grant, linebackers Kendrell Bell and Tony Gilbert, cornerback Decory Bryant, running back Kenny Bailey and tight end Robert Brannon -- he's likely to sit out two in the first game against Georgia Southern Saturday and five against South Carolina the next week.
Georgia also will be without senior wide receiver Michael Greer, who is suspended for the first five games for an unspecified violation of team rules.
"We're a wounded animal right now," Donnan said.
Regarding Vanderbilt's suspensions of Winborn and Williams, Athletic Director Todd Turner said a routine check of car registrations on Aug. 14 uncovered a possible NCAA violation because two Vanderbilt alumni had guaranteed lines of credit to the players, but without their knowledge.
"Immediately the antenna went up," Turner said.
Vanderbilt officials stressed there was no agent relationship, and Coach Woody Widenhofer said the players told him they made no commitment in writing or orally to the alumni, who were not identified.
"I feel bad for them because I know they were deceived," Widenhofer said of Winborn and Williams.
Vanderbilt followed the advice of SEC officials, who recommended the two-game suspension, with the players paying for the advice they received.
Turner said the school hopes to hear from the NCAA by Friday whether Winborn and Williams will be eligible after the first two games.

WEST LOADED WITH QBS
The main reason Arkansas is picked to finish low in the SEC West in most preseason polls is because the Razorbacks are the division's only team that doesn't have a quarterback with starting experience.
Arkansas has lost Clint Stoerner -- a three-year starter -- and redshirt sophomore quarterback Robby Hampton will make his first start Saturday night against Southwest Missouri State.
The West's other five teams have 10 quarterbacks on their rosters with a combined 94 career starts, including veterans such as Ole Miss senior Romaro Miller (23), Mississippi State junior Wayne Madkin (21) and Alabama junior Andrew Zow (19).

NOT THE SAME TEAM
Lou Holtz hopes to finally get his first victory as South Carolina's coach when the Gamecocks play New Mexico State on Saturday.
Maybe it's a good omen the Gamecocks are playing the Aggies, because Holtz's first victory as Arkansas' coach was against New Mexico State, 53-10, on Sept. 10, 1977 at Little Rock.
"I'd never even given it a thought, I didn't remember that until you brought it to my attention," Holtz said of his previous coaching experience against the Aggies. "But that wasn't the same New Mexico State we'll be playing.
"This is a very good New Mexico State team. They beat Arizona State 35-7 last year and have most of their team coming back."

TIDE'S MOOREHEAD SIDELINED
Alabama junior defensive end Kindal Moorehead had started 21 consecutive games before suffering a season-ending injury to his Achilles' tendon during a scrimmage last week.
"Football is a contact game, but that was a noncontact injury,'' Tide defensive line coach Lance Thompson said. "He was running to make a block after an interception, and just went down. That's even more frustrating."
Moorehead's injury means sophomore Jarrett Johnson, who had been a backup tackle, will start at end against UCLA Saturday, and that move hurts the Tide's overall depth in the line.
"I feel like I'm better inside [at tackle],'' Johnson said. "I got stronger in the off-season. I don't mind end, but I just feel I'm built more like a tackle.
Johnson said it's crucial that he and the Tide's younger defensive linemen step up and make big contributions this season.
"We've always needed that, but now we have to have it," Johnson said. "If they don't step up and I don't step up, it's going to be a rough year."

VANDY PLAYER DOING WELL
Vanderbilt Coach Woody Widenhofer said freshman linebacker Luke Hamilton suffered no serious spinal or neck injuries when he fell 100 feet Tuesday trying to climb out of an elevator that was stuck between the ninth and 10th floors.
"It's a miracle that he wasn't hurt seriously," Widenhofer said.

ANOTHER CLAUSEN
LSU has received a commitment from Rick Clausen, a quarterback from Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft High School. He is the younger brother of Tennessee freshman quarterback Casey Clausen.

GREEN TRYING TO KEEP HIS COOL
Auburn redshirt freshman wide receiver Deandre Green, who was offensive MVP of the team's A-Day intrasquad game last spring, will have to wait to make his debut in a real game.
Green, 23, is sitting out tonight's opener against Wyoming because of a one-game suspension resulting from an incident on the Auburn campus this summer when he was arrested for firing a handgun into the air to break up a fraternity function.
Green was granted youthful offender status and reinstated to the team by Coach Tommy Tuberville. He is expected to give the Tigers another big-play receiver to go with sophomore Ronney Daniels.
Daniels, who played minor-league baseball before coming to Auburn last year, has been trying to be a mentor for Green. They share a common background of growing up in tough neighborhoods and both struggled to meet NCAA academic standards before gaining their eligibility at Auburn.
Daniels' advice to Green has been to avoid temptation, be responsible, take advantage of opportunities and use your past to motivate you for a better future.
Green said he has listened.
"I'm trying to not hang out all night and not do some crazy things," Green said. "Just find you an old lady and that way you can chill out until the time you come in.
"About a year ago, I would've had about 100 women. I love women. A year ago, I would've been ripping and running a lot, just fogged up and not listening to anybody.
"I've got a level head now and this is another part of my life. It's a fun part of my life, but I have to make it to bigger and better things."
Like Auburn's SEC opener at Ole Miss on Sept. 9.

DON'T STAND TOO CLOSE TO FENCE
Minor car accidents have become commonplace along Razorback Road as some fans take their eyes off the street and get a look at Arkansas practicing as they drive by.
But Arkansas' practice field fences haven't had a car crash though them, as happened at Vanderbilt on Aug. 20.
The accident, in which no one was hurt, occurred when the Commodores' punters and kickers were on the field, just a few minutes before the rest of the team came out of the locker room.
A car sailed over a bed of ivy, landed on an embankment, rolled over a blocking sled and finally came to a stop on the section of field where the offensive linemen go through individual drills at the start of each practice.
Vanderbilt police officers didn't release the name of the driver of the car, but said it was a woman with a learner's permit who was practicing driving in a parking lot near the football field.
"She was crying when she got out of the car," Commodores junior punter Joe Webb said. "She just fell to her knees. It was kind of a wild and interesting start to practice."
Said senior offensive tackle Pat Green, "I guess we can't practice now -- there's motor oil on the field."
Maybe it's a sign the Commodores will play in the Motor City Bowl this season.

TIGERS READY TO CUT LOOSE
When Carl Reese left as LSU's defensive coordinator after the 1997 season to take the same position at Texas, former Illinois Coach Lou Tepper replaced him in Baton Rouge and changed the Tigers from an aggressive 4-3 scheme to a reading 3-4 defense.
In the SEC, where speed and athleticism abound, Tepper's defense struggled as LSU went 4-7 and 3-8, resulting in a coaching change.
Now, with Nick Saban as coach and Paul Elmassian as defensive coordinator, the Tigers are back in an attacking 4-3 mode.
"We're definitely more aggressive," LSU sophomore linebacker Treverance Faulk said. "We attack everything and we're able to use more of our athletic ability.
"We can even free-lance a bit."

LOU GOING WIRELESS
South Carolina Coach Lou Holtz won't be followed around this season by a student manager carrying the cable for Holtz's headset.
Holtz will use a headset that is wireless and has a small unit that attaches to his belt.
"You'll know what side it's on because I'll list that way at a 45-degree angle," Holtz said.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL
Tennessee is toying with the idea of using sophomore wide receiver Eric Locke, a transfer from Alabama, in spot situations at quarterback. ... LSU has switched from wearing black to white shoes for games this season. ... Florida is 10-0 in season openers under Coach Steve Spurrier, outscoring opponents 483-158 in those games. ... Auburn sophomore Travaris Robinson has moved from wide receiver to cornerback. ... Junior walk-on Neal Thomas, a transfer from Hinds (Miss.) Community College, won Alabama's place-kicking job, but Coach Mike DuBose said he's bothered by a sore leg. ... Mississippi State has beaten Memphis the last three years by a combined 14 points. ... Ole Miss junior tailback Joe Gunn is the SEC's leading returner rusher with 951 yards last season. ... Tennessee is going for its 700th victory in Saturday's game against Southern Miss.

Information for this article was contributed by other SEC beat writers.

This article was published on Thursday, August 31, 2000

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