SEC BUZZ: Connor Shaw’s “miraculous recovery”

THE SCOOP

Injured South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw could play when the 13th-ranked Gamecocks go against Kentucky on Saturday night, coach Steve Spurrier said. Shaw, who injured his right shoulder Saturday against UCF, was expected to be out up to three weeks. But Shaw practiced Monday night and Spurrier said he watched the QB throw the ball about 60 yards.

Spurrier had no explanation for Shaw’s quick return other than maybe the QB’s injury was not as serious as initially believed. “Our trainer had him out two to three weeks,” Spurrier said. “You’ll have to ask our trainers how he made such a miraculous recovery.”

MOVING ON

Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley, who sustained a season-ending ACL knee injury last week, will enter the NFL draft. He could have applied for a medical redshirt, but coach Will Muschamp says Easley “is definitely going to the NFL next year.”

COACH TALK

Vanderbilt coach James Franklin shut down reporters’ questions about being on lists of potential candidates — at least media lists of candidates — to take over at Southern California, which fired Lane Kiffin on Sunday. Franklin, who led the Commodores to a 9-4 season last year, has been credited with turning around a Vanderbilt program previously swallowed up by the SEC. He is 18-13 and has guided the Commodores to wins in 10 of their past 12 games, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a Vanderbilt team since 1955-56. He also has received a contract extension after each of his first two seasons, and Vanderbilt is finishing a new indoor practice facility that should open within weeks.

QUOTABLE

"I think the quarterback position in this conference right now is as salty as it's been, as capable a group of quarterbacks as there is. … I also think there's probably some youth on the defensive side that's reflective of real quality defenders leaving early to go to the NFL Draft. … You have quarterbacks that stay and continue to apply their trade. … It's still very hard for me to believe that in the back end of this year we won't be a very quality defense and a much better defensive league." — LSU coach Les Miles when asked about defensive deficiencies and quarterback performances in the SEC.

"I'm a big, big believer in what happens off the field carries over directly to what happens on the field. I spoke to the guys pretty strongly about that and got everything cleaned up, because I know it works and we had to get on board there." — Arkansas coach Bret Bielema on players who have been demoted and had less playing time because of being late to team meetings over the past 2-3 weeks.

"You never like losing, you never like looking at the what-ifs and wishing you had done something different. But that's part of the game. 60 teams do that every Saturday. What kind of team you become is usually defined after difficult moments." — Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze.

BY THE NUMBERS

13

Consecutive home victories for South Carolina, two shy of the school record and third in the nation behind Michigan (17) and Georgia (15).

20-1

LSU record under Les Miles following a loss (the last time the Tigers lost back-to-back games under Miles was November 2008).