Alabama (5-0, 2-0 in SEC)
Next game: at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. Oct. 13, CBS
Huddle up: Alabama has trailed for 15 seconds all season, after Mississippi scored for a 7-6 lead Saturday. The Crimson Tide immediately retook the lead on Christion Jones' 99-yard kickoff return. Jones had 161 all-purpose yards. … WR DeAndrew White is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, which will give more playing time to freshman Amari Cooper, who leads the team with 17 catches and 222 yards despite not starting a game. … QB A.J. McCarron has thrown a school-record 206 consecutive attempts without an pick.
Tweetable fact: Alabama has either led or been tied at halftime in 25 consecutive games.
Arkansas (1-4, 0-2)
Next game: at Auburn, noon Saturday, ESPN2
Huddle up: Arkansas has been outscored 145-36 in its past three games. The Razorbacks have allowed 110 points and 1,154 yards in two SEC games. "I don't even want to leave the house. … The season's going south, but you've got to continue to resurrect it," RB Knile Davis said this week. … K Zach Hocker has 125 career PATs, tied for second in program history. … WR Cobi Hamilton ranks ninth in the nation with 118.2 yards receiving per game. He had 11 catches for 162 yards against Texas A&M. … S Eric Bennett (hamstring) and TE Chris Gragg (leg) are questionable.
Tweetable fact: Arkansas QBs have combined to throw eight interceptions. They threw seven in 2011.
Auburn (1-3, 0-2)
Next game: vs. Arkansas, noon Saturday, ESPN2
Huddle up: Trovon Reed will replace WR/PR Quan Bray (Troup), who has been suspended for Saturday's game after being arrested by University of West Georgia police last week. Bray, who has 11 catches for 82 yards and five returns for 23 yards, was arrested for driving with a suspended license and underage possession of alcohol. … Onterio McCalebb ranks third in the nation in kickoff returns at 36.8 yards. He is the second player in SEC history (joining Kentucky's Derrick Locke) with 2,000 career rushing yards, 1,000 career kick-return yards and 500 career receiving yards. … Philip Lutzenkirchen (Lassiter) had five catches against LSU, the most by an Auburn TE since Cooper Wallace in 2003.
Tweetable fact: Auburn has blocked three kicks, two by Angelo Blackson and one by Corey Lemonier.
Florida (4-0, 3-0)
Next game: vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Huddle up: The Gators have struggled in October the past two seasons, going 0-4 in 2011 and 1-3 in 2010. Like this season, they were undefeated heading into the month in both seasons. … LB Jelani Jenkins will return from a fractured thumb against LSU. He has been out since Sept. 8. … LSU has given up an average of 12.6 points per game. Florida has allowed 12.8 points per game. … Mike Gillislee is one of two RBs in the SEC averaging at least 100 yards rushing. Georgia's Todd Gurley leads the SEC at 107.2 yards, followed by Gillislee at 100.5.
Tweetable fact: Trey Burton has played RB, QB, FB, WR, TE, H-back and on kickoff and punt coverage teams in his career.
Kentucky (1-4, 0-2)
Next game: vs. Mississippi State, 12:21 p.m. Saturday, WPCH
Huddle up: Kentucky will turn to freshmen QBs Jalen Whitlow and Patrick Towles to replace QB Maxwell Smith (ankle), who could miss the rest of the season. The Wildcats had planned on redshirting Towles. Whitlow finished Saturday's loss at South Carolina after Smith was hurt. … RB CoShik Williams (Hiram), who led the team in rushing in 2011, is out for the season with a torn hip labrum. Expect Raymond Sanders (Stephenson) to see more time. … Martavius Neloms will see more time with the loss of S Dakotah Tyler (ACL), who is out for the year.
Tweetable fact: The four teams that have beat Kentucky — Louisville, Western Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina — are a combined 19-1.
LSU (5-0, 1-0)
Next game: at Florida, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Huddle up: Coach Les Miles has been pleased with the play of QB Zach Mettenberger (Oconee County), who has thrown two interceptions and lost three fumbles, but wants him to get rid of the ball more quickly. "The thing that he does is he tries to extend the play. That puts him in jeopardy," Miles said. … LSU fumbled five times, losing three against Towson. … TB Alfred Blue is out and FB J.C. Copeland (Troup) questionable with knee injuries. … LSU (102-22) and Florida (91-31) are the two winningest teams in the SEC the past 10 seasons.
Tweetable fact: LSU's October opponents — Florida, South Carolina and Texas A&M — are a combined 12-1.
Mississippi (3-2, 0-1)
Next game: vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Huddle up: Coach Hugh Freeze might open the QB competition after starter Bo Wallace threw two more interceptions. He has thrown six picks and fumbled twice this season, leading to possible competition from backup Barry Brunetti, who has played in all five games. … Freshman LB Denzel Nkemdiche (Grayson) is the SEC's co-defensive player of the week after he had 11 tackles, including three for losses and a sack, and forced two fumbles at Alabama. … WR Korvic Neat (groin), DT Uriah Grant (hand) and DT Woodrow Hamilton (ankle) are questionable.
Tweetable fact: The Rebels have converted four of their five fourth-down attempts, an 80 percent success rate.
Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0)
Next game: at Kentucky, 12:21 p.m. Saturday, WPCH
Huddle up: Mississippi State will make back-to-back trips to Lexington, Ky., because of conference expansion. … Mississippi State is No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin and Darius Slay (Brunswick) is first nationally in interceptions with an average of one per game. … RB LaDarius Perkins has averaged 97.2 yards rushing per game, third in the SEC. … TE Malcolm Johnson (pectoral) might see his first action since spring practice. "His return is huge," coach Dan Mullen said, calling Johnson a "playmaker." … RG Tobias Smith (knee) might miss his third consecutive game.
Tweetable fact: Mississippi State is 5-0 for the third time in history, the second time since 1999.
Missouri (3-2, 0-2)
Next game: vs. Vanderbilt, 7 p.m. Saturday, FSSO
Huddle up: QB James Franklin averaged 295.7 yards of offense and accounted for 36 TDs in 2011, but is at 200.2 yards with four TDs this season. He's also missed a game with an injured shoulder. … CB E.J. Gaines had a career-high 13 tackles, including two for loss, and forced a fumble in the win at Central Florida. … Highly touted freshman WR Dorial Green-Beckham scored his first collegiate TD on an 80-yard pass from Franklin on Saturday. He's the sixth-leading receiver on the team with seven catches for 128 yards.
Tweetable fact: Marcus Murphy had never returned a punt at Missouri before this year. He's returned three for TDs in 2012.
South Carolina (5-0, 3-0)
Next game: vs. Georgia, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Huddle up: The offensive line has allowed 13 sacks, second most in the SEC, but OT Mike Matulis (shoulder) is expected to return this week. … With DEs Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor leading the way, the Gamecocks rank second in the nation with 4.4 sacks per game. Clowney has 5 1/2 sacks and DE Chaz Sutton (Jenkins) has three. … South Carolina ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense (11.2 points) and seventh against the run (77.6 yards). … Marcus Lattimore has rushed for 358 yards (179 a game) and three TDs in two games against Georgia.
Tweetable fact: The Gamecocks have won nine consecutive games, the longest win streak in program history.
Tennessee (3-2, 0-2)
Next game: at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. Oct. 13, ESPN2
Huddle up: Coach Derek Dooley told the Knoxville News-Sentinel he was "madder than I've ever been" after watching video of the defensive breakdowns in the 51-44 loss to Georgia. … Dooley said to expect more playing time for freshman S LaDarrell McNeil. … RB Rajion Neal (Sandy Creek) has rushed for 342 yards the past three games. … LT Dallas Thomas and RT Ju'Wuan James (North Gwinnett) each made their 30th career start in Saturday's loss. … Tennessee has allowed 187.8 rushing yards per game, 92nd in the nation. … LB A.J. Johnson (Gainesville) has three TDs on five carries in the Beast Package after scoring on a 1-yard run against Georgia.
Tweetable fact: FS Byron Moore ranks fifth in the nation with four interceptions.
Texas A&M (3-1, 0-1)
Next game: at Mississippi, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Huddle up: Redshirt freshman QB Johnny Manziel ranks sixth in the nation in total offense after setting the SEC and school record with 557 total yards in the win over Arkansas. He threw for 453 and ran for 104, accounting for four TDs. He hasn't thrown an interception this season (124 attempts) and has 10 TD passes. … Texas A&M's freshmen haven't been allowed to speak to the media. … P Ryan Epperson ranks seventh in the nation, averaging 46.7 yards per punt. … Davis Plowman (Blessed Trinity) is the backup kicker behind Taylor Bertolet.
Tweetable fact: Manziel's total offense and passing yards are the most by a freshman in the FBS this season.
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2)
Next game: at Missouri, 7 p.m. Saturday, FSSO
Huddle up: Vanderbilt has scored four TDs and six field goals on 15 trips to the red zone, all four of the TDs coming against Presbyterian, an FCS team. Two fumbles and an interception ended three of those possessions. … Senior Richard Kent (Walton) ranks fifth in the SEC and 14th in the nation in punting with a 45.2-yard average. … RB Zac Stacy has averaged 7.4 yards per carry and backup Brian Kimbrow has averaged 7.8 yards. … Freshman Darreon Herring (Stephenson) is listed as a backup OLB.
Tweetable fact: Zac Stacy ranks third on Vanderbilt's all-time leading rushing list with 2,343 career yards.
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