SEC East notebook

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Posted 6:37AM on Thursday, October 21, 2004

TENNESSEE: Robert Meachem has been compared to some of the best receivers in Tennessee history. Until now, he hasn't done much on the field to make the compliments stick. Meachem tore the meniscus in his right knee before last season and had to sit out his freshman year. This season, he's started to slowly make his presence known. Meachem, a Parade All-American from Tulsa, Okla., had his best game so far last week in the No. 11 Vols' 21-17 win at Mississippi. He led the team with 82 yards receiving on three catches. ``Three or four weeks ago, I was really a rookie. I think now that I kept playing and kept practicing I'm getting out of the shell a little bit,'' Meachem said. Tennessee will host Alabama on Saturday afternoon. With a receiving corps about eight players deep, sometimes it's just luck to be on the field at certain times, or the way the defense is playing, that has allowed Meachem to make more catches. ``We've been trying to get him more involved and he's been playing as many or more plays than the other receivers,'' offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said. ``He finally came through for us.'' KENTUCKY: The football thrown by South Carolina fourth-string quarterback Michael Rathe hung in the air so long, Kentucky strong safety Mike Williams almost could have made a fair catch. Instead, Rathe's heave bounced off the senior's chest. Six plays later, South Carolina scored its only touchdown, with 1:28 left, enabling the Gamecocks to escape with a 12-7 win on Saturday. Williams knew immediately that he cost the Wildcats (1-5, 0-3 SEC) a chance at a rare victory. ``The game should have been over,'' Williams said. ``Our offense should have been out on the field running out the clock. ``I know I'm supposed to make that play. I know I'm a good enough player to make that play, and I really wanted to make that play. It just didn't happen.'' Coach Rich Brooks said that Williams is one of Kentucky's best players. ``He gives everything he's got,'' Brooks said. ``He's a warrior, and for him to have that happen is devastating. If I were going to pick a player to make a play on our defense, he'd be the guy I pick, or at least one of the top two or three. ``It's just one of those things. You don't have control over some things in your life and you have to bounce back off the floor. That was a tough thing to have happen to anybody, particularly a guy that has given as much as he has to this program.'' VANDERBILT: The Commodores' toughest part of their schedule began last week when they played at Georgia and continues next Saturday at LSU. But Vanderbilt gets NCAA Division I-AA foe Eastern Kentucky this week. It's a relief for the Commodores (1-5, 1-3 SEC), who have four conference opponents left including Florida and Tennessee, but coach Bobby Johnson said he'd rather have a week off. ``That schedule was set and it's just unfortunate,'' he said. ``Everybody can't have open dates. At the end of the year, we'd all be staring at each other. ``You might as well just call it 'National Open Date Week' where nobody plays.'' A I-AA team like the Colonels could be as close to a week off as any SEC team could expect. But Vandy has lost to a I-AA team before in 1979 to The Citadel and Eastern Kentucky nearly beat a I-A team last year, falling 42-41 to Central Michigan. Overall, the Commodores are 9-1 against the division, and two of Johnson's five wins are against I-AA foes in his three seasons at Vanderbilt. This season, the Commodores have more pressing matters against I-A teams. They've blown second-half leads of 13, 5 and 24 points in a trio of three-point defeats. FLORIDA: Receiver Jemalle Cornelius worked extra after practice this week, trying to eliminate dropped passes. Cornelius had two of the team's four drops against Middle Tennessee State last week. ``It was just trying a little bit too hard, focusing a little bit too hard,'' said Cornelius, who has eight catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns this season. ``I just need to be more relaxed.'' The 20th-ranked Gators (4-2, 2-2 SEC) have had several dropped passes this season, but the four Saturday were glaring because quarterback Chris Leak had just five incompletions including an interception. ``Really there shouldn't have been a ball touch the ground,'' coach Ron Zook said. The receiving corps will try to correct the problems Saturday at Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3). GEORGIA: When the season is over, offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles will decide whether to return for his senior year or enter the NFL draft. Jean-Gilles said he would give the pros serious consideration if he was projected to go in ``the top 10 or top 20'' of the draft. But he doesn't want thoughts of an NFL career to interfere with his play for the No. 10 Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC), who travel to Arkansas on Saturday. ``It's kind of like recruiting in high school all over again,'' he said. ``I'll just deal with it after the season.'' Jean-Gilles will seek advice from the coaches and also rely on his religious faith to help make a decision. At 6-4 and 341 pounds, he certainly has the physical tools to play in the NFL. Also, a move from tackle to guard this season will likely improve his prospects. ``I've thought about it,'' he said. ``But I'll worry about it after the season. If I think about it during the season, it will mess up my whole performance.''