SEC West notebook

Posted 5:49AM on Thursday 11th November 2004 ( 20 years ago )

ALABAMA: Offensive tackle Wesley Britt is questionable for Saturday night's game at No. 17 LSU after spraining his left foot early against Mississippi State. ``My thought is that I'm going to play,'' Britt said. ``It's Alabama-LSU and I'm a fifth-year senior ... I'm going to do everything I can to play on Saturday.'' He said it's similar to an injury that kept guard Justin Smiley out for two games last season. Offensive line coach Bob Connelly said it will be ``a tolerance issue'' for the a preseason All-SEC pick. He said the pain and swelling are going down. ``In his mind he is playing,'' Connelly said. ``In my mind I hope he is playing. But we've got to have a Plan B. It's going to be a game-time decision between him and our training staff.'' Britt has helped pave the way for the league's top running game despite season-ending injuries to running backs Ray Hudson and Tim Castille. ARKANSAS: Few plays have defined Razorback football in Little Rock as much as the ``Powder River Play'' in 1954 and the ``Miracle on Markham'' in 2002. The former was the disguised halfback pass from Buddy Bob Benson to Preston Carpenter that beat No. 5 Mississippi 6-0, sent the Razorbacks to the Cotton Bowl and a No. 10 national ranking and inspired the expansion of War Memorial Stadium from a capacity of 31,000 to 53,727. The latter was a desperation heave by Matt Jones to DeCori Birmingham for a 31-yard touchdown that beat No. 17 LSU 21-20, gave Arkansas the SEC West crown and a spot in the conference title game and sent the overflow crowd of 55,553 into a frenzy. The 50th anniversary of the ``Powder River Play'' and that 1954 team will be celebrated Saturday during seniors Jones and Birmingham's last game against Ole Miss. AUBURN: Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has strong opinions about the proper way to determine college football's national champion. Thanks for asking. ``Any way you change it you're going to have people that have a complaint, but I would be for just taking the top four teams at the end of the year and just having 1 versus 4, 2 versus 3,'' said Tuberville, whose third-ranked Tigers would be in that mix at this point. ``Then play the winner of those two in a big game and everybody split a bunch of money 117 ways and just go about their business.'' He might wish that system was implemented retroactively if Auburn (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) wins out but doesn't get to play in the Orange Bowl for the Bowl Championship Series title. ``It's probably going to take a year of major controversy to where you have a change,'' he said. Even with his scenario, he concedes, ``You're going to have No. 5, 6 and 7 saying, 'How come I'm not in the top 4?''' Tuberville said he's never been for an NFL-style playoff system. ``We ought to be smart enough with the computers we have and the two polls we have to at least pick the top team out of four,'' he said. LSU: Rudy Niswanger is proving to be LSU's most versatile and valuable offensive lineman. He's preparing to start a game at his fourth position on Saturday. But the Tigers may have to learn to live without him next season. Niswanger, a premed major who has earned nothing but A's for four consecutive years, is considering going to medical school rather than playing his senior season. ``There's an option there, but I haven't made any decisions,'' said Niswanger, a 6-foot-5, 293-pounder. ``It's a possibility.'' Niswanger is in his first year as a full-time starter. By next year, he would be one of this team's most accomplished veterans. Center Ben Wilkerson is a senior, and junior tackle Andrew Whitworth may consider leaving early for the NFL. MISSISSIPPI: There haven't been many Novembers to remember for David Cutcliffe at Mississippi. The Rebels need three wins to qualify for their third straight bowl, but their track record in the month isn't encouraging: Since Cutcliffe took over in 1999, Ole Miss is 7-11 in the final full month of the regular season. Ole Miss has faded in two of its past three Novembers, going 1-3 in both 2001 and 2002. The loser of Saturday's game between the Rebels (3-5, 2-3) and Arkansas (3-5, 1-4) is out of the bowl picture. Both teams face No. 17 LSU and Mississippi State in the coming weeks, so even the winner could find themselves home for the postseason, too. ``We need a win very badly, and so do they,'' Cutcliffe said. The Ole Miss players say they gained confidence in back-to-back losses against ranked teams. The Rebels led No. 15 Tennessee in the fourth quarter before losing 21-17, and they played Auburn close for a while in a 35-14 defeat two weeks ago. MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs have their second idle Saturday of the season, and they're in much better shape than they were during their first week off. Mississippi State went 2-1 in the middle segment of its season, with victories over Florida and Kentucky and a strong effort at Alabama. That's a step in the right direction for the Bulldogs, who were 1-5 and had been outscored 166-75 with an embarrassing loss to Division I-AA Maine before their first Saturday off of the year. Not that coach Sylvester Croom is satisfied with a 3-6 record. ``We have some choices,'' Croom said. ``We can continue to work and get better or we can be satisfied with winning two games in a row and a decent showing (against Alabama).'' Those who choose the latter, he said, ``will not be around.'' The list of those who must show improvement includes Croom. The coach said he must do a better job of making adjustments during a game. Jerious Norwood ran 50 yards for a touchdown last week before the Crimson Tide altered its defensive strategy and held him to 40 yards the rest of the way. ``I've still got to work on the handling when the other team counters our best efforts,'' Croom said. ``We need to be able to respond in a positive manner.''

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