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First and 20: Spotlight swings to … Ole Miss?

The Sports Xchange

September 28, 2014 at 2:03 pm.

Laquon Treadwell will have to be accounted for by the Alabama defense. (Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports)

The college football world now turns its attention to … Mississippi.

Wait. Mississippi?

After a weekend in which some top teams received scares, but survived, this is the college football Saturday you’ve been waiting for, overflowing with marquee matchups in what promises to be a crazy day in the state of Mississippi.

ESPN’s “College Football GameDay” will be in Oxford, Miss., for the first time ever for a top 11 battle between Ole Miss and Alabama. Meanwhile, Texas A&M goes to Starkville for a top 12 clash with fast-rising Mississippi State.

“We are going to prepare for them like we do everybody else,” Rebels’ All-American defensive back Cody Prewitt said about Alabama. “They are coming into our house so we are not going to be intimidated. They are going to be the ones climbing up the hill.”

Almost forgot. LSU plays at Auburn on Saturday, too.

There will be much more clarity in the SEC West — college football’s version of the Group of Death — after the weekend of intra-divisional play that excludes only Arkansas. Sounds about right.

It wasn’t difficult to see Ole Miss coming this season. The Rebels, in their third season under coach Hugh Freeze, had the leading returner passer in the SEC (Bo Wallace) and emerging sophomore stars from Freeze’s excellent recruiting, including receiver Laquon Treadwell, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche and defensive back Tony Conner.

Ole Miss, which is 4-0 for the first time since 1970, is third nationally in scoring defense, allowing 8.5 points per game. The Rebels have beaten Boise State, Vanderbilt, Louisiana and Memphis — not a murders’ row, but several top teams have similar resumes at this point.

Not so for state rival Mississippi State, which already announced its arrival by winning at LSU on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs were off Saturday, giving them more time to prepare for the Aggies, who emerged with their record intact after a miracle comeback against Arkansas in Arlington, Texas.

The Bulldogs, who were was 7-6 last season, has caught many by surprise. They shouldn’t have. Mississippi State has the two things every coach wants — a playmaking quarterback in Dak Prescott and one of the best defensive fronts in the nation. Sophomore defensive tackle Chris Jones is a beast; junior linebacker Benardrick McKinney projects as a second-round pick if he comes out early.

With savvy quarterbacks and salty defenses, the Mississippi schools look like legit SEC teams.

It’s prove-it time. The spotlight has rarely been brighter.

Five Heisman candidates through September

1. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. His knee was bothering him late last season when the Ducks were ambushed by Arizona, which won 42-16 in Tucson to scuttle Oregon’s hopes of a BCS bowl. Mariota gets a chance to serve up revenge Thursday night in Autzen against the 4-0 Wildcats.

2. Ameer Abudullah, RB, Nebraska. Second nationally in rushing (166.6 yards per game), with three 200-yard efforts in five games.

3. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia. He rushed for a career-best 208 yards against Tennessee, including a 49-yard touchdown, and put the game away with a physical 4-yard run on fourth-and-3 in the final minute to run out the clock on a 35-32 win.

4. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama. Unleashed by the faster tempo of first-year Tide coordinator Lane Kiffin, Cooper’s stats now much his talent — 43 catches for 655 yards and five touchdowns in four games.

5. Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame. The Irish are 4-0 and Golson has opened the offense with his running skills and big arm that attacks defenses vertically. He has thrown for 11 touchdowns, with only two interceptions.

Five things we learned in Week Five

1. We should have listened to Bo Pelini. Remember when he said after a 38-17 loss to Iowa late last season: “If they want to fire me, go ahead. I believe in what I’ve done. I don’t apologize to you. I don’t apologize to anybody, myself or this staff. My record, our record since I’ve been here, speaks for itself. And this program is heading in a good direction.” Since then, the Huskers beat Georgia in a bowl game and reeled off five victories in a row to start 2014. They are the only undefeated team in the Big Ten.

2. Something’s not quite right with Florida State. The ‘Noles don’t have to apologize for its 56-41 comeback win at North Carolina State — Carter-Finley Stadium has been a nightmare for FSU in the past — but what’s up with the 41 points allowed? The culprit is a defensive line that is getting younger and thinner, and defensive tackle Niles Lawrence-Stample isn’t coming back this season from injury.

3. Michigan coach Brady Hoke is tone deaf. The Wolverines have won only four of their past 13 games, have been outscored 56-24 at home by Utah and Minnesota in the past two weeks, and Hoke says this: “I think this team can still win the championship. I really do.” Worse, after Shane Morris stayed in the game after taking a shot to the head, Hoke said he didn’t know if his quarterback had suffered a concussion. “Didn’t know” isn’t the right answer for a potential concussion in today’s football world.

4. Baylor is getting better. All-American receiver Antwan Goodley, who barely played in the opener because of a quad injury, returned Saturday at Iowa State with six catches for 114 yards. Wide receiver Corey Coleman (hamstring) made his season debut with 12 catches for 154 yards. “I’ve got my toys back,” said quarterback Bryce Petty. And just in time for a game at Texas this Saturday.

5. The SEC East is too confounding to figure out. Georgia can ride Todd Gurley only so far; it needs QB Hutson Mason to step up. Missouri loses to Indiana then wins at South Carolina. The Gamecocks already have two league losses. Florida needs to win quickly, starting Saturday at Tennessee, to be a factor and to save coach Will Muschamp. Who emerges? Bet on Missouri, which gets Georgia at home on Oct. 11.

Bonus: One thing we already knew — Charlie Weis wasn’t long for Kansas. He was fired four games into his third season with the Jayhawks. KU athletic director Sheahon Zenger has Ed Orgeron on speed dial, right?

Five players to watch

1. Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington. He scored on a rip-and-strip fumble return against Stanford, giving him four touchdowns this season, including one as a running back.

2. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson. In his first start, the true freshman went 27 of 36 for 435 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception, in a 50-35 victory over North Carolina.

3. Nelson Spruce, WR, Colorado. Losing Paul Richardson was supposed to be a big deal for the Buffs, but Spruce has emerged as a superstar, including a 19-catch performance in a double-overtime loss to Cal. That total is the best for a player from a Big 5 conference school since 2004.

4. Daxx Garman, QB, Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are taking advantage of Garman’s strong arm. The Arizona transfer, an injury replacement for J.W. Walsh, completed eight passes of 20-plus yards in Thursday night’s win over Texas Tech. OSU is going to have a lot to say about the Big 12 race.

5. Kenny Hill, QB, Texas A&M. He made all the throws that mattered late in the comeback against Arkansas — touchdown passes of 86 and 59 yards near the end of regulation and a 25-yard scoring pass to win it.

Five best Week 6 games

1. No. 3 Alabama at No. 11 Ole Miss, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. The hungry Rebels haven’t beaten Alabama since Eli Manning was slinging the football, back in 2003. It’s totally into the fire for Ole Miss, whose next month is Bama, at Texas A&M, Tennessee, at LSU and Auburn.

2. No. 6 Texas A&M at No. 12 Mississippi State, Saturday, noon ET, ESPN. Aggies QB Kenny Hill vs. Bulldogs QB Dak Prescott. Who said this was a down year for SEC signal-callers?

3. No. 14 Stanford at No. 9 Notre Dame, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC. The Irish have scored at least 30 points in each of their first four games, marking the first time that has happened since 1943. Stanford has successfully replaced key pieces on defense (ranking first nationally in total defense and scoring defense) but is waiting on its power running game to re-emerge in the red zone.

4. No. 15 LSU at No. 5 Auburn, Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN. Big quarterback edge to Auburn with magician Nick Marshall, but the LSU defense could have the last laugh. Bigger picture question: Can Auburn survive a schedule that still has LSU, at Mississippi State, South Carolina, at Ole Miss, Texas A&M, at Georgia and at Alabama?

5. No. 19 Nebraska at No. 10 Michigan State, Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC. Nebraska’s Ameer Abudullah against the nation’s fourth-best rushing defense? Yes, please. And we’d like another in the Big Ten title game.

High honorable mention: Arizona at Oregon (Thursday), Oklahoma at TCU, Arizona State at USC, Baylor at Texas.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review

Analysts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler provide five takeaways on how prospects performed in Week 5. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

1. OLB Shaq Thompson, Washington, Jr. (6-2, 230, #34/#3): One of several Huskies defenders to stand out despite a loss to Stanford, Thompson recorded several impressive open-field tackles, forced a fumble and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Despite an undersized frame, Thompson doesn’t shy from contact as a whole and can deliver explosive hits.

2. CB Marcus Peters, Washington, Jr. (6-0, 198, #40/#5): Peters had one interception and nearly intercepted Stanford QB Kevin Hogan in the end zone for another. Peters demonstrates athleticism, ball-skills and competitiveness. Scouts like Peters because his physicality shows up in run support, as well as in coverage.

3. RB Todd Gurley, Georgia, Jr. (6-1, 232, #18/#1): Gurley rushed for a career-high 208 yards, scoring twice, against Tennessee. Similar to the Clemson game opening weekend, most of Gurley’s yards and big runs came in the second half when the Bulldogs needed a jolt of energy. With less than nine minutes remaining, Gurley took a hand-off up the middle, eliminated defender’s angles and outran defenders on a 51-yard touchdown run, giving Georgia a 28-17 lead.

4. MLB A.J. Johnson, Tennessee, Sr. (6-2, 242, #100/#3): The SEC’s active leader in career tackles racked up 17 more, but he had too many wild angles, waste steps and missed tackles that contributed to Gurley’s performance. Johnson lacks the strength to disengage blocks and he isn’t a sure-fire starter at the next level many thought he could be earlier in his career.

5. QB Todd Hundley, UCLA, RJr. (6-3, 227, #19/#3): Much of the country was asleep as Hundley racked up 355 passing yards and four touchdowns against Arizona State on Thursday night. Despite wearing a bulky brace on his left (non-throwing) elbow, Hundley showed flashes of improvement Thursday night with his eye-discipline and poise, two areas in which he’d previously struggled.