Darryl Slater of The Charleston Post & Courier has put two and two together.  And South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward isn’t saying that Slater hasn’t correctly arrived at four.

With Bill Curry about to retire as Georgia State’s head football coach, Slater postulates that Ward might have an interest in the job because a) he played for Curry at Alabama and b) he has a lot of recruiting ties to the Peach State.

Asked if he’d be interested in the Panthers’ job, Ward said:

“You can’t ever say ‘no’ in this business, but I have a great job.”

Well there’s a non-denial, denial.  Of course Ward would listen if GSU came calling.  The Panthers make the jump from the FCS level to the FBS next season.  The school is located in the recruiting hotbed of Atlanta and currently there are only two other FBS programs in the state — Georgia and Georgia Tech — which is why so many other schools target the talent-rich state.  Georgia State has promise based on location alone.  If South Florida and UCF can build bowl-worthy programs in a state littered with FBS programs, GSU can do likewise in Georgia.  (USF is down this year, but they’ve had success in the past.)

But even if Ward has no intentions of making such a move — if the job is even offered — the attention from Georgia State alone might help him get another raise from South Carolina.

There’s a reason “you can’t ever say ‘no’” in coaching.

Our Joseph Thompson recently caught up with Georgia point guard prospect Devin Mitchell as part of his ongoing series of Q&As with potential future SEC hoopsters.

Joseph Thompson: Who is interested in you?

Devin Mitchell: Miami, Ga Tech, Alabama, Stanford,, LaSalle, Florida and UCF

JT: Do you have any offers?

DM: I have offers from UGA, Boston University, College of Charleston, Mercer, Georgia State, Tennessee Tech, Kennesaw State, UAB, and Ole Miss

JT: What teams did you grow up watching?

DM: I grew up watching a lot of Chicago Bulls tapes from the 90′s. My dad was a big fan of the Bulls and Micheal Jordan, so I always watched him. As far as the pros. I watched Kobe and Allen Iverson growing up  as well. As far as college teams, I watched Illinois in the 2004-2005  season when they had Deron Williams and Luther Head. They are my  favorite team of all time!

JT: Who would you compare your game to?

DM: I would compare my game to a bigger version of Jason Terry and  Brad Beal.

JT: What are you looking for  in a NCAA program?

DM: My first thing that look for in a school is the coaching staff. I like to play for guys that I’m comfortable with because I play my best basketball when I’m comfortable; so coaching staff is always first. Second would have to be location.

JT: Do you have a dream school?

 DM: When I was growing up I always dreamed of playing for Michigan. I guess that would be like a dream school but besides that, not really.

JT: Are you a fan of an NCAA team?

 DM: I’m really not a fan of any team because I watch so much  basketball. I like everybody. I’m more of a fan of how teams play, and how they play as teams.

JT: Do you have any visits planned?

DM: Yes, I have visits that I’ll be taking in the next couple of  weeks. I’ll be at College of Charleston, Mercer, Tennessee, UGA,  Georgia Tech,Georgia State, UAB, and hopefully UCF and Miami.

JT: Have you visited any schools?

DM:Yes, I’ve visited UGA, Georgia Tech, UAB, Georgia State, and Kennesaw State recently.

JT: You had a great summer. What are your goals for the upcoming season?

DM: My personal goal is to take Collins Hill to the state playoffs   this year and make a run while there. We haven’t been in the last 3  years and it would be special for our seniors on the team to play in a State Playoff game before they head out and our fans deserve it!

Tennessee is hoping for a win against Florida this weekend to get a head start on play in the SEC.

The Vols, 2-0 this season after defeating North Carolina State and Georgia State, are confident as they prepare for the Gators. And Tennessee’s coaching staff plans to have several highly-touted recruits in attendance Saturday to see the Vols beat Florida for the first time since 2004.

Here are some notable visitors expected to visit Tennessee this weekend:

S Vonn Bell – Rossville, Ga.
DL Jason Carr – Memphis, Tenn. (Tennessee commitment)
RB Derrick Green – Richmond, Va.
RB Derrick Henry – Yulee, Fla.
S Kameron Miles – Mesquite, Texas (Tennessee commitment)
WR Marquez North – Charlotte, N.C.
ATH Jalen Reeves-Maybin – Clarksville, Tenn. (Tennessee commitment)
OL DeVondre Seymour – Suwanee, Ga.
RB A.J. Turman – Orlando, Fla.
LB Corey Vereen – Winter Garden, Fla. (Tennessee commitment)
CB Brian Walker – Charlotte, N.C.

Tennessee 51 -Georgia State 13

1. A four-touchdown day for Vols quarterback Tyler Bray.

2. Georgia State coach Bill Curry: “Tennessee’s execution was superb in the passing game when the game was still in question…”

3. Florida up next for the Vols.  “Now let the real games begin.”

Tennessee Video Highlights

Ole Miss 28 – UTEP 10

4. Rebels 2-0 for the first time since 2009. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze: ”We should have had a lot more points. “

5. One rushing touchdown, three passing TDs for Bo Wallace.

6. Texas up next for Ole Miss and Freeze knows they need to get better. “We didn’t take care of the ball offensively and on special teams and our defense struggled on third down, but they made some big-time plays at big-time moments.”

Ole Miss Video Highlights

Northwestern 23 – Vanderbilt 13

7. Only one field-goal in seven second-half possessions for the Vanderbilt offense.

8. Just 86 yards in the second half for Vandy.  Possible competition at the QB spot?

9. Northwestern converted 5-of-10 third-down chances, Vanderbilt just 4-of-15.

Here’s your non-conference afternoon football rundown for Week 2.

East Carolina at South Carolina

1. A final decision on playing quarterback Connor Shaw won’t come until an hour before kickoff.

2. No matter who’s under center, Steve Spurrier wants an improved passing game.

3. Gamecocks tinker with the offensive line – Spurrier wants to look at more of his tackles.

Western Kentucky at Alabama

4. Week 1 launched Alabama into orbit. “Now will gravity pull the Tide back to Earth?”

5. As you might expect, no matter where you look – Alabama has the advantage.

6. The only thing that may slow down the Tide?  The weather.

Georgia State at Tennessee

7. What can Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson do for an encore? “Oh, he can get a lot better — a lot better,”

8. A focus on the basics – Tennessee wants to see better blocking and fewer missed assignments.

9. Give the edge to Tennessee at every spot as the Vols try to go to 2-0 and prepare for Florida.

Saturday SEC Schedule
Auburn at Mississippi State. MrSEC.com Pick: Auburn 20 – Mississippi State 16
East Carolina at South Carolina. MrSEC.com Pick: South Carolina 34 – East Carolina 17
Florida at Texas A&M. MrSEC.com Pick:  Florida 20 – Texas A&M 16
Western Kentucky at Alabama. MrSEC.com Pick: Alabama 41 – Western Kentucky 10
Georgia State at Tennessee. MrSEC.com Pick: Tennessee 52 – Georgia State 10
UTEP at Ole Miss. MrSEC.com Pick: UTEP 28 – Ole Miss 27
Washington at LSU. MrSEC.com Pick: LSU 37 – Washington 17
Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas (Little Rock). MrSEC.com Pick:  Arkansas 52 – Louisiana-Monroe 14
Kent State at Kentucky.  MrSEC.com Pick: Kentucky 34 – Kent State 20
Georgia at Missouri.  MrSEC.com Pick: Mizzou 31 – Georgia 30
Vanderbilt at Northwestern: MrSEC.com Pick: Vanderbilt 24 – Northwestern 21

Here’s your regularly-scheduled rundown of all the Week Two SEC contests.  You’ll find everything from kickoff times to TV info to betting lines to our keys to each of the games.

Enjoy the games, be safe, and best of luck to your favorite school this weekend.

Auburn at Mississippi State

12:00pm ET on ESPN

Opening Line:  MSU -2

Current Line:  MSU -3

Storylines:  State comes in 1-0 and looking to get a leg up on Auburn for once.  Dan Mullen has never gotten the better of the Tigers and that’s left his Bulldogs to dig out of a hole in each of three previous seasons.  As for Auburn, Gene Chizik can’t afford to start 0-2.  There’s already a whisper in the wind that he might not be all he’s cracked up to be.  If AU loses tomorrow, expect the Auburn messageboards to heat up.

Keys for Auburn:  First, Kiehl Frazier and the Auburn passing game have to be more effective.  If it’s not, MSU will simply stack the box against the run.  Second, Brian VanGorder’s new defense needs to be stout against the run and tackle much, much better than it did last weekend.

Keys for Mississippi State:  With a game as full-time starter now under his belt, it’s time for Tyler Russell to establish himself as a true leader.  He has the weapons at wideout to move the ball against Auburn.  If State can avoid turnovers, they should finally record a much-needed breakthrough win for their head coach.  But if the Dogs find themselves in another tight game with Auburn late, will doubts begin to creep into their minds?

Pick:  Mississippi State 20, Auburn 17

East Carolina at South Carolina

12:21pm ET on SEC Network

Opening Line:  USC -23.5

Current Line:  USC -21.5

Storylines:  Connor Shaw’s bruised shoulder.  Carolina’s passing offense was almost non-existent last week against Vanderbilt.  If Shaw is ready to go — and he’ll be a gametime decision — then he and his receivers need to find some sort of rhythm.  If he’s not ready to go, expect a massive dose of Marcus Lattimore.

Keys for South Carolina:  As noted above — work on the passing game.  If Shaw’s not available, that’s a moot point.  Either way, USC’s ground game and defense should be enough to coast past ECU.

Pick:  South Carolina 34, East Carolina 17

Florida at Texas A&M

3:30pm ET on ESPN

Opening Line:  A&M -2.5

Current Line:  A&M -1

Storylines:  How ’bout that billboard in Gainesville for one?  Remember how all the Aggies claimed an investigation would prove that a Texas or Baylor person was behind it?  Well, besides what turned out to be a phony contract floating around on messageboards, there’s been nothing more said about who indeed paid for that bit of trash talk.  But more importantly, this is A&M’s welcome to the SEC party.  Will Muschamp brings what looked to be a sloppy Gator squad back to the Lone Star State where he’s sure to find a wild and raucous Kyle Field crowd.  If that weren’t enough, this will also mark the beginning of the Kevin Sumlin era in College Station.  Toss in the first start for redshirt freshman Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel and you’ve got more storylines than a Steven Soderbergh flick.

Keys for Florida:  Brent Pease must help new starting quarterback Jeff Driskel build confidence via the coach’s play-calling.  The Gators have to prove that last week’s improved running game had more to do with themselves than with their competition (Bowling Green).  Defensively, you can bet Muschamp has studied Sumlin’s pass-happy system from Houston… but will that be the same offense the coach trots out tomorrow?

Keys for Texas A&M:  Hard to say since we’ve never seen a Sumlin-led Aggie squad play.  We’ll go with this one though — get the ground game going with a deep stable of backs to help take some of the pressure off of Manziel.  First starts can be tough on QBs.  They can be especially tough when the D-linemen coming after him have SEC speed and size.

Pick:  Florida 20, Texas A&M 16

Western Kentucky at Alabama

3:30pm ET on SEC Network

Opening Line:  UA -37

Current Line:  UA -38.5

Storylines:  RESPECT!  Nick Saban wants you to know that WKU is a big, bad, hard-working bruiser of a football team.  They’re nothing to laugh at.  Don’t scoff.  Scoffing isn’t part of the “process.”

Keys for:  In all seriousness, keep people healthy.  The #1 team in the country shouldn’t have too much trouble with a Sun Belt team so the trick will be to get the starters out as soon as possible and get reps for the backups.

Pick:  Alabama 41, Western Kentucky 10

Georgia State at Tennessee

4:00pm ET on Pay-per-view

Opening Line:  No Line Posted

Current Line:  No Line Posted

Storylines:  Will anyone attend?  Vol fans are excited about a season-opening win over NC State, but spending big bucks to watch Georgia State?  If the national trend holds, expect a whole bunch of empty seats at Neyland Stadium.

Keys for Tennessee:  Same as Alabama.  Same as so many SEC teams playing sub-par competition — just stay healthy.  Working on the interior run game against living, breathing opponents wouldn’t hurt either.

Pick:  Tennessee 52, Georgia State 10

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Tennessee coach Derek Dooley might not have wound up on the Volunteers’ radar way back in January of 2010 had he not been an ex-assistant for current Alabama coach Nick Saban.  From Florida to Colorado State, if you worked for Saban, you’ve got a little extra juice these days.  Well yesterday, with his team riding high after a 35-21 opening night win over NC State, Dooley seemed to channel his old boss with regards to his own team possibly becoming complacent:

“Most teams never reach their dreams because they overestimate the event and underestimate the process…

Our biggest challenge is going to be not patting ourselves on the back and listening to everybody talking about how good we played and not remembering why we had success, which is the process these guys have been going through the last eight months.”

Ah, the process.

How long before Dooley suggests the media isn’t giving enough respect to Georgia State, Tennessee’s next foe?

Tennessee receiver Da’Rick Rogers has been indefinitely suspended from the Volunteer football team according to Volquest.com — the Rivals’ site covering Tennessee (paywall warning).  Derek Dooley is expected to address Rogers’ latest issue after today’s practice in Knoxville.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Vol fans as the media in Tennessee have repeatedly tried to prepare them for the possibility of a suspension or dismissal coming at some point for Rogers or quarterback Tyler Bray or both for their off-field actions.

The junior wideout is best known for being arrested in a bar fight as a freshman, for allegedly tossing a weight at a strength coach, for barking at since-retired receivers coach Charlie Baggett during UT’s loss to Kentucky last year, for being removed but not tecnhically “suspended” from the team at various points this offseason, and for suggesting via Twitter this past spring that he would be transferring to Georgia State.

Oh, and for leading Tennessee in receiving last year when fellow wideout Justin Hunter went down to injury.  Last season he recorded 67 catches for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.

Dooley has been slow to hand down any official discipline or suspension to Rogers despite all of his previous antics.  No doubt two factors have played a role in that: Dooley’s own job security and Rogers’ talent… when the player’s head is screwed on straight.

Now it seems that Rogers has finally done something to force Dooley to officially push him away from his squad for a while.  Here’s betting we won’t find out what it was Rogers did when Dooley addresses the media this afternoon.  For that matter, it will be interesting to see if Dooley terms the situation a “suspension” at all or if he just says Rogers is attending to “personal issues,” which the coach is wont to do.

There were rumors two weeks ago that Rogers was in hot water once again and that a suspension could be coming.  It didn’t.  But it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Dooley wanted to gauge the talents of juco receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and the recovery of Hunter before pulling the trigger on a sit-down for Rogers.

UT opens against North Carolina State in the Georgia Dome next Friday.

UPDATE — The University of Tennessee has officially announced that Rogers has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.  This would seem to suggest that this is a UT decision and not a Dooley decision.

Transfer?  What transfer?  What’s a transfer?

Last week, mercurial Tennessee receiver Da’Rick Rogers stirred up a controversy by tweeting: “Georgia State.  Wasup?”  He was absent from practice the next day, but Panthersville.com quoted Rogers as telling that site that “Georgia State would be the only place I’d look at” should he transfer.

Over the weekend, Rogers returned to practice after doing some things Derek Dooley told him to do.  The coach would not elaborate on what those things were, but he did say Saturday that Rogers was good to go and that a transfer had never come up in any conversations between the two.

Today, Rogers spoke to the media and said all’s well:


“Oh, man, no controversy.  Just had some little things to handle off the field, got those handled and now we’re looking forward to becoming a championship-contending team. … If I was a distraction, I really wasn’t trying to be a distraction.  It was a situation that we got handled, and everything is good now.

No transfer for me, no consideration.  Maybe I need to do a little better job with my tweets, letting everybody know what’s really actually going on so next time it won’t be misinterpreted.”


Maybe he needs to make sure what he tells websites covering other programs isn’t misinterpreted either.  Or maybe he could have straightened things out via Twitter when the story blew up last week.  Funny that he didn’t.

Or maybe Derek Dooley needs to simply ban his guys from Twitter.

Rogers went on to praise the chemistry on Tennessee’s team before stating: “Sometimes you just come to a point in your life where you have to be strong about things.  I had a little weak moment, and that’s gone behind me and behind the team now.  We’re ready to go.”

Judging by the tweets sent out by some of his teammates last week, it seems that some Vols might be ready for Rogers to go.  Or maybe those tweets were misinterpreted, too.

Either way, Knoxville is still Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood for now.  We await his next episode.