Just a reminder that we'll be chatting at 1:30 p.m. today with The Advocate's Randy Rosetta. Randy and Gary Laney present this week's picks below:

Friday morning around the SEC and college football…

• A quick reminder, we’ll do a bonus chat from 1:30-2:30 p.m. today. To submit a question and follow along, click here.
• Here’s our package from Friday morning. Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Journal in Tupelo has a story on Dexter McCluster for us and also writes one from a different perspective here for his paper.
• Ole Miss DT Jerrell Powe draws motivation from comments he claims LSU coaches made about him writes David Brandt of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
• Mississippi State QB Tyson Lee has navigated a rough two years but still leads the Bulldogs offense.
• Alabama senior class prepares for final home game writes Gentry Estes of the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register.
• Core group of Kentucky players head home to take on Georgia.
• The Georgia defense will get plenty of tests against the run this week and next writes Marc Weiszer of OnlineAthens.com.
• Robbie Neiswanger of Stephens Media in Arkansas has a story on how a season can wear coaches down.
• Walk-ons emerge as major contributors for Tennessee writes Dave Hooker of GolVolsXtra.com.
• Vanderbilt limps to the finish line against Tennessee.
• Florida DC Charlie Strong faces another wave of job opportunities.
• Ohio State’s linebackers remain a strength writes Tim May of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
• Detroit Free-Press columnist Mitch Albom wonders if this week’s Michigan-Ohio State game is a Waterloo for Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez.
• Nebraska QB Zac Lee overcomes indignity of losing his job to lead Huskers into game for Big 12 North championship.
• The showdown for the Big 12 North has a retro feel writes Austin Meek of the Topeka (Kans.) Capital-Journal.

Here are some questions I answered for Parrish Alford's blog on NEMS360.com, the Web site of the Northeast Mississippi Journal in Tupelo.

1.Why has the LSU rushing offense been so average, even when Charles Scott was healthy?

Two reasons: An offensive line that has never completely jelled and a season-long hunt for a fullback who could clear a path for Charles Scott or now Keiland Williams or Stevan Ridley.

LSU entered the season with two new offensive linemen in center T-Bob Hebert and left guard Josh Dworaczyk. While both guys have had some good moments, there has been a noticeable disconnect when it comes to double-teams and secondary blocks, and the result has been struggles in run blocking and shaky pass blocking at times as well.

At fullback, Quinn Johnson was a beast the last few seasons who made life an awful lot easier for Scott and Jacob Hester. The LSU coaches have tinkered all season to find a replacement, including at times lining Scott up there before his injury. They seemed to have found a rotation of James Stampley and Thomas Parsons, a converted offensive lineman. How that tandem does moving forward will be a big key because the Tigers offense has to run the ball to be effective.

2. How would you assess Jordan Jefferson's play this year?

I think Jordan has been above average, especially considering the offensive package he’s been given to run most of the season.

Because of what Jarrett Lee went through last season, with all the interceptions and returns for touchdowns, LSU coaches Les Miles and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton have been very close-to-the-vest in how they have attacked defenses. A big part of that is drilling ball security it into Jordan’s head. That’s worked in that he only has four interceptions this season. But he also been hesitant to take chances with downfield throws unless the receiver is so wide open that you or I could get the ball to him safely. That less risky approach has contributed to a low third-down conversion rate and a high sack number because Jefferson hasn’t always checked down to his second and third receivers very well.

Before the ankle injury Jordan had been a little more willing to scramble when the pocket crumbled and that gave LSU a much more dangerous weapon. But early in the season, and I assume now with the tender ankle, he will stay in the pocket more and be more likely to throw the ball away or plug straight forward to get what he can when the pressure gets too hot.

3.What makes the Tigers so successful defensively?

The Tigers have been much more opportunistic this season with forcing turnovers (17) than last season and have shored up their pass defense that way. As Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt commented on Wednesday, LSU has been much less susceptible to big pass plays as well. Alabama got the Tigers for a 73-yard catch-and-run by Julio Jones, but that was a screen pass that LSU missed some tackles on right away to spring. The reduction in downfield strikes is a combination of better pass coverage, anchored by shutdown cornerback Patrick Peterson, and an underrated effort by the defensive line. LSU hasn’t recorded a ton of sacks, but the guys up front are generating pressure and forcing quarterbacks to turn the ball loose quicker than they want.

Another key has been the elimination of the confusion that dogged LSU most of last year with defensive co-coordinators. John Chavis has come in and stuck to his guns by putting the best 11 players on the field to start a series and sticking with them – no situation mixing and matching like last season.

4. Who are the players to make it happen for LSU on defense?

The two biggest stars for the Tigers are left cornerback Patrick Peterson and free safety Chad Jones. Those two were pegged as the most important playmakers for the LSU defense before the year began and they haven’t disappointed. Peterson basically takes away half the field with his pass coverage skills – usually on the foe’s top receiver. And Jones is a threat to deliver a blow or snare an errant pass from anywhere on the field.

The blue-collar stars are the linebackers, though, which fits in with Chavis’ schemes through the years at Tennessee. Kelvin Sheppard plays both the middle and Sam linebacker spots and is LSU’s leading tackler with 87 stops. Weakside backer Perry Riley is second with 77. And Harry Coleman, a converted strong safety, is third with 63. The fourth man in the rotation, Jacob Cutrera, has 56 tackles. Basically, the LSU defensive line has done a good job if funneling most plays into the heart of the field and the Tigers linebackers have done a good job of cleaning up.

5. Obviously some luster was lost off the Ole Miss-LSU rivalry through the years. Did last year's game spark it somewhat from the LSU vantage point?

I definitely think so. With Miles being a Michigan man who was used to making ‘The Game’ with Ohio State such a big deal as long as he did, he’s always embraced the tradition and nostalgia of the Ole Miss game. While this generation of players might not understand it, I think it helps to have so many Louisiana kids in red-and-blue, thanks in large part to Ed Orgeron’s recruiting this state so well. And, yes, not just the fact that the Rebels won last year, but so thoroughly dominated LSU has injected some new life into the game. The Tigers aren’t used to being manhandled by anybody and I think there’s some motivation to not let Ole Miss feel like it has the chance to supplant LSU as one of the perennial frontrunners in the SEC West.

6. Do you think Les Miles is more interested in the Michigan job the second time around if it were to come open at the end of this season?

I think he has always been interested in going back to his alma mater, but the timing was horrible two years ago. He had an LSU team getting ready to play for the SEC championship in Atlanta when the rumors rose to the surface and he felt obligated to those players to give them his full attention. Then when the chips fell right and all of a sudden the Tigers were in the BCS national championship game, well, I’m not sure many coaches would walk away from that situation.

Now, with the Wolverines in trouble and LSU not in the national championship hunt, the timing makes more sense. It’s very comparable to the Roy Williams Kansas-North Carolina thing a few years ago with a twist. He turned down the job the first time because Carolina was still in good shape and he had a potential national championship team at Kansas. Two years later, he had taken KU as far as he could and the Tar Heels were reeling. Now there’s nobody at Michigan as powerful as Dean Smith, but it’s not inconceivable that a call from Bo Schembechler’s widow could get Miles’ attention pretty quickly.

So, back to the question, yes, I think Miles would think long and hard about the UM job this time around if it were to open up and I’d be surprised if he didn’t head north this time.

Before we get to today's links, I wanted to announce that we'll have a live chat with Randy Rosetta from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Friday. And, as always, feel free to send in a question any time between now and then. We usually answer a few of the pre-chat questions during the allotted time.

Now on to some reading (and listening)...

-- You can catch up on all of our LSU coverage here. Also, here's a link to Les Miles' post-practice media session from Wednesday. On the other side, Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shines the light on the emergence of Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster.

-- Staying in Mississippi, The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger's Kyle Veazey writes that Chad Bumpis and Leon Berry have made Mississippi State's return game special.

-- Georgia freshman tight end Orson Charles has developed into a valuable receiving weapon, according to Roger Clarkson of the Athens Banner-Herald.

-- The Bulldogs are low in a few Southeastern Conference statistical categories, but Kentucky isn't buying that Georgia will be an easy target Saturday, according to Chip Cosby of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

-- Joe Biddle of The Tennessean says Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin must be a disciplinarian.

-- Biddle's colleague, Jeff Lockridge writes that Vanderbilt plans to blitz Vols quarterback Jonathan Crompton at will.

-- Alabama should have a breather against Chattanooga this week. So here's a non-game specific article from The (Birmingham) News: Don Kausler Jr. on a Friday in the life of a football team.

-- Finally, Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register has the story on the SEC's ability to fill all of its bowl tie-ins.

1. FLORIDA (10-0, 8-0 SEC)
Last week: 1
Gators reach rare air with undefeated SEC season, now look for strong finish.
2. ALABAMA (10-0, 7-0)
Last week: 2
Tide showed no effects from LSU tussle against Bulldogs. Auburn could be a challenge.
3. LSU (8-2, 4-2)
Last week: 3
Tigers survived flat outing against La. Tech and better ratchet up their play in Oxford.
4. OLE MISS (7-3, 3-3)
Last week: 7
Rebels season looking very similar to last year with an eye on a sprint to the finish line.
5. GEORGIA (6-4, 4-3)
Last week: 6
Bulldogs might’ve salvaged some respectability with late rally against Auburn.
6. AUBURN (7-4, 3-4)
Last week: 4
AU missed a golden chance for big win in Athens and need Herculean effort against Bama.
7. ARKANSAS (6-4, 2-4)
Last week: 8
Razorbacks offense is clicking and they could factor into the Cotton Bowl mix with two wins.
8. TENNESSEE (5-5, 2-4)
Last week: 5
Off-field problems stung Vols last week, but they can still close out strong with two wins.
9. SOUTH CAROLINA (6-5, 3-5)
Last week: 9
Gamecocks showed plenty of fight against top-ranked Gators, but dropped third in a row.
10. KENTUCKY (6-4, 2-4)
Last week: 11
Wildcats face key swing game for bowl game possibilities with road game at Georgia.
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-6, 2-4)
Last week: 10
Bulldogs got manhandled by Alabama but can salvage something from at Arkansas.
12. VANDERBILT (2-9, 0-7)
Last week: 12
End of the 2009 season just can’t arrive quickly enough for the hapless Commodores.

SCHEDULE
Mississippi State at Arkansas, 11:21 a.m. (SEC Network)
Chattanooga at Alabama, 11:21 a.m. (SEC Network)
Florida International at Florida, 11:30 a.m.
LSU at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)
Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Kentucky at Georgia, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN2)

GAME OF THE WEEK
LSU at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. (CBS): A whole lot of motivation figures into this game, most notably an invitation to the Capital One Bowl awaiting the winner. The Tigers enter the week after a lackluster performance against Louisiana Tech, while the Rebels are flying high following their best performance of the season in a romp past Tennessee. The matchups favor Ole Miss, which boasts a solid defense and potentially explosive offense. The Tigers are still muddling on offense and are coming off their fifth game this season when they didn’t crack 300 yards in total offense. The Rebels are allowing 313 yards a game, fifth in the SEC, and 15.9 points a game, fourth in the league. LSU’s defense has gotten better in some way or another every week this season and will also be tested by a Rebels offense that is generating 405.6 yards a game. The Tigers’ focus will be on Dexter McCluster, who has rushed for 594 yards in the last three games and keys the Ole Miss ‘Wild Rebel’ offense. But LSU also has to contend with QB Jevan Snead, who passed for 274 yards and a pair of TDs last season in the Rebels’ thorough 31-13 triumph at Tiger Stadium.

AROUND THE SEC
Mississippi State’s defense has forced 19 turnovers this season, three more than the Bulldogs had all of last season. … Arkansas RB Broderick Green is third in the SEC with 10 touchdowns this season, eight in the last three weeks. … Razorbacks KR Dennis Johnson has four returns of 50 yards or more this season. He has rolled up 894 yards on kickoffs this season to give him 1,799 in his career, a school record. … State knocked off Arkansas 31-28 last season but the Hogs have won 13 of the last 15 games between the two teams. The Bulldogs have never beaten Arkansas in Fayetteville or Little Rock. … The Razorbacks have won straight home games this season and are 5-1 at home. … Vanderbilt RB Zac Stacy became the second freshman to crack the school’s all-time freshman rushing list with 442 yards. … Commodores LB Chris Marve registered 13 tackles against Kentucky last week, his sixth game this season with a double-digit tackle total. … Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton is tied for the league lead with 23 touchdown passes, which is the fourth highest total in program history. … Gerald Jones and Dennis Moore each have 30 receptions for the Volunteers this season, for 420 and 416 yards, respectively. … Kentucky WR Randall Cobb leads the team with 32 receptions for 384 yards and has scored four TDs. … The UK defense has picked off 13 passes this season, with seven different players snatching at least one. … With 94 tackles this season, Georgia LB Rennie Curran is closing in on a second straight season with 100 stops. He would be the first Bulldog to do that since Greg Bright in 1996-97. … Georgia's A.J. Green won’t play against Kentucky after sustaining a shoulder injury last week. With 47 catches for 751 yards, Green leads the SEC in receptions and receiving yards per game. … Georgia P Drew Butler leads the SEC, averaging 49 yards an attempt, which has helped the Bulldogs top the NCAA in net punting at 43.7 yards per kick. … The Wildcats have won only three times in Athens in 30 games and not at all since 1977. … Alabama is second in the SEC with 28 sacks and 73 tackles for loss, which has added up to 359 yards lost for opponents. … Crimson Tide kicker Leigh Tiffin leads the Football Bowl Sub-Division with 2.4 field goals a game. His 24 made kicks are one shy of his school record established in 2007. …  Three players lead Florida with three interceptions apiece: Joe Haden, Major Wright and A.J. Jones. … Gators QB Tim Tebow is tied with former LSU star Kevin Faulk with 53 career touchdowns. … Florida K Caleb Sturgis made two or more field goals in seven of eight SEC games this season. … With two games left in the regular season, the current Gators senior class is 45-6, which is tied for the best record by a senior class in SEC history.

Wednesday morning around the SEC and college football...

• Here's our coverage from today's paper, anchored by a look at Chad Jones' roll against the Ole Miss offense and Dexter McCluster.
• On GoVolsXtra.com, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said quick dismissals of two players was to protect the program.
• Mississippi State's defense is bracing for the challenge of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett writes Kyle Veazey of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.
• Arkansas welcomes defensive coordinatorWilly Martinez back to practice.
• Alabama LB Eryk Anders is good to go against Chattanooga.
• Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky takes a look at Auburn coach Gene Chizik's maiden season on the Plains.
• Receivers blocking skills help make Kentucky offense go writes Chip Cosby of Kentuckysports.com.
• Georgia's offensive line has jelled and given the Bulldogs new life writes David Ching of OnlineAthens.com.
• Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has concerns with the Buckeyes special teams play writes Tim May of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
• Former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce has no sympathy for embattled Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.
• Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has leaned on Huskers coaching legend Tom Osborne, writes Steven Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star.
• Kansas State has one huge step to take to complete an impressive turnaround writes Cole Manbeck of the Manhattan (Kans.) Mercury.

BY RANDY ROSETTA
Advocate sportswriter

College football players say the darndest things sometimes.

Take LSU junior Chad Jones, for instance.

Before the season when Jones spoke about his new role as the starting free safety, he tossed out the word “free-lance” to describe his responsibilities.

Uh-oh.

“I don’t know if freelance is exactly the word,” Tigers coach Les Miles said Monday when asked if that aspect of Jones’ role fit well this week as LSU prepares for the challenge of slowing down Ole Miss star Dexter McCluster.

“Any time you put your free safety in the middle of that field, you count on him to make plays. He has to come up big.”

In Jones’ case, that’s certainly been true.

Jones has recorded 59 tackles, fourth on the team, with a pair of interceptions and four pass breakups.

And with one of the tougher tests of the season on tap for the Tigers defense this week, Jones will have to play a major role if LSU has designs on keeping the mercurial McCluster in check.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt if Jones, one of the Tigers’ freest spirits, can put his free-lance skills to work.

First, allow Jones to explain.

“What I mean by freelance is I don’t have to be a in a certain spot and be focused on one man,” Jones said with a smile.

“I can kind of move around and trick the quarterback. But you always have to keep your eye on those key players. Playing safety, I can have my eyes on everybody.”

Maybe so.

But with the kind of roll McCluster is on right now, it makes a lot of sense that Jones and strong safety Brandon Taylor will both keep close tabs on the Rebels’ 5-foot-9, 170-pound dynamo.

Incorporating that into a game plan fits with Jones’ self-proclamation as a free-lancer.

It would free Jones up to shadow McCluster, who lines up as a flanker or receiver at times, in the backfield as a running back and is also the primary weapon when the Rebels to go the “Wild Rebel.”

McCluster often starts in one place and goes in motion, a perfect scenario for a free safety to operate as a personal defender — almost like a box-and-one in basketball.

“He’s the type of guy you have to know where he’s at all the times,” Jones said. “He can line up at receiver and motion back or line up a running back and motion out and he can line up at quarterback. You’ve got to keep an eye on him

“That kind of plays into the style (defensive coordinator John Chavis) lets me play. Being back there, I can find out where he’s at and sniff out the play.”

Identifying what McCluster might do is one thing. Getting him down before he’s done heavy damage has proven to be another altogether.

With a blend of speed, agility and balance, McCluster has shown flashes of Barry Sanders -- with a similar ability to stop on a dime and cut the other direction -- in the last three games when he has rushed for 594 yards — anchored by a school-record 282 last week with four touchdowns against Tennessee.

To put a more familiar spin on it, McCluster is a more veteran version of budding Tigers star Russell Shepard. Only McCluster gets the ball in his hands a lot more, making him a huge danger to the LSU defense.

“We need to play him like we did the little tailbacks from Florida, but work our angles a lot better and not let him make the cuts he wants to,” Taylor said. “That’s going to be our main focus. If he breaks by the line, we have to be there to make sure he doesn’t run all the way to the end zone.”

Taylor said the idea is to take the outside edges away from McCluster and force him inside where the Tigers linebackers roam — to “put him in a vice” in Taylor’s words.

“He’s a cutback runner,” Jones said. “He likes to bounce everything outside. With him you have to play him inside out because of all that speed. But our defense has a lot of speed, too.”

After watching McCluster on film, Miles said “He anticipates the cut. He’s tough to touch, and he’s a physi-cal runner as well. He’ll pound it up in there, so he’s a very talented runner.”

The physical element might get overlooked because of McCluster’s speed and electric skills. But he definitely has the attention of two of the Tigers’ most physical defenders.

Tackling on first contact has re-emerged as a problem area for LSU the last two games.

In a 24-15 loss at Alabama, Crimson Tide back Mark Ingram peppered LSU for 106 second-half yards, often breaking the first and second tackles before being dragged down.

Wrapping up was also a problem last week against Louisiana Tech’s stable of small but quick backs — whose running styles were similar to what the Tigers have to worry about with McCluster.

“You’ve go to stay gap-sound, play good fundamentals and play your role,” LSU linebacker Harry Coleman said. “Everybody is going to want to put a big pop on him, but we have to focus on just getting him on the ground first.”

Added Riley, “When it comes to quickness and speed, (McCluster) is the best back we’ve seen running the Wildcat. He brings a different dynamic than Ingram. He’s a little faster but he’s still just as tough to bring down.

“With a player that quick, you can’t always go for the kill shot. You have to pace it and go for the sure tackle and make sure you bring him down because he can make you miss in a heartbeat. He has great bal-ance and takes lot of hits throughout the game.”

Tuesday morning in the SEC and around college football…

•  Our package from Monday includes a look at how LSU’s defense adjusted against Louisiana Tech and how they might help the Tigers this week against Ole Miss.
• Here’s the Monday evening update from Parrish Alford of NEMS360.com.
• Ole Miss hasvisions of a Florida bowl trip in their heads writes David Brandt of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.
• Coming off big win, Georgia opens more doors to more bowl games.
• Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ opponent this week,Kentucky, is looking for more than just another bowl trip.
• Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin severs ties with two of three players arrested last week.
• With bowl eligibility out of the way, Arkansas looks for a strong finish.
• Mississippi State leader Anthony Dixon wants to go out with a bowl game.
• Has the Ohio State-Michigan game lost some luster?
• Embattled Wolverines coach understands importance of rivalry with the Buckeyes.
• Nebraska defense aims for better performance in Big 12 showdown with K-State writes Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal-Star.

Here's the transcript from today's chat with The Advocate's Randy Rosetta. We'll have a bonus chat Friday, time TBA.