found this at secsports.com

SEC Final Bowl Notes (Jan. 7, 2010)

* Alabama’s 37-21 win over Texas gives the Southeastern Conference its fourth straight BCS National Championship and its sixth BCS title overall.

* Alabama is the fourth SEC team to win a BCS National Championship and the third different SEC team to win it during the last four seasons.

* The SEC is 6-0 in BCS National Championship Games (LSU 2-0, Florida 2-0, Alabama 1-0, Tennessee 1-0).

* The SEC has the most wins (14) and the highest winning percentage of any conference that has three-or-more appearances in BCS bowl games. The SEC is 14-5 in BCS games (.737 percentage).

* The SEC finished 6-4 in bowl games this season. Since 2006, the SEC is 25-11 in post-season bowl games (.694). The league has posted a non-losing bowl record for seven straight seasons. The last time the league finished under .500 in bowl games was in 2002 (3-4).

* Since conference expansion in 1992, the SEC has won at least five bowl games in nine of 18 seasons. The SEC has won at least six bowl games during the last four seasons (6-3 in 2006; 7-2 in 2007; 6-2 in 2008; 6-4 in 2009). Those years are the only ones since 1992 the league has won six bowl games.

* In its history, the SEC is 196-170-13 in post-season bowl games, a 53.4 winning percentage. The SEC has the nation’s top bowl winning percentage surpassing the Pac-10 (120-107-6, 52.8 percentage).

* The SEC finished the 2009 season with a non-conference mark of 48-10 (.828). Counting bowl games, the SEC bested its best-ever win total in non-conference games of 47 set in 2007 (40-8 regular season/7-2 bowl mark) and 2006 (41-7 regular season/6-3 bowl mark). Since conference expansion, the SEC’s best non-conference winning percentage (counting bowl games) is 37-5 (.881), set in 1997 (32-4 regular season/5-1 bowl mark).

* SEC defenses have made the end zone in the bowl season. Alabama’s Marcell Dareus returned an interception 28 yards against Texas, making it four SEC defensive scores this bowl season. Others were Auburn’s Walter McFadden returned an interception 100 yards for a score against Northwestern, Arkansas’ Tramain Thomas scored on a 37-yard interception return against East Carolina and Ole Miss’ Patrick Trahan put the AT&T Cotton Bowl out of reach with a 34-yard fumble return against Oklahoma State.

SLOW STARTS – Seven SEC teams have not scored during the first quarter of its bowl games in 2009-10. Only Florida (9 points), Kentucky (7 points) and Auburn (14 points) have scored in the first 15 minutes of bowl games this season.

QUOTE FROM SEC COMMISSIONER MIKE SLIVE

“This was a great night for Alabama players, coaches and fans and for the Southeastern Conference. To give the SEC four straight BCS national championships is an outstanding accomplishment and to have three different SEC teams win national titles during that span shows the outstanding depth of quality programs we have in the league.”

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More details have surfaced about an alleged car accident and cover-up involving former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin was partying with some co-eds on the evening of September 8th, when he and several of the girls left a local sports bar in a vehicle provided by Lexus of Knoxville.

Kiffen was driving under the influence when he crashed the car into a tree, just outside his West Knoxville lakefront home in the Victoria’s Inlet subdivision.

Contrary to widely circulated rumors, Kiffin was not picked up by a neighbor, but walked the mile or so to his home on Tooles Bend Road. A tow company was called, and the extensively damaged vehicle was returned to the dealership.

A headlight and the front bumper were ripped from the car, and the front quarter panel was smashed in.

There have been rumors that the damages were never paid for, however, when Kiffin reported the accident to Athletic Director Mike Hamilton — claiming he was alone, he was ordered to pay for the damages out of his own pocket.

Kiffin frequently fraternized with co-eds, often at the same local sports bar that was opened after hours for the coach and several boosters. The partying would frequently move to a downtown apartment provided by boosters.

The photo above of Kiffin chatting up a co-ed with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was taken at Hanna’s in downtown Knoxville on the evening of April 3. Several other photos were taken of Kiffin dancing with the unidentified blonde woman, however, when his crew realized what was going on, they snatched the camera and deleted the pictures…missing this one.

That same night, a picture was taken of Kiffin, Tomlin and Kiffin’s brother-in-law David Reaves at a party that allegedly took place at the apartment. (See photo)

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written by Joey Bryan

It has been less than a week since the Alabama Crimson Tide earned its 13^th National Title at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena defeating the Texas Longhorns. Plans are under way for a joyous celebration for the coming weekend and the Crimson Nation can now rest easy until next season. Being a member of the University of Alabama Million Dollar Band, the school’s marching band, I was able to attend all home games, select away games, and both championship games. I support the team the best way I know how, with my music. These are my reflections and personal thoughts of the events this season and the national championship. I do not claim these to be the ideas and experiences of all Tide fans or the MDB organization nor do I claim to be an expert in sports. These are just my personal thoughts on an unforgettable, historic season.

Most Memorable Moment of the 2009 Regular Season.

Some might think the initial domination of Virginia Tech or the slaughter of our southern neighbor LSU was the most memorable moment in the 2009 regular season, and they may be right. For me, the most memorable moment, by far, was the game against long time rival University of Tennessee Vols. Being from middle Tennessee, all I heard growing up was big orange this and Phil Fulmer that. Luckily, I was (and still am) a Vanderbilt fan so the transition to being a Bama fan was easy if not welcome. The rivalry between the Tide and the Vols rivalry is one of the biggest in the country and perhaps the biggest in the South. October 24, 2009 brought the teams face to face once again at Bryan-Denny Stadium. The Tide was in the middle of their offensive slump and new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin wanted to make a statement to Coach Saban and the Crimson Nation. This was heard loud and clear, as it was the worst performance for Alabama in the ’09 season. The Tide had the lead but barely. The fans were frustrated and angry at this poor spectacle. Well anger turned to panic as the Vols started a final charge to win the game. The final 3 minutes saw a touchdown, successful on-side kick, and field goal range to deny Alabama a home win. I can tell you from experience that is the loudest crowd I have ever heard at a sporting event. My fellow band members and I were clutching each other and yelling as loud as humanly possible hoping our efforts would somehow pay off. The ball was snapped and time slowed down as it got deathly quiet for about a millisecond. The kick went up, as well as Terrence Cody’s left hand stopping the upward progression and clenching the win for Alabama. The stadium erupted with cheers and hollers far surpassing the yelling before the kick. A roar I will never forget. People were hugging in relief and jumping around in ecstasy. This denial of a UT upset has been forever immortalized as the “Rocky Block.” Lane Kiffin left the field with his, then, football team never to return to Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Iron Bowl 2009

Thanks to CBS, this crucial game was moved to the Friday following Thanksgiving causing much hardship for the bands. The Auburn Marching Band actually had practice the night of Thanksgiving. The Iron Bowl is possibly the greatest annual event in the state of Alabama. There are two types of Alabamians, Bama fans and Auburn fans. No pro football team is needed because everyone gets their football needs filled by supporting one of these two teams. This game secures the bragging rights and dominance of one team and one team only. The Iron Bowl originated when the teams met in the industrial steel city of Birmingham and played at Legion Field. The game is now alternated between the two schools as both stadiums far surpassed the capacity of Legion. After a shutout last season, ending the six year losing streak for Alabama, Auburn wanted to save their season by beating their rival at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium. We wanted to remain dominant by continuing our perfect season. Here’s what I have learned, no matter what has happened in the regular season, the Iron Bowl stands alone. Auburn came out in full force this year and scored 14 points in the first quarter. Bama fans were dumfounded as this unexpected surge of power that nearly ended the hopes of the Tide. Alabama responded by tying the game by the half. The second half proved much better as quarterback Greg McElroy proved himself and with the final drive up the field, won the game for a final score of 26-21. Had we lost to Auburn, and some how still managed to end the season in Pasadena, the national title would not have mattered. We still would have lost to Auburn and that is unacceptable.

SEC Championship

The rematch in Atlanta brought one of the most joyous moments of my life, seeing Tim Tebow cry but we’ll get to that later. The ’08 SEC Championship was close but the Gators earned their trophy. We left the Georgia Dome with a hope of returning. The victory over LSU clenched the SEC West and officially set the date for the Crimson Tide and the Gators to meet again. The best way I know to describe the game is in the team. For me, this year it was not the Florida Gators; it was Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators, not a team. Opposite the “superman” was the Alabama Crimson Tide, not Mark Ingram and the Crimson Tide. I’ve talked to several Tide fans who have said they have never seen an Alabama team so in tune with one another. Not even Tebow could match our defense and they only manage to put up 13 points the whole game. This game cannot be disputed by anyone; the Tide dominated the Gators. And now a few words on Tim Tebow, I don’t like him. I was happy to see him leave the field after the Sugar Bowl knowing full well that he was going to the NFL. However, it is the media portrayal of Tebow that causes me to not like him. I don’t care that Tebow’s car is in the shop or how Tebow’s mom turned sixty so stop commentating about it. It’s bad enough they do this during Florida games but it got to the point where they were talking about him during other games. There was a commentator for the Egg Bowl, between Ole Miss and Miss State that started talking about Tebow during a time out. He’s just a man. I don’t like Tebow but I do respect him. I can now understand his feelings at the end of the game and his tears that became the symbol of our victory. So much emotion goes through a football game that I have felt, and I’m just in the band. The stress and emotion these players go through is a mystery to those who can’t experience it. The victory over the Florida Gators is one of the most memorable games and I will never forget the confetti coming down during our victory song. The Crimson Tide had officially returned to glory.

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From ESPN.com

IRVING, Texas — The University of Georgia announced the hiring of Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham as its defensive coordinator Friday.

“I’m excited,” Grantham said Friday. “It’s an opportunity to be a coordinator, coach in the SEC. They’ve won a lot of games there. They haven’t quite been as good on defense as they would have liked over the past couple of years. Hopefully we can go in and get them back to being one of the premiere teams in the SEC.”

Grantham’s contract with the Bulldogs is for three years at $750,000 per season.

He’s agreed to stay with the Cowboys through the remainder of the playoffs.

written by admin \\ tags: cowboys defensive line, dallas cowboys, defensive coordinator, georgia bulldogs, Grantham, Todd Grantham

It was a year that Auburn won’t forget anytime soon. They had a high powered offense and were fun to watch. Gene Chizik’s hit the ground running in his first year and has never been shy about sharing the credit with his offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. He and Chizik had put together a top 10 recruiting class and seemed to be building something special. He has popularized wildcat and hurry up offense in his time at Arkansas and Tulsa. It was only a matter of time before someone came looking for one of the brightest offensive minds in football. Auburn fans thought that this late in the coaching carousel that they might have gotten away with keeping him for another season.

With Derek Dooley leaving for Tennessee, a job opened up that might get Malzahn out of the state of Alabama. Lousiana Tech offers Gus a chance to become a head coach and in the recruiting grounds that he is familiar with from his work at Auburn and Arkansas. He is the early front runner to take the job. It would cap off a meteoric rise to the head coaching ranks considering that in 2005 he was coaching high school football in Arkansas. The hiring of Malzahn was looked on a move to secure blue chip quarterback prospect Mitch Mustain and receiver Damien Williams’ commitment to the Razorbacks by hiring their High School coach. Houston Nutt knew something no one else did when he gave Malzahn the offensive coordinator job on his staff but didn’t stick around in Fayetteville long enough to have the last laugh. Malzahn popularized the wildcat as a way to get the ball to Darren McFadden more, since he was about all they had going for them at the time. If you have watched football the last few years, you have seen the Wildcat spread through football like a foot fungus in a dorm without shower shoes.

It is far from a done deal however, Malzahn is said to be in competition with Dooley’s defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler and Oklahoma State Assistant Joe Deforest. Malzahn’s reputation as one of the nation’s best recruiters as well as second to none with x’s and o’s will go a long way to his candidacy at any job.

written by admin \\ tags: Derek Dooley, Derek Dooley Leaving Louisiana Tech, Derek Dooley Leaving Lousiana Tech, Derek Dooley Louisiana Tech, Derek Dooley Tennessee, Derrick Dooley Tennessee, Gus Malzahn, Gus Malzahn Auburn, Gus Malzahn Leaving Auburn, Gus Malzahn Louisiana Tech, Gus Malzahn Rumors, Gus Malzahn Wiki, Lousiana Tech Coach

per espn.com

Louisiana Tech football coach Derek Dooley, son of legendary coach Vince Dooley, has been hired as Tennessee’s new coach, sources close to the situation told ESPN on Friday.

Well this situation has now become even more comical. ESPN has now changed the wording of their story to say that Dooley is only the leading candidate for the job.  Here’s how the article read now…

Louisiana Tech football coach Derek Dooley, son of legendary coach Vince Dooley, has emerged as the top candidate to replace Lane Kiffin as Tennessee’s football coach, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Friday.

An announcement could be made by Tennessee officials as early as Friday. However, a source told ESPN.com that the deal is not finalized and that Houston’s Kevin Sumlin remains a possibility.

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From Inside Tennessee and ESPN

Tennessee is looking for a young confident coach with charisma that has SEC experience. The Vols may have found their man in Ruston, Louisiana. Derek Dooley, the son of Georgia long time head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley, appears to be one of the leading candidates to replace Lane Kiffin as the next head coach at UT. Go “Inside” to get a closer look at perhaps the Vols next head man.

Dooley  has ties to Alabama coach Nick Saban. Dooley coached under Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.

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UPDATE Friday, Jan 15th 8:15AM

from Scout.com

David Cutcliffe will remain the head coach of the Duke Blue Devil football program a source confirmed to TDD early Friday morning – effectively ending a 48 hour courtship with the University of Tennessee that had many analysts believing the third year coach would depart.

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Update: Report says Cutcliffe denies taking Vols’ job

WBIR sister station is reporting a reliable source as saying David Cutcliffe is the Vols’ next coach–but now, WBIR contributor Brent Hubbs of Volquest.com is reporting he’s spoken to Cutcliffe personally–and Cutcliffe told him that report isnot true.

The new rumor out there is that Cutcliffe has agreed in principal to be the next coach at Tennessee.  WBIR sister station WFMY is reporting that former Vols offensive coordinator and current Duke University head football coach David Cutcliffe is returning to the University of Tennessee to be the new head coach.  This is not the first coach to be mentioned has accepting the job, so we will keep a close eye on the situation.

UPDATE:  3 different sources are now confirming Cutcliffe to Tennessee.

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

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While the Tennessee coaching situation has gotten all the press today, there has been talk that coach Urban Meyer could be calling it quits after National Signing Day (NSD).  If this pans out to be true, the SEC, in a matter of weeks, will be a completely different conference.

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