Jim Henry Posts

AUBURN, Ala. -- It just might be Alabama's biggest success story this season.

For an offensive line that lost All-Americans Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell and opened the year with three first-time starters, the Tide's unit has come together just fine this season, thank you. The O-line will get another opportunity to show off in Friday's Iron Bowl against an Auburn defense that ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense (27 points per game) and ninth in total defense (359.2 ypg).

"I don't know if it was as much of a motivating factor as much as we just knew that we had to come to work," senior left guard Mike Johnson said of preseason questions surrounding the line and if those concerns served as motivation.

College basketball coaches will be watching Brandon Knight's every move the next four months.

Knight, a senior at Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest High, is widely considered the top point guard and top overall player in the Class of 2010 by recruiting services. Knight has visited Connecticut, Kentucky, Kansas and, most recently, Florida; he also has Syracuse and Miami on his list of favorites.

Since Knight's not expected to make a final decision concerning college until the spring signing period, the interest in Knight's play should only increase. The Panthers split two exhibition games and open their regular-season next Tuesday.

Can Cretin-Derham Hall keep its aerial circus and powerful ground game going for one last game? Seantrel Henderson thinks so.

Henderson, the massive senior offensive lineman and top-ranked recruit in the country, ends his stellar Raiders football career on Minnesota's brightest stage Friday. That's when No. 2 Cretin-Derham (11-1) faces No. 1 Eden Prairie (12-0) in the Class 5A state championship at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

All eyes have been on Henderson, who has been very deliberative in his college selection process and is not expected to announce his decision until February's National Signing Day.

Florida's last two wins over rival Florida State have been the most lopsided in the series in nearly four decades. Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden tipped his cap and admitted last year the Gators simply had better players at many positions.

Bowden cites his team's youth this year and believes FSU has closed the gap on UF.

"We're getting closer," Bowden said Sunday. "Next year, we should be neck-and-neck."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- When Bobby Bowden finally decides to slip quietly into retirement, he believes Florida State fans will remember the good times -- and not the program's recent slide -- that happened during his storied coaching career. One question: Does his career have any chance at a storybook ending?

FSU's dramatic 29-26 home victory over Maryland Saturday helped an already wounded Seminole Nation avoid further grief, if not slow a potentially uncomfortable showdown with its iconic coach. Instead, the Seminoles (6-5) breathed a collective sigh of relief and became bowl eligible for the 28th straight year.

Another streak is on the line at top-ranked Florida next Saturday.

Much of the credit for Clemson's turnaround this season goes to its offense. Let us count the ways.

During Clemson's current five-game winning streak -- the program's longest in three seasons -- the Tigers have scored at least 38 points in each game, a program first. During that span, Clemson has averaged 42 points per game, 425 total yards per game, 6.87 yards per play and 220 passing yards a game.

No wonder the Tigers, who had lost three of their first five games by a total of 10 points, are positioned to clinch their first trip to the ACC title game with a home victory Saturday against struggling Virginia.

Of course, Clemson's success on offense revolves around all-purpose back and Heisman Trophy hopeful C.J. Spiller. Spiller needs 103 all-purpose yards to break the ACC single-season record of 2,054, held by Virginia's Thomas Jones.

In last Saturday's victory over N.C. State, Spiller had a 16-yard touchdown run, caught a 34-yard scoring pass and threw a 17-yard touchdown to Xavier Dye, becoming the first Clemson player to do all three in one game.

Okay, Greg McElroy admits he overreacted and his feelings were hurt.

It was two Saturdays ago, following Alabama's dramatic victory over LSU, when McElroy vented that people, including teammates, had lost faith in him as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback. Two days later, McElroy apologized if his postgame comments offended anyone and he further explained that getting mad was not the way to getting better.

McElroy was certainly better in Alabama's 31-3 victory over Mississippi State last Saturday, silencing critics with a solid performance he intends to build on as the undefeated Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 SEC) continues its march towards the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

While No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama each play glorified scrimmages on Saturday and continue their march to the SEC Championship game next month, one of the more intriguing conference match-ups features Kentucky at Georgia. Yes, Kentucky. Football.

The Wildcats have done an impressive job of persevering this season.

They will be searching for their first victory in Athens, Ga., since 1977 and can improve their bowl berth in the final two games of the regular season. Kentucky has also won its last two road games for the first time since 2002 and has won four of its last five overall.

Will Florida State and the NCAA see eye-to-eye and make nice?

FSU officials and representatives presented the university's appeal before the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee in Indianapolis Sunday. The Seminoles argued to overturn one penalty handed down earlier by the NCAA in the university's academic-misconduct scandal -- the order to vacate wins in football and nine other sports.

School and NCAA officials worked together to investigate the claims and concluded with a deal that FSU believed would solve eligibility questions of athletes involved. But the NCAA Committee's punishment could cost football coach Bobby Bowden 14 victories and the men's 2007 track team its outdoor national championship.

---

---

ORLANDO, Fla. - Good Knight, Case.

Case Keenum's late-game dramatics -- not to mention his Heisman Trophy consideration -- wilted under a brilliant Florida sun and an inspired Central Florida defense Saturday afternoon. Despite throwing two touchdowns in the closing minutes, Keenum and 13th-ranked Houston ran out of time in their 37-32 defeat to a band of merry Knights who clinched the program's first win over a nationally-ranked team.

"Whether it was making mistakes or them playing really hard ... they did a good job of covering down field and putting pressure on me," said Keenum, who had led Houston to consecutive victories over Southern Miss and Tulsa last week on last-minute scoring drives.