In week 10 of Season X, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State returned to the gridiron with a 34-20 beating of the Kentucky Wildcats. The win came at a high cost though, as middle linebacker Mario Haggan has been sidelined for the next eight weeks due to an abdominal tear. Also wide receiver Justin Jenkins is out for two weeks due to back spasms. The Bulldogs racked up 322 yards on ground with the one-two tandem of Dontae Walker and Fred Reid. This boosts the Bulldogs to a 6-2 and a No. 25 ranking in the Media Poll. Tennessee continued its SEC dominance this week with a 31-6 win at South Carolina. Lou Holtz’s Carolina squad has had a rough year to only be 6-3, but this game got out of hand early. Casey Clausen passed for over 400 yards, and Tennessee extended its undefeated streak to eight games.
In the Upset of the Week and the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the Georgia Bulldogs finally got the Gator off their backs, beating the Florida Gators 29-22. Florida, losers of three straight, have dropped to 20th in the polls, while 6-2 Georgia is on the rise at No. 11.
National Game of the Week honors this week went to top-ranked Texas at 11th-ranked Nebraska. In what turned out to not be a game at all, the Cornhuskers squeaked by the Longhorns by a score of 43-18.
The loss opens up the National Championship picture with undefeated Tennessee and Washington holding off Washington State and Miami … for now.
The National Offensive Player of the Week was Cedric Cobbs, halfback for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Cedric had four catches for 109 yards to go with his 185 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Antwan Peek, defensive end for the Cincinnati Bearcats, was the National Defensive Player of the Week. Antwan had seven tackles, three sacks and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
Defensive MVP
Jeremy Muyres–Georgia Tech
Derrick Johnson–Texas
Dontarrious Thomas–Auburn
Daryl Smith–Georgia Tech
E.J. Henderson–Maryland
Coach of the Year
Rick Neuheisel–WashingtonJohn Robinson–UNLV
Mike Price–West Virginia
Dan Hawkins–Boise State
Rich Rodriguez–Wash. State
Heisman Trophy
Kliff Kingsbury–Texas Tech
Anton Paige–Texas Tech
Cedric Benson–Texas
John Tippins–Washington State
Thunder Collins–Nebraska
Tune in next week for MSU at Alabama, Oklahoma at Texas A&M, Florida State at Georgia Tech and in the Game of the Week, Miami at Tennessee.