This is one of the more fascinating SEC games this weekend. LSU has lost Charles Scott to a busted collarbone. Jordan Jefferson was out last weekend with a sprained ankle. He will likely play this weekend.

Jevan Snead supposedly tweaked his ankle last weekend but played through it, so I don't know if that will be a factor. Vegas oddsmakers are favoring Ole Miss by 4 points.

Les Miles has been taking some heat from his fanbase this season. His playcalling has been questioned. I don't understand why his own fans boo him or his team. I've always thought he was a pretty crafty coach, especially on game day in high stress situations. He believes in his team and as a consequence is not afraid to go for it on fourth down. He will also fake a kick and run the ball. And he's even pulled an on-side kick in the third quarter just because he can. I'm sure his players love playing for him. That kind of crazy, seemingly reckless playcalling makes football fun. But most significantly, he has judged his team's abilities well and thus they more often than not pull off the unexpected. You have to respect that.

By comparison Coach Nutt seems more wracked by doubt. He seems more afraid of losing than confident in winning, so his playcalling lacks a certain electricity in those moments when a spark is just what the football gods are looking for.

However, things may be going his way this weekend. LSU has lost their big gun in the backfield. And their gunslinger might be nicked up just enough to keep him from escaping the posse.

On the other hand, Auburn was able to rush Snead enough to keep him rattled. Our front four kept the pressure on him, leaving our linebackers and secondary more time to contain McCluster. Even for our much-maligned defense, we were able to find a way to neutralize the Rebel's two main offensive weapons.

Now, this game has some implications for the SEC West, and for us Auburn fans. It helps us if LSU wins. Also, we are all in some kind of football pool. I'd like some input about this game from the regulars here, and especially from our Ole Miss and LSU friends. I am convinced nobody knows as much about a team as the fans who follow them on a daily basis.

Okay, we had yesterday to cry our tears. Hopefully you had a reasonable night’s sleep, took a shower, and had a nice warm breakfast. Now it’s time to clean our gear and get ready for next week’s game against Kentucky.

There are some things we can fix, and some things we just have to try to improve.

Things we must address:

1. Penalties. We had two false start penalties which killed offensive drives. We had several pass interference penalties which helped Arkansas sustain drives and score.

2. Fumbles. Three fumbles absolutely took a knife to our scoring opportunities. Never carry the ball away from your body. This is ball handling 101. And it was surprising that Kodi was not used on that fourth and inches play. Todd has rarely played under center, and has not shown a power running style. This was a situation tailor made for Mr. Burns.

3. Incomplete passes/dropped balls. Sustained drives require making plays like this.

My only other quibble was with the decision to go for two instead of taking the PAT. I can only assume the thought was to make 8 three times to even the score instead of relying on three TDs and a field goal.

We have to accept that our defense is comprised of the personnel that we have. These young men have their skills and their deficits. Can we make a 5 foot 10 guy 6 foot 3? No. Can we make a 180 pound guy weigh 235? Maybe, but not in one season, if you want muscle mass instead of flab. We can strengthen leg muscles. We might even be able to improve acceleration from a dead stop. But those things take time and we’re in the middle of the season which calls for strength and conditioning maintenance, not training for gains.

Now, the good news is that Ole Miss had a day very similar to ours. Also, Georgia looks vulnerable now in a way I would never have suspected. Those are two games we have a better than even chance of winning. Kentucky should be more attainable. And Furman is all but a lock. LSU and the Iron Bowl are still toss ups. I will never give any games away before we play 'em.

I am not going to lapse into despair and declare the sky has fallen, woe is me, our season is over. I am going to say that we had one bad day. A very uncharacteristic bad day. But one bad day is not a trend.

Mike Leach's ego is bigger than his brain,so he decided to forego the three point field goal and play the field position. He could have made it an eight point lead over Houston. I guess he figured his team was so good they were certain to score a touchdown after forcing Houston three and out. It didn't happen. Instead, Houston took possession and drove down the field for a TD to win.

Purdue is ahead with around 36 seconds against Notre Dame. Notre Dame will take possession and has no time outs. But the kindly old coach of Purdue calls a time out. Why? I"m sure he'll be getting that a lot the next several years. Notre Dame proceeds to get a touchdown and wins.

This one is less controversial, but still questionable. Mississippi State is defying the odds and is about to upset LSU. They have the ball on the two inch line with four downs. Can you believe it? On third down, they call a pass play that gets batted down as the ball carrier, who is faking a carry, jumps over the tangle of bodies and flies into the end zone.