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Tribal Fever's Weekend Observations

1. That enormous exhale coming from the Oxford, Mississippi area would be the sigh of relief of Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron. His Rebels had to hold on for dear life to beat Northwestern State 38-31 on Saturday. The non-Division 1 Demons went into the game with a 2-3 record in the Southland Conference, but they gave Ole Miss a fight before falling to 3-6 overall. I believe a loss would have spelled the end for Orgeron even though he has recruited well in his 3 years at Ole Miss. The stigma of losing to a below-average Non D-1 team, combined with the relative success of the team in Starkville, would have been very tough to overcome.

2. Think the Tennessee coaches will enjoy watching the tape to prepare for Arkansas this week? The combination of Darren McFadden and Felix Joes ran over the Vols last season as they motored for 253 yards and 2 scores in the Hogs’ 31-14 victory. Now the dynamic duo seems to be hitting full stride as McFadden ran for an SEC-record 323 yards Saturday against South Carolina, while all Jones added was 163 yards and 3 TDs. Although struggling through much of the season, Arkansas seems to have rediscovered their identity as a power-running team. Additionally, Tennessee has been shredded by Cal, Florida, and Alabama this year, and they rank 11th in the SEC in scoring defense. Phil Fulmer and company may have some sleepless nights on Rocky Top this week.

3. We have no confirmation whether or not Virginia head coach Al Groh made a “Deal with the Devil” after their 23-3 loss season-opening loss at Wyoming, but one has to wonder with all of the close wins the Cavs are accumulating. In fact, Virginia set an NCAA record this weekend (5 victories in a season by two points or less) when they defeated Wake Forest 17-16. The good fortune of Groh’s club likely will set up an important clash for the Commonwealth on November 24th when UVA and Virginia Tech should battle for the ACC Coastal Division title.

4. I’m not sure that LSU fans have the utmost confidence in Les Miles, but he has to be the most popular coach among television executives. After starting the season with five double-digit wins, the Tigers have gone 3-1 on National TV over the last month, and all have been dramatic finishes. It will be interesting down the stretch to see if LSU can cut down the penalties, INTs, and blown coverages that seem to keep less-talented teams in the game with the Tigers until the very end.

- Patrick Snow

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