Georgia Bulldogs

DawgNation spoke with 2013 offensive tackle Jeremi Hall (East Point, Ga./Tri-Cities) at the weeklong Rising Seniors program in Atlanta about the offers he is amassing, the major schools that are talking to him and his recent visit to Georgia.

How the game was won: Ole Miss dominated in the paint early, outrebounding Georgia 21-11 and shooting 52 percent from the floor in the first half, opening a 34-23 halftime lead. The Bulldogs stormed back to close within two points -- led by freshman Kentavious Caldwell Pope’s 25 points -- but Nemanja Djurisic and Gerald Robinson each missed a game-tying 3-point attempt just before the horn and the Bulldogs fell 66-63.

Stat of the game: 43-32. The Bulldogs knew coming in that they would need to be competitive on the boards against an Ole Miss team that ranks among the SEC's best in rebounding. The Bulldogs were unsuccessful, as the Rebels outrebounded them 43-32 and controlled the paint throughout.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia defensive back Sanders Commings was arrested Saturday on simple battery and domestic violence charges after allegedly hitting his girlfriend in the face during a dispute early Saturday morning.

UGA Police booked Commings at 9:06 a.m. ET Saturday. He was released on $1,000 bond at 4:49 p.m.

According to UGA police chief Jimmy Williamson, Commings and his girlfriend were involved in an altercation at the corner of Jackson and Broad streets around 1 a.m. in downtown Athens, and witnesses flagged down UGA PD officers soon thereafter.

“After conducting interviews, it was determined that Sanders Commings and his girlfriend, who was with these people that we now were talking to, had been in an altercation of some sort -- basically where there was an argument,” Williamson said. “The witnesses tried to intervene. At that time, he reached around one of the witnesses and struck her.”

Williamson said UGA PD officers obtained a warrant from a magistrate judge around 7 a.m. and arrested Commings at his apartment.

Commings recently decided to return to Georgia for his senior season, passing up an opportunity to enter the NFL draft early. He started all 14 games in 2011 and was fourth on the team with 55 tackles.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia was uncharacteristically tough defensively and on the boards in Wednesday’s game against Tennessee -- and took home its first SEC win as a result.

With Ole Miss (12-6, 2-2 SEC), one of the league’s top rebounding teams, visiting Stegeman Coliseum this afternoon [Watch the game live on ESPN3], the Bulldogs know a similar effort is necessary to run their winning streak to two.

“I think the main thing is just keeping them off the boards,” Georgia forward Donte Williams said. “They’ve got a good rebounding team, so keeping them off the boards is important.”

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By now, just about everybody has seen or heard about the despicable incident in New Orleans which led to the arrest of Alabama fan Brian Downing.

He’s charged with committing sexual battery against an unconscious LSU fan on Bourbon Street following the Allstate BCS National Championship Game, all of which was caught on video and made the rounds on the internet.

Downing, who’s from Smiths Station, Ala., turned himself in to New Orleans Police on Thursday night. His bond was set at $10,000.

I’d refrained from weighing in on this latest black eye involving a supposed Alabama fan for a couple of different reasons.

For one, I wanted to see what additional information came out about the situation, and what was fact and what was fiction.

And even more importantly, the less attention given to such garbage, the better off we all are. At least, that’s always been my take.

But, hey, it’s a national story now, and SEC fans (Alabama fans in this particular case) come off looking like the stereotypical uncouth knuckleheads that they are portrayed to be in other parts of the country.

I know better.

For every Brian Downing and every Harvey Updyke, there are scores of fans across the SEC that exude class and would never in their wildest (or drunken) dreams think about doing something like Downing and Updyke are accused of doing.

Again, I know because I’ve met you during my travels the past five seasons while covering college football for ESPN.com.

I met many of you in New Orleans -- Alabama and LSU fans -- this month leading up to the big game.

You were passionate, opinionated, emotionally charged and steadfastly loyal to your team.

Most of you were kind, too, and that’s whether we were sitting in the airport, partying in a blues club on Bourbon Street or walking out of the Superdome.

But in no way were you threatening, vulgar, obnoxious or out of control.

Sadly, the latter is the rep attached to SEC fans thanks to the Brian Downings and Harvey Updykes of the world.

It’s not just Alabama, either. Fans in this league are notorious for pointing the finger. Every school has that that small cluster of fans that screws it up for everybody else.

So when those people do something stupid or embarrassing, don’t glorify it. Repudiate it.

Reportedly, Updyke was in New Orleans for the game and posing for pictures with fans on Bourbon Street.

Here’s a thought: If you run into him again, ignore him. Maybe then he’ll go away.

I’m not suggesting that SEC football fans sit around and sing “Kumbaya” and never look to stir it up or get under the skin of their rivals.

They revel in doing so. This is, after all, the SEC, the league that reinvented the phrase, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”

But it’s also important to note that the Brian Downings and Harvey Updykes of the world are the exception and not the rule.

They just tend to get a lot more attention than the family with three generations of Alabama graduates that flies in from different parts of the country to be together for the game.

The same goes for the wealthy Alabama donor who owns a successful business and gives his tickets to the game away to a fan who can’t afford them.

And that’s ditto for the guy who played on Bear Bryant’s first team at Alabama and is determined to be there to see his alma mater win another national championship.

SEC fans are unique, no doubt, when it comes to the fervor with which they follow their football teams.

But there’s a marked difference between a school’s true fan base and the lunatic fringe.

The last thing anybody in this league wants is for the margin between those two groups to somehow become blurred, which means the onus is on the fans at each SEC to police their own.

Our recruiting folks at ESPN have revisited the 2008 signing class and assessed how the marquee prospects in that class fared in college.

It’s one of my favorite exercises, because it’s a reminder that recruiting is anything but an exact science, and that evaluating recruiting classes and prospects on signing day is a dicey proposition.

Everybody is trying to recruit great players, but what matters is what you do with those players once you get them on your campus.

Of the 25 top prospects in the 2008 class, seven signed with SEC schools.

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You've already seen Chris Low's to-do lists for the Western Division teams, so now it's time to check out what the East teams need to take care of before next fall:

FLORIDA

• Two major areas new offensive coordinator Brent Pease needs to hit during his first offseason with the Gators is running back and wide receiver. Florida must find a downhill running back for Pease's offense, and a reliable go-to wide receiver -- two things Florida lacked in 2011.
• With quarterback John Brantley graduating, Pease must find a new starting quarterback. That means developing rising sophomores Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, who struggled in relief of Brantley at times last season, and Tyler Murphy, who has yet to take a snap.
• Toughen up mentally and physically. The Gators ranked 89th nationally in penalties, and were called out by coach Will Muschamp as being too soft in his first season. Soft can't win in the SEC.

GEORGIA

• The Bulldogs' coaching staff needs to toughen running back Isaiah Crowell up. As the season went on he visited Georgia's training table more than the end zone in games. He was even booed by Georgia fans when he limped off the Georgia Dome field in the SEC title game. The Bulldogs were inconsistent running the ball because their lead back was always nicked up.
• Getting the offensive line ready will be key to 2012. The Bulldogs will have to replace three seniors on that line, including All-SEC performers Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones.

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Tune in to ESPNU at 5:30 p.m. ET today for RecruitingNation. Tom Luginbill, Craig Haubert and national and local writers from RecruitingNation break down the latest recruiting news from across the country.

Thursday's show will look at the impact on Gunner Kiel’s decision to attend Notre Dame, what the pledge does for the Irish and where does LSU go now at quarterback? There will also be analysis on Mario Edwards’ decision to eliminate Texas from consideration on Thursday, what Jameis Winston is going to do and how Oklahoma is going do to recover from losing one of its best recruiters.

Luginbill and Haubert will also review the new ESPNU 150 rankings that were released on Thursday and highlight some of the big risers and fallers.

The broadcast can also be seen on WatchESPN.