ESPN College Football

Is it JaMarcus Russell or Marcus Randall at LSU? Speaking of QBs, will the Crimson Tide remain competitive without Brodie Croyle? Why is the Auburn offense clicking? Our SEC notebook addresses those questions and provides looks at Tennessee's secondary, Arkansas' struggles, South Carolina's promising start and much more.

Alabama
Those closest to the Alabama program knew what a blow losing QB Brodie Croyle for the season would be to the Crimson Tide. With him, Alabama was a team capable of winning eight games. Without him, they're going to struggle to even qualify for a bowl game.

The Crimson Tide passing game has been anemic the last two games in losses to South Carolina and Arkansas. Marc Guillon was benched in the third quarter of the 20-3 loss to South Carolina after throwing his second interception. But his replacement, Spencer Pennington, was even worse, going 1-of-6 for four yards and two interceptions.

"You don't want your guys to be afraid to make plays," Alabama head coach Mike Shula said. "But the bottom line is that you've got to covet the football."

Alabama managed just 34 yards of total offense in the second half against the Gamecocks.

Guillon, despite completing just 15 passes in his last two games, will get another chance this weekend against Kentucky. Shula is sticking with Guillon as his starter.

"I know I have to play a lot better for us to win games," Guillon said.

Shula insists the Crimson Tide won't go into a shell even though the quarterback play has been so poor the last two weeks. But at some point, the entire team starts to suffer when merely completing a pass becomes a struggle.

"When you throw interceptions inside your 20, obviously that's going to have a negative impact," Shula said. "We've got a bunch of guys who contribute to wins and losses. Each guy has got to do his job better."

That may be, but South Carolina cornerback Fred Bennett said last week that Guillon and Pennington were easier to read than a "Dick and Jane" book.

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