Vandy not looking ahead: Other SEC notes

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You hear it in Nashville and throughout the Southeastern Conference.No. 21 Vanderbilt is 4-0, and it only needs two more wins to become bowl-eligible.Back in 2005, that type of "Little Engine That Could" thinking got the Commodores a 5-6 record. Not even a win over Tennessee in Knoxville could remove the sting of what could have been after a 4-0 start.The current Commodores aren't thinking that way, and why should they? They understand they haven't played a great game yet on both sides of the ball.Look at the SEC stats, and the Commodores are last in the league in total offense (282.8 yards per game) and last in total defense (364.2 ypg). Yet Vandy has scored a healthy 14 touchdowns, the same as Florida and two more than LSU, and has a plus-9 turnover margin thanks to an astonishing 14 takeaways.It's no wonder that Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson, enjoying this week's open date with his team, has an ambitious squad not wanting to become merely bowl-eligible."We're not talking about the end of the season; right now we're talking about Auburn (Vandy's next opponent at home) on Oct. 4," Johnson said.One of Vandy's most pleasant surprises has been the gangbusters play of freshman linebacker Chris Marve, who has 26 tackles, tying him for 10th in the SEC."We knew he was going to be a good player, but not as quickly and efficiently as he has," Johnson said of Marve. "Chris is a very serious student of the game. He's all business on the field, even during practice."BIGGEST TIDE One of the fun aspects of each new football season is the emergence of new stars, especially a player not cut from a cookie-cutter mold.Judging from the girth of 6-5, 365-pound Alabama junior nose tackle Terrence Cody, there's nothing cookie cutter about him, though it appears he may have eaten the entire cookie factory and several Keebler elves for lunch.Already Cody, a transfer from Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College, has drawn rave reviews for his amazing athleticism and strength, such as when he drove three Western Kentucky blockers backward until he made the tackle.It hasn't taken opposing coaches very long to look at him on film and figure they've got a problem. Cody has just 12 tackles (three for loss, a forced fumble and a recovery), but he's a huge reason why 'Bama is ranked eighth nationally in rushing defense, allowing 55 yards per game.Alabama coach Nick Saban immediately noticed Cody's NFL body when he began recruiting him."Terrence is one of those guys who have the lower body explosion and athleticism, even with that size," Saban said. "He's really helped our defense, and we hope to get him in better condition so he can sustain his performance on a consistent basis."It has been a long road to Tuscaloosa for Cody.He was so big as a child that leagues banished him from playing football until high school. Then, he sat out two years at Riverdale (Fla.) High, because he was academically ineligible.That's why these days, it's rare when you don't see Cody smiling."I wonder is this really true, if this is really happening," Cody said. "I feel blessed, because I turned it all around."BEST YET TO COMEThe scary thing about Florida is its offense is averaging an SEC-best 37.3 points, and it really hasn't played well yet, despite knocking off Tennessee, 30-6, last Saturday. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow isn't worried, saying the team hasn't had to dip deep into the playbook. "The playbook is all there; thankfully we haven't had to use it," Tebow said. SUPER BULLDOGIt seems like Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno is playing Superman on a weekly basis, with the ability to leap tall tacklers with a single bound. His latest highlight-reel leap was his 9-yard TD launch last weekend at Arizona State in which he soared through the air the last 4 yards. "Not that I'm shocked by it," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said, "but I still say, 'Wow,' and shake my head."SOME CONSOLATION PRIZETennessee coach Phillip Fulmer never claimed to be Paul Harvey, because Fulmer forgot to tell the rest of the story. Fulmer, in defending his team's 1-2 start, said, "All I know is we've played for the (SEC) championship more times than anybody in this league except for Florida," said Fulmer, forgetting Alabama has also played five times for the title. But Florida is 6-2 in the SEC championship game, while Tennessee is 2-3, with the Vols having lost on their last three trips there.QUOTABLE"The teams we've played so far weren't lining up and trying to run it down our throats. That's what Alabama does. Alabama is gonna run the rock."-- Richt on what he expects from Alabama's offense on Saturday.(Ron Higgins writes for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.)