Mighty SEC Shows Its Vulnerability

There is little doubt the Southeastern Conference is the country's strongest league, but Saturday night's results showed that the gap between the SEC and other conferences is not as large as LSU Coach Les Miles wants everyone to believe.

In its 45-31 loss to California in Berkeley, Tennessee gave up more points than in any game since 1995. Across the country, Auburn needed two touchdowns in the final two minutes to seal a come-from-behind, 23-13, victory against Kansas State, a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team.

For the Golden Bears, the victory was as much about avenging last season's 17-point loss in Knoxville as it was about quieting those who believe the SEC is far superior to the Pacific-10. During the summer, Miles fueled debate by saying Southern California had an easier road to the national title game than LSU because of several Pac-10 teams that Miles mockingly described as "real juggernauts."

"We hear that all the time and it kind of gets under our players' skins," Cal defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson said about the Pac-10 versus SEC debate after Saturday's game. "At Cal, we do the whole job in recruiting, trying to recruit the best players, and tonight we got a chance to prove that the Pac-10 can play against any conference."

Cal, which is expected to challenge USC for the Pac-10 title, showed Tennessee it had plenty of offensive weapons. The dynamic DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown for the sixth time in his career. Quarterback Nate Longshore threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. And running back Justin Forsett rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown.

In the game's final moments, Memorial Stadium fans chanted "Pac-10 football!"

The Cal-Tennessee offensive showcase was a stark contrast to the defensive struggle that ensued early on at Auburn. The Tigers led 6-3 at halftime, but Kansas State remained competitive in part because the Wildcats pressured Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox throughout. The Wildcats also held Auburn to 62 yards rushing.

"We knew we were going to struggle on offense," Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said after the 23-13 victory. "When you play with a young offensive line and you don't know what they are going to do on defense and they have all those starters back. We are very fortunate, very fortunate."

Kansas State was positioned to win until Cox threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Gabe McKenzie with 2:01 remaining to give the Tigers the lead. Moments later, defensive tackle Antonio Coleman returned a fumble 34 yards for another touchdown.

The SEC possesses offensive standouts such as Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson, but the league's identity is its imposing defenses. For the most part, the reputation of the conference depends on how far the defenses carry those respective teams.

"We are not going to win a lot of games offensively," Tuberville said. "Not a lot of teams in our conference are."