SEC Notebook: Alabama preparing for Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o

A look at what's making headlines in SEC country on Thursday, including Alabama continuing its preparation for the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame on Jan. 7.

By Daniel Lewis

Dec 27, 2012 at 9:59 am ET • 1 min read

Alabama plans to run it right at Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o. (US Presswire)

A look at what's making headlines in SEC country on Thursday:

Alabama is continuing its preparation for the BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame on Jan. 7. That means the Tide must figure out how to deal with Heisman runner-up, LB Manti Te'o. It appears the plan isn't to avoid running anything near him. "We're going to go right for him," RT D.J. Fluker told AL.com. "He’s what they call the best of the best, gotta go take it to him."
Two streaks will be on the line when Mississippi State and Northwestern play in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1. The Bulldogs enter the game with a five-game bowl winning streak while the Wildcats have lost nine straight bowl games. "I think it’s two teams very hungry for a win and highly motivated for this game," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald told the Clarion-Ledger.
Vanderbilt QB Jordan Rodgers is looking to bounce back from a forgettable bowl performance against Cincinnati in the 2011 Liberty Bowl. Then a junior, Rodgers was pulled in the second quarter of a 31-24 loss to the Bearcats after a slow start. "I had one of the best weeks of practice going into the bowl game last year,” Rodgers told the Tennessean. "Some days, you don’t see things exactly how you think you’re going to as a quarterback."
Bowl practices aren't only for preparing for the actual game. Many teams use them as a chance to help evaluate and develop younger players. Florida is taking a closer look at players such as CB Loucheiz Purifoy, LB Antonio Morrison, DE Dante Fowler and WR Latroy Pittman. “We’ve really challenged our young players to step forward,” coach Will Muschamp told the Palm Beach Post. "They have a great opportunity to springboard themselves into the offseason program and really put a mark on our mind of where they are as a player."