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• Officials dispute Classic attendance figures
Amelia Bacon, executive director of the Gulf Coast Classic, this week disputed attendance figures released immediately after last Saturday's game between Southern University and Alabama State, claiming there were three times as many fans in the seats as originally reported.

• Senior Bowl returns to afternoon
After playing the game under the lights of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for one year, the Under Armour Senior Bowl is returning to an afternoon kickoff.

• Still in action
Staff report

• Blount rolls to 3-0
Staff reports JaMichael Lofton scored 17 points and Jorory Coleman 14 as Blount beat Robertsdale 91-47 in Prichard on Wednesday. Aubrey Riley added 12 points and Tyler Sherrill chipped in 11 for Blount (3-0), which hosts Williamson Friday at 7:30 p.m.

• Outdoors
Work on the second half of the Gulf State Park Pier is on schedule and assistant park superintendent Trey Myers said Wednesday that all of the 1,540-foot-long pier should be open for fishing by Thanksgiving weekend as planned.

• Inside Slant: High School Football Playoffs Week 3
/CUT/p4/CDaphne WR Israel Lamprakes

• Owls rip Auburn in Philly
Staff reports PHILADELPHIA — Temple built a 19-point halftime lead over Auburn on Tuesday night at McGonigle Hall and went on to a 66-52 victory.

• Tide tops Jackson State
TUSCALOOSA — Anthony Grant disciplined a top scorer, possibly discovered two more on his bench and, in the process, picked up victory No. 1 as Alabama's head basketball coach.

• Savage enjoying college game
Even after two stints as director of player personnel in the NFL, it's college football that holds Phil Savage's interest these days.

• Freeman may be out for Iron Bowl
/cut/2/cJOHN BAZEMORE/ Associated PressAuburn's Demond Washington outruns Georgia defenders on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown during the Tigers' loss on Saturday.

• Johnson proving himself in secondary
TUSCALOOSA — On the first play Saturday night, Mississippi State threw deep to a receiver being covered by Alabama cornerback Marquis Johnson.

• Johnson sets stage for finale
When a fluke accident cost Jimmie Johnson a huge chunk of his points lead, he knew there was no more room for error in his bid to win a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship.

• Sports Briefs
Savage to speak to 1st and 10 Club

• Lee, Southern burn Hornets
Bryant Lee completed 29 of 39 passes for 384 yards and four touchdowns to help Southern overcome an early 10-0 deficit and roll past Alabama State 34-24 Saturday in the 36th annual Commonwealth National Bank Gulf Coast Classic before 8,459 fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

• Caldwell keeps up with Tide
TUSCALOOSA — Antoine Caldwell wore a nametag and stood on a sidewalk in a polo shirt, smiling at the popping of pads and coaches' shouts before him.

• Chizik's attitude good for assistants, Auburn
AUBURN — If Trooper Taylor and Gus Malzahn interview for head coaching jobs after this season or 2010 or anytime in the future, they won't have to snoop around behind the back of their boss.

• DEFENSES DIG IN
A month ago, this looked to be one of the highest-scoring seasons the SEC had seen in some time. Scoring was up five points a game over the same time frame in 2008. Yardage was up by an average of more than 40 yards per game.

• Hawthorne to return to bigger role
AUBURN — Junior receiver Tim Hawthorne has played only sparingly this year after missing the first two games with an ankle injury. But Auburn receivers coach Trooper Taylor said that may change Saturday against Georgia.

• Orgeron returns to face Rebels that he recruited
/cut/p19.1/cMARY ANN CHASTAIN /Associated PressSouth Carolina coach Steve Spurrier holds one of the special jerseys that the Gamecocks will wear when they play Florida on Saturday. The uniforms support the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that works to help injured U.S. soldiers.

• Record-breaker one of Bama's unsung heroes
TUSCALOOSA — The all-time leading scorer in the history of Alabama's football program can usually go to a movie or restaurant without much fuss.

• Rivers rising again
Even though the central Gulf Coast was spared the worst of Tropical Storm Ida's wind, she dumped record single-day amounts of rain across central Alabama, and that water is heading toward the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

• Senior Bowl gives boost to Classic
The recent show of faith by the Senior Bowl was the adrenaline rush this year's Gulf Coast Classic needed.

• Small secondary star still proving his point
TUSCALOOSA — Javier Arenas' play as a defensive back has become a ticket into the NFL, never mind the fact his special teams career will go down as one of the best in college football history.

• Tigers climbing SEC bowl ladder
AUBURN — A win this weekend could give Auburn the opportunity to end its season in Dallas, play in the new Cowboys Stadium and be showered with attention from the player-friendly Cotton Bowl.

• Mitchell growing up for Barlow, Hornets
Chris Mitchell was the big man on campus at Alabama State during the 2007 football season.

• Satsuma sisters headed separate ways
Twin sisters Hannah and Lannah Campbell have always played softball alongside one another, but that will end when they head to college next summer.

• Southern eyes Classic
After enjoying a bye last week, Southern University coach Pete Richardson believes his team is definitely ready to take on Alabama State in the 36th annual Commonwealth National Bank Gulf Coast Classic on Saturday.

• USM returns after bye
HATTIESBURG — After a much-needed week off, Southern Miss climbs back into Conference USA play against Marshall on Saturday with its hopes of winning the East Division title still alive.

• Saints on target for perfection
NEW ORLEANS — The question is no longer whether the New Orleans Saints can return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, or whether they can win the NFC South.

• Southern rested, ready for Classic
After enjoying a bye last week, Southern University coach Pete Richardson believes his team is definitely ready to take on Alabama State in the 36th annual Commonwealth National Bank Gulf Coast Classic on Saturday.

• Gulf Coast Classic excited about future
Amelia Bacon wants to reassure fans that a quality event will take place in Mobile next weekend ? the Commonwealth National Bank Gulf Coast Classic.

• He keeps going and going: Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2006, 70-year-old Don Withers makes trip to Athens, Greece, for 200th marathon
Mobile's Don Withers will travel to Athens, Greece, to run in his 200th marathon, scheduled for today.

• Okello wins Charity Run
Tonny Okello and Mindy Sullivan won the men's and women's divisions by big margins Saturday in the Senior Bowl Charity Run.

• Weather spurs last-minute entries
A total of 879 runners participated in Saturday's Senior Bowl Charity Run 10K race, and 732 ran in the 5K.