Vanderbilt to honor slain teammate

Doster was killed in his hometown of Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 26, 2004. The 2002 Southeastern Conference freshman of the year would have been a senior this season and the starting tailback.

“We are not going to bring his number out of retirement until his eligibility is up,” said linebacker Herdley Harrison, a close friend of Doster’s. “We consider him on the roster. He’s definitely a part of our team.”

The Commodores, off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1988, already have several tributes to Doster on display.

The Commodores are wearing a Dot 1 decal on the front of their helmets for the No. 1 he wore, and a poster of Doster goes to every game with them.

“We take that poster wherever we go,” Harrison said. “It is in the locker room before we go out to practice. It was with us in Arkansas. At the end of the game, we’re holding up 1s and thinking about Kwane. When we take that sign, it is like he is with us on the field.”

Doster’s locker was sealed and will be left untouched this season.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said his team has dealt with the situation throughout the offseason. Johnson does not expect the tribute to be a distraction or provide an emotional boost.

“We want to honor Kwane,” Johnson said. “Our players will have him on their minds. This will not be a ‘win one for Kwane’ thing. We are honoring his life and contribution to Vanderbilt.”

Doster’s mother, brother, sister and other relatives will be in attendance for the ceremony.

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TOUGH SPOT:@ Mississippi State is feeling like the villain in Tulane’s post-Katrina tale of perseverance.

The Green Wave, with their campus flooded and their home stadium damaged by the hurricane, fled to northwest Louisiana and figure to be heavy fan favorites when they play host to the Bulldogs in Shreveport.

That makes the Bulldogs the bad guys by default.

“Everybody’s going to be pulling for Tulane, much like it was for the (New Orleans) Saints” last week, Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said. “We’ve got to understand that. It’s not that they hate us or anything. It’s just that they’re reaching out to Tulane because of what’s happened.”

Katrina hit no other Division I-A program harder than Tulane. The downtown New Orleans campus was under water and the storm blasted holes in the roof of the Superdome, their home arena.

Tulane fled first to Jackson, Miss., and then to Dallas before settling in this week at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., about 70 miles east of Shreveport and 350 miles northwest of New Orleans. The school’s athletic programs have scattered among five universities.

The Bulldogs certainly sympathize with Tulane’s plight. The storm affected a handful of them, too, when it blew through the coastal hometowns of a handful of players.

But once the game starts, Mississippi State can’t worry about showing mercy.

“I feel for their coaches and players, but come Saturday when you get in between those white lines, it’s all business,” Bulldogs center Chris McNeil said.

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REPLACING GREENE:@ Georgia has used a committee approach to replacing All-American defensive end David Pollack.

Sophomore Charles Johnson has not started a game but he had two sacks against South Carolina last week, and might soon be heading that committee.

Will Thompson, a returning starter, and Quentin Moses, a top backup last season, are Georgia’s starting ends, but Moses said “the only thing holding Charles back now is his lack of experience.”

“If not for that, he might be starting,” Moses said. “He’s got more natural ability than any of the rest of the defensive ends, I believe.”

Moses recorded his first sack of the season last week.

Johnson, from Hawkinsville, Ga., played in 10 games as a freshman in 2004. He and Moses have a healthy competition.

“It’s just for bragging rights on who gets more sacks by the end of the season between me and Quentin,” he said.

Moses did not make a start last season but still finished with 6 1/2 sacks, including three in the final regular-season game against Georgia Tech. Pollack led the team with 12 1/2 sacks.

Coach Mark Richt said he views Thompson, Moses and Johnson all as starters.

“Down after down after down, Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson seem to be getting more pressure than the others, but they’re all capable of making plays,” Richt said.

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WHAT A GRAB:@ Tyrone Prothro’s Alabama teammates and coaches call it one of the best catches they’ve ever seen, a mix of focus and athleticism.

The Crimson Tide receiver sounds like he’s not sure what all the fuss is about.

“I just stuck my hands out there and the ball fell right in my hands,” Prothro said.

More precisely, he stuck his hands behind a Southern Miss defensive back, clutched the ball to the defender’s back, did a flip and came down with a much-needed reception for the Tide that’s been on highlight reels across the nation.

No big deal. Prothro’s 41-yard catch was the high point of the best game of his Alabama career. It came with 12 seconds left in the first half and Alabama trailing 21-10.

Replay officials reviewed the play, ruling it a catch and spotting it at the 1 to set up a touchdown in a 30-21 victory.

“It’s one of the best catches I’ve ever seen,” said quarterback Brodie Croyle. “But at the same time we see Prothro make tough catches, where you’re like how in the world did he do that, almost every day. He makes some incredible catches. We’re all like, ‘Great catch.’ But at the same time we’re like, ‘Big deal, he always makes those.'”

Prothro didn’t stop there, finishing with 279 all-purpose yards, the sixth-best single-game total in Tide history.