I wrote a story for today's newspaper about running back Ben Tate, who leads the SEC in rushing halfway through the season. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — Until a reporter pointed it out to him, Ben Tate was oblivious.

The Auburn running back, who leads the SEC in rushing at the halfway point of the season, had no idea upcoming opponent Kentucky ranked dead last in the league in run defense, giving up 177.8 yards per game.

Tate’s eyes lit up momentarily before he composed himself and gave a PC answer straight out of the no-bulletin-board-material handbook.

“You can’t really go in there thinking about that,” he said. “It’s an SEC defense. Any time they can buckle down. You always have to go in thinking that you’re running against somebody like Tennessee or Florida, because those are great defenses and you have to approach every game the same.”

The way Tate’s been running, it doesn’t matter who the defense is. The senior has 724 rushing yards through six games, averaging 120.7 a contest. That puts him eighth in the nation and tops among a deep group of SEC running backs that includes Mississippi State’s Anthony Dixon, Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty and Alabama’s Mark Ingram.

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