Here’s what a few notable head coaches said after Saturday’s key games:

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MARK RICHT on Todd Gurley’s career-high 208 yards rushing against Tennessee: “Earlier in the year, I said he is at least one of the best players in the country. Now, I’m saying he’s the best player in America. I can’t imagine anyone being more talented, a guy who loves his team more, and a guy who means more to his team than he does to us.”

KEVIN SUMLIN after Texas A&M erased a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas in overtime: “What a heckuva game. I’m extremely proud of the effort of our older guys. We get categorized as a young football team because of our (sophomore) quarterback. Our older guys led us and in and out of a real football game, a physical game. Deshazor Everett leaves a game with a shoulder and ends up making critical plays at the end. Malcome Kennedy, I thought he was done. Matter of fact, they said he was done and I looked up and he goes running right back on the field and catches a winning touchdown. Those guys epitomized what today’s effort was about.

GARY PINKEL on his team’s will to win despite being down 13 points late at South Carolina: “It was the opposite of last year. Games like that can change your team.”

MARK STOOPS on his team’s defensive performance against Vanderbilt and most importantly, Kentucky’s first SEC win in 18 games: “All right. That was a thing of beauty. (laughter) For a defensive guy, it was. Very proud of our effort. It’s great to get a victory. It was nice to see our team fight through adversity. It wasn’t easy, we had to dig in, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy and to come away with a victory.

STEVE SPURRIER after his Gamecocks squandered a late lead and looked off offensively throughout: “Gee, I thought we could throw and catch a little better than we did, but we didn’t … sometimes when that happens, you get beat I guess, simple as that.”

BUTCH JONES after Tennessee nearly knocked off Georgia as a double-digit underdog in Athens: “We have a lot to play for … it’s very early in the season. We are going to stay together and maintain focus, discipline and composure. Losses should hurt. This team does hurt because they have invested a lot, but when we come back on Sunday, we go to work. We get the opportunity to come home and play in front of our great fans in another SEC divisional game and rivalry game. We have great character on our football team now and I expect them to handle this and move forward.”

GUS MALZAHN on Auburn improving to 4-0 with a victory over Louisiana Tech: “We had some big plays in the passing game, the one right before halftime. That was one of the things that gave us a little bit of breathing room. Overall, I am extremely happy that we won. We are 4-0. We played some good teams, and I think we are in a good spot.”