Tennessee facing No. 1 LSU with Bray out of the lineup

Sporting News? coverage of Week 7 rolls on with a look at two 3:30 p.m. ET games. Follow all of today's action on our live scoreboard.

No. 1 LSU at Tennessee

When Tennessee QB Tyler Bray told media types after last week?s game that he had a broken finger, coach Derek Dooley told the reporters not to make much of it.

?He?s not a doctor,? Dooley said.

Perhaps the coach was being hopeful. It didn?t take long, though, before Bray?s diagnosis was confirmed, and now Bray (broken thumb) has to give way to senior Matt Simms.

Simms has stayed close, exerting his leadership despite being bumped out of a job by a freshman in the middle of last season.

?No doubt, it is tough to be that kind of a leader even though you?re the second-team quarterback,? Simms told the Knoxville News Sentinel this week. ?But, to be honest with you, I didn?t care because this is my senior year, this is (defensive lineman) Malik Jackson?s senior year, and we understand that it doesn?t really matter.

?We?re all a part of the same team, and obviously it?s kind of an awkward situation at times, but sometimes you have to put some of that stuff aside and realize that we?re all here for the same purpose. It?s tough, but we?ve just got to deal with it.?

His maturity and perspective is to be applauded. Hard to say how much it will help when No. 1 LSU comes to Neyland Stadium today. Tennessee (3-2, 0-2) is still looking for its first SEC victory this season, and it would amount to the biggest upset if the year if, with a backup QB, the Vols were to defeat LSU.

LSU cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne could make Simms? life miserable. Claiborne has the superior coverage skills, while Mathieu is a ball hawk, as the sophomore leads LSU in forced fumbles. Tennessee, meanwhile, hasn?t intercepted a pass since the season-opener.

No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Texas

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden turned 28?28!?on Friday. He got a lot of playful ribbing from his much younger teammates.

But if they want to give him a gift that matters, the No. 6 Cowboys will keep hitting No. 22 Texas where it hurts. The Longhorns are undoubtedly battered and bruised after the beatdown Oklahoma handed them last week in the Red River Rivalry.

Texas has had an uncanny way of getting back on its feet after falling to OU. That?s not good news for Weeden and company. Despite their superior offensive talent?and despite the way in which OU quarterback Landry Jones picked the UT secondary apart last week?Oklahoma State still has to be leery here.

Oklahoma threw 50 passes against Texas. The Cowboys are as likely to match or surpass that.

?I think the common denominator is what you understand, that if you don't out-execute them, they're going to make you look bad," Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. "And that's really what those offenses do have in common is that they both execute at a high level.

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