Last weekend’s Southeastern Conference battle between Georgia and Florida had a different feel to it — both teams were unranked.
This week’s clash between No. 18 Arkansas and No. 19 South Carolina has the opposite vibe, as both teams enter the game with 6-2 records.
The Gamecocks are at the mark for the third time in four seasons, while Arkansas is 6-2 for the first time since 2006.
But despite a big weekend in football, a dark cloud hangs over the conference with the loss of Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell.
MISSISSIPPI STATE LOSES  DEFENSIVE END TO CANCER
Just one month ago, Nick Bell was battling in the trenches of the Mississippi State defensive line.
Tuesday afternoon, the 20-year-old redshirt sophomore lost his battle with cancer.
Diagnosed with skin cancer earlier this fall, Bell played in the first four games for the Bulldogs, including two starts against Auburn and Georgia.
Bell had a tumor removed from his brain Oct. 1 and was expected to begin chemotherapy this week.
“Right now our team’s going through some tough times dealing with a situation that you hope no team has to go through,” said Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. “It’s tough for young people to deal with the reality of the situation we’re dealing with.”
Mullen and a bus of Bulldogs traveled to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday evening to visit with Bell and his family at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center.
The team was informed of Bell’s death at a team meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Bell played 16 games in his career, recording 22 tackles and two sacks, including one this season against LSU.
Les Miles called Bell’s death “very unfortunate.”
“It’s certainly very unfortunate,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “I have not had to deal with something like this, but I can tell you our sympathy goes out to his family. It’s hard to see a life ended that has so much potential.”
SOUTH CAROLINA HOSTS   ARKANSAS IN SEC PLAY
Arkansas has won the last three meetings between these two schools and desperately needs a fourth if it hopes to stay alive in the SEC West.
The Razorbacks currently sit fourth in the West but have not been mathematically eliminated yet.
South Carolina holds the top spot in the SEC East and can strengthen its lead over Florida with a win this weekend.
With both teams needing a big win, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino knows this year’s duel won’t be a walk in the park.
“We’ve got to go on the road and face a very, very good football team that has the SEC’s leading receiver and running back,” Petrino said. “We’re excited about it. We think it will be a great challenge, but our football team is preparing and doing a good job.”
The wide receiver Petrino is referring to is 6-foot-4-inch sophomore Alshon Jeffery.
Jeffery leads the conference with 935 receiving yards on the year, averaging 116.9 yards per game. He has also tacked on seven touchdowns.
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]