Mississippi 45, Vanderbilt 38

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was virtually silent and Mississippi was feeling deflated after blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to Vanderbilt.

Broken Leg Ends Ole Miss TE Zeigler's Season OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi tight end Doug Zeigler is out for the season after breaking his left leg Saturday during the Rebels' 45-38 win over Vanderbilt. The Rebels also lost a second starter in the first half when outside linebacker Lanier Goethie broke his left foot. He left the sideline on crutches and may be out for the year as well. Zeigler was taken off the field on a stretcher in the first quarter with a compound fracture. The senior was hurt while blocking on first-and-goal at the Commodores' 7 and lay motionless on his side for several minutes. The team said tests showed Zeigler broke his tibia and fibula. Zeigler has eight catches for 75 yards this season.

"It seemed like they had all the momentum," Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning said. "The crowd got quiet. It seemed dead on the sideline."

So, Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe turned to his offense, which had been so good all day, to come through again.

"I called them together and told them we needed to put together one more drive," he said. "It was just a matter of execution."

Eli Manning led the Rebels on an 80-yard touchdown drive, hitting five straight passes before Ronald McClendon broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that gave Ole Miss a 45-38 over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Manning threw for a career-high 386 yards and two touchdowns.

"For our team to be at it's lowest point and for it to come back and do what it takes to win the game was really encouraging," Cutcliffe said.

Ole Miss (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) beat Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2) for the ninth time in the last 10 meetings and was up 38-17 entering the fourth quarter.

Kwane Doster and Norval McKenzie each ran for more than 100 yards to lead the Commodores, who scored touchdowns on three straight possessions to tie the game at 38 with 6:51 left on a 3-yard run by Matthew Tant.

The Rebels answered with Manning and McClendon.

Manning passed for 44 yards to help the Rebels reach the 23. On second down, McClendon took a handoff up the middle, spun away from a tackler at the line and raced in for a touchdown to put Ole Miss up 45-38 with 3:12 left.

Vanderbilt's last drive reached the Ole Miss 27, but Yahrek Johnson hit Cutler from behind to force a fumble that was recovered by the Rebels with 15 seconds left.

"We should have won the game. We had ample opportunity," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said.

The teams combined for 957 total yards, and the Commodores lost their 11th straight SEC game.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a game turn like this," Cutcliffe said.

Manning was 6-for-8 for 232 yards in the third quarter as the teams moved up and down the field with ease.

Manning finished 24-for-41 and extended his streak of games with a touchdown pass to 16. He also became the first Ole Miss quarterback to have consecutive 300-yard games and set the school mark of career 300-yard games with four. Manning's father, Archie, was one of the players with three 300-yard passing games.

"He killed us," Johnson said.

The Commodores pulled to 16-10 on a field goal when the Rebels broke their first big play.

Chris Collins got behind the Vanderbilt secondary and Manning lofted a pass to the wide-open receiver, who went 79 yards for the score.

It took Vanderbilt less than two minutes to make it close again as Jay Cutler hit M.J. Garrett for a 49-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 23-17.

On the Rebels' next play from scrimmage, Manning went deep. He found Mike Espy, who was streaking down the middle with a step on the defender, for a 78-yard touchdown to make it 30-17.

Manning kept the hot hand on the Rebels' next possession, going 3-for-3 for 67 yards. Vashon Pearson capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. Pearson caught a 2-point conversion to make it 38-17.

Doster had 101 yards rushing and a touchdown, and 95-yard kickoff return that set up Vanderbilt's first fourth-quarter touchdown.

Cutler threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns, and his 1-yard TD sneak with 9:13 left cut the Ole Miss lead to 38-31.

"In the second half we played well and gave ourselves a chance to win the game. We just didn't come through in the end," Cutler said.

The Rebels lost two starters to serious injuries in the first half.

Tight end Doug Zeigler broke his left leg and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher with a compound fracture. He is out for the season. Outside linebacker Lanier Goethie broke his left foot and will most likely miss the rest of the year.

No. 8 Georgia 45, Northwestern State 7

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Georgia's offense needed a confidence boost. The opponent didn't matter.

The No. 8 Bulldogs took out two games worth of frustration on Division I-AA Northwestern State, routing the Demons 45-7 Saturday as David Greene tied a school record with four touchdown passes.

"I-AA or I-A, it really didn't matter," offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb said. "It was really good to go out and have a positive game."

The Bulldogs (3-0) raced to a 31-0 halftime lead against outmanned Northwestern State (3-1), which bused in from Louisiana to save money and held out its best player to save him for the conference schedule.

Georgia's offense was sluggish in victories over Clemson and South Carolina, scoring only three touchdowns. In fact, the special teams and defense accounted for more points.

"We won the first two games, but we'd still be scratching our heads after looking at the film Monday morning," Stinchcomb said. "Hopefully, this will serve as a catalyst, something we can build from."

Greene, who averaged just 118 yards passing in the first two games, completed 26 of 43 passes for 346 yards, including a pair of touchdowns to Terrence Edwards.

Greene joined four other Georgia quarterbacks who have thrown four TD passes in a game. The most recent was Cory Phillips -- now Greene's backup -- two years ago.

"We had some momentum," Greene said. "We just kept on going and were able to put some points on the board."

Northwestern State blitzed constantly, so the Bulldogs unveiled a four-receiver set. Greene took some brutal hits, but Georgia was able to take advantage of single coverage time after time.

Overall, the Bulldogs threw for 394 yards, going to the air 47 times. Fred Gibson had eight catches for 134 yards -- his second straight 100-yard game.

"We could tell on film that they like to bring the heat," Greene said. "They were taking a chance that they could get to me before I got rid of the ball."

The Demons might have been weary after a two-day bus trip from Natchitoches, La. The school wanted to save its travel budget for a charter flight later in the season to meet conference foe Jacksonville State.

Knowing that a win was unlikely, Northwestern State also held out safety Terrence McGee, who had two interceptions the previous week. Though he was bothered by sore thighs, the Demons were more concerned with keeping him fresh for their Southland Conference opponents.

"Georgia came out passing and running the no-huddle offense," Demons linebacker Kurt Rodriguez said. "We did not see much of that on film."

Northwestern State, ranked No. 10 in Division I-AA, was out of its element playing in front of 80,000 fans at Sanford Stadium.

"We had to get over the stigma of playing in front of this big crowd," coach Scott Stoker said. "We got overwhelmed early in the game. They are No. 8 in the country for a reason."

The Bulldogs jumped to a 14-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. Greene flipped a 5-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Brown, then Sean Jones blocked a punt and Bruce Thornton returned it 12 yards to the end zone.

Greene threw another 5-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter, this time hitting fullback J.T. Wall. With the clock winding down, the sophomore quarterback quickly guided the Bulldogs on a nine-play, 62-yard drive, connecting with Edwards on a 12-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half.

Despite the lopsided score, there were a few worrisome signs for the Bulldogs, who have much tougher games looming on the schedule.

Greene was pressured into an interception deep in Northwestern State territory. Gibson was stripped of the ball after a 27-yard reception, costing Georgia another chance to score. And two long returns by Damien Gary, one for a touchdown, were wiped out by penalties.

Overall, though, coach Mark Richt was pleased.

"I think this is going to help us," he said. "If we did not execute today, there would have been a lot of punts. We did execute well."

Northwestern State, which was held to just 65 yards in the first half, finally got going on its first possession of the second half. Kevin Magee finished the 80-yard drive with an 11-yard TD pass to Freddie Harrison.

Phillips took over in the fourth quarter, throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Michael Johnson. The five TD passes set a school team record.

Phillips moved to No. 2 on the depth chart after D.J. Shockley broke a bone in his left foot against South Carolina.

Georgia originally was scheduled to play Tulane on Saturday, but the Green Wave backed out of a three-game contract. The schools are now battling in federal court, with Georgia seeking nearly $1 million in damages.

Kentucky 44, Middle Tennessee 22

By STEVE BAILEY
AP Sports Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- As time ticked down on Kentucky's fourth straight victory to open the season, a seldom-heard chant rained down from the stands at Commonwealth Stadium.

"Beat the Gators," the raucous crowd yelled in unison Saturday as the Wildcats celebrated their 44-22 victory over Middle Tennessee.

With the victory, Kentucky improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1984. It also set up the Wildcats for a nationally televised, Southeastern Conference opener next weekend at No. 10 Florida.

"There's not anybody on this team or on this staff that's been 4-0 before," Kentucky coach Guy Morriss said proudly. "It's a special feeling.

"These kids are already pumped up about going down to play Florida. We think we're going to win every game. These kids really believe that."

The victory also gave Kentucky as many wins as it tallied in its past two seasons combined, when the Wildcats were at or near the bottom of the conference's standings and most of its statistical categories.

Artose Pinner, the SEC's leading rusher, continued to be the Wildcats' workhorse, rushing 24 times for 163 yards and scoring on runs of 54, 13 and 9 yards.

Pinner now has rushed for 100 or more yards in three straight games, equaling the number of 100-yard efforts he had his first three seasons. He also caught three passes for 19 yards, including a 13-yarder for a touchdown.

"Who would have ever thought we'd be 4-0 going into 'The Swamp'," Pinner said. "A lot of people thought our (in-state) rival would beat us, too, but we made it through that."

Jared Lorenzen, the conference's top-rated passer, also continued his stellar play, completing 22 of 31 passes for 305 yards, including scoring passes of 72, 33 and 9 yards.

"Our confidence is very, very high right now," said Lorenzen, who recorded his first 300-yard passing game of the year. "This is one of the tightest-knit bunch of guys I've been around, and it's just fun to go out and play."

Dwone Hicks rushed 16 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns to lead Middle Tennessee (0-3), which lost to an SEC school for the third straight week. His 1-yard TD plunge in the second quarter was the 45th of his career, giving him the school record.

Andrico Hines completed 10 of 19 passes for a career-best 202 yards and his first collegiate touchdown for the Blue Raiders, who are 1-5 against SEC schools over the past two seasons.

"We had chances and opportunities all day, but we missed too many tackles," Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum said. "That last run by Pinner was ridiculous. We had to miss eight tackles on that play.

"Overall, it wasn't a good day. We've got a lot to go back home and work on."

Kentucky scored on its first three possessions, aided by two Middle Tennessee fumbles, to go up 17-0 midway through the first quarter.

Pinner scored on a 13-yard run up the middle to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead with 12:10 remaining. Lorenzen then found a wide-open Derek Abney for a 33-yard TD with 9:25 to play.

ReShard Lee fumbled away the ensuing kickoff at Middle Tennessee's 26. Four plays later, Taylor Begley hit a 49-yard field goal to give Kentucky a 17-0 lead.

Middle Tennessee rebounded with a 10-play, 99-yard drive, scoring on Hicks' 1-yard run and a 2-point conversion to cut the margin to 17-8 with 12:06 remaining in the half.

Pinner scored on a 9-yard run on Kentucky's next possession to push the lead to 24-8 with 8:08 to play. But Hines found Tyrone Calico with a 24-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 24-16 at halftime.

A bench-clearing brawl at the end of the half led to the ejections of two players from each team -- Kentucky offensive linemen Sylvester Miller and Michael Aitcheson and Middle Tennessee defensive linemen Devarick Scandrett and Jerry Vanderpool.

Hicks scored on a 17-yard run on Middle Tennessee's first possession of the second half, cutting the lead to 24-22.

"I was proud of our offensive line," McCollum said. "We did some nice things rushing the football, and they came out as a group and took the challenge."

But Kentucky answered with an 80-yard drive of its own, scoring on Lorenzen's 13-yard pass to Pinner to go up 30-22.

The Wildcats sealed the game on their next possession as Lorenzen hit Aaron Boone on a quick slant down the middle for a 72-yard touchdown.

Pinner completed the scoring with a nifty 54-yard run down the left sideline, spinning through three would-be tacklers near the line of scrimmage before bouncing off two other defenders to get to the outside.

"I'm going to have to get him a cape," Morriss said. "He's unbelievable."

Boone finished with six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Abney had four receptions for 78 yards and another score.

No. 10 Florida 30, No. 4 Tennessee 13

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
AP Football Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- When it rained, it poured points for 10th-ranked Florida.

The Gators thrived in Swamp-like conditions Saturday, scoring 24 second-quarter points during a downpour for a 30-13 victory over No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday.

It stopped raining for the second half, but by then it was too late for the Volunteers, who matched a school record with eight fumbles -- seven in the first half and four in a row at one point. The Vols lost three of them.

The win was exactly what the Gators (3-1, 1-0 SEC) needed in their quest to prove they can win big games under new coach Ron Zook, just as they did under former coach Steve Spurrier.

"Every win is big, but obviously this is a big one and I'm going to enjoy it a lot," Zook said. "At the same time, we're still not where we need to be, but we're getting better and better."

In a splish-splashing five-minute span to close the first half, the Gators made their statement before a disbelieving crowd of 108,722 at Neyland Stadium. While the Vols (2-1, 0-1) had trouble tackling and holding the football, Florida thrived in the rain.

"The conditions were not real conducive to hanging onto the ball," Zook said, "but we were fortunate to hold onto it more than they did. We've practiced in the rain, and played in it last week."

The Gators now have taken control of the SEC East and also remain in national championship contention despite a 41-16 loss two weeks ago to No. 1 Miami that had fans worried about the team's direction under Zook. The doubts increased after last week's unimpressive victory over Ohio in the Gainesville rain.

Saturday's turnaround was a bitter disappointment for the Vols, who had expected to win.

"That second quarter was an embarrassment. I apologize to the fans and to the people who follow Tennessee football," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said.

Fulmer said he runs his team through a wet-ball drill every Tuesday, "but I didn't do a very good job."

Tennessee tried to come back in the third quarter when Casey Clausen threw a 15-yard TD pass to Derrick Tinsley and Jabari Davis scored from a yard out to get the Vols to 24-13. But the Gators refused to fold, thanks to Grossman. He threw his third scoring pass -- a 21-yarder to Taylor Jacobs -- with 10:49 left in the game.

Grossman revived his Heisman Trophy chances by completing 20 of 34 passes for 324 yards. He had two interceptions -- one on a tipped pass and the other in the fourth quarter with the game all but decided. Jacobs, who also caught a 7-yard TD pass in the second quarter, finished with nine catches for 141 yards.

"Grossman, in my opinion, probably won the Heisman tonight," Fulmer said.

Clausen, who fumbled four times and lost one, was 30-of-44 for 285 yards.

"If I can't get the snap, we can't run the play, so it's something we have to work on," Clausen said. "To play in big games, you can't make mistakes."

Grossman said he had no problems handling the wet ball.

After a scoreless first quarter, the rain began falling heavily, and that's when the Gators swamped the Vols. In a sequence that saw Tennessee fumble the ball on four consecutive plays, the Gators ran to a 24-0 halftime lead.

Florida's flurry began with controversy on Earnest Graham's 1-yard touchdown run with 4:55 left in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Graham appeared to be stopped for no gain. But officials ruled that the ball had crossed the goal line. Replays were inconclusive.

Tennessee's troubles quickly worsened. On the Vols' first play after the score, Clausen fumbled the snap and Marcus Oquendo-Johnson recovered for the Gators at the Tennessee 24.

Three plays later, Grossman hit wide receiver Carlos Perez for a 28-yard TD pass, threading the ball into the end zone between four Tennessee defenders with 3:40 left.

Then things got even nuttier. With the rain turning the field into a quagmire, Corey Larkins fielded the kickoff on a bounce and fumbled it away, and Florida's Johnny Lamar recovered at the Vols 20. But Tennessee temporarily turned back the Gators when Grossman's pass was tipped and intercepted by Rashad Baker at the 1.

Clausen fumbled the next two snaps but managed to fall on the ball each time. The Gators forced a punt, then took over on their 38 with 1:27 to go in the half. Grossman hit Perez for 22 yards as the receiver slipped away from several would-be tacklers. Ran Carthon then took off on runs of 16 and 5 yards before Grossman hit Jacobs on the 7-yard TD pass with 42 seconds left for a 21-0 lead.

Then came the finishing touch: a seventh fumble. This time, Troy Fleming lost the ball and Florida's Clint Mitchell recovered at the Vols' 24 with 2 seconds left. Matt Leach ran onto the field and kicked a 41-yard field goal -- the longest of his career -- and the boos came down on the home team.

"It just got sloppy and they took us for granted," Gators left guard Shannon Snell said. "We got the turnovers and we capitalized on them. We went out there and got our respect from Tennessee."

The 17-point margin of victory was the largest in this series since Florida's 62-37 win in 1995. The last four games were decided by four points or fewer.

Kelley Washington, who topped 1,000 yards receiving last season, played for the first time this season after being out with a sprained knee. He caught two passes for 20 yards.

South Carolina 42, Temple 21

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Coach Lou Holtz promised he would get some new players on the field to shake things up for South Carolina.

Led by Corey Jenkins, the senior who just got the starting nod this year, the new blood delivered as the Gamecocks (2-2) beat Temple 42-21 on Saturday night.

Jenkins, who was 18-for-23 for 198 yards, threw two touchdowns to freshman receivers and ran for two more scores. After the game, he grinned when asked how the youngsters adjusted to playing before more than 80,000 people at Williams-Brice Stadium.

"They were excited. You should have seen them in warmups," Jenkins said.

The Gamecocks also solved their turnover problem. After giving the ball away 12 times in their first three games, South Carolina had just one against Temple, while picking off two passes.

"If we don't stab ourselves by turning the ball over, it's going to be tough to beat us," Jenkins said.

Temple (1-3) was led by Tanardo Spikes, who gained 143 yards on 21 carries. But he left the game at halftime with a broken tooth.

"Tanardo Sharps being out -- looks like to me that was the turning point," Owls coach Bobby Wallace said.

Senior fullback Andrew Pinnock, South Carolina's second-leading rusher behind Jenkins, never touched the ball Saturday after fumbling twice inside the 5-yard line last week.

Instead, after what Jenkins called a solid week of practice, coach Lou Holtz handed the ball to freshmen Daccus Turman, who had 39 yards on six carries and a touchdown catch. Kenny Irons carried the ball nine times for 30 yards.

Holtz said he planned to play Pinnock, but Turman was having too good of a game. "Andrew Pinnock is an important part of this football team," the coach said.

Two rookie receivers also had big impacts, as Troy Williamson had four catches for 75 yards and Kris Clark caught the ball twice for 36 yards.

"I feel like I can make something happen when I touch the ball," said Williamson, who rolled right with Jenkins in the third quarter to catch a 24-yard touchdown pass that put the Gamecocks ahead 35-14.

It was part of a third quarter that saw South Carolina put the game away with nine first downs and 140 yards compared to Temple's 12 yards and one first down.

"We had a good week of practice," Jenkins said. "We played with the intensity tonight that we had in practice."

The Owls ran 29 more plays than the Gamecocks and had the ball close to 13 minutes longer than South Carolina. In the first quarter, Temple outgained South Carolina 146 to 78. But helped by a Deandre Eiland's 69-yard interception return, the Gamecocks were able to keep it tied at 14 after the first 15 minutes.

Temple also had trouble finishing possessions. The Owls' biggest drives were a 19-play drive that ended in a 31-yard missed field goal by Cap Poklemba near halftime and a 17-play fourth quarter drive long after the game was decided.

"We beat them all day up front. It just comes down to making plays and we didn't do enough of that," said Temple quarterback Mike McGann, who was 9-for-23 for 78 yards.

Zamir Cobb caught seven passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns for the Owls.

Holtz said he didn't like the way his defensive line was pushed around and he wasn't happy with several defense miscues.

"The 10 penalties on defense put me in a bad mood," Holtz said.

The Gamecocks play Vanderbilt next week, and Holtz was getting ready, calling the Commodores "explosive and physical."

"I am not easy to please," Holtz said. "I am very pleased to win because we beat a good football team. But we will have to get better."

Alabama 20, Southern Miss 7

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Bad things were happening when Alabama threw the ball. So the Crimson Tide quit bothering.

Shaud Williams rushed for 135 yards, and Ahmaad Galloway added 89 yards rushing and a touchdown as Alabama overpowered Southern Mississippi 20-7 on Saturday night.

The Tide (3-1) resorted to smashmouth football after quarterback Tyler Watts left with a sprained left foot in the first quarter, handing it off repeatedly to a quartet of running backs.

"I just got into one of those zones all running backs talk about," Williams said. "The guys up front did a great job.

"The offensive line just wanted to keep pounding and that's what we did."

The Golden Eagles (3-1), who were going for their first 4-0 start since 1981, had far less success with Derrick Nix, an Alabama native who came in as the nation's No. 2 rusher and gained 57 yards on 14 carries. The normally potent Southern Miss running game was held to 35 yards on 26 carries.

"We controlled the line of scrimmage all night, and we really didn't give him many opportunities to get going," Franchione said of Nix. "Our defense tackled very well, and that was one thing we knew we had to do to defend Derrick Nix."

The Tide, who have allowed just 85 yards rushing in the past three games, are off to their first 3-1 start since 1999, and did it with virtually no passing game.

"Everybody was talking about how good the running back was," defensive tackle Kenny King said. "On the field, he looks like a great running back. But we want to prove to everyone our defense is a good defense and we can stop the run."

Alabama's offense muscled for 351 rushing yards on 64 attempts for its second straight week over 300, but stalled several times in Southern Miss territory, losing three turnovers.

Galloway limped off the field late and walked to the lockerroom on crutches, but Franchione wouldn't comment on his status.

Backup kicker Brian Bostick had fourth-quarter field goals of 39 and 29 yards to seal it.

"We were just lucky the defense played a great game," said Croyle, who was 4-of-15 for 15 yards and was intercepted twice. "I really came out in the second half and didn't do what I was supposed to do. We got conservative, but we still put points up on the board."

The defenses bedeviled the two young quarterbacks.

Croyle, a redshirt freshman, rushed for an 11-yard score in the second quarter but virtually handed Southern Miss its only score.

Michael Boley returned his second interception for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 14-7 late in the third quarter. Croyle was scrambling on a third-down play and lost his grip on the ball as he tried to pass just before going out of bounds.

It went straight into Boley's hands a few yards away, and he raced untouched down the sidelines.

"I was just going to throw the ball out of bounds and it slipped out of my hands," Croyle said.

Southern Miss sophomore Micky D'Angelo fared little better under relentless pressure, going 8-of-27 for 110 yards with an interception. He had a string of nine straight incompletions before the Golden Eagles' final two possessions.

"We certainly didn't do anything offensively up front," Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower said. "They ran their stuff and out-executed us."

Southern Miss had just five first downs and 99 total yards before the two desperation drives. Backed up to their own 4 by penalties, the Golden Eagles drove to the Alabama 35 before Kenny King recovered a fumble D'Angelo.

Then, he fumbled again -- the team's fourth -- at his own 2 in the final minutes. Southern Miss stuffed Williams on three straight carries before time ran out.

Watts was hurt after his second straight rush on the opening series. He missed the final three games last season with a torn groin muscle.