No. 8 Georgia 41, New Mexico State 10

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Damien Gary and Georgia have turned the punt into one of the game's most exciting plays.

Gary returned one 71 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, and the No. 8 Bulldogs went on to beat New Mexico State 41-10 Saturday. Georgia (4-0) also blocked a punt for the second week in a row.

"I doubt anyone is going to get popcorn when the other team goes back to punt," coach Mark Richt said. "We have a chance to block it or return it for a TD."

Gary also caught a 20-yard scoring pass, but he's most dangerous when he drops deep on the special teams. He already was leading the Southeastern Conference in punt returns, and his season average jumped to 17.7 yards.

"I'm approaching every play like it's one play and out," Gary said. "Unless they kick it out of bounds, I definitely think I'm going to bring it all the way back."

New Mexico State (1-3) went ahead 7-0 after intercepting a tipped pass deep in Georgia territory.

The Bulldogs struggled on their first two possessions, prompting a few boos from the Sanford Stadium crowd. But Gary turned things around with the opening quarter winding down.

After cradling a long, high punt at his own 29, Gary picked his way up the right side, got a big block from Ben Watson and broke into the clear for the second touchdown return of his career.

The previous week, Gary had an 80-yard TD return against Northwestern State nullified by a penalty. This time, he looked back to make sure there were no flags.

"If Damien doesn't fair catch it, he's going to get some yards," Georgia quarterback David Greene said. "You know he's going to make the first guy miss, and maybe two or three guys. I've been here three years, and I've never seen the first guy tackle him."

Greene had a pair of TD passes, while Musa Smith ran for two more scores as the Bulldogs routed an overmatched opponent for the second week in a row. Last week they beat Division I-AA Northwestern State 45-7.

Still, there were troubling signs for the Georgia offense, which disappeared in the second half after building a 34-7 lead. The team ran 21 plays for just 74 yards over the final two quarters. New Mexico State finished with a commanding lead in plays (84-56) and time of possession (41:07-18:53).

Twice, Greene overthrew Terrence Edwards, who had broken into the clear for possible touchdown plays. Also, Watson dropped a pass in the end zone.

The Bulldogs don't have long to correct their mistakes. They travel to Alabama next Saturday, then return home to play Tennessee.

"We've cut down the missed assignments tremendously," Richt said. "But we've got accuracy and pass-catching problems. It could have been a heck of an offensive game. So many opportunities were presented to us."

Edwards admitted that the Bulldogs let down after halftime.

"When you've got a 34-7 lead, it's easy to get complacent," he said. "We did not look sharp in the second half. Next week is probably not going to be a blowout. We're going to have to focus the whole game."

Kentrall Curry also had a big return for the Bulldogs, bringing back an interception for a 78-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. By then, many fans already had headed for home.

New Mexico State played the last of its big-money games, having already lost at South Carolina and California. The Georgia game was sandwiched between two of the Aggies' big rivalries: they beat New Mexico last week and take on Texas-El Paso next Saturday.

"We did not handle the adversity of (Gary's) punt return," coach Tony Samuel said. "This game is so emotional. We were really flat after that. The kids were in shock at the half."

Greene completed 19 of 34 for 207 yards, but his first pass of the day was tipped at the line by Traydell Bullock and intercepted by Robert Canidate, who brought it back to the Georgia 19. Two plays later, quarterback Paul Dombrowski ran in from 2 to give the Aggies a surprising lead.

On Georgia's next possession, Greene overthrew Edwards, who was wide open behind the secondary, and Jonathan Kilgo shanked a 13-yard punt, giving New Mexico State another scoring chance.

But a clipping penalty pushed the Aggies back. They didn't have much success the rest of the day, managing only a late field goal despite their overwhelming lead in possession time.

On the first play of the second quarter, Greene hooked up with Gary on a 20-yard scoring play over the middle, putting Georgia ahead for good at 14-7. The Bulldogs scored three more touchdowns before halftime for a 34-7 lead.

No. 22 LSU 31, Mississippi State 13

By MARY FOSTER
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Domanick Davis planned to give his LSU teammates a boost.

He did that and then some.

Davis gained 295 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns to lead No. 22 LSU past Mississippi State 31-13 Saturday.

"We started out flat and someone had to step up," Davis said. "Today it was me."

The defending Southeastern Conference champions (3-1, 1-0) have beaten Mississippi State (1-3, 0-2) in 10 of the last 11 games, including six straight at Tiger Stadium.

Davis, who had two punt returns for touchdowns nullified by penalties in LSU's first two games, wasted no time getting one that counted against the Bulldogs.

He put the Tigers up 7-0 the first time they got the ball after returning a punt 78 yards for a touchdown. It's the first time Mississippi State allowed a punt return for a score since 1994.

"Davis is not easy to get your hands on," Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill said. "I thought that we would be able to make some plays on him, but we just couldn't get our hands on him."

Davis finished with 122 yards rushing and 173 yards on returns. It was his ninth straight game with at least 100 all-purpose yards. In all, LSU outrushed the Bulldogs 256 yards to 88.

On LSU's next possession, Matt Mauck fumbled and Mississippi State recovered, leading to a 21-yard field goal by Brent Smith that cut the Tigers' lead to 7-3.

Mauck struggled all afternoon, completing 4 of 12 passes for 52 yards. His longest pass was a 36-yard touchdown, and he ran for a 2-yard score. He also fumbled twice and was sacked once.

"It's obvious to everybody we need to throw the ball better," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "It wasn't all Matt, though."

Kevin Fant, who was pulled late in the fourth quarter, went 15-of-39 for 122 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked once.

In the second quarter, Devery Henderson fumbled and Mississippi State's Josh Morgan returned the ball to the LSU 2-yard line. On the next play, Dontae Walker scored, putting Mississippi State ahead 10-7.

On LSU's next drive, Mauck again fumbled, giving the Bulldogs first down on the LSU 36. But the Bulldogs could not capitalize. A 47-yard field-goal attempt was tipped and fell short.

LSU regained the lead a minute before halftime when Davis scored on a 5-yard run, making it 14-10. On the 70-yard drive, Davis picked up 62 yards.

"Once I'm feeling it, I'm the type of runner who wants to keep rolling," Davis said.

Mauck added to the Tigers' lead with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Henderson in the third quarter, putting LSU up 21-10.

"It was hard to find openings in the passing game," Mauck said. "But it opened it up for our runners."

Corey Webster intercepted Fant and returned it 26 yards to set up a 26-yard field goal by John Corbello that gave LSU a 24-10 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Smith kicked a 52-yard field goal for Mississippi State to open the fourth quarter. With 9:42 left in the game, Corbello's 19-yard field goal attempt hit the upright, but Mississippi State was offsides, giving the Tigers another possession. Mauck scored on a 2-yard run to make it 31-13.

No. 7 Florida 41, Kentucky 34

By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Kickers and punters went running for cover. Return men and defensive backs were begging for more.

In a wild game better suited for the back yard than The Swamp, No. 7 Florida overcame a season's worth of special-teams miscues to somehow end up with a 41-34 win over revitalized Kentucky on Saturday.

Keiwan Ratliff returned an interception for a touchdown and scored two points on a defensive conversion to help the Gators (4-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) overcome their own errors and Derek Abney's two special-teams touchdowns.

When it was over, after nearly four hours of big plays, big mistakes and huge momentum shifts, two points were clear: Despite their victory over Tennessee last week, the Gators still have problems.

And Kentucky (4-1, 0-1) is legitimate -- and disappointed.

"Moral victories don't get you into bowls," Wildcats quarterback Jared Lorenzen said. "They don't get you into BCS polls. It makes you feel good for about three hours, and that's it."

Rex Grossman threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns to Taylor Jacobs, but on this day, that wasn't the big news. There were too many other crazy things happening, mostly on special teams.

Florida's Matt Leach had two extra points blocked. Punter Sean Morton dropped a clean snap. Morton's replacement, Jason Hunter, had another punt blocked. Earnest Graham lost a fumble that led to a quick Kentucky touchdown.

Abney had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and returned a punt 49 yards for another score, the seventh time in NCAA history a player has returned both for a touchdown.

It was a special-teams debacle courtesy of Florida coach Ron Zook, who is supposedly a special-teams guru. After watching those units break down for the umpteenth time, Zook simply stood on the sideline with hand on hip, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's as bad as I've ever seen it," Zook conceded. "I'll take full responsibility, and I'll get it corrected."

Abney's punt return pulled Kentucky to within 39-34 with 5:24 left, and might have left the Gators wondering what else could go wrong.

Just then, Ratliff stepped in front of Lorenzen's pass and made it to the end zone for a second time, this time for two points and a seven-point lead.

"I saw in the first half that they weren't really respecting me, and they were coming at me," Ratliff said. "I knew I would get some opportunities to make plays."

Kentucky stopped Florida on its next possession, but came up empty when it got the ball back. The Gators ran the clock down to 2 seconds, and the game ended when Marcus Oquendo-Johnson sacked Lorenzen before he could get off a desperation heave.

Zook, once again, was spinning a success story despite a wildly uneven effort.

"If we weren't a team that had a chance to be good, we'd have lost today," he said. "Nobody quit."

Kentucky, meanwhile, is at least one step away from learning how to win games like these.

Teams that score 14 points on special teams and another 20 directly off the other team's errors should win, and Kentucky failed. It was a harsh disappointment for the Wildcats, 19-point underdogs who were off to their first 4-0 start since 1984 and seeking their first win over Florida since '86.

"I don't want anyone to feel like just because we beat the point spread, we beat Florida," senior linebacker Ronnie Riley said. "I'm totally against that. I don't get to play Florida anymore, and that upsets me."

Artrose Pinner, the SEC's leading rusher, finished with 90 yards on 20 carries. Playing on a short field most of the day, Kentucky's hefty lefty, Lorenzen, threw for 180 yards and two scores.

His second TD pass, a 39-yard hookup with Aaron Boone, came one play after Graham's fumble. It gave the Wildcats a 28-25 lead with 3 minutes left in the third quarter, leaving The Swamp in shock after the Gators held a 19-0 halftime lead.

Grossman said he never panicked.

"It was really wild," he said. "But at the same time, we knew we could drive the ball and score points. It's not like we were playing the New England Patriots."

Still, this was no predictable game -- and no typical week for either the Gators or Wildcats.

Zook took to the sideline just two days after his father, Pete, died of cancer he was diagnosed with about a month after his son was named coach of the Gators last winter.

The Gators wore black patches with the name "Pete" on their helmets to honor Zook's father. Before the game, Zook ran out of the tunnel first and pointed skyward, in a split-second tribute to his dad.

Zook called it "a roller-coaster ride" -- not only the game, but the week and the last nine months.

"But that's part of it," he said. "Unfortunately, we all have to go through that at times. For 48 years, I've tried to please my father. Today, I did exactly what he wanted me to do."

No. 11 Tennessee 35, Rutgers 14

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
AP Sports Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Rutgers kept Kelley Washington from making any plays the first half. When the Scarlet Knights left Tennessee's star receiver alone after halftime, that's when the Volunteers started rolling.

Vols' Simon Breaks Ankle KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee linebacker Kevin Simon broke his right ankle Saturday in the No. 11 Volunteers' game against Rutgers. The freshman became the starting weakside linebacker when Kevin Burnett was lost for the season with a knee injury. Simon was hurt at the beginning of the second half trying to tackle Rutgers quarterback Ryan Cubit. Simon was carried off the field, and team trainers said he had a fractured ankle.

Washington had seven catches for 197 yards and a touchdown, all in the second half, as the 11th-ranked Volunteers stumbled badly early on but rallied to beat Rutgers 35-14 Saturday.

"Basically, I was smothered ," Washington said of his first half shutout. "I was one-on-one in the second half. I took that as a disgrace, and took it upon myself to get it done."

Amazingly, the Vols (3-1) needed Washington to bail them out against the lowly Scarlet Knights (1-4).

Nathan Jones returned the opening kickoff 100 yards, and Rutgers had a 14-17 halftime lead. After missing his first two games with a sore right knee and barely being a factor in last week's loss to Florida, Washington caught his first pass 23 seconds into the third quarter.

He had three straight catches, including one he turned into a 52-yard gain down the sideline, before Jason Witten capped the series with a 13-yard touchdown reception to tie it at 14. Washington's 48-yard catch on the next possession set up Troy Fleming's 16-yard touchdown run with 10:07 left in the third quarter.

Washington finally scored when he caught a pass from Casey Clausen, ran past Jones and ran 58 yards untouched to the orange-and-white checkerboard to put Tennessee ahead for good.

Despite his injury, Washington was criticized by fans and some of his teammates for running out of bounds and dropping to the ground to avoid tackles in the 30-13 loss to the Gators. On Saturday, coach Phillip Fulmer praised and defended him again.

"Kelley is a fine football player and good for our football team," Fulmer said. "I said that last week, too."

Jabari Davis added the Vols' final score on a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:41 remaining.

Clausen rebounded from the Florida game -- in which the Vols fumbled five snaps -- by completing 15 of 28 passes for three touchdowns and 284 yards.

"I think we got the Florida business out of our system," Fulmer said.

Fulmer suspended two starters for the game -- defensive end Karlton Neal and offensive guard Anthony Herrera -- as well as backup receiver Montrell Jones. Fulmer said the players broke team rules but did not elaborate. The coach said he didn't know when the players would return, but he expected it to be soon.

Until the Vols could get the ball to Washington in this game, Rutgers controlled the game. From the moment they opted to receive on the coin toss, the Scarlet Knights didn't look anything like the 40 1/2-point underdogs they were supposed to be. Jones' opening return prompted loud boos from the crowd of 103,925.

Rutgers went for broke after the return, recovering an onside kick at the Tennessee 48. The drive stalled there, but the Vols had been issued a serious challenge.

"It's no secret that Tennessee is more talented than we are. If we play things close to the vest, we can't win," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. "There were a few things we saw that we took advantage of."

At first, the Vols didn't respond, looking as unprepared and disorganized as the week before. The Scarlet Knights had 221 total offensive yards to Tennessee's 63, had 14 first downs to only 7 for the Vols, and had the ball nearly 21 minutes in the half.

Tennessee drove to the Rutgers 14 on its first drive, but Alex Walls missed a 40-yard field goal attempt wide left.

The Vols finally got something to go their way when Keyon Whiteside intercepted Ryan Cubit's pass and returned it 26 yards to the Rutgers 10. Tennessee tied it three plays later on Clausen's 14-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Tinsley with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

Not to be outdone, Rutgers drove 80 yards on its next possession, ending with an 11-yard touchdown reception by Chris Loomis at the beginning of the second quarter.

Tennessee couldn't sustain a drive, giving Rutgers another chance to score before halftime. Cubit completed a 15-yard pass to T.J. Smith and then ran 4 yards to the Tennessee 1 as time was running out.

Cubit, who started in place of injured Ted Trump, spiked the ball to stop the clock, but the officials ruled that time had run out.

For the second straight week, the Vols had trouble running the ball. They finished with 94 yards on 23 attempts.

Rutgers got plenty of blocking from its offensive line, and Clarence Pittman ran for 104 yards on 31 carries.

South Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 14

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The South Carolina Gamecocks found several ways to stop themselves Saturday night. Corey Jenkins made sure one mistake didn't keep them out of the end zone when it mattered most.

Fullback Andrew Pinnock ran the wrong way on a planned shovel pass, and Jenkins salvaged the play by running 12 yards for the go-ahead touchdown as the Gamecocks held off Vanderbilt 20-14.

"Offensively, Corey Jenkins and our split ends played well," South Carolina coach Lou Holtz said. "It was a game that went back and forth. Vanderbilt did not make a mistake until the end. Any time you get a win in the SEC, you have to be happy."

Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-3) has lost 12 straight Southeastern Conference games, but the Commodores had their chances to end that streak against South Carolina (3-2, 1-1).

The Commodores got the ball back with 1:41 left trailing 20-14 and drove near midfield before stalling. South Carolina clinched the victory when Jonathan Martin intercepted a Jay Cutler pass with 29 seconds left on fourth-and-17.

"It's the same story," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "Another close game that we didn't win. I thought our guys played hard and well most of the game. I think some of their good athletes made some good plays that allowed them to win the football game."

South Carolina has won three straight in this series and is 10-2 overall against Vanderbilt.

Credit Jenkins. He ran for 97 yards and threw for 180 yards despite having injuries decimate his offensive line, leaving him behind four backups at times. Andrew Pinnock also carried 17 times for 69 yards.

The Gamecocks didn't take the lead for good until Jenkins took over just after Vanderbilt went ahead 14-10 in the third quarter.

Jenkins led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with his 12-yard TD run up the middle for a 17-10 lead with 4:05 left in the third. He completed 5 of 5 passes for 42 yards and ran twice for 17 yards in the drive.

Vanderbilt couldn't move the ball when it mattered most. They held on defense twice, but went three-and-out on offense after watching Daniel Weaver miss a 41-yard field goal wide right.

Jenkins ran off nearly six minutes of the clock, a drive that included a 28-yard pass on third-and-16, before Weaver kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:41 to go, his second field goal of the game.

"Corey Jenkins just does a nice job," Holtz said. "We just did not take advantage while we had the ball deep in Vanderbilt territory. That was a big play, though."

Cutler, who threw two touchdowns, completed only two passes and had three go off the hands of South Carolina defensive backs before Martin's interception.

The Gamecocks held the ball for more than 34 minutes, and the SEC's worst offense rolled up 398 yards. South Carolina also held Vanderbilt to 241 yards total offense, including 136 yards rushing.

Holtz credited moving a linebacker over to handle Vanderbilt's tight end with helping South Carolina shut down an option offense that has hurt the Gamecocks in previous games.

"We did a good job all night not giving them good field position," Holtz said.

South Carolina led 10-7 at halftime by finally going to the air at the end of the second quarter.

Vanderbilt led 7-3 when the Gamecocks got the ball at their own 20, and Jenkins completed four straight passes on five plays. His 28-yarder to Mikal Goodman took them to the Vandy 23, and Jenkins came out.

Sophomore Dondrial Pinkins replaced him, tossed two incompletions and then found Troy Williamson in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and a 10-3 lead with 30 seconds left to halftime.

Alabama 30, Arkansas 12

By DOUGLAS PILS
AP Sports Writer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Alabama showed no ill effects from the absence of two senior leaders in its offense.

Redshirt freshman Brodie Croyle stepped in at quarterback and junior transfer Shaud Williams took over in the backfield for fallen teammates as the Crimson Tide (4-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) dominated in a 30-12 victory over Arkansas on Saturday.

Quarterback Tyler Watts sat on the bench with an injured left foot and a knee injury last week knocked leading rusher Ahmaad Galloway out for the season.

In their places, Croyle threw for 285 yards, while Williams and Santonio Beard made it easy for the quarterback in his first start. Beard led the team with 134 yards on 21 carries. Williams scored an 80-yard touchdown on the game's first play and finished with 207 yards rushing and receiving.

"We knew we had to step up in the absence of Ahmaad," Williams said. "You can't replace Ahmaad Galloway on the field. We just knew that we had to come out and establish the running game to take the pressure off Brodie."

Croyle, Williams and Beard powered the Alabama offense to 552 yards, while the defense held Arkansas (2-1, 0-1) to 299 yards and just one touchdown. Quarterback Matt Jones threw his first two interceptions of the season and he was sacked twice.

"That first play really stung us," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "It just took the air out of me. I never would have dreamed that they would have two backs over 100 yards."

Alabama dominated the Arkansas offense, which had scored 83 points in its first two games, by holding it to 299 total yards. The Razorbacks entered the contest averaging 446 yards a game.

Alabama didn't need half the first quarter to gain 160 yards and take a 14-0 lead on Arkansas, which entered the game with the nation's No. 1 rushing defense.

Croyle hadn't left any sweat on the ball when Alabama quieted 73,551 fans, the largest crowd to witness a sporting event in Arkansas. Williams took his handoff on the first offensive play six yards deep, hesitated, then sprinted through a large hole for an 80-yard touchdown.

No one touched him until free safety Kenny Hamlin, who had been crowding the line, grabbed his jersey at the goal line.

"The first thing I saw was the students in the end zone," Williams said. "When I broke the hole I knew I had a chance to break it. I saw the free safety and I had a couple of steps on him."

Hamlin found himself out of position on Alabama's next scoring pass as well. Croyle drew Hamlin into the middle of the field with a look, then threw to uncovered split end Sam Collins on the right sideline.

Collins walked into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead as Hamlin tripped and fell trying to get back to Collins.

On that drive, Croyle didn't look like a quarterback starting his first game. He completed all three passes for 65 yards after starting with a 2-yard scramble that ended with Arkansas cornerback Ahmad Carroll hitting him with a helmet-to-helmet tackle.

"I can't say enough about Brodie Croyle," Alabama coach Dennis Franchione said. "He did a great job at the line of scrimmage and he handled the pressure very well."

Down 17-0 after a 28-yard field goal by Brian Bostick, Arkansas fans started booing Nutt's play-calling early in the second quarter. But the crowd roared back after Jones directed a seven-play scoring drive capped by his 7-yard scramble to pull with 17-7 at the half.

The teams traded field goals to start the second half. Arkansas closed to 17-10 with a 33-yard effort by Brennan O'Donohoe, which was set up by a 46-yard kickoff return by DeCori Birmingham.

Williams made sure the Tide kept pace when he turned a 5-yard sideline route into a 75-yard play, making Arkansas' Tony Bua miss on the Alabama sideline. The Tide took a 20-10 lead on Bostick's 36-yard kick.

Williams' play took the wind out of the Arkansas crowd for the final time.

"The whole time I was out there I could hear Ahmaad in ear telling me the things he always told me," Williams said. "It was a real special game for us to come out and win this one for Ahmaad."

Arkansas had the ball at the Alabama 20 early in the fourth quarter after a short kick by backup punter Michael Ziifle. But on the first play, middle linebacker Derrick Pope picked off Jones and returned it 61 yards to set up another field goal by Bostick.

Alabama's defense continued its second-half domination with a sack by Todd Bates during another three-and-out series by Arkansas.

Croyle put the game away with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Zach Fletcher, beating Hamlin again, for a 30-10 lead with 9:41 left in the game.

"We didn't come out and play today like we should have," Hamlin said.

Ziifel stepped out of the end zone in the final minute to give Arkansas a safety.

Auburn 37, Syracuse 34 (3 OT)

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Carnell Williams ran for a career-high 202 yards, and his 8-yard touchdown run in the third overtime gave Auburn a 37-34 victory over Syracuse on Saturday night.

Williams, scored on a 6-yard run in the second overtime, and his 40 carries were the second-most in Auburn history. Walter Reyes sent the game to the third OT period with a 2-yard TD run.

Auburn (4-1) held Syracuse (1-3) to a 44-yard field goal by Collin Barber to open the third extra period, and the Tigers moved the ball steadily on their possession.

The game was tied at 24 after regulation play, and both teams botched field-goal attempts in the first overtime.

After the Tigers kept Syracuse out of the end zone in the third OT, backup quarterback Jason Campbell hit Lorenzo Diamond for an 11-yard pass, then handed off three straight times to Williams.

The stands remained nearly packed after the game as the Tigers left the field to a standing ovation.

Carlos Rogers had two third-quarter interceptions for the Tigers, who trailed 17-3 at halftime despite five trips across midfield against the nation's 114th-ranked defense.

The Orangemen didn't get a first down for the first 19 minutes of the second half. They fell to 0-3 against Division I-A opponents this season.

Auburn took its first lead when fullback Brandon Johnson, who hadn't caught a pass all season, slipped uncovered into the secondary for a 34-yard touchdown catch from Campbell with 7:10 left.

Damon Duval had to kick the extra point twice because of a false-start penalty, and the point proved crucial.

Backup quarterback Troy Nunes led the Orangemen on a 15-play, 80-yard drive before hitting David Tyree for a 2-yard score with 23 seconds left. Collin Barber's extra point tied the score.

Nunes was 7-of-8 for 62 yards on the drive.

Campbell had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and threw a pair of second-half TDs. He replaced Daniel Cobb, who sprained an ankle late in the opening half.

Syracuse starter R.J. Anderson was 5-of-18 for 67 yards and had three passes intercepted.

The Orangemen, who were two-touchdown underdogs, scored on an 85-yard punt return by Jamel Riddle and on Reyes' 68-yard run in the first half.

It was the second time in three meetings that the teams have ended regulation tied, including a 16-16 final in the 1988 Sugar Bowl.