Arkansas 38, Auburn 17

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Fred Talley ran for 241 yards, including an 80-yard score, as Arkansas gained 426 yards on the ground to overwhelm 24th-ranked Auburn 38-17 on Saturday.

The Razorbacks (3-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) looked fresh enough after a six-overtime loss at Tennessee.

Talley subbed for an injured Cedric Cobbs, out with a toe injury, and helped Arkansas to its first 400-yard rushing game since gaining 412 against LSU in 1994.

Auburn (4-2, 2-1) had not given up more than 350 yards since LSU racked up 377 five years ago or allowed a 200-yard rusher since Cecil Collins racked up 232 in the same game.

Talley, who came in with just 123 yards in the first four games, gained 179 yards in the first half alone.

But he was no the only player who did well for Arkansas.

Fullback Mark Pierce gave the Razorbacks a 31-17 lead with 7:44 left in the third quarter, rambling 44 yards on fourth-and-1 for his second touchdown. Matt Jones added a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Pierce, who had 15 yards all season, finished with 62 on five carries.

Third-team tailback De'Arrius Howard also rushed for a TD.

Auburn's Carnell Williams gained 99 yards on 24 carries and become the first player in school history to run for a touchdown in six consecutive games. But the Tigers couldn't overcome three first-half turnovers.

Quarterback Daniel Cobb was benched for Jason Campbell after three quarters after throwing a pair of first-half interceptions and losing one of his two fumbles.

Cobb had Auburn's only big plays, throwing for a 65-yard score to Devin Aromashodu and setting up another score with a 41-yarder to Silas Daniels.

He was 13-of-23 for 225 yards.

Auburn was shut out in the second half.

The Razorbacks used a 10-point scoring flurry to close the first half with a 24-17 lead.

The Tigers took a 17-14 lead on Williams' 9-yard run when, but Talley went up the middle for his 80-yard score with 1:34 left before halftime.

After Auburn failed to move the ball or run out the clock, Bo Mosley blocked a Duval punt at the Tigers' 12 yard-line with 25 seconds left.

Arkansas, which had no timeouts left, threw three incompletions and settled for David Carlton's 22-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining.

Auburn used a similar outburst in the final three minutes of the first quarter.

After Cobb's big scoring pass, Junior Rosegreen intercepted backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to set up Duval's 33-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.

The Razorbacks, coming off two straight losses, also upset Auburn 42-17 last season.

Ole Miss 52, Arkansas State 17

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Eli Manning threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 25 Mississippi over Arkansas State 52-17 on Saturday.

The Rebels (5-1), ranked for the first time in two years and coming off an upset of Florida, had a typically easy time with the Indians (4-4).

Ole Miss is 18-1-2 against Arkansas State and have won last 10 by an average of more than 20 points per game.

The Rebels didn't punt - though they did commit four turnovers - outgained the Indians 508-264 and gave Manning most of the fourth quarter off.

Ole Miss scored 50 points in a non-overtime game for the first time since 1995. Last year, Ole Miss scored 56 points in seven overtimes against Arkansas.

Manning was 14-of-19 with an interception and tied the school record for career touchdown passes with 43, sharing the mark with Romaro Miller. Manning's father, Archie, threw 31 touchdowns in his stellar career at Ole Miss.

Last week, Manning had his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass snapped at 16. It didn't take him long to get a new streak started.

The junior hit Bill Flowers with a 2-yard floater in the first quarter to make it 10-0.

A minute and a half after the Indians pulled to 17-10 on a field goal, Manning went deep to Taye Biddle for a 67-yard score with 4:39 left in the second quarter.

Vashon Pearson ran for two scores, and Ole Miss even got a career-long 50-yard field goal from Jonathan Nichols.

If there was one concern for the Rebels, it might have been their inability to stop the Indians' running game. Danny Smith rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries for Arkansas State.

The Rebels went up 38-10 in the third quarter on touchdowns runs of 6 yards by Pearson and 13 by Tremaine Turner.

Ole Miss now moves into the toughest part of its schedule, beginning next week at Alabama. The Rebels play four of their last six on the road, all against Southeastern Conference opponents.

The Indians had their three-game winning streak snapped, but are still off to their best start since moving up to Division I-A 10 years ago.

Mississippi State 11, Troy State 8

By TIMOTHY R. BROWN
Associated Press Writer

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Fred Reid ran for a career-high 111 yards and scored Mississippi State's only touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Kevin Fant as the Bulldogs barely atoned for last year's embarrassing loss to Troy State with an 11-8 win Saturday.

The victory was Mississippi State's first against a Division I-A team this season. The only other victory for the Bulldogs (2-4) this season came against I-AA Jacksonville State.

The Bulldogs intercepted six passes and limited Troy State to 197 total yards. Despite that, the Trojans (2-5) still had a chance.

Trailing 11-0, Troy State got on the board with 6:23 remaining on a 6-yard touchdown run by LeBarron Black. The TD was set up by defensive lineman Devern Williams, whose sack forced a fumble at the MSU 12-yard line.

Black's touchdown was all Troy State could muster, however.

The Trojans threatened to score earlier in the fourth quarter before receiver Jason Samples rolled out on a handoff and threw an interception at MSU's 5-yard line.

Mississippi State took advantage of two penalties to get its only touchdown with 11:17 left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs moved the ball to Troy State's 15 on penalties for roughing the passer and holding. A couple plays later, Fant found Reid open in the middle of the field for the easy 15-yard TD pass to make the score 11-0 after a 2-point conversion.

Troy State beat Mississippi State 21-9 last year in a quagmire. That game was delayed for over an hour by a tornado warning.

The six interceptions set a school record for Troy State, but Mississippi State wasn't any better taking care of the ball. The Bulldogs tied a school record with six fumbles.

Darren Williams picked off three passes, including one to set up Mississippi State's first score. Williams intercepted a Hansell Bearden pass at Troy State's 30-yard line and returned it to the 22. That set up Brent Smith's 31-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

Mississippi State was driving down the field on its next possession after Fant's 20-yard pass to Darius Tubbs. Three plays later, running back Dontae Walker fumbled the ball on the handoff, and the Trojans recovered it at the 3-yard line.

Troy State had an opportunity to tie the game when Fant dropped back to pass and was hit by defensive end Osi Umenyiora and fumbled the ball, setting up the Trojans on the Bulldogs' 19-yard line with 3:05 left in the first half.

After three unsuccessful runs, Troy State had to settle for a 36-yard field-goal attempt by Thomas Olmsted, which went wide right.

Fant finished 22-of-33 for 210 yards. Bearden was 7-of-25 for 61 yards.

Georgia 18, Tennessee 13

By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Georgia took a major step toward erasing two decades of disappointment.

The sixth-ranked Bulldogs dominated for most of the game, taking advantage of an injury to Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen and then holding up against a furious comeback to beat the 10th-ranked Volunteers 18-13 Saturday.

The Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 SEC) extended their best start since 1982, but not without some nervous moments at the end.

Tennessee (4-2, 1-2), which went most of the game with third-stringer James Banks filling for Clausen, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it close.

But Georgia recovered an onside kick, and Tony Milton broke off a 25-yard run on fourth-and-2 to clinch the victory.

For a while, it looked as though the Bulldogs had all the points they'd need when Reggie Brown blocked a punt late in the first quarter. The ball went through the end zone for a safety and a 2-0 lead.

Tennessee was forced to go without Clausen, a three-year starter who hurt his non-throwing shoulder in an overtime victory over Arkansas the previous week.

Clausen didn't practice all week, but the Vols looked as though they had hardly prepared to play without him. Backup C.J. Leak did little more than hand off, giving way to Banks on the third series of the game.

The freshman worked with a limited set of plays straight off the playground: running in all directions to escape the incessant Georgia rush.

Tennessee's top receiver, Kelley Washington, wasn't a factor until the final period. He actually lost 13 yards on his first two pass receptions and didn't have a deep ball thrown his way until late in the third. Kentrell Curry broke it up, and Washington slapped the grass in frustration.

Georgia quickly realized that Tennessee wasn't going to do much offensively, so the Bulldogs played it safe and slowly built on their lead.

Two field goals by Billy Bennett put Georgia up 8-0 at halftime, and Brown scored the Bulldogs' only touchdown on an 11-yard touchdown pass from David Greene about 6 1/2 minutes into the third quarter.

Georgia remained the only unbeaten team in the SEC and stayed on course for its first conference title since 1982. The Bulldogs will be solid favorites the next two weeks in home games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky, meaning they could be undefeated going into the annual showdown against Florida on Nov. 2.

Georgia's 20-year championship drought is the longest in school history. Tennessee has been responsible for many of the disappointments, handing the Bulldogs their first loss three years in a row from 1997-99.

Both teams were unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 when they met in 1998 at Sanford Stadium. Tennessee had just lost star running back Jamal Lewis to an injury, but Travis Stephens stepped in and ran all over the Bulldogs in a 22-3 victory.

This time, Tennessee didn't have anyone who could fill Clausen's shoes.

After Bennett's third field goal pushed the lead to 18-0, Georgia appeared to relax. Derrick Tinsley caught a screen from Banks in the backfield, broke several tackles and scored on a 33-yard pass with 11:52 remaining.

The 2-point conversion failed when Banks was drilled on a sweep around left end, nearly winding up in the hedges that ring the field.

Washington finally had a big play, making a leaping catch over the middle and breaking away for a 45-yard gain. That set up a 5-yard halfback pass by Tinsley, who rolled right and found Jason Witten in the back of the end zone.

Tennessee had nearly half its 344 yards in the fourth quarter, but the comeback fell short.

Greene was 22-of-37 for 232 yards, including seven passes for 112 yards to Terrence Edwards, who set the school record for receiving yards.

Georgia had only 62 yards rushing.

South Carolina 16, Kentucky 12

By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Ryan Brewer scored on a 6-yard run with 7:54 left and South Carolina's defense held off Kentucky in the closing minutes to preserve the Gamecocks' 16-12 victory on Saturday night.

Corey Jenkins went 7-of-15 for 199 yards and rushed for 49 yards for South Carolina (5-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), which won its fourth straight and beat Kentucky for the third consecutive meeting.

Jared Lorenzen went 22-of-37 for 194 yards and Artose Pinner rushed for 117 yards to lead Kentucky (4-2, 0-2), which has lost two in a row after a 4-0 start.

Trailing 16-10 after Brewer's touchdown run, the Wildcats drove to the South Carolina 7 with under three minutes left. Lorenzen threw two incomplete passes and Pinner had a 1-yard run to bring up fourth-and-goal.

Lorenzen tried to hit Aaron Boone in the end zone, but Boone fell down and the ball sailed over his head to end the threat with 1:28 remaining.

The Gamecocks couldn't get a first down, and punter Tyeler Dean backed out of the end zone for a safety with 33 seconds left.

The Wildcats got the ball one more time and drove to the South Carolina 34. Lorenzen's desperation pass into the end zone was batted down as time expired.

Kentucky penetrated South Carolina territory on all six of its first-half possessions, but led only 10-0 at halftime.

The Wildcats reached the South Carolina 15 early in the second quarter, but fullback Mike Kamphake fumbled. Kentucky had scored on 19 of 20 drives inside the opponents' 20-yard line this season before the turnover.

Derek Abney returned a punt 44 yards to set up the Wildcats for their first scoring drive later in the second quarter. Pinner had a 24-yard run on the march and Lorenzen threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Cook over the middle with 3:14 left before halftime.

Lorenzen completed his first 11 passes until an errant throw with 1:13 left in the opening half.

An offsides penalty on South Carolina kept alive a Kentucky drive in the final minute of the second quarter, and Taylor Begley kicked a 40-yard field goal with 13 seconds left.

Lorenzen finished the first half 12-of-16 for 104 yards and Pinner added 84 yards on 13 carries.

South Carolina's average starting position in the first half was its own 15-yard line.

The Gamecocks were deep in their own territory again early in the second half when Jenkins found Troy Williamson wide open behind the Kentucky defense. The 59-yard pass play led to Daniel Weaver's 38-yard field goal with 9:44 left in the third quarter.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Michael Ages took a short pass from Jenkins and raced 57 yards to the Kentucky 30.

Three plays later, Jenkins fumbled inside the 5 on a scramble. The ball rolled into the end zone, where offensive tackle Watts Sanderson recovered for the tying touchdown.

Jenkins went 3-for-3 and had a 5-yard scramble on the 8-play, 65-yard fourth-quarter drive that ended with Brewer's game-winning run.

Middle Tennessee 21, Vanderbilt 20

By TOM SHARP
AP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Dwone Hicks' 2-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds left lifted Middle Tennessee State to a 21-20 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Hicks' touchdown capped a 53-yard drive aided by two of Vanderbilt's season-high 14 penalties. Hicks picked up 8 yards on an option pitch and scored two plays later to give the Blue Raiders (1-5) their first victory of the season and second straight over the Commodores (1-5).

Vanderbilt took the lead moments before thanks to a bizarre break on a punt. Greg Johnson hit a poor kick, a short, low liner from midfield. But it hit an unsuspecting MTSU up-back on the foot as he was blocking, and rolled down to the Blue Raiders 2 yard line, where Vanderbilt recovered.

Benji Walker, playing in place of the suspended Jay Cutler, scored on a bootleg two plays later to give the Commodores a 20-14 lead with 8 1/2 minutes left.

ReShard Lee carried the load for the Blue Raiders with 144 yards in 20 carries. Hicks, who had not played in two weeks with a knee injury, added 42 yards on 10 carries.

Hines completed 8 of 17 passes for 82 yards with one interception, but scored twice on runs.

Walker led Vanderbilt with 79 yards on 15 carries but was intercepted twice. Kwane Doster, subbing for Vanderbilt's injured leading rusher Norval McKenzie, added 77 yards on 18 carries.

Early on, Walker drove the Commodores downfield on their opening possession to a first-and-goal at the MTSU 4.

But Vanderbilt was penalized twice in the next two plays and settled for Johnson's 18-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Hines and the Blue Raiders answered with an 80-yard drive in 12 plays, aided by three more Vanderbilt penalties - two for first downs - to take a 7-3 lead on Hines' 5-yard option keeper.

Starting from its own 17 late in the second quarter, MTSU used a 27-yard run by Lee, a 17-yard pass from Hines to Chris Henry and runs of 13 and 12 yards by Hines, the last to score, for a 14-3 lead at the half.

Vanderbilt pulled to 14-10 on Doster's 11-yard touchdown run to cap an 85-yard drive to open the second half.

LSU 36, Florida 7

By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Just when Florida thought it couldn't get any worse, another Saturday rolled around.

This time, it was unheralded Matt Mauck and No. 18 LSU picking on Ron Zook's woeful, 16th-ranked Gators - scoring in almost every way imaginable for a 36-7 victory.

LSU intercepted Rex Grossman four times and got its first win in The Swamp since 1986. The Tigers (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) scored touchdowns on an interception return, a fake field goal and two passes from Mauck to Devery Henderson.

Of course, winning at The Swamp doesn't seem that big a deal for visitors anymore. Florida lost by 25 here five weeks ago to No. 1 Miami, a bad performance that doesn't seem like an aberration anymore.

Now, the Gators (4-3, 2-2) are relegated to playing out the string aiming not for the kind of things they sought when Steve Spurrier was here - like SEC titles and winning with pizzazz

Instead, Zook will be trying to hold onto his job. And the way his team is playing, the Gators will be lucky to finish with a winning record and a trip to a bowl game.

The victory put the Tigers, defending conference champions, into a first-place tie in the SEC West with Mississippi, the team that defeated the Gators 17-14 last Saturday.

Corey Webster intercepted Grossman twice, and returned the second pick 45 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.

From there, it got worse. And worse.

The low point - or one of them, at least - came on the first play of the fourth quarter, when holder Blain Bech ran 35 yards untouched into the end zone for a score and a 33-7 lead - an insult made worse considering the Gators botched a fake field goal on their first drive of the game.

Grossman finished 18-for-43 for 163 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He now has 11 touchdowns and 14 picks on the season.

About the only fans left for the fourth quarter were the few thousand in the southeast corner clad in purple and gold.

By the time the Gators fell behind 26-7, Florida fans - tired of booing and listening to LSU's band play the Tiger Rag - were heading for the parking lot. The few who stayed sarcastically chanted ``Ingle Martin,'' the name of Grossman's backup.

With their awful performance, the Gators are in jeopardy of seeing their nation-best, 209-week streak in The Associated Press poll end.

They lost consecutive SEC games for the first time since 1992, in Spurrier's third year as coach. Those Gators were largely considered the least talented of the Spurrier era, yet the ol' ballcoach somehow coaxed them into the SEC title game.

For the second straight week, the offense Zook and coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher designed went nowhere. Florida gained 237 yards and made 16 first downs.

The Gators tried no fewer than a dozen trick plays - misconnecting on a fake field goal, getting tackled behind the line on an attempted halfback pass and handing off to Martin, who lined up at wide receiver.