TODAY'S SCHEDULE/RESULTS Tennessee 35, Mississippi State 17 Kentucky 41, Vanderbilt 21 Arkansas 24, Louisiana-Lafayette 17     Georgia 24, Auburn 21 Florida 28, South Carolina 7 Alabama 31, LSU 0

Tennessee 35, Mississippi State 17

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Even a freshman quarterback making his first start can be trusted to make a handoff, so that's what Tennessee asked James Banks to do -- over and over again.

Vols' Washington Facing Spine Fusion Surgery By KARIN MILLER Associated Press Writer Tennessee receiver Kelley Washington will have surgery next week to fuse two vertebrae, a doctor said Saturday. Dr. Drew Dossett, a Dallas orthopedist, said he examined Washington on Friday and will operate Tuesday. "He'll do well," said Dossett, who has operated on NFL players Rocket Ismail and Daryl Johnston. Washington will be able to endure contact in about three months, Dossett said. Washington hasn't played for the Volunteers since landing hard on the back of his head and neck in a loss to Georgia on Oct. 12. The wideout did not travel with Tennessee to Starkville, Miss., for its game Saturday against Mississippi State. He could not be reached for comment Saturday, and his mother declined to talk with The Associated Press. Tennessee officials declined to discuss Washington's condition except to confirm he met with a doctor in Dallas. "The specifics of this consultation are yet to be released until all parties have reviewed the information," Tennessee sports information director Bud Ford said in Starkville. Washington, a walk-on who played in the Florida Marlins' minor league system, led the Vols last season with 64 catches for 1,010 yards and five touchdowns. He nearly entered the NFL draft last winter but changed his mind. He missed the first two games this year with a sprained right knee, then had 23 catches for 443 yards in the two games he played before the injury. AP sports writers Elizabeth A. Davis and Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.

And the strategy worked.

Cedric Houston ran for a career-high 149 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries as Tennessee turned to its ground game and defense to beat Mississippi State 35-17 Saturday.

Banks replaced three-year starter Casey Clausen, who was out with an ankle injury, and went 3-for-8 for 90 yards.

"We were going to run the ball. We were going to, obviously, protect that young quarterback," Volunteers coach Phillip Fulmer said. "About 85 percent of his decision making was made on the sidelines."

Banks' final pass was his best. He rolled left and fired across the field to a wide-open Jason Witten, who went 29 yards for a touchdown that made it 35-17 with 9:18 left in the game.

Banks said he was told he was going to start last Monday by offensive coordinator Randy Sanders.

"He asked me if I was scared," the 19-year-old Banks said. "He said if I was scared I should go to church. I told him I wasn't going to be nervous, I was going to go in there and do the best I can."

The Vols ran 64 times for 232 yards and broke out of their scoring slump. They had scored 48 points in losing three of their previous four games.

Mississippi State (3-7, 0-6 Southeastern Conference) lost three fumbles and the Volunteers (6-4, 3-3) converted the turnovers into 21 points.

The Bulldogs, who lead the SEC with 33 turnovers, are 0-6 in the conference for the first time since 1988.

Tennessee's running game has been anything but reliable this season. The Volunteers came in averaging an uncharacteristic 3.8 yards per carry. They looked more like the vintage Vols against Mississippi State, especially in the first half.

Tennessee ran on its first 17 plays, including a couple of scrambles by Banks.

"I thought were going to come out and run it a little bit and pass it a little bit. We just came out running," Houston said.

The Vols game plan didn't surprise the Bulldogs.

"We knew that were going to have to stop the running game," Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill said.

But the Bulldogs couldn't.

Houston surpassed his career high for rushing in the first half with 19 carries for 120 yards. He scored twice in less than a minute and a half.

The sophomore's first score came on a toss sweep to the right. He hurdled a defender at the line and slipped two ankle tackles to put the Volunteers up 7-0 in the second quarter.

Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood fumbled on the next play from scrimmage and Willie Miles recovered at the Bulldogs' 24.

Three plays later, Houston found a seam on the left side of the line and scored from 10 yards out to make it 14-0.

"Coach Fulmer wanted to get back to old Tennessee style anyway. He wanted to pound the football and show them how physical we are," Banks said.

Kevin Fant was 7-for-17 for 97 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi State before being knocked out of the game early in the third quarter.

Fant was sacked from the blind side by Mondre Dickerson and fumbled. Rashad Moore picked up the fumble and returned it 9 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-7.

"You can't just give good football teams like Tennessee the ball," Fant said.

Kyle York replaced Fant on the next series and led the Bulldogs on a 72-yard touchdown drive. Justin Griffith ran in from 3 yards out on a fourth-and-2 to cut the lead to 21-14.

Fant had been nursing an ankle injury the last few weeks that caused him to miss one game. York was 8-for-18 for 63 yards.

Brent Smith kicked a 53-yard field goal for Mississippi State early in the fourth to make it 21-17. The kick was a career-best for Smith and the second longest in school history.

Banks' first completion of the second half was a 56-yard screen pass to C.J. Fayton in the fourth quarter.

"The screen was a heck of a call," Fulmer said. "A safe call. One we've had a lot of success with in the past."

The play led to Jabari Davis' 1-yard TD run that made it 28-17.

It was learned before the game that injured Vols receiver Kelley Washington will have surgery next week to fuse two vertebrae. Washington will be able to endure contact in about three months.

Kentucky 41, Vanderbilt 21

By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Artose Pinner made sure Kentucky didn't have to sweat out another "Hail Mary" pass on Saturday.

Kentucky's Abney Sets NCAA Kick Return Mark LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's Derek Abney set an NCAA record Saturday with his sixth kick return for a touchdown this season, a 95-yard runback of a kickoff against Vanderbilt. Abney has returned two kickoffs and -- tying an NCAA record -- four punts for scores. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior also set two Southeastern Conference records with Saturday's return: most kick returns for a touchdown in a season and a career. Abney's other returns for TDs this season: 100 yards on a kickoff and 49 yards on a punt against Florida on Sept. 28; 86 yards on a punt against Arkansas on Oct. 19; 69 and 52 yards on punts against Mississippi State on Nov. 2.

The Southeastern Conference's top rusher ran for a career-high 224 yards and four touchdowns in Kentucky's 41-21 win over Vanderbilt.

Pinner nearly upstaged Derek Abney, who set an NCAA record with his sixth kick return for a score this season.

The Wildcats (7-4, 3-4 SEC) led only 28-21 with 4:32 left and took over possession at their own 25. Kentucky drove for a late field goal against LSU last week, only to see the Tigers win on a miraculous 75-yard pass as time expired.

But Pinner put Saturday's game out of reach, carrying nine times for 82 yards and an insurance touchdown on the decisive drive.

"Coach Morriss told me, 'I'm going to ride you all the way down the field. I hope you're in shape," said Pinner, one of 20 Kentucky seniors playing their final games at Commonwealth Stadium.

Pinner's 1-yard touchdown dive with 16 seconds left was his fourth TD run of the game, which tied a school record. He also became the fifth Wildcat to go over 2,000 career rushing yards.

"To end my season here with a day like this means a lot," Pinner said. "I'm not tired, but my hands are a little bruised."

Pinner had the best day, but Abney had the best play.

The Commodores kicked off after tying the game at 7-7 in the first quarter and Abney caught the kick at the Kentucky 5. He followed blockers down the sideline, outran a trio of defenders and dived for the end zone pylon for a 95-yard touchdown.

In addition to the NCAA record, Abney also set an SEC record with his seventh career kick return for a touchdown. The 5-10, 175-pound junior needs one punt or kick return to tie the NCAA career record.

"I was hoping they would give us a chance and they did," Abney said. "You don't want to break a record away from home. It's something I can tell my grandkids."

Jay Cutler threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns to lead Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7), which lost its 16th straight conference game.

Cutler didn't have a chance to throw a fourth-quarter "Hail Mary" on Saturday. The game's final snap sailed over his head, and Kentucky defensive end Otis Grigsby recovered in the end zone.

The Wildcats started fast against the league's worst scoring defense, driving 68 yards for a touchdown on the game's first possession. Pinner finished the march with a 23-yard scoring run.

Vanderbilt's Jonathan Schaub intercepted a deflected pass by Jared Lorenzen at midfield later in the first quarter, snapping the Kentucky quarterback's school-record streak of 152 passes without a pick.

It was only the Commodores' 10th forced turnover of the season and led to Cutler's 38-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tom Simone.

Abney answered with the kickoff return and a Vanderbilt fumble set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Pinner less than two minutes later.

Pinner was over 100 yards rushing early in the second quarter. He added a 16-yard touchdown run with 10:39 left in the first half for a 28-7 Kentucky lead.

"He's big, strong and doesn't quit," said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "He got a good bit of yardage after contact. You've got to stop him early or there aren't many who can stop him."

Dan Stricker made a one-handed touchdown catch with 11 seconds left in the first half cut the deficit to 28-14.

Kwane Doster had a 39-yard run to the Kentucky 1 and Cutler scored on a fourth-down sneak in the third quarter's final minute to make it 28-21.

Lorenzen threw his second interception to Herdley Harrison at the Vanderbilt 43 with 5:35 left, but the Commodores couldn't take advantage.

Lorenzen finished 14-of-23 for 128 yards, his lowest yardage total in a start since the 2001 season opener against Louisville. Lorenzen still became Kentucky's all-time leader in total offense, passing Tim Couch's record of 8,160.

"I didn't have to have a great day for us to win. We had Artose," Lorenzen said.

Arkansas 24, Louisiana-Lafayette 17

By DOUGLAS PILS
AP Sports Writer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- It was Sparky Hamilton poster day on Saturday, so the Arkansas senior receiver sneaked away with a few extra programs for friends and family.

Moments earlier, he and the rest of his teammates stole away with an unexpectedly close 24-17 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, but no one was in a hurry to show off after this one.

The Razorbacks (7-3) couldn't compliment the Ragin' Cajuns on their performance and send them on their way until Kenny Hamlin's interception at the Arkansas 5 with 1:40 left in the game.

"Every win is precious and that was a very precious win," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "We didn't win like we wanted to, but I'm real happy that we did win."

Nutt couldn't be happy with the circumstances that almost allowed Louisiana-Lafayette (3-8) to nearly force overtime.

Arkansas had opportunities to put the Ragin' Cajuns away but three fumbles and two blocked punts by Charles Tillman kept Lafayette alive.

Tillman blocked his second Richie Butler punt with 2:52 remaining. Wendall Williams scooped up the ball for an 18-yard touchdown and Louisiana-Lafayette trailed 24-17.

Two plays later Arkansas turned the ball over when Richard Smith fumbled a reception that would have resulted in a first down.

Hamlin secured the victory by intercepting Jon Van Cleave's attempt to hit an open Bill Sampy.

Ragin' Cajuns coach Rickey Bustle said his team let an opportunity slip away.

"I don't really feel like we lost this one," Bustle said of Louisiana-Lafayette's 45th loss in 45 tries against a Southeastern Conference opponent. "I feel like we ran out of time. We had some things going for us and had them stunned some."

Van Cleave, who came off the bench after missing the last two games with a sprained ankle to replace Eric Rekieta, was hit as he threw the ball and the ball went short.

Hamlin thought the game was all but over before being called on for his second interception of the game and fourth of the season.

"It was shocking. I really wasn't even looking out there until I saw they made a call against us on the turnover," said Hamlin, who led the team with eight tackles. "Everyone was focused and ready then and we went out there to make the play."

Van Cleave had to come in for Rekieta because the thumb on his left hand kept coming out of socket.

Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones helped keep Louisiana-Lafayette at bay with 129 yards rushing and a 62-yard touchdown on 13 carries and by completing 9 of 13 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones' only mistake was a fumble on the third play of the second half after the Razorbacks had first downs on the first two plays. The Ragin' Cajuns couldn't capitalize, however, as Sean Comiskey missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.

Louisiana-Lafayette didn't challenge again until the wild last couple of minutes.

"Everybody is going to have one or two of these in a season, but the key thing is that you get through it," Arkansas center Josh Melton said.

The Razorbacks allowed the Ragin' Cajuns to hang around at 17-10 the entire third quarter until Jones hit DeCori Birmingham on a 19-yard touchdown to start the fourth.

Jones had a 68-yard touchdown nullified by a penalty on Arkansas' first drive and the Razorbacks were forced to punt.

Arkansas cornerback Lawrence Richardson gave Jones a second chance when he intercepted Rekieta at the Arkansas 41 on the ensuing possession.

After a 3-yard loss by Fred Talley, Jones took back the lost touchdown with a 62-yard run around the left end. He faked to fullback Mark Pierce and no one on the Ragin' Cajuns defense met him at the corner.

Louisiana-Lafayette trailed 10-0 after a 22-yard field goal by David Carlton but made the game interesting with 10 second-quarter points. The Ragin' Cajuns pulled within three on Rekieta's 22-yard pass to Fred Stamps. Rekieta completed 3 of 4 passes on a nine-play, 60-yard drive.

It was the first touchdown scored on Arkansas since an Eli Manning touchdown in a 48-28 victory over Mississippi on Oct. 26.

Arkansas answered that drive in 1:01 when Jones hit Carlos Ousley on a 24-yard touchdown pass on third-and-10. Ousley now has three receptions on the year, all in the past two weeks, and two touchdowns.

The Ragin' Cajuns cut the lead to 17-10 right before the half when Charles Tillman blocked a Richie Butler punt at the Arkansas 21. Rekieta completed two passes to the 5 before Sean Comiskey kicked a 22-yard field goal.

No. 7 Georgia 24, No. 24 Auburn 21

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Michael Johnson went up for the ball and Georgia hasn't come down yet.

David Greene threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Johnson on fourth and long with 1:25 left to help the seventh-ranked Bulldogs defeat No. 24 Auburn 24-21 Saturday, giving them their first SEC Eastern title.

"I know it's only the East, but we're champions tonight," coach Mark Richt said.

Three straight incompletions by Greene and a false-start penalty set up fourth-and-15, but Greene pump-faked, then lofted his pass into the left corner of the end zone. Johnson, subbing for an injured Terrence Edwards, outjumped former Georgia signee Horace Willis for the score.

"We lost our best receiver, then he comes out and makes one of the best catches in Georgia history," Greene said.

The play was called 70-X-Takeoff, and it launched the Bulldogs to the championship game for the first time. The Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1 SEC) earned a shot at their first league title since 1982 and ended a three-game losing streak to the Tigers (7-4, 4-3).

"We're going to Atlanta," linebacker Tony Gilbert said. "We should have been there a long, long time ago."

Auburn took over at its own 28 with 1:18 to play, and Jason Campbell quickly hit Robert Johnson over the middle for a 25-yard gain.

The Georgia defense resumed its second-half dominance after that, with a sack by Boss Bailey and two Auburn penalties leaving Auburn with a fourth-and-20. Campbell's pass to Tre Smith fell well short of the first-down marker with 19 seconds left.

Georgia players raced over to celebrate with their fans, and Edwards helped Kareem Marshall unfurl a banner proclaiming the Bulldogs champions.

Edwards also couldn't resist a dig at their biggest East rival.

"Tell those Florida Gators they don't have to play anymore," he crowed after Johnson's catch.

The Tigers, who still have title hopes in the West, slumped off the field. The only period they trailed in the game was over the final 85 seconds.

Georgia's last four victories in the series have come at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Greene finished 18-of-35 for 232 yards with an interception. Playing without Edwards (separated right shoulder) and Damien Gary (left leg injury), he passed for just 29 yards in the first half.

Johnson had caught 11 passes coming in but finished with 13 for 141 yards and the final touchdown.

Auburn led 14-3 at halftime behind Ronnie Brown's 103 yards rushing, including a 53-yard touchdown. Brown had 10 second-half carries for 21 yards, struggling after injuring his right ankle.

Quarterback Jason Campbell was 12-of-23 for 133 yards with two first-quarter interceptions, also rushing for 72 yards despite getting sacked four times. He threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Johnson and ran for a 21-yard score with 5:45 left in the third quarter for a 21-10 lead.

The Tigers went three-and-out on six straight possessions after their final score, gaining just 99 second-half yards.

"You have to give it to their defense. They won the game for them," coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We had them cornered several times, but they just came back and had the big play at the end."

The Bulldogs got to Auburn's 29-yard line on the drive prior to the game-winner before turning it over on downs.

Auburn managed to run just 22 seconds off the clock on three plays, going three-and-out for the sixth straight possession to give the ball back to Georgia at its own 41 with 1:58 left and no timeouts.

"All we had to do is control the football and it wouldn't have been close," Tuberville said.

Greene hit a leaping Fred Gibson on the left sideline for a 41-yarder before throwing three straight incompletions.

Greene, who's now 8-0 as a starter on an opponent's home field, said the mood in the huddle was surprisingly light.

"It sounds kind of weird, but the guys were calm and even laughing a little bit," he said. "We were saying, 'This is it. The whole season is in our hands. We wouldn't want it any other way."'

The Tigers outgained the Bulldogs 233-63 in the first half for a 14-3 lead. Stinchcomb gave a fiery halftime speech, and the Bulldogs responded with touchdowns on drives of 77 and 89 yards to open the second half.

"It is the best feeling I have ever had in competition in my life," linebacker Boss Bailey said. "This is what I came to Georgia for -- to win championships."

Florida 28, South Carolina 7

By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Rex Grossman played one of his best games of the season, and so did his Florida teammates.

Perez Joins Jacobs on Injury List GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida receiver Carlos Perez broke his right leg Saturday night against South Carolina and will miss the rest of the season. It leaves the 20th-ranked Gators, who defeated the Gamecocks 28-7, with the prospect of playing the rest of the season without either of their top receivers. Taylor Jacobs missed the game Saturday with a knee injury, and his return this season is questionable. Perez caught six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks. His night, and his season, ended late in the first half when he was tackled on the sideline. Coach Ron Zook said he broke his fibula. Jacobs is coping with a knee injury similar to what quarterback Rex Grossman had earlier in the season. Grossman, who didn't miss any time, wasn't optimistic his top receiving target would return. "I'd love to see him back, but I doubt it," Grossman said. "All I have to do is throw it to him. But as a receiver, you have to be 100 percent to make cuts and be effective, and I don't want to see him out there if he can't do that."

In the end -- or by halftime, really -- that meant nothing.

Grossman threw four touchdown passes Saturday night to help No. 20 Florida defeat South Carolina 28-7 in what turned out to be one of the most hollow victories in program history.

The Gators (8-3, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) came into the game knowing they needed help to win the SEC East. They didn't get it, and because of that, they'll finish second in the division to Georgia.

"We'll take Sunday to celebrate this win, and realize how close we were," Grossman said. "But that's really not that interesting."

What was interesting was the Georgia-Auburn game, the one the Gators needed Georgia to lose. Auburn was ahead through most of the game. But just before the Gators reached halftime of their game against the Gamecocks (5-6, 3-5), Georgia's Michael Johnson made a great fourth-down touchdown catch to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 win.

A fan near the sidelines had been updating Florida's Shannon Snell on the score, and when Snell heard the final, he was distraught. Snell was the player who last month predicted the Bulldogs would lose to Florida, which they did, then lose again, which they didn't.

"I guess I'll take some ribbing for that," Snell said. "The second half of my prediction didn't come true. I apologize to Georgia. They came back and showed perseverance."

Despite their troubles, the Gators never quit either this year. Still, that doesn't change reality.

They are playing for pride and for a 10-win season, but not for a championship.

"It just wasn't meant to be," coach Ron Zook said.

Their next game is in two weeks at Florida State, a rivalry that will mean far less than usual. Then, it's a bowl trip -- probably the Outback, but certainly not the Sugar, Orange, Rose or Fiesta, which is where conference champions from around the country will play in January.

Indeed, programs like Florida are measured by championships, and that makes Zook's first season as coach no better or worse than Steve Spurrier's last. Both teams came up empty.

Just as big an issue is what the Gators have become since Spurrier took his Fun 'N' Gun and headed for the pros.

Against an overmatched South Carolina team, Zook persisted early in the game at chipping away with short receiver screens and playing the conservative defense-and-field position game he learned in the NFL.

The first 22 minutes of this game were scoreless and boring. After that, the Gators finally revved it up and started playing solid, exciting football. They iced the game with 9:08 left, when Grossman hit Kelvin Kight for a 27-yard score. The touchdown was set up by a 21-yard reception by Grossman from receiver Keiwan Ratliff. It was one of the few razzle-dazzle plays the Gators have executed in weeks.

"We've had four or five great games this year, and this one was right up there," Grossman said.

Zook said he was proud that the Gators defeated all five of their SEC East foes.

"The lesson to be learned is we play eight conference games, and you have to play all eight games," he said.

Indeed, it's a pair of losses to SEC West opponents Mississippi and LSU that will sit hard this offseason. A win in either of those games and the Gators -- big favorites both weeks -- would have been celebrating Saturday instead of lamenting Georgia's victory.

"I couldn't stop thinking about it, I couldn't stop talking about it, I couldn't stop yelling about it," Snell said. "Obviously, I'm not going to stop thinking about it for the next few weeks or the next few months."

The loss was the fourth straight for Lou Holtz and the Gamecocks, who could still become bowl eligible with a victory over Clemson next week.

After moving their starting quarterback, Corey Jenkins, to safety, and replacing him with Dondrial Pinkins, the Gamecocks still struggled. They threw for only 74 yards and have now scored 31 points in the last four games.

"If they hadn't invented the forward pass, we wouldn't be hurting as much as we are now," Holtz said.

Grossman completed 24-of-36 passes for 228 yards in another efficient game. He won't win the Heisman this season, and now the guessing game begins as to whether the junior has played his final home game.

"I have no idea. I really don't," Grossman said, when asked if he would return.

Sure not to come back are senior tailback Earnest Graham, who rushed for 81 yards on 17 carries, and senior receiver Taylor Jacobs, who sat out with an injured knee.

They and 13 other seniors will leave with lots of nice memories, but only one ring -- the SEC championship ring they won in 2000 on a team that went 10-3.

No. 10 Alabama 31, No. 14 LSU 0

By MARY FOSTER
AP Sports Writer

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Alabama may be going nowhere, but the Crimson Tide made the road a little more difficult for LSU.

Santonio Beard ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns as No. 10 Alabama beat the 14th-ranked Tigers 31-0 Saturday night.

"We played well in some tough situations," Alabama coach Dennis Frachione said. "This was a tough environment, but we've played well on the road all season long."

In a game featuring two of the nation's top defenses, Alabama's ground game proved to be the difference. The Crimson Tide ran for 300 yards and held the ball for 34 minutes, 37 seconds. LSU rushed for only 65 yards.

"We could not stop the run," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "And we could not play with any consistency on offense."

The Tigers were shut out for the first time since Alabama beat them 26-0 in 1996. It was LSU's most lopsided shutout loss since a 35-0 defeat to Oklahoma in the 1950 Sugar Bowl.

Alabama (9-2, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) is banned from bowl participation and therefore can't win the SEC West Division. But the Tide, which has now won five straight games, put pressure on LSU to return to the conference championship game. The Tigers must win both of their remaining games to be sure of making the game.

"This was a big win for us," Alabama quarterback Tyler Watts said. "We wanted to have the best record in the SEC, and we knew we had to go through LSU in order to do that."

LSU (7-3, 4-2) had won two straight against Alabama, but the Tigers still have never won three straight against the Tide.

The Tigers had the No. 1 overall defense in the nation, allowing 246.4 yards a game. Alabama was No. 3, giving up 249.1.

The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter, when Beard capped a 64-yard drive with a 6-yard TD run. The extra-point kick went wide right, and Alabama led 6-0 with 3:52 left in the half.

The Tide's running game kicked in on their last drive of the half. Alabama went 96 yards on nine plays -- all runs. Watts ran the last 2 yards for the score with 12 seconds left. Tiarandos Luke ran for the 2-point conversion for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Beard opened the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run that stretched the lead to 21-0. Kyle Robinson's 46-yard field goal four minutes later made it 24-0 Alabama. Watts hit Zach Fletcher with a 22-yard touchdown pass to close out the scoring.

Shaud Williams had 131 yards rushing for Alabama. Watts completed 11 of 20 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once.

Marcus Randall was 6-of-17 for 39 yards. He was also LSU's leading rusher with 54 yards.

LSU compounded its offensive struggles by getting penalized 10 times for 77 yards. The Tigers had 196 yards of total offense and had a 44-yard field goal blocked. It's the second straight week LSU has had a field goal blocked, and the fifth time this year.

LSU's biggest play was a fake punt in the third quarter that put the Tigers on Alabama's 28-yard line. Randall fumbled the ball away on the next play, however.

Late in the first half, Alabama starting nose tackle Kenny King suffered a neck or back injury after assisting a tackle of Randall and was taken off the field on a cart. Alabama officials refused to comment on King's injury, saying the coach did not release injuries unless they were season-ending.