Mississippi State 19, Auburn 14
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Christian Ducre scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:15 to play and Mississippi State stopped Auburn inside the 10 in the final seconds for a 19-14 upset of the Tigers Saturday.
It was another big win for Mississippi State Coach Sylvester Croom in his home state. Croom, the SEC's first black head coach and a former Alabama player and assistant coach, upset Alabama 24-16 last year in Tuscaloosa.
Mississippi State (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had lost six straight against Auburn.
It was the second consecutive upset at home for the Tigers (1-2, 0-1), who lost to South Florida 26-23 in overtime last week.
It was a game of changing momentum. Mississippi State took an early 13-0 lead and Auburn came back to take a 14-13 halftime lead thanks to the play of freshman quarterback Kodi Burns, who saw action for the first time in his career when embattled starter Brandon Cox was benched after throwing two early interceptions.
Burns gave the Tigers a new look by running an option offense, but the Bulldogs adjusted at halftime and stopped the Tigers in the second half. After the teams swapped punts for much of the half, the Bulldogs, who lost starting quarterback Michael Henig to injury in the first quarter, drove the ball 44 yards in 10 plays, a drive that featured the running of Ducre and Anthony Dixon.
Dixon finished the game with 103 yards on 29 carries and Ducre had 63 yards on 10 carries.
After the Bulldogs went ahead, Cox came back into the game and drove the Tigers 67 yards to the Mississippi State 9, with the biggest gains coming on a 23-yard pass from Cox to Rod Smith and a 17-yard run by Ben Tate.
But on fourth down with 53 seconds to play, Cox's pass fell short of Smith in the end zone.
Mississippi State started fast against the Tigers, who shut out the Bulldogs in the last two meetings. But the Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, driving 58 yards in 12 plays for a 32-yard field goal by Adam Carlson.
But quarterback Michael Henig broke his throwing hand on the drive and missed the rest of the game.
Mississippi State quickly extended the lead, as Derek Pegues intercepted Cox's first pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs an early 10-0 lead and leaving the Auburn crowd stunned. It was Pegues' third career interception return for a touchdown, a Mississippi State record.
The biggest cheer from the crowd came on the first series after Cox's second interception when Burns trotted on the field. The Tigers immediately switched to an option-style offense with Burns mostly running and or handing off from the shotgun.
Mississippi State added a 30-yard field goal by Carlson early in the second quarter.
Burns got the Auburn offense moving late in the second half, leading the Tigers on a 5-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard touchdown run by Ben Tate at 4:18 in the half.
The Bulldogs fumbled the following kickoff and Auburn's Zac Etheridge recovered, giving Auburn the ball on the 30. Burns scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to give the Tigers a 14-13 halftime lead.
Georgia 45, Western Carolina 16
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Georgia, held without a touchdown last week for the first time in six years, struggled early before enjoying an offensive revival against Western Carolina.
Matthew Stafford threw two second-quarter scoring passes and No. 23 Georgia recovered from the offensive malaise to beat Western Carolina 45-16 on Saturday.
Stafford lost a fumble on a sack during a sloppy opening quarter which ended 3-3. The Bulldogs pulled away with three second-quarter touchdowns.
Georgia (2-1), held out of the end zone for the first time since 2001 in last week's 16-12 loss to South Carolina, received a needed confidence boost while giving Western Carolina (0-3) its 12th straight loss.
Stafford was 14-for-20 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Backup Joe Cox added a 34-yard scoring pass and three running backs ran for touchdowns.
Georgia freshman Knowshon Moreno rushed for 94 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown run. Thomas Brown caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Stafford and scored on a 4-yard run, and Brannan Southerland added a 2-yard scoring run.
Jonathan Parsons kicked field goals of 29, 40 and 46 yards for Western Carolina, which lost to another Southeastern Conference team, Alabama, 52-6 in its opener.
Georgia held Western Carolina to 63 yards rushing on 33 carries.
Stafford threw scoring passes to Brown and Sean Bailey in the second quarter. Stafford left after leading his fourth straight touchdown drive for a 31-9 lead to open the second half.
Georgia led 45-9 when Mike Malone's 2-yard run capped Western Carolina's late nine-play touchdown drive. Backup quarterback Adam Hearns, who was 10-for-14 for 122 yards, led the drive.
Georgia opened the game with an 11-play drive, but settled for Brandon Coutu's 37-yard field goal.
On the Bulldogs' second possession, Western Carolina's Gene Singletary forced a fumble when sacking Stafford. The Catamounts took over at the Georgia 14, setting up Parsons' first field goal.
Georgia scored its first touchdown on Stafford's screen pass to Brown. Stafford then directed a quick, four-play touchdown drive with four straight completions: 22 yards to Mohamed Massaquoi, 17 to Bailey, 8 to Mikey Henderson and 15 to Bailey for the touchdown.
Florida 59, Tennessee 20
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Tim Tebow made one huge play against Tennessee last year. He made nearly all of them Saturday.
Tebow threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 61 yards and two scores, and lifted No. 5 Florida to a 59-20 romp over the 22nd-ranked Volunteers.
Not bad for his first Southeastern Conference start.
Tebow completed two passes underhand and another one falling down. He hit Riley Cooper and Cornelius Ingram with perfect throws in the end zone. And he ran over and around Tennessee defenders much of the day.
His performance even earned him a kiss on the side of the face from roommate Tony Joiner.
The defending national champion Gators (3-0, 1-0) extended their winning streak to 10 games, stretched their home winning streak to 18 and improved to 7-0 iagainst their three biggest rivals under coach Urban Meyer. Florida hasn't lost to Tennessee, Georgia or Florida State since 2004.
Last year in Knoxville, Tebow replaced Chris Leak and converted a fourth-and-1 play in the fourth quarter that led to the go-ahead touchdown in the 21-20 victory.
He did much more Saturday.
His best play probably will be overlooked, too. He rolled left on fourth-and-3, bought time and then threw across his body to David Nelson for a 14-yard gain.
Percy Harvin scored on the next play, making it 42-20 and essentially sealing the victory on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Harvin shook two defenders, spun out of a tackle and then trotted into the end zone.
Harvin finished with 195 total yards - 75 rushing and 120 receiving.
Tebow and Harvin weren't the only stars, either.
Brandon James returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown, making two ankle-breaking moves before outrunning everyone else. The return gave Florida a 7-0 lead and all the momentum.
Linebacker Dustin Doe's return meant even more.
Florida led 28-6 late in the second half, but Erik Ainge drove Tennessee 64 yards in about a minute. His TD pass to Chris Brown cut the lead to 28-13 heading into the locker room.
The Volunteers (1-2, 0-1) got it even closer to start the second half. Eric Berry, beaten earlier in the game for a touchdown, picked off Tebow's pass and returned it 96 yards for a score.
The Gators were ready to blow the game open, but instead Berry had given the Volunteers plenty of juice. The Vols then forced a punt and had a chance to tie, but Arian Foster fumbled, and Doe returned it 18 yards to make it 35-20.
The Gators rolled from there, turning Meyer's ``blue-out'' into a blowout. Meyer asked Florida fans to wear blue in hopes of limiting the amount of Tennessee-like orange in the stands.
Tebow completed two more long passes, one leading to his second TD run and the other to a field goal. He finished 14-for-19.
Ainge was 26-of-41 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was replaced by Jonathan Crompton in the closing minutes.
Alabama 41, Arkansas 38
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Matt Caddell caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone from John Parker Wilson with 8 seconds left, lifting Alabama to a 41-38 victory over No. 16 Arkansas on Saturday night, for the first major win of the Nick Saban era.
The Crimson Tide (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) moved from its own 27-yard line with 2:13 left after twice blowing 21-point leads, mostly on the Wilson-to-Caddell connection.
Wilson hit Caddell across the middle for a 19-yard completion and two 9-yarders to move the ball across midfield. Arkansas' Kevin Woods and Matterral Richardson were both whistled for pass interference, Richardson on a third-and-9 play. That set Alabama up with a first down at the 13, and Wilson hit Keith Brown for a 9-yarder.
Wilson found a leaping Caddell in the left side of the end zone two plays later, sending the crowd into a frenzy and prompting a celebratory pileup on the receiver.
The Tide's decision to settle for Leigh Tiffin's 42-yard field goal to make it 38-34 paid off with a defensive stop, setting up the winning drive. Tiffin had missed three field goals and an extra point in the Razorbacks' double-overtime, 24-23 win last season, but came through this time.
Wilson completed 7-of-8 passes for 56 yards on the final drive for the Tide, which didn't manage a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter during Mike Shula's four-year tenure.
Casey Dick's completion pushed the ball just across midfield as time expired on Arkansas.
Dick's 7-yard touchdown pass, his third of the game, to Peyton Hillis with 8:08 left gave Arkansas (1-1, 0-1) its first lead, 41-34. It was set up by Darren McFadden's 20-yard run and a 32-yarder by Felix Jones on consecutive plays.
Arkansas had trailed 31-10 late in the third quarter, but capitalized on a fumble and interception by Wilson. McFadden rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, gaining 195 yards on 33 carries.
Alabama countered with Wilson's passing. He completed 24-of-45 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Caddell had nine catches for 91 yards and DJ Hall gained a career-high 172 yards on just six receptions. He passed Ozzie Newsome to become the Tide's all-time leading receiver with a 44-yarder on the Tide's first offensive play.
Terry Grant gained 96 yards on 20 carries for the Tide. Jones ran 16 times for 96 yards for the Razorbacks, who gained 301 yards rushing.
Vanderbilt 31, Ole Miss 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Chris Nickson threw for 200 yards and ran for 78 more and a touchdown to lead Vanderbilt to a 31-17 win over Mississippi Saturday night.
Cassen Jackson-Garrison had three touchdowns and 127 yards rushing, and the Commodores (2-1) improved to 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while the Rebels (1-2) dropped their league opener for the fourth consecutive year. Ole Miss fell to 46-34-2 against Vanderbilt.
Brent Schaeffer relieved Seth Adams in the fourth quarter, and threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace on his first attempt to narrow the score to 24-17. Schaeffer failed to complete a pass on the following possession, and Jackson-Garrison scored for the Commodores on a short field to put the game out of reach.
Nickson, hampered all week by a sore hamstring, completed his first 10 passes to pace a Commodores offense that gained a season-high 183 rushing yards.
Adams threw for 154 yards on 10-for-17 passing, including a 36-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace that narrowed the Rebels' deficit to 14-10. But he threw a late interception to D.J. Moore, and four plays later Vanderbilt took a 24-10 lead.
Two-time All-SEC receiver Earl Bennett caught 11 passes for 100 yards, his ninth career game with at least 100 yards receiving at Vanderbilt.
The Commodores' defense gave up 262 yards, but was constantly in the Rebels' backfield to force six sacks.
Wallace caught four passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns for Ole Miss, whose offense managed just 54 yards rushing.
Bryan Hahnfeldt kicked a 24-yard field goal for Vanderbilt, and might have had another. Mackenzie Adams botched the snap on his second attempt.
Joshua Shene kicked a 34-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 7-3, but missed another.
South Carolina 38, South Carolina State 3
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Blake Mitchell threw three touchdowns and No. 17 South Carolina defeated South Carolina State 38-3 Saturday to make the Gamecocks 3-0 for the first time in six years.
South Carolina won its sixth consecutive game and the defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight.
That streak - and South Carolina's perfect start - will get severely tested next week with a trip to No. 2 LSU.
The numbers looked strong for South Carolina.
Mitchell finished 14-for-21 for 147 yards. Cory Boyd (132) and Mike Davis (102) went over 100 yards rushing, but the Gamecocks' offense looked lost for a half against the Bulldogs (1-2).
Mitchell had three interceptions and a fumble to go with his touchdown throws. Backup Tommy Beecher added an interception and a fumble of his own.
It got so bad, Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier chose to run the ball much of the second half. And that's when South Carolina finally put away its Championship Subdivision rivals.
Davis rushed for 43 yards and finished a 91-yard TD drive with a 9-yard catch from Mitchell.
Two series later, Boyd broke free for a 29-yard scoring run and the Gamecocks were up 31-3.
Spurrier called only two passes in the third quarter. Then again, he didn't have to get creative the way South Carolina's defense played.
The Gamecocks picked off three passes of their own, lineman Nathan Pepper returning one 19-yards for a touchdown to put them ahead for good, 7-3.
South Carolina State had just 46 yards passing through three quarters.
The Bulldogs are celebrating 100 years of football at the historically black college. It's the first time, however, they've played their larger state rivals about 45 minutes up the road.
The 73,000 at Williams-Brice Stadium was the largest crowd South Carolina State had played in front of and it showed.
The Bulldogs got an early chance to make an impact when Markee Hamlin got Mitchell's first interception to set South Carolina State up on the Gamecocks 12.
But penalties for an illegal snap and illegal procedure pushed them back and they took a 3-0 lead on Aaron Haire's 37-yard field goal.
South Carolina settled down after that shaky start - and looked ready to give Spurrier a Florida-style blowout.
Pepper went 19 yards to the end zone with Cleveland McCoy's interception to put the Gamecocks ahead 7-3.
Ryan Succop added a 40-yard field goal and Mitchell hit Kenny McKinley with a 12-yard touchdown pass on the Gamecocks next two series to increase the lead to 17-3.
Soon enough, though, South Carolina reverted to the ``average stiffs'' Spurrier spoke of two weeks ago in the opener with Louisiana-Lafayette.
The defense, though, was again above average. It didn't give up a touchdown at Georgia in South Carolina's 16-12 win a week ago and did not yield this time, either.
The closest South Carolina State got after its opening drive came in the third quarter after driving to the Gamecock 12, but Darian Stewart recovered Jonathan Woods' fumble to end the threat.
Kentucky 40, Louisville 34
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Andre Woodson threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Steve Johnson with 28 seconds left and Kentucky shocked No. 9 Louisville 40-34 Saturday night, the Wildcats' first victory over a top-10 team in three decades.
Kentucky was about to lose its fifth in a row to its intrastate rival and had been pushed back because of a personal foul penalty. Then Johnson zipped past the Cardinals' secondary and Woodson nailed him in stride.
Woodson completed 30 of 44 passes for 275 yards and four TDs as he beat Brian Brohm, a rival dating to high school, for the first time.
Brohm's last-second desperation attempt was deflected and caught by Harry Douglas at the 10, but time expired.
Although Brohm didn't put up the gaudy numbers of his first two games when he amassed nine TD passes, he did lead a late drive that put Louisville in a position to win.
Kentucky was ahead 33-28 with 6 minutes left when Brohm began an 84-yard drive that ended in Anthony Allen's 2-yard plunge. It was the second touchdown for Allen, who had 96 rushing yards a week after generating a team-high 275 against Middle Tennessee.
Woodson went another game without throwing an interception, extending his streak of passes without one to 257. That broke the Southeastern Conference record set by Georgia's David Greene in 2004 and is 14 short of Trent Dilfer's NCAA mark.
Louisville's offensive line was one of only three in the country that didn't allow a sack through the first two games, but Kentucky got to Brohm three times.
Kentucky would have had a fourth sack, halting Brohm deep in his own territory, but a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Wildcats cornerback Trevard Lindley negated that and gave Brohm another chance. He took advantage, firing a 42-yard bomb to Douglas, who later scored from three yards out.
Brohm, who was 28-for-43 for 366 yards and 3 TDs, led the Cardinals down the field on their next possession, setting up a 10-yard run by Anothy Allen that put them on front for the first time, 21-19.
Woodson answered during the first drive of the second half, leading the Wildcats 78 yards. John Conner scored on a 7-yard slant.
Kentucky barely had a chance to celebrate regaining the lead. Louisville's Trent Guy took the kickoff 100 yards to put the Cardinals back on top.
Guy's third career TD return - first on a kickoff - was a makeup play for his mistake in the opening seconds that gave the Wildcats early momentum. He fumbled the opening kick, setting up a Kentucky field goal.
That and an interception by Lindley helped give Kentucky an early 13-0 lead.
LSU 44, Middle Tennessee 0
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Ryan Perrilloux looked nothing like a backup quarterback in his first career start for LSU.
Perrilloux threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 2 LSU to a 44-0 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday night.
With a Southeastern Conference showdown against Steve Spurrier's No. 17 South Carolina squad looming next weekend, LSU coach Les Miles decided to rest regular starter Matt Flynn, who had sprained his right ankle a week earlier and whose participation in practice had been limited since.
Oddsmakers had LSU (3-0) favored by a little more than five touchdowns over the Blue Raiders (0-3), and the Tigers had no trouble meeting such lofty expectations with Perrilloux behind center.
It was 44-0 in the third quarter.
Perrilloux was widely considered the most sought-after quarterback recruit in the country when he played at East St. John high school in southeast Louisiana.
In his senior season in high school, Perrilloux passed for 3,546 yards and 30 touchdowns and ran for 1,460 yards and 37 touchdowns. He was USA Today's high school player of the year.
But what promised to be a glittering college career with his home state Tigers took a dark turn during the past year.
First, he was named a person of interest in a federal counterfeiting investigation. He was never named as a suspect, but just as he seemed to be emerging unscathed from that probe, the 20-year-old redshirt sophomore jeopardized his spot on the team when he was arrested for trying to get into a Baton Rouge riverboat casino using his older brother's license.
Miles suspended Perrilloux, but reinstated him in time for preseason practice.
In LSU's first two games, both blowouts, Perrilloux made the most of his mop-up duty, throwing for three scores and rushing for another. Against the Blue Raiders, he likely established himself as LSU's quarterback of the future.
Throwing hard and accurately, he completed 20 of 25 passes while putting his all-around ability on display with 37 yards rushing.
Perhaps Perrilloux's best display of athleticism came on an incompletion in the closing seconds of the first half. With the Blue Raiders on a rush into the backfield, Perrilloux slithered and spun out of the grasp of four defenders while twice changing the hands with the ball, then threw it away just before getting leveled.
Avoiding the sack allowed Colt David to set up for a 26-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Tigers into halftime with a 23-0 lead.
By contrast, Middle Tennessee's offense, which put up 42 points against Louisville, struggled to make first downs against the Tigers, finishing with only 166 total yards in LSU's second shutout of the season.