South Carolina 38, Mississippi State 21
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Freshman Chris Smelley threw for a career-best 279 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 16 South Carolina to a 38-21 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.
Smelley was given the starting job by coach Steve Spurrier before the Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) left the locker room at LSU's Death Valley last week after a 28-16 loss.
And Smelley's play made Spurrier look like a genius - again.
Smelley, who replaced fifth-year senior Blake Mitchell, connected with receiver Kenny McKinley on touchdown passes of 20 and 27 yards, the latter which put South Carolina ahead for good, 24-21, with 3:43 left in the third quarter.
The Gamecocks' defense also looked strong without its best player in injured middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley. Brinkley, who damaged a knee ligament in last week's LSU defeat, had season-ending surgery this past Wednesday.
The Gamecocks gave up only 45 rushing by halftime in stopping Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2), which came to Williams-Brice Stadium with a three-game winning streak.
Mike Davis added two of his three rushing touchdowns (3, 2 and 12 yards) for South Carolina in the final quarter.
The Bulldogs looked like they had taken the game over in the third quarter. Anthony Dixon's second TD run from 2 yards out put Mississippi State ahead 21-17. Then its defense held, forcing the Gamecocks into a missed 50-yard field goal try.
However, South Carolina defensive lineman Eric Norwood blocked Blake McAdams' punt.
One play later, Smelley hit McKinley with a perfect throw and the junior wideout spun out of a tackle and into the end zone for the go-ahead score.
McKinley finished with four catches for 107 yards, his second game over 100 yards receiving this season.
Smelley was 19 of 37 with an interception. His previous high in yardage came last week with 174 yards in relief of Mitchell.
Dixon led the Bulldogs with 83 yards and his two rushing scores. Mississippi State didn't do much through the air against the Gamecocks with 118 yards.
Quarterback Josh Riddell was 9 of 21 for 101 yards and an interception.
South Carolina figured to be tested on defense with standout linebacker Jasper Brinkley in a wheelchair after season-ending surgery on his knee.
Things seemed worse for the Gamecocks once the game began as leading rusher Cory Boyd grabbed his right knee after the first play and rolled around on the ground in pain. But after icing down the knee, and talking with coach Spurrier, Boyd returned to action later in the period.
He also figured in on one of Spurrier's tricks right before halftime that put South Carolina out front.
Boyd took a flip from tight end Jared Cook after a completion from Smelley for 16 yards on third-and-20. On the next play, Ryan Succop hit a 45-yard field, his sixth straight this season, to send the Gamecocks into the break with the lead.
Boyd ended with 58 yards on 11 attempts. Davis went for 59 yards on 18 carries.
LSU 34, Tulane 9
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Matt Flynn pulled himself up from under a pile of Tulane defenders, and LSU's normally potent offense walked to the sidelines, dejected, after giving up a safety.
The second-ranked Tigers, favored by almost six touchdowns, had gone backward for much of the first half.
``We saw the offense put their heads down,'' LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman said. ``But we went over and told them, 'Pick y'all's heads up. It's going to be a long game. They have to play for 60 minutes. We just have to overcome a little adversity.'''
A good 30 minutes turned out to be more than enough for LSU to crush Tulane's early notions of an upset.
Jacob Hester's second touchdown of the game and Charles Scott's pair of scoring runs helped LSU (5-0) amass 24 unanswered second-half points in a 34-9 victory Saturday.
``It was a mental thing today,'' Scott said. ``We were not focused at all in the first half. And we can't come out and do that with anybody, especially not Florida.''
The defending national champion Gators, ranked fourth heading into their game against Auburn Saturday night, come to Baton Rouge next weekend for a contest likely holding national championship implications.
So if the Tigers overlooked Tulane (1-3), it would be understandable. Forgivable, perhaps, since they pulled away with ease when it mattered.
``It's obviously not what we wanted, but I think it could be good for this team to come out here and get a little bit of a wake-up call,'' Flynn said. ``This team stepped up.''
Still recovering from an ankle sprain, Flynn was inconsistent in the face of constant pressure and was intercepted once. Yet he shook off six sacks to throw for 258 yards.
Tulane, which has lost 16 straight to LSU since its last victory in the series in 1982, played with emotion and made it a better game than anticipated.
``They played a lot better than a lot of people gave them credit for,'' Tulane coach Bob Toledo said of his players. ``I told them: 'Nobody's a six touchdown favorite. ... We're not going to let that happen. We battled and I think we gained respect.''
Tulane trailed only 10-9 at halftime and didn't fall more than one score behind until Hester's 1-yard touchdown run gave LSU a 20-9 lead with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter.
If not for a pair of Tulane turnovers, Matt Forte's fumble and Anthony Scelfo's interception, the game might have been closer.
``We made a few mistakes and you can't have any against a team like this,'' Scelfo said. ``I think we would have been right with them without the mistakes.''
The fumble set up Hester's TD, and the interception by LSU cornerback Chevis Jackson led to Scott's slashing 35-yard scoring run to make it 27-9. Scott then pounded his way in for a short TD on LSU's next drive.
Brandon LaFell had four catches for 76 yards, including a 43-yard reception that set up Hester's first touchdown. Demetrius Byrd caught three passes for 69 yards.
``We came into locker room (at halftime) and decided we weren't being physical enough,'' Scott said. ``So coach came in and he decided we're going to just run it. We're going to use every back we've got and run it, and that's what we did.''
Scelfo finished 11-of-26 passing for 117 yards, while Forte rushed for 73 yards on 16 carries.
Andre Anderson had a 5-yard touchdown run that gave the Green Wave a 9-7 lead late in the first half.
``When they went up 9-7 on us, we knew we had to do something and get it together or we were going to be embarrassed out there,'' Scott said.
Trindon Holliday returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the LSU 44, and the Tigers marched quickly inside the Tulane 20 to regain the lead seconds before halftime on the first of two field goals by Colt David.
Now the Tigers can really start thinking about Florida, if they weren't already.
``I can't imagine how Death Valley's going to be next Saturday night, but I think it's going to be an unbelievable game,'' LSU safety Craig Steltz said. ``A lot of stuff is going to play out. A lot of people will be watching.''
Georgia 45, Ole Miss 17
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Thomas Brown ran for 180 yards - the most for Georgia in six years - and three touchdowns as No. 15 Georgia beat Mississippi 45-17 on Saturday.
The game was tied 17-17 early in the third quarter before Brown, who scored earlier on a 50-yard run, took over. The senior had four carries and one catch for a combined 45 yards on a seven-play touchdown drive that ended with his 4-yard scoring run. He added a 41-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
Brown's rushing total was the high for Georgia since 2001, when Verron Haynes ran for 207 yards against Georgia Tech. He matched his career high with the three touchdown runs.
Georgia's total of 328 yards rushing was its most in seven years under coach Mark Richt, topping its 280 yards against Louisiana-Monroe in 2005.
Knowshon Moreno, a freshman, rushed for 90 yards with an 8-yard scoring run. Freshman fullback Fred Munzenmaier added a 6-yard touchdown run in the final minute.
Georgia (4-1 overall, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) only led 17-10 at halftime. Ole Miss tied the game with an 18-play drive that lasted more than 9 minutes to open the second half.
Ole Miss (1-4 overall, 0-3 SEC) tried to keep pace with Brown as BenJarvus Green-Ellis, ran for 108 yards and a touchdown. The Rebels hurt themselves with two turnovers, including a first-quarter fumble by quarterback Seth Adams on a first-down play at the Georgia 1 when they were trying to take a 14-0 lead.
Each team had only one first-half punt, as they swapped long drives.
The difference in Georgia's 17-10 lead was Adams' fumbled snap on an attempted sneak from the Georgia 1.
The Rebels led 7-0 following a 45-yard touchdown pass from Adams to Mike Wallace and were ready to go up by two TDS before Adams' fumble.
Instead, Georgia took over on its 4 and drove 96 yards for the tying score. Brown took a handoff on a third-and-19 draw play and, with the help of a downfield block by right guard Clint Boling, ran 50 yards for the touchdown.
Following the only Ole Miss punt of the half, Georgia drove 80 yards in 13 plays. A late-hit personal foul on Ole Miss defensive lineman Kentrell Lockett gave Georgia a first down at the Ole Miss 12 following a third-down stop at the 24.
Matthew Stafford threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Mohamed Massaquoi, who jumped in front of another Georgia receiver, Tony Wilson, to make the grab. Stafford was 13-of-21 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown.
The teams traded field goals late in the half.
Adams was 24-of-35 passing for 228 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Georgia linebacker Brandon Miller's interception set up Moreno's fourth-quarter touchdown for a 38-17 lead.
Kentucky 45, Florida Atlantic 17
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Andre Woodson threw for a career-high five touchdowns but had his NCAA-record streak of consecutive passes without an interception snapped at 325 as No. 14 Kentucky dominated Florida Atlantic 45-17 Saturday.
Four different receivers caught scoring throws from Woodson, who completed 26 of 33 passes for a season-high 301 yards in just over three quarters.
Woodson would have had a sixth TD, but his toss to fullback John Conner was picked off by Tavious Polo as the two players battled for the ball near the goal line. It was the seventh interception of the year for the freshman cornerback, who came into the game as the national leader.
A week earlier against Arkansas, Woodson set the national major college mark of consecutive passes thrown without an interception, surpassing Trent Dilfer's record of 271. He pushed the streak past 300 in the Wildcats' opening drive, which ended with a 14-yard strike that Dicky Lyons Jr. cradled from his knees in the back of the end zone. Lyons later scored from 22 yards out.
After the Owls answered with a field goal, Woodson struck again. This time he connected with Steve Johnson for a 27-yard TD.
By the time the first half was finished, Kentucky (5-0) was up 28-10, all from Woodson TD passes. The final one of the half was a perfectly placed 34-yarder between two defenders to Keenan Burton, who dived into the end zone, his arm outstretched with the ball. With the catch, Burton became the third Kentucky player in history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards.
Florida Atlantic (3-2) came into the game ranked second nationally in turnover margin, with nine more gains than losses. Although Polo was the team's turnover star, Woodson didn't shy away from him, throwing his way numerous time, starting with the first pass.
Kentucky chipped away at the Owls' turnover margin, recovering a fumble and grabbing interceptions by Braxton Kelley and Micah Johnson, the latter returned 16 yards for the Wildcats' final score.
Kentucky nearly got another turnover late in the first half when it appeared Dominic Lewis had stripped a fumble out of quarterback Rusty Smith's hands. However a holding penalty against the Wildcats negated that.
Lones Seiber missed a 43-yard field goal attempt as the half expired, but Kentucky headed to the locker room up 28-10.
Florida Atlantic is coached by Kentucky alumnus Howard Schnellenberger, who is credited with resurrecting programs at Miami and Louisville. Schnellenberger tried some trickery, including reverses and a hook and lateral play that resulted in 17 yards.
The Owls did reach the end zone twice, in the second quarter on a 20-yard pass from Smith to Cortez Gent, and in the fourth on a one-yard plunge from Charles Pierre set up by a long kickoff return.
In the end, however, Florida Atlantic couldn't keep up with the Wildcats' speed. Kentucky running back Rafael Little had 20 carries for 112 yards, and Burton led all receivers with 100 yards.
Kentucky faces a short week of practices before heading to South Carolina Thursday to face Steve Spurrier, a coach it has never beaten. Other SEC titans follow, Louisiana State and defending national champion Florida.
Florida State 21, Alabama 14
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Xavier Lee came off the bench to throw a pair of touchdown passes to De'Cody Fagg, and Antone Smith scored on a 5-yard run as Florida State defeated No. 22 Alabama 21-14 Saturday.
Florida State (3-1) gave Bobby Bowden, who grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and always figured he was destined to follow Bear Bryant in Tuscaloosa, his 369th coaching win in his first game against Alabama.
Lee, who entered the game in the second quarter, hit Fagg with a 7-yard pass for the game's first touchdown on the first opening drive of the second half. The two then teamed up on a 70-yard TD pass with 4:46 left in the game to give the Seminoles a 21-7 lead.
Alabama (3-2) cut the lead to 14-7 with 5:04 left on DJ Hall's leaping grab in the back of the end zone on a pass from John Parker Wilson.
Wilson added a 17-yard scoring pass to Keith Brown with 1:06 left.
Wilson completed 28 of 53 passes for 240 yards with Hall catching seven for 83 yards. Alabama's leading rusher, Terry Grant, was held to just 36 of the team's 89 rushing yards.
Lee completed 12 of 19 passes for 224 yards after making his first appearance of the year and ran for a game-high 59 yards in what began as a defensive struggle for both teams. He replaced Drew Weatherford, who couldn't produce any first quarter points despite having good field position and a brisk wind at its back.
Alabama had 78 total yards and three first downs in a scoreless first half, while Florida State was only marginally better with five first downs and 89 total yards.
It was Florida State's first victory in four tries against Alabama in the first meeting between the schools since 1974, when Alabama won 8-7 by scoring a safety and field goal in the final 1:27.
The 85,412 fans at Saturday's game was the most to see a game in Jacksonville, exceeding attendance at the 2004 Super Bowl game or any of the annual Georgia-Florida rivalry games.
Arkansas 66, North Texas 7
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Darren McFadden rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns - all in the first half - to lead Arkansas past an overwhelmed North Texas 66-7 Saturday night.
The Razorbacks (2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak, gaining 507 yards in the first half against a North Texas team that has allowed 220 points in four games. The Mean Green (0-4) are still winless under new coach Todd Dodge, who appears to have a substantial rebuilding project on his hands at what was once the Sun Belt Conference's top program.
North Texas lost its season opener at Oklahoma 79-10. Arkansas appeared headed for a similar point total before slowing down in the third quarter. The Razorbacks led 45-7 at halftime.
Felix Jones ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and like McFadden didn't carry the ball once in the second half. The Razorbacks were coming off tough losses to Alabama and Kentucky that had coach Houston Nutt under fire, but Arkansas fans didn't have much to be upset with on this night.
North Texas' defense actually held on Arkansas' first drive, but a penalty on a punt gave the Razorbacks a first down. They went on to score on that possession - and on each of their next four.
Jones opened the scoring with a 35-yard run, and Casey Dick made it 14-0 with a 61-yard touchdown pass to London Crawford. That was the longest pass of Dick's career. He finished 12-of-21 for 210 yards and three touchdowns, and backup Nathan Emert entered in the third quarter.
McFadden, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, made it 24-0 late in the first with a 2-yard touchdown run. Earlier that drive, North Texas' Antoine Bush tried to catch McFadden near the sideline. McFadden stiff-armed Bush so powerfully he knocked the defensive back's helmet off.
Dick threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Robert Johnson early in the second quarter, and Jones made it 38-0 with a 71-yard touchdown run. Jones appeared to be trapped near the line of scrimmage, but he was able to elude a tackle and cut toward the sideline. He then changed direction, barely staying in bounds, and sprinted up the sideline to the end zone.
McFadden added a 4-yard touchdown run, and North Texas quarterback Giovanni Vizza scored on a 1-yard run with 1:24 to play in the half.
Arkansas finished with 713 total yards, 446 on the ground. The Razorbacks scored early in the third on a 5-yard pass from Dick to Lucas Miller.
Arkansas wasted a couple good scoring chances late with fumbles near the North Texas goal line, but Brandon Barnett scored on a 5-yard run with 5:36 remaining. Barnett, a junior college transfer who had no career carries entering the game, ran for 105 yards.
North Texas' Jamario Thomas, who led the nation in rushing in 2004, was held to 48 yards on the ground.
Arkansas' Jerell Norton scored on a 100-yard interception return in the final minute.
Attendance was 66,343, the lowest in Fayetteville since the Razorbacks went 4-7 during the 2005 season.
Vanderbilt 30, Eastern Michigan 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Earl Bennett caught nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown to lead Vanderbilt's 30-7 rout of Eastern Michigan on Saturday night, giving the Commodores their first consecutive wins in a year.
Vanderbilt (3-1) forced a season-high five turnovers and need three victories in their final eight games to qualify for their first bowl appearance since 1982. The Eagles (2-3, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) managed just 173 total offensive yards, and lost to an SEC school for the third-straight time since 2001 to snap their two-game winning streak.
Bennett electrified an unusually rowdy crowd of 37,220 with a 47-yard touchdown reception from Chris Nickson to give the Commodores an early 10-0 lead. The two-time All-SEC receiver closed within 10 catches of breaking the SEC career record for receptions, held by Kentucky's Craig Yeast with 208.
Andy Schmitt was 13-for-24 with 111 yards passing for Eastern Michigan, which didn't cross midfield until halfway through the third quarter. Schmitt threw four interceptions, including one that D.J. Moore returned 24 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open 27-7.
Travis Lewis caught a 14-yard touchdown pass and Ken Bohnet added another 39 yards receiving for the Eagles, who abandoned the running game after just 8 yards on the ground in the first half.
Vanderbilt's offense was sloppy throughout, committing five turnovers and fumbling four other times. Nickson was 14-for-28 with 168 yards passing and threw all five interceptions for the Commodores, who also failed to convert on several third-and-short situations.
The consecutive victories were the first for Vanderbilt since last September when they defeated Tennessee State and Temple. The Commodores have enjoyed consecutive victories on just four occasions in the last eight years.
Auburn 20, Florida 17
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- On a day filled with upsets, Auburn turned in one of the biggest.
Freshman Wes Byrum kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to a 20-17 victory over fourth-ranked Florida on Saturday night.
The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the defending national champions and gave the Gators their first home loss under coach Urban Meyer. They had won 18 in a row, 17 straight since Meyer took over in 2005.
It also might have jeopardized Florida's chances of repeating. Then again, with all the other upsets Saturday, the Gators surely won't slip too far out of the picture.
Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) could take a big step back next week at No. 2 LSU. But if the Gators play like they did Saturday, they could be in for another long day.
Auburn (3-2, 1-1) played sound defense, prevented Tim Tebow & Co. from making many big plays and took advantage of several mistakes to build a 14-0 lead at halftime.
Byrum attempted the winning kick, just as Meyer called timeout. The kick was true, but Byrum had to do it again.
He did, and it was right down the middle.
Auburn used the final 4 minutes to set up the winning field goal. Ben Tate ran for 18 yards on the drive and Brandon Cox found Rodgeriqus Smith twice for 16 yards.
Byrum did the rest.
The Tigers rushed the field to celebrate and performed the ``Gator Chomp'' everywhere in front of 90,685 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Gators were stunned - much like No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Rutgers and No. 13 Clemson were after they were handed their first losses Saturday.
Tate finished with 65 yards for Auburn. Mario Fannin added 62, and Brandon Cox was 17-of-26 passing for 227 yards. Smith caught nine passes for 102 yards.
The defense deserves even more credit for keeping Florida's high-powered offense in check. The Tigers held Florida to 312 yards, well below its average. They also did it without a full game from defensive end Quentin Groves, who injured his right foot and left the field on crutches.
Tebow was 20-of-27 passing for 201 yards with a touchdown and ran 19 times for 75 yards and a score. He got little help. Percy Harvin caught seven passes for 119 yards, after missing much of the week of practice with a sore hip.
Receiver Andre Caldwell also sat out much of the game, although he did play one snap.
The Gators needed much more to avoid losing to Auburn for the second time in a year. The Tigers were the only team to beat Florida last season.
Florida wanted revenge. Now, however, the Gators will have to wait for another shot.
The Tigers used a running-into-the-punter penalty on the opening possession to keep a drive alive and eventually score on Kodi Burns' 6-yard touchdown run.
They made it a two-touchdown game after blocking Joey Ijjas' 34-yard field goal attempt. Cox completed a perfect touch pass to Carl Stewart along the sideline for a 22-yard gain, then hit Montez Billings for 25 more.
Tate later converted a fourth-and-1 play at the 4, then scored from 3 yards out.
Florida's defense allowed to many big plays in the first half, the result of too little pressure and too much cushion from the cornerbacks.
The offense wasn't much better. The Gators punted on their first two possessions, had a blocked field goal and then fumbled on fourth down just before the half.
They started the third quarter much better.
After an Auburn punt, Tebow hooked up with Harvin for 52 yards. They couldn't punch it in from the 3 and settled for a field goal.
Tebow threw his second interception of the season on the next possession, a turnover that helped set up Byrum's 30-yard field goal to take it to 17-3.
Meyer was determined to change the momentum on the ensuing drive and called for a fake punt on fourth-and-1 near midfield. The Gators were flagged for an illegal formation and forced to punt.
Florida got a break, though, when Tate fumbled on the next play. Tebow then took over, picking up yards on the ground and eventually connecting with Cornelius Ingram for a 6-yard score that made it 17-10.
After forcing another Auburn, Tebow was at it again. He engineered an 89-yard drive, highlighted by a 32-yard pass to Harvin, and tied it with a 2-yard plunge.
Florida had a chance to take the lead, but a shanked punt gave Auburn the ball at the 39-yard line.
Cox, Tate and Byrum took it from there.