Alabama 27, Ole Miss 24
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- For the third straight season, Alabama was forced to survive the game's final play to defeat Mississippi.
This time, the Crimson Tide had to wait an extra five minutes for that final play to be reviewed by replay and overturned on the field to preserve a 27-24 win over the Rebels.
Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams completed a 41-yard pass to Shay Hodge to give the Rebels possession at the Alabama 4 with 7 seconds left.
After a 5-minute review clearly showed Hodge stepped out of bounds and returned to the field to make the catch, the play was ruled illegal and Alabama (5-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) took over on downs for a final snap to seal the victory.
``I saw the player go out of bounds,'' Alabama coach Nick Saban said. ``I was watching the guy on the sidelines. He ran out of bounds.''
Ole Miss (2-5, 0-4) has lost three straight to Alabama, each by three points.
``Was it out of bounds? I don't know,'' Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron said. ``Obviously, we thought he was in bounds. I never thought it would be reversed.''
John Parker Wilson went 26-of-40 for 265 yards and D.J. Hall pulled down 11 receptions for 140 yards. Alabama finished with 420 yards of total offense, but was plagued by two second-half turnovers and a blocked punt that gave the Rebels a 24-17 lead into the final period.
Leigh Tiffin put Alabama ahead with a 24-yard field goal with 5:14 left that was set up by an interception by Ezekial Knight. Alabama tied the game on the previous possession on a 3-yard touchdown run by Terry Grant with 7:11 remaining.
BenJarvis Green-Ellis ran for 131 yards on 20 carries and Adams was 22-of-40 for 284 yards and two touchdown passes for the Rebels.
Ole Miss defensive end Greg Hardy had 13 tackles, three sacks, forced two fumbles and broke up a pass. ``The play of Greg Hardy was fantastic,'' said Orgeron.
The Rebels dominated the third period to erase a 17-10 halftime deficit.
Dustin Mouzon blocked an Alabama punt and three plays later, Adams hit Michael Hicks with a 17-yard touchdown pass that gave the Rebels a 24-17 lead, setting up the decisive Alabama rally.
Alabama pulled into a 24-24 tie on a 3-yard run by Terry Grant, set up by a 54-yard punt return by Javier Arenas. One series later, linebacker Ezekial Knight returned an interception 28 yards to set up Leigh Tiffin's go-ahead field goal from 24 yards for a 27-24 lead with 5:14 left.
Adams led the final surge by the Rebels, converting in a pair of third and fourth down situations into Alabama territory. The fourth down pass for Hodge was pulled down at the Alabama 4-yard line, with seven seconds remaining.
The Rebels lined up quickly for another play, but the review by officials halted the game and eventually determined the win for Alabama.
``I called timeout to get the review,'' Saban said. ``They said they were reviewing it anyway and I told them I wanted a timeout to get a better look.''
The Southeastern Conference released a postgame statement saying, ``In the judgment of the replay official, Doyle Jackson, the receiver stepped out of bounds on his own. Also the replay official ruled the receiver touched the ball first, thereby making it an illegal touch. The result of the play is that the ball goes back to the original line of scrimmage with a loss of down. Rules do not allow for a receiver to come back in bounds if he was forced out.''
Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Eric Ainge threw for 259 yards and two touchdown passes and Lucas Taylor had career highs of 11 catches for 186 yards Saturday to lead No. 25 Tennessee to a 33-21 victory over Mississippi State.
The Volunteers (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) fell behind the Bulldogs (4-3, 1-3) 14-7 early, but Ainge hit Taylor for a 51-yard touchdown in the second quarter that started the rally and Arian Foster scored on a 1-yard run after a personal foul penalty in the third quarter to help Tennessee pull away.
Daniel Lincoln also made four field goals to nail down Tennessee's third straight win and the fourth in its last five games.
Foster finished with 139 yards and Ainge was 22-for-36 with an interception. He moved past Andy Kelly into third place in career total yards at Tennessee.
Foster has rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns during Tennessee's winning streak.
Anthony Dixon rushed for 108 yards and a 31-yard touchdown that gave Mississippi State its early lead.
Tennessee pulled away in the drives that sandwiched halftime.
After holding Tennessee to a missed field goal attempt with 1:28 left in the first half with the score tied 14-14, Mississippi State tried to run out the clock.
Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer used his team's two timeouts to stop the clock during the Bulldogs' three-and-out drive. After a short punt, Ainge found Taylor for a 26-yard gain to Mississippi State's 30 and Lincoln atoned for his miss with a 47-yard field goal that gave the Volunteers a 17-14 lead.
The Bulldogs appeared to force another Volunteers field goal try immediately after halftime, but De'Mon Glanton was penalized for a late hit at the goal line and Foster punched the ball in two plays later for a 24-14 lead.
Wes Carroll narrowed that lead to 24-21 on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jamayel Smith on the next drive. But the Volunteers held the Bulldogs scoreless the rest of the way, allowing just 148 yards of total offense in the second half.
Carroll, a freshman who was diagnosed with a mild concussion at halftime, set a career-high 203 yards on 18 of 33 passing. He also threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tony Burks.
The win puts Tennessee back in the SEC's Eastern Division race after starting the season 1-2.
Mississippi State was looking for its fifth win in a season for the first time since 2000. The game was the first of three straight against ranked SEC opponents.
Kentucky 43, LSU 37 (3OT)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky became the latest team to shake up the national title race.
Andre Woodson found Steve Johnson open in the end zone for a 7-yard score in the third extra period and the No. 17 Wildcats stunned No. 1 LSU 43-37 Saturday.
Johnson was open because defender Jonathan Zenon tripped and fell down, and Woodson double-pumped before firing a strike.
LSU had a chance to tie, but couldn't get a first down on four straight running plays. Charles Scott was stopped a yard short on a fourth-and-2 run and Kentucky had it's first victory over a No. 1 team since 1964, when it beat Mississippi.
``Whenever it starts to look dark, that's when they dig down and find something extra,'' Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said.
No highly ranked team seems to be safe in this season of surprises. It started with Appalachian State knocking off then-No. 5 Michigan in Week 1.
In the last two weeks, nine teams ranked in the top 10 have lost, including No. 2 USC falling 24-23 to Stanford last week.
That helped LSU become a unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this week, a week after reaching the top spot for the first time since 1959. Looks like the Tigers' stay at No. 1 will be a short one.
Maybe No. 2 California or No. 3 Ohio State will the next No. 1 when the polls and the first Bowl Championship Series standing of the season come out Sunday.
Fans at Commonwealth Stadium stormed the field, in a scene reminiscent of 2002 - the last time these teams played in Lexington. Only that time, it was a false alarm because Devery Henderson scored on a 75-yard tipped pass as time expired in what is still known in Baton Rouge as the ``Bluegrass Miracle.''
``It proved we're a team that obviously earns a lot more respect now,'' Woodson said in the middle of the on-field celebration. ``We've come a long way from being a doormat in the SEC to competing with the best teams in the SEC and getting some wins.''
It was the first time in nearly four years the No. 1 team was beaten during the regular season. On Dec. 6, 2003, Kansas State beat top-ranked Oklahoma 35-7 for the Big 12 title.
Early on Saturday, it didn't seem like this game was heading to a miracle finish. It didn't seem like the Tigers would need one.
But starting with a minute left in the third quarter, Kentucky scored 13 straight points to tie it at 27. Both teams scored rushing TDs in the first OT and field goals in the second.
Woodson wasn't sharp early but completed 21 of 38 passes for 250 yards, throwing for three TDs and running in another. He largely had to carry the load with top rusher Rafael Little sidelined with a bruised thigh.
Woodson, who earlier this season broke Trent Dilfer's major college record of 271 consecutive passes without an interception, had two picked off Saturday.
The Wildcats took an early 7-0 lead after Woodson's tipped, wobbly pass was grabbed in the end zone by T.C. Drake.
The Tigers didn't wait long to answer. Two long runs - 27 yards from Trindon Holliday and 55 yards from Scott - set up Scott's first TD, a 1-yard plunge, to tie the game at 7. The Tigers tacked on another TD from Scott - from 13 yards out, late in the first half.
Kentucky closed the deficit to 17-14 at halftime when Woodson found Steve Johnson on a 50-yard post, then scrambled 12 yards untouched into the end zone.
Until late in the game, Kentucky did little against LSU's top ranked defense, which had allowed fewer than 200 yards a game.
South Carolina 21, North Carolina 15
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Chris Smelley threw a career-high three touchdown passes in the first half and No. 7 South Carolina withstood a late rally to beat North Carolina 21-15 on Saturday.
The redshirt freshman improved to 4-0 as a starter, helping South Carolina (6-1) build a 21-3 lead through three quarters and successfully defend its first top 10 ranking since 2001.
But the Tar Heels (2-5) made things interesting late. T.J. Yates threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Greg Little on the first play of the fourth quarter, then ran 3 yards for another score to make it a six-point game with 3:03 remaining.
The Gamecocks gave North Carolina one last chance, after Ryan Succop's 48-yard field goal bounced harmlessly off the right upright with 46 seconds left.
Yates threw three quick completions to move the Tar Heels to the South Carolina 31, but misfired on his last two throws toward the end zone, with his final pass deflected away by Kenny McKinley at about the 1.
Yates finished 22-of-42 for 285 yards against the nation's best pass defense, and Hakeem Nicks had eight receptions for 114 yards for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina had 398 total yards to South Carolina's 282, had nearly a 10-minute advantage in time of possession and stopped the Gamecocks on 12 of 13 third-down chances. But the Tar Heels couldn't overcome three interceptions - one thrown on a trick play in the fourth by quarterback-turned-receiver Joe Dailey in the red zone.
Smelley completed 17 of 26 passes for 172 yards with scoring passes to three different receivers, covering 3 yards to Dion Lecorn, 30 yards to McKinley and 12 yards to Jared Cook.
Cory Boyd rushed 20 times for 95 yards for South Carolina, helping Steve Spurrier remain unbeaten in four games against the Tar Heels. His previous three wins came when he was at Duke from 1987-89, and his last - a 41-0 rout - was memorialized with a team photo by the scoreboard, a snapshot that still hangs in his office.
The Gamecocks clicked early in jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead. They scored on two straight possessions, with Smelley's 20-yard pass to Cook setting up his 3-yard strike to Lecorn.
Then, Smelley and Cook hooked up again for 23 yards one play before he found McKinley behind cornerback Jermaine Strong, and the receiver spun toward the right sideline and pulled down his team-leading sixth touchdown of the season.
South Carolina made it 21-3 at halftime when Captain Munnerlyn's 38-yard punt return in the final minutes of the half set up Smelley's scoring pass to Cook with 15 seconds left.
North Carolina's Connor Barth missed a field goal for the first time since 2005 when he pulled a 49-yard attempt wide left in the first quarter, snapping a streak of 19 straight conversions. He made a 45-yarder on his next try early in the second.
Georgia 20, Vanderbilt 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Brandon Coutu kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to help No. 24 Georgia overcome a 10-point halftime deficit and beat Vanderbilt 20-17 on Saturday night.
Knowshon Moreno rushed for a career-high 157 yards in his first start for Georgia (5-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference), who danced on the Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3) star at midfield after Coutu's kick sailed through the uprights.
Vandy's Cassen Jackson-Garrison fumbled 7 yards short of the goal line, setting up the Bulldogs' winning drive.
Matthew Stafford had 201 yards passing for Georgia, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Sean Bailey.
Sean Walker caught a touchdown pass and ran for another for Vanderbilt, who didn't score a point in the second half. Walker caught a 16-yard touchdown pass, originally ruled incomplete, to give the Commodores a 17-7 lead in the third quarter. Walker bobbled the ball twice, but appeared to control it before falling out-of-bounds in the back of the end zone.
Vanderbilt essentially found themselves playing a road game with Georgia fans painting Vanderbilt Stadium red in a rare sellout.
Stafford led the Bulldogs on a 10-play, 73-yard drive to set up the field goal by Coutu, his second of the game. Coutu also kicked a 31-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter.
Vanderbilt swapped quarterbacks early before sticking with backup Mackenzie Adams.
Adams had 125 yards passing and a touchdown, and he also ran for 76 yards on several option plays. Chris Nickson made his 18th consecutive start for Vanderbilt, but saw limited action after the first quarter. Nickson went just 2-for-5 for six yards.
The Commodores tricked the Bulldogs most of the night, pulling several reverses and deceiving plays.
D.J. Moore had 123 all-purpose yards, and his 39-yard rush in the second quarter led to a Commodores touchdown that put them ahead 10-7.
Moreno had a 32-yard rush to setup a Georgia touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, narrowing Vanderbilt's lead to 17-14.
Georgia tailback Kregg Lumpkin left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury, putting even more of a burden on Moreno - who was already replacing injured starter Thomas Brown.
Auburn 9, Arkansas 7
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Wes Byrum kicked his second game-winning field goal in three weeks, this one from 20 yards with 21 seconds remaining to give No. 22 Auburn a 9-7 victory over Arkansas on Saturday night.
Byrum, a freshman, kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired two weekends ago for a 20-17 win over Florida. This kick was much easier, but no less crucial. The Tigers (5-2, 3-1) are now tied for first in the SEC West with Alabama and LSU. Auburn is at LSU next week.
The Tigers held Darren McFadden to 43 yards rushing, the first time all season he's been under 100.
Arkansas (3-3, 0-3) took a 7-6 lead with 1:36 remaining on Casey Dick's 13-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Miller, but the celebration was brief for the home crowd. The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, and after the Razorbacks kicked again, Brad Lester returned the ball to the Auburn 47.
The Tigers moved into field goal range on a 30-yard catch-and-run by Robert Dunn to the Arkansas 12.
For a while, it appeared Byrum's foot might account for all the scoring. He kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 38-yarder early in the fourth. But he missed two field goals as well, including a 46-yarder with 4:19 to play that gave the Razorbacks another chance.
Arkansas pulled out all the stops on a 71-yard drive - both McFadden and wide receiver Robert Johnson threw passes on the drive. The Razorbacks finally went ahead when Dick found Miller on a fade route toward the front of the end zone.
But Lester's 22-yard kick return gave Auburn good field position, and Brandon Cox found Dunn for the longest offensive play by either team on the night. Cox finished 13-of-23 for 101 yards. Ben Tate ran for 91 yards, and Lester added 89 for the Tigers.
Auburn held Arkansas' vaunted running game to 67 yards - the Razorbacks had been averaging 338. The Tigers have won four straight since startling losses to South Florida and Mississippi State last month.
McFadden plodded toward Arkansas' career rushing record, finally surpassing Ben Cowins' mark of 3,570 yards in the third quarter.
Byrum opened the scoring on the game's first possession. That drive was aided by a personal foul penalty on Arkansas' Matterral Richardson. The Razorbacks committed 10 penalties for 100 yards.
Arkansas committed two more personal fouls on an Auburn drive in the third quarter. The first was on Matt Hewitt for roughing the passer - Hewitt's hit momentarily knocked Cox out of the game.
Hewitt redeemed himself later in the drive when he recovered Lester's fumble on the Arkansas 6.
Auburn has excelled on the road and won its 15th straight while wearing all-white uniforms. Next week might be the biggest road test of them all - a date with an LSU team hoping to bounce back Saturday's loss to Kentucky.