Florida 49, Vanderbilt 22
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Tim Tebow accounted for five touchdowns, Percy Harvin became the first player in school history with 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game, and No. 18 Florida rebounded from its third loss in four outings with a 49-22 drubbing of Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Tebow and Harvin helped the Gators extend their winning streak against Vandy to 17 games and stay in the hunt for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title. Florida needs to beat South Carolina next week and have Tennessee and Georgia lose another league game to return to Atlanta for the second straight year.
The Gators (6-3, 4-3) appear ready to do their part. They manhandled Vanderbilt's defense, which entered the game ranked third in the conference and 14th in the country.
Tebow was 22-of-27 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He added 35 yards and two scores on the ground.
He also got plenty of help from Harvin, Andre Caldwell, Brandon James and a defense eager to erase several poor performances.
Harvin ran 11 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for 110 yards. He had a weaving, 18-yard TD run in the first quarter and a stumbling, 13-yarder in the fourth.
Caldwell had nine receptions for 103 yards and two scores.
James finished with 116 yards on three returns, including two longer than 50 yards.
The defense may have been the biggest surprise.
The Gators allowed 107 points the last three games, failing to put pressure on quarterbacks, cover receivers and get off the field on third down.
They were considerably better against the Commodores (5-4, 2-4). Backup center Mike Pouncey moved to defensive tackle to help the unit recover from several injuries and played well, and the secondary seemingly shored up loose coverages and blown assignments.
The offensive surge surely helped the struggling defense, too.
The Gators, playing at home for the first time in five weeks and wearing all-blue uniforms for the first time since 2004, scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions. They racked up 358 yards in the first half - 57 more than the Commodores allowed in the first eight games - and 19 first downs.
Florida made it look easy, too.
Tebow was 19-of-22 for 262 yards with three TD passes at halftime. Harvin had 189 total yards. And Caldwell had eight receptions for 97 yards and two scores.
The Gators had two mistakes in one of their most dominant halves of the season: center Drew Miller snapped the ball over Tebow's head for a 26-yard loss on second-and-7 from the Vanderbilt 8, and Joey Ijjas missed a 38-yard field goal two plays later.
Vandy looked like it might get back in the game to start the second half, recovering an onside kick to open the third. But the Commodores had to settle for a field goal.
They got the ball right back when Reshard Langford intercepted a pass from Tebow, but they failed to convert on fourth down. The comeback ended when Alex Washington muffed a punt after running into teammate Josh Allen.
The Gators took over at the 12-yard line, and Tebow scored three plays later to make it 42-10 with 4:16 remaining in the third. The 1-yard run was Tebow's 14th rushing touchdown of the season, tying the school record held by Emmitt Smith (1989) and Buford Long (1952).
Georgia 44, Troy 34
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- There was no need to worry about an early Georgia celebration.
Knowshon Moreno ran for 196 yards and three touchdowns and the No. 10 Bulldogs worked hard into the final quarter to handle Troy 44-34 on Saturday.
Moreno's second straight three-touchdown game was highlighted by an 80-yard first-quarter touchdown run, Georgia's longest in 10 years.
He added two 1-yard scoring runs in the second half and helped the Bulldogs recover after they fumbled away the ball on their first two possessions.
The Trojans (6-3) fell to 0-3 against the Southeastern Conference this season despite scoring a combined total of 81 points in the losses to Arkansas, Florida and Georgia.
Omar Haugabook, whose status coming into the game was uncertain due to a hamstring injury, was 29-of-45 passing for 310 yards and two touchdowns for Troy. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Troy backup quarterback Jamie Hampton threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jerrel Jernigan with 6 seconds left.
Haugabook's 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter cut Georgia's lead to 34-27.
Georgia (7-2) answered with Brandon Coutu's third field goal, from 26 yards, and Moreno's third touchdown run.
Georgia drew two penalties when its entire team ran on the field to celebrate the team's first touchdown in last week's 42-30 win over Florida. There were no full-team celebrations against Troy, though receiver Sean Bailey was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after his 20-yard touchdown catch in the first half.
Georgia's Matthew Stafford was 17-of-29 passing for 217 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Stafford threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tripp Chandler with 45 seconds left in the first half. After Troy fumbled the kickoff return and Georgia's Akeem Dent recovered at the Trojans' 43, Stafford threw the 20-yard scoring pass to Bailey.
Moreno ended the day with 1,003 yards rushing this season to become only the second Georgia freshman to rush for 1,000 yards. Herschel Walker rushed for 1,616 yards as a freshman in 1980.
Moreno's 80-yard run was Georgia's longest since Robert Edwards' 80-yard run against Kentucky in 1997.
Ole Miss 38, Northwestern State 31
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns as Mississippi snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 38-31 win over Northwestern State.
The Rebels (3-7) held a precarious 17-14 lead over the Football Championship Subdivision opponent in the third quarter. Mike Wallace extended the lead with a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Ole Miss.
The point total was the most for Ole Miss since a 31-28 win over South Carolina in 2004. But the Rebels struggled, allowing the Demons (3-6) to rally with two late scores, and had to bleed away the last 3:16 to preserve the win.
It was a homecoming victory for the Rebels and the 10th career win for third-year coach Ed Orgeron, coming on the heels of a vote of confidence from the university administration. Still, Rebels fans showed displeasure with the team's performance by staying away. The announced attendance was 23,283, less than half capacity.
Ole Miss built a 17-0 first-quarter lead with 222 yards of total offense and Green-Ellis' touchdown runs of 41 and 25 yards.
Northwestern State pulled within 17-14 in the opening six minutes of the second half on a 28-yard reverse by Tyler Cheramie and a 16-yard pass from Germayne Edmond to Adam Varnado.
Ole Miss answered with Wallace's kickoff return and a 10-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Brent Schaeffer to Shay Hodge that made it 31-14.
Defensive tackle Peria Jerry intercepted a pass to set up Green-Ellis' 4-yard scoring run with 12:01 left for a 38-17 cushion. The Rebels forced three turnovers, converting two into second-half touchdowns.
But Northwestern State scored twice in the final eight minutes to make the game close. Edmond scored on a 3-yard run, followed by a 37-yard touchdown pass from Drew Branch to Kedrin Seastrunk with 3:16 left.
Auburn 35, Tennessee Tech 3
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Brandon Cox completed his first seven passes, leading No. 19 Auburn to three early touchdowns before leaving the game in the second quarter, and the Tigers cruised to a 35-3 win against Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
Cox completed 9 of 11 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown and Auburn (7-3) scored on its first three possessions on homecoming.
The Golden Eagles (4-6), who play in the Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), fell to 0-19 against major college teams.
Cox finished his work at 13:59 in the half when he completed a 16-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Robert Dunn, giving Auburn a 21-3 lead. It was the first of two touchdown catches for Dunn.
Backup Blake Field led the Tigers for much of the remainder of the game completing 6 of 11 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
The highlight for Tennessee Tech came early in the first quarter after Auburn had taken a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard run by Ben Tate.
Henry Sailes took the kickoff and raced 67 yards down the sideline to the Auburn 16. The Golden Eagles could only move the ball to the 10 and settled for a 28-yard Justin Kraemer field goal.
The Tigers took control from there. Cox threw a short pass over the middle to Carl Stewart, who raced 55 yards to the Auburn 2. Stewart ran it in on the next play.
Auburn only scored one offensive touchdown after Cox left. That came on the Tigers' first possession of the second half when Field completed a 20-yard pass to Dunn after a 13-play, 90-yard drive.
The Golden Eagles threatened in the fourth quarter driving from their 17 to the Auburn 9, but Walter McFadden intercepted Lee Sweeney's pass and raced 93-yards down the sideline for Auburn's final score. It was the third longest interception return in Auburn history.
Auburn held the Golden Eagles to 304 yards and forced four turnovers.
Mario Fannin ran 14 times for 59 yards for Auburn, while Derek White had 66 yards on 18 carries for Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee 59, Louisiana-Lafayette 7
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee needed a solid game before their final Southeastern Conference stretch.
The Volunteers got it in a 59-7 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
In addition to rushing for a season-high 273 yards, the Volunteers (6-3, 3-2 SEC) added touchdowns on Antonio Reynolds' 70-yard interception return and a 20-yard blocked punt return by Antonio Wardlow.
The win was Tennessee's most lopsided since a 70-3 homecoming victory over Louisiana-Monroe in 2000.
After being criticized for giving up on the run early in their three losses, Tennessee coaches spread out the run game against Louisiana Lafayette (1-8).
Arian Foster and Lennon Creer both ran for touchdowns. Foster finished with 100 yards on 20 carries, propelling him just past the 2,000-yard career mark. He is the 12th Tennessee tailback to surpass that mark.
Creer finished with 109 yards on seven carries, and Montario Hardesty added 45 yards on nine runs.
The Vols also had success passing. Quintin Hancock caught a 5-yard pass from Erik Ainge with 7:59 in the third quarter. Ainge finished 16-for-23 for 125 yards. Daniel Lincoln also scored on a 24-yard field goal.
The win gave Tennessee the chance to work some reserve players in preparation for upcoming games against Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Vols must win all three to play in the SEC championship.
Backup quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw his first TD pass of the season, a 49-yarder to Kenny O'Neal with 11:24 in the fourth after coaches decided to rest Ainge. Gerald Jones, a reserve wide receiver who played a few snaps at quarterback, ran 12 yards for a touchdown.
The Ragin' Cajun easily drove down the field several times, but struggled getting into the end zone. Michael Desormeaux threw an interception in Tennessee territory and Drew Edmiston came up short on a 49-yard field goal attempt.
Louisiana-Lafayette's only touchdown came after a 69-yard drive that took less than two minutes. Tyrell Fenroy ran 21 yards for the score early in the third quarter.
A homecoming matchup with a one-win team wasn't enough to put fans in the stands. The 96,197 attendance total was the smallest since Tennessee expanded Neyland Stadium in 1996.
The stadium seats 102,038 and was averaging 105,423 in attendance for the season.
LSU 41, Alabama 34
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Maybe now those folks at LSU can get over Nick Saban and relish what they have: a living-on-the-edge team that's still in the thick of the national championship race after another heart-stopping victory.
Les Miles' Cardiac Tigers did it again Saturday night, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes to rally No. 3 LSU to a 41-34 win over No. 17 Alabama, which should serve as payback for the coach who won a title in Cajun Country but is now considered a turncoat by the purple and gold.
LSU (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) pulled this out in typical fashion, going down to the wire in their fourth straight game.
Alabama (6-3, 4-2) went ahead on a 61-yard punt return by Javier Arenas with 7 1/2 minutes left, and the Crimson Tide was in position to clinch it when the Tigers faced fourth-and-4 at the Bama 32.
No problem for this team that went 5-for-5 on fourth-down conversions in a win over Florida that started this remarkable run.
Matt Flynn tossed a pass over the middle to Early Doucet, who shook away from one defender, faked out another and went all the way to the end zone for the tying score with 2:49 remaining.
Alabama got it back, but safety Chad Jones burst up the middle to sack John Parker Wilson and knock the ball away. It rolled along the turf until LSU's Curtis Taylor fell on it at the Tide 4.
Two plays later, Jacob Hester dove over from the 1 with 1:26 left and LSU was still in the title race.
LSU beat Florida and Auburn on its final possession and lost to Kentucky the same way. This time, the Tigers actually gave themselves a little breathing room, allowing Matt Flynn to simply kneel for the final two plays.
Saban, who led LSU to a share of the national championship in 2004 before leaving for the NFL, walked to midfield to shake hands with the coach who replaced him. Miles has faced constant criticism that he's not that great a coach, that he's simply winning with the enormous talent Saban left behind.
It must be noted, however, the guy who made the biggest play was recruited by Miles; Jones is a true freshman from Baton Rouge.
The game fully delivered on its buildup, the two teams going at each other like heavyweights throwing nothing but bombs. There were numerous big plays and amazing swings in momentum, but LSU came through when it mattered.
Flynn, whose three first-half interceptions helped Alabama get back in the game from an early 17-3 deficit, calmly drove the Tigers 84 yards in 10 plays for the tying touchdown.
Then the touted LSU defense came up with not just a stop, but a turnover.
Wilson completed only 14 of 40 passes for Alabama, but it seemed as though every one was a game-changer. He threw three touchdowns, hooking up with DJ Hall on a 67-yarder and hitting Keith Brown for scores of 29 and 14 yards.
Alabama, with two linemen and its top running back suspended over textbook issues, couldn't muster a running game. The Tide finished with just 20 yards on the ground and were outgained 475-254 overall.
After squandering its two-touchdown lead and falling behind, LSU finally responded with Flynn's 61-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd in the final minute of the third quarter.
That was just the warmup for another down-to-the-wire finish.
The Tigers - well, their fans at least - had this one circled on the calendar ever since Saban returned to the SEC West just two years after leaving Baton Rouge to coach the Miami Dolphins.
Feeling betrayed, the LSU faithful couldn't wait to get back at the $4 Million Man, the annual salary that Alabama doled out to lure Saban away from the NFL.
After the clock struck zero, ending the four-hour-plus marathon, it seemed as though all was forgiven. Saban lingered on the field to shake hands with his former players.
Arkansas 48, South Carolina 36
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- Darren McFadden ran for an SEC-record 323 yards, boosting his Heisman Trophy hopes with a breathtaking performance in Arkansas' 48-36 victory over No. 23 South Carolina on Saturday night.
McFadden ran for a touchdown and also threw for a one, and Felix Jones rushed for 163 yards and three TDs for the Razorbacks. Arkansas led 21-3 after the first quarter, and although the Gamecocks rallied in the second half, they never could stop the Hogs' running game. Arkansas rushed for 541 yards on the night.
McFadden broke the Southeastern Conference record of 321 yards set by Vanderbilt's Frank Mordica in 1978. His previous career high was a 219-yard effort against South Carolina last year.
The Gamecocks tried two onside kicks in the third quarter and recovered one, and after a bad snap gave them a safety early in the fourth quarter, they appeared to have momentum.
South Carolina's Cory Boyd ran for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 42-36 with 8:15 to play, but McFadden answered 11 seconds later with an 80-yard touchdown run.
McFadden, a junior, could decide to go pro after this season. If so, this will end up being his last game in Fayetteville. Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) has one more home game this year, but it's in Little Rock.
As Arkansas ran out the clock, McFadden stood in the field waving his arms, urging the home fans to cheer more. They obliged. McFadden was the Heisman runner-up last year, but his stock had dropped because of an unspectacular October.
So much for that.
Blake Mitchell threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina, but the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4) didn't have an answer for McFadden and Jones, both of whom surpassed 1,000 yards on the season during the game.
On a night Arkansas named its field after outgoing athletic director Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks earned their most impressive win of the season. Jones was actually the star early on, rushing for touchdowns of 40 and 72 yards in the first quarter.
After one quarter, Jones had 119 yards on four carries, and that included a play in which he was trapped in the backfield for an 8-yard loss.
Mitchell scored on a 1-yard sneak in the second quarter, but Jones returned the ensuing kickoff to the Arkansas 49. The Razorbacks then scored on a reverse pass. McFadden lined up at quarterback, with quarterback Casey Dick at wide receiver. Jones took a handoff and pitched to Dick, who threw deep to Lucas Miller for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 28-10.
South Carolina opened the second half with a field goal, then caught Arkansas completely off guard with an onside kick that was easily recovered by the Gamecocks' Emanuel Cook. Mitchell then found Jared Cook for a 21-yard touchdown, but Arkansas answered with another trick play.
With the ball at the South Carolina 23, McFadden dropped a pitchout, then picked up the ball and threw to the end zone for Robert Johnson, who wasn't open. Johnson outjumped defensive back Carlos Thomas and came down with the ball for a touchdown.
Mitchell's 22-yard touchdown pass to Dion Lecorn made it 35-27, and South Carolina followed that with another onside kick attempt, which went out of bounds. Arkansas quickly drove for Jones' third touchdown of the game, a 7-yard run.