SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Georgia Loses as Ball Bounces Vanderbilt’s Way

In a season of near misses for Vanderbilt--three losses by a combined seven points--it appeared the Commodores were doomed again when quarterback Marcus Wilson fumbled after dropping back to pass.

But this time things went Vanderbilt’s way, as tailback Corey Harris picked up the loose ball and ran 40 yards for a touchdown that led to a 27-25 upset of No. 17 Georgia Saturday in a Southeastern Conference game at Nashville, Tenn.

The touchdown gave Vanderbilt a 20-17 lead with 4:43 left in the third quarter.

The Commodores, who improved their record to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the SEC, padded the lead to 27-17 on the first play of the fourth quarter on a six-yard run by Wilson, but still had to survive a belated rally by the Bulldogs (5-2, 3-2).

Greg Talley came off the bench to toss a four-yard scoring pass to Andre Hastings and a two-point conversion pass to Garrison Hearst, cutting the Vanderbilt lead to 27-25 with 3:37 to play.

The Commodores, who lost to Auburn, 24-22, last week because of a second-chance field goal, faced the same situation again Saturday.

The Bulldogs’ final drive stalled at the Vanderbilt 33, where freshman Kanon Parkman was called on to kick a field goal.

Parkman was about 10 yards short on a 48-yard effort, but the Commodores were ruled offside on the play. Given a second chance, Parkman was wide right from 43 yards with 1:27 left.

The victory ended a nine-game SEC losing streak for the Commodores and was their first over Georgia since 1973.

No. 6 Florida 41, Northern Illinois 10--The Gators scored on their first two possessions, then muddled through a lethargic 21-minute stretch before pulling away to a homecoming victory at Gainesville, Fla.

“This was probably our worst effort of the year,” Florida Coach Steve Spurrier said. “Fortunately we were playing Northern Illinois and we’re a lot better than they are.

“We looked stupid out there.” Shane Matthews threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Gators (6-1). The Huskies fell to 1-6.

LSU 29, Kentucky 26--Chad Loup threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Carter with 1:02 left to give the Tigers (3-3, 2-2) an SEC victory over the Wildcats (2-4, 0-3) at Lexington, Ky.

Memphis State 28, Mississippi State 23--Fullback Leon Bosby turned a fourth-and-one play into a 35-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left to give the Tigers (4-3) a victory over the Bulldogs (4-3) in a nonconference game at Starkville, Miss.