SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Etheridge Blunts LSU Rally in Auburn Victory

Scott Etheridge’s fifth field goal, a 42-yarder with eight seconds to play, gave Auburn a 30-28 victory over Louisiana State on Saturday at Auburn, Ala., spoiling the Tigers’ 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter.

LSU, which trailed, 27-7, at halftime, rallied behind its No. 3 quarterback, freshman Jamie Howard. He threw two touchdown passes and directed a drive that ended when Germaine Williams ran in from the two with 1:43 to play, giving LSU a 28-27 lead.

Auburn (2-1 overall, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference) countered with an 11-play, 58-yard drive that set up Etheridge’s game-winning field goal. The junior walk-on converted five of six field-goal attempts.

LSU (1-2, 1-1) stumbled through the first three quarters. Starting quarterback Jess Daigle was ineffective, and backup Ryan Huffman was benched after LSU fumbled handoffs on its first two possessions of the second half.

Those turnovers, which were recovered by Auburn at the LSU seven and 26, led to quarterback Stan White’s four-yard touchdown run, a two-point conversion and Etheridge’s third field goal, a 49-yarder, to give Auburn a 24-7 lead.

Etheridge added a 29-yarder before the period was over.

Howard, who completed eight of 18 passes for 151 yards, made his first college appearance late in the third quarter. He threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Sheddrick Wilson and a 55-yarder to Scott Ray on the next possession.

No. 9 Alabama 38, Arkansas 11--Derrick Lassic ran 33 yards for a touchdown on the Crimson Tide’s first first play from scrimmage in a rout of the Razorbacks at Little Rock.

Alabama (3-0, 2-0) scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and led, 21-0, with under six minutes gone in the second quarter. Lassic gained 112 yards in 18 carries, including 13 for 99 yards in the first half.

Arkansas (1-2, 1-1) scored on Todd Wright’s 27-yard field goal midway through the third quarter and Barry Lunney’s six-yard pass to Ron Dickerson with 62 seconds left.

Vanderbilt 31, No. 25 Mississippi 9--Safety Jeff Brothers collected 146 yards on an interception, a blocked field goal return and a punt return as the Commodores upset the Rebels at Nashville, Tenn.

Vanderbilt (2-1, 1-1) shut down Mississippi (2-1, 1-1), sacking quarterback Russ Shows five times. Brian Lee kicked three of six for Mississippi’s only points.

Brothers returned a blocked field goal 71 yards to set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Tony Jackson that gave Vanderbilt a 14-6 lead in the second quarter. He also had a 24-yard interception and a 51-yard punt return to set up touchdowns.

No. 24 Mississippi State 20, Memphis State 16--Michael Davis scored on a six-yard run with 2:13 remaining to lift the Bulldogs past the Tigers at Memphis, Tenn.

The winning touchdown came two plays after Memphis State (0-3) appeared to have stopped the Bulldogs (2-1) on third down at the Tiger 17. But a personal foul call against Memphis State kept the Mississippi State march alive, and Davis scored on the 14th play of the 80-yard drive.

Memphis State’s last-minute comeback attempt ended at the Mississippi State 44 when Steve Matthews’ pass was intercepted by Kelvin Knight.

East Carolina 20, South Carolina 18--Michael Anderson threw three touchdown passes and the Pirates held on to beat the Gamecocks, who missed two field-goal attempts in the final 25 seconds at Columbia, S.C.

With 25 seconds left, South Carolina (0-3) called on Marty Simpson, whose 36-yard field goal was blocked by Thomas Jones. The Gamecocks recovered and Simpson, who already had four field goals, missed a 37-yarder with two seconds left.

South Carolina, which lost a school-record seventh consecutive game, missed a two-point conversion that would have tied it with eight minutes left when Fred Walker of East Carolina (2-1) knocked down a pass in the end zone.