SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Late Touchdown Pass Lifts Mississippi State Over Tennessee

Kendall Watkins caught the game-winning touchdown pass and Eric Moulds caught a lot of the credit Saturday for Mississippi State’s 24-21 victory over Tennessee at Starkville, Miss.

Moulds caught three passes from Derrick Taite during the game-winning 11-play, 52-yard drive, including a leaping 22-yard grab on fourth and 12 to the eight.

“Taite came back across the middle to me,” Moulds said. “He said he was going to hang it up a little bit and give me a chance to catch it. . . .

“That’s what happened.”

Said Mississippi State Coach Jackie Sherrill: “Eric made some big, big catches. There were two plays he made that probably won the game for us.” On fourth down from the two, Taite combined with Watkins for the touchdown with 36 seconds to play.

The Bulldogs’ winning drive started after Aaron Hayden fumbled, the fourth consecutive Tennessee possession ended by a turnover.

Mississippi State, 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference, was outgained, 464 yards to 294, but still left 23rd-ranked Tennessee (1-3, 1-2) with three September losses for the first time since 1988, when the Volunteers lost their first six games.

Tennessee freshman Peyton Manning, playing in the state where his father, Archie Manning, starred for Mississippi in the 1960s, passed for two touchdowns. Replacing injured starter Todd Helton, Manning completed 14 of 23 passes for 256 yards, with one interception.

No. 11 Alabama 20, Tulane 10--Sherman Williams rushed for a career-high 191 yards to lead the Crimson Tide at Birmingham, Ala.

Williams continued to be a one-man show on offense for Alabama (4-0), carrying the ball 31 times and accounting for nearly half of his team’s 389 yards. The week before against Arkansas, the senior tailback was responsible for 234 of Alabama’s 276 yards.

“I’m a little sore,” Williams said. “It feels like 31 carries. But last week felt like 33 (against Arkansas), so I think I’ll be all right. I will be ready for next week’s game.”

Tulane (1-3) was coming off a 49-0 loss to North Carolina, but the Green Wave held the Alabama offense without a touchdown until a 16-yard run by Brian Steger broke a 10-10 tie with 2:29 to play in the third quarter.

Alabama’s other touchdown was scored on a 24-yard fumble return by Dameian Jeffries in the second quarter, erasing a 10-3 deficit.

Memphis 16, Arkansas 15--Shannon Sidney was called for offensive pass interference on a two-point conversion play with 98 seconds to play, enabling Memphis to hang on at Memphis.

Arkansas (1-3) trailed, 16-9, before Barry Lunney and James Perry connected on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Memphis was called for roughing Lunney on the play, leaving Arkansas only 1 1/2 yards from the end zone on the conversion play instead of the usual three.

But the advantage was wasted when Sidney was called for interference as Lunney lofted a pass into the right corner of the end zone.

Marcus Holliday rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown and Luis Tejeda kicked three field goals for Memphis (2-2), the last from 30 yards with 2:58 remaining to give the Tigers a 16-9 lead.

South Carolina 23, Kentucky 9--Steve Taneyhill connected on two touchdown passes to Monty Means at Lexington, Ky., including a 52-yarder with 3:38 to play.

The winning drive came after Kentucky (1-3, 0-2) was penalized 15 yards for roughing punter Derwin Jeffcoat on fourth and six at the South Carolina 40.

Three plays later, Taneyhill lofted the ball to Means racing down the left side to give South Carolina its decisive touchdown.

Taneyhill completed 25 of 38 passes for 254 yards as the Gamecocks (3-1, 1-1) rolled up 475 yards.

Georgia 17, Mississippi 14--Eric Zeier passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Bulldogs (3-1, 2-1) at Athens, Ga.

Zeier’s scoring passes covered four yards to Brice Hunter in the second quarter and five yards to Larry Bowie in the third. Zeier completed 24 of 44 passes, with three interceptions.

The margin of victory was provided by Kanon Parkmans, whose 34-yard field goal broke a 7-7 tie less than three minutes into the third quarter after Greg Brice recovered Josh Nelson’s fumbled snap on the Rebel 38.

Nelson led scoring drives of 91 yards in the first quarter and 72 yards in the third, but Mississippi fell to 2-2 and 1-2.

After Zeier’s touchdown pass to Bowie gave the Bulldogs a 17-7 lead, Nelson capped Mississippi’s second scoring drive by connecting with Roell Preston on a 38-yard touchdown pass play.