COLLEGE FOOTBALL : SOUTHEAST ROUNDUP : Alabama Picks Apart Undermanned Georgia

Gene Stallings, unaccustomed to winning with such ease, was in an apologetic mood after No. 20 Alabama overpowered Georgia, 31-0, Saturday at Athens, Ga., behind an opportunistic defense that scored three touchdowns.

“I don’t think we were playing against Georgia’s best,” Stallings said. “You lose a quarterback and a running back and it’s going to affect you.”

The Crimson Tide, 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference, came up with six turnovers, a blocked field goal and a goal-line stand that stopped Georgia twice from the two on the first series of the third quarter.

It was the first time the Bulldogs (2-3, 1-3) had been shut out in 48 games, dating back to a 10-0 loss to the Tide at Tuscaloosa four years ago.

Sophomore Hines Ward, playing his third position this season, started his first game at quarterback for the Bulldogs because of the season-ending knee injury to Mike Bobo last week.

The Tide scored a field goal and touchdown off Ward’s fumbles and he also threw an interception.

“After today, all I can do is improve,” Ward said. “I can’t get much worse.”

Alabama’s offense continued to have its troubles, netting only 227 yards. The Tide also was flagged for 16 penalties, a school record.

“We really needed this win,” Stallings said, ending two weeks of misery since Arkansas upset the Tide, 20-19, in the waning seconds. “This gives our players confidence.”

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No. 12 Tennessee 31, Oklahoma State 0--Jay Graham rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and Peyton Manning passed for two more scores as the Volunteers cruised to a nonconference victory at Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee (4-1) scored twice in the final 70 seconds of the first half to break open a close game, then scored on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to put Oklahoma State (1-4) away.

Graham carried 22 times and ended his day with a three-yard scoring run with 5:47 left in the third quarter that put the Volunteers ahead, 24-0.

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No. 13 Auburn 42, Kentucky 21--Patrick Nix passed for three first-half touchdowns in Lexington, Ky., to stake the Tigers (3-1, 2-1) to an early, 35-7, lead on the way to an easy Southeastern Conference victory over the Wildcats.

Nix, who was 10 for 16 for 191 yards in the first half, had scoring passes of 36 yards to Andy Fuller, 32 to Stephen Davis and 44 to Robert Baker. Nix finished 18 of 27 for 262 yards and one interception.

Moe Williams carried 27 times for 164 yards and touchdown runs of six and 27 yards for Kentucky (2-3, 1-2).

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No. 23 Arkansas 35, Vanderbilt 7--Madre Hill ran for two touchdowns and 200 yards and Barry Lunney threw for a score and ran for another in the Razorbacks’ one-sided SEC victory in Nashville.

Arkansas (4-1, 3-0) took sole possession of the SEC’s Western Division lead after LSU’s 20-20 tie with South Carolina earlier.

Vanderbilt (0-4, 0-2), off to its worst start since going 0-6 in 1980, ended a 12-quarter stretch without an offensive touchdown by scoring in the fourth quarter.

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NE Louisiana 34, Mississippi State 32--Raymond Philyaw threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns as the Indians, in only their second year in Division I-A, survived a late field-goal attempt to win in Starkville, Miss.

It appeared that Northeast (2-3) had given the game away when it failed to convert a fourth-and-one from its 29 with 2:52 left. But Mississippi State (2-3), apparently content to set up a field goal, ran five times to the 18 before Tim Rogers’ 36-yard attempt with 1:32 left was wide left.