COLLEGE FOOTBALL : SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Arkansas Wins to Earn Spot in Title Game

Madre Hill’s one-yard touchdown run provided the deciding points as No. 18-ranked Arkansas withstood a late challenge to defeat Mississippi State, 26-21, Saturday at Little Rock, Ark., clinching a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game.

The Razorbacks, 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, will play the conference’s Eastern Division champion Dec. 2 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Hill’s one-yard dive ended a penalty-plagued drive and put Arkansas in front, 24-14, midway through the third quarter. It made four first downs on the 67-yard drive, three by penalties against the Bulldogs (3-6, 1-5).

Arkansas threatened to put the game out of reach with a seven-minute drive in the fourth quarter, but Todd Latourette’s 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by James Grier.

Mississippi State got the ball at its own 20, but Steven Conley sacked Derrick Taite for a nine-yard loss and then dropped him in the end zone for a safety with 1:59 left.

No. 16 Alabama 10, Louisiana State 3--Dennis Riddle rushed for 174 yards and the game-winning touchdown as the Crimson Tide won an SEC defensive battle at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama (7-2, 4-2) took over at the LSU 22-yard line with 13:05 remaining following an interception by Deshea Townsend. After both teams had driven deep into the opponent’s territory numerous times without a touchdown, Riddle ran in from the two on an option play for the only touchdown.

The game was a defensive clash that left both offenses stymied. There were seven turnovers--four by Alabama and three by LSU (4-4-1, 2-3-1).

No. 21 Auburn 38, Northeast Louisiana 14--Despite injuring a knee on his fourth carry of the game, Stephen Davis rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers won a nonconference game at Auburn.

Davis, a senior who led the SEC in rushing last season, left the game because of a strained left knee during Auburn’s second possession, limping off the field between two trainers. Doctors determined the knee wasn’t too loose, and he returned midway through the third quarter for touchdown runs of 17 and 21 yards.

Temporarily losing Davis didn’t stop Auburn (6-3) from scoring on an 89-yard drive capped by Eric Tucker-Hines’ eight-yard touchdown run.

Northeast Louisiana (2-9) was held to 92 yards rushing.

Vanderbilt 14, Kentucky 10--Damian Allen came off the bench and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass for the Commodores (1-7, 1-5), who snapped a nine-game losing streak, in a SEC victory over the Wildcats (3-6, 2-5) at Nashville, Tenn.

The streak was the longest in Division I-A, and Vanderbilt hadn’t led in a game since the opener.

Allen came in when starter Ronnie Gordon injured his left shoulder in the third quarter with the score tied, 7-7. After fumbling on his first drive, the sophomore quarterback rebounded on the team’s next possession, keying a 68-yard drive with a scramble for 23 yards on third and 17. Two plays later, he connected with Kenny Simon in the end zone with a 27-yard pass for a 14-10 lead with 11:10 to go.

Mississippi 34, Memphis 3--Paul Head threw for 207 yards and a touchdown in his first college start to lead the Rebels (5-4) over the Tigers (3-6) in a nonconference game at Memphis.

Mississippi of the SEC scored on its first two possessions, on a four-yard run by Dou Innocent, who had 106 rushing yards, and on a two-yard run by Mark Smith. Head was seven for seven on the two drives that led to the scores.