Graham’s Late Run Lifts Tennessee, 20-13

Jay Graham’s season was bleak and getting no better. Peyton Manning was having his worst day of the season. Tennessee and Alabama were staring at overtime.

In a blink, everything changed.

Graham broke through the line and raced 79 yards with 2:17 to play to lift No. 6 Tennessee to a 20-13 victory over No. 7 Alabama in a Southeastern Conference game at Knoxville, Tenn.

“This win is the biggest thing in the world to me, to beat them in my senior year,” Graham said. “We had some great blocking by the offensive line. I hit the corner and ran as fast as I could to get to the checkered end zone. It felt good.”

After Graham’s run, Alabama drove to the Tennessee 11, but three incompletions and a sack ended the threat. And the Volunteers, 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, had their second consecutive victory over Alabama (7-1, 4-1) and first at home since 1984.

Graham had 11 games of more than 100 yards rushing last season, but had only one this year. After nearly 58 minutes against Alabama’s SEC-leading defense, he had 49 yards in 13 carries.

But on second and 12 from the Volunteers’ 21, he followed blocks by fullback Eric Lane and guard Spencer Riley and broke into the clear.

His second touchdown run capped a comeback from a 13-0 deficit in the third quarter.

Manning completed only 12 of 25 passes for 176 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times and his receivers dropped several catchable balls.

It was the first time Manning had completed less than 50% of his passes since the Memphis game his freshman season, 21 games ago.

“Ever since the Florida game, everybody’s been kind of disappointed,” Manning said of the loss to the Gators. “You beat Ole Miss, you beat Georgia you’re happy, but any time you can beat Alabama it gives you a good feeling.

“It was our plan to play four quarters of football, and we did that. The defense played well and we hung in there. In the fourth quarter we got our chance and Jay put it away.”

No. 13 Louisiana State 28, Mississippi State 20--Kevin Faulk rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and threw a touchdown pass as the Tigers won at Baton Rouge, La.

LSU, which leads the SEC in rushing, gained 246 yards on the ground. The Tigers have scored 24 rushing touchdowns this season, six more than all last season.

The Tigers (6-1, 4-1) led by two touchdowns at halftime but Mississippi State (2-4, 1-3) pulled to 28-17 on Brian Hazelwood’s 23-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, which was set up by Faulk’s second fumble.

A turnover led to another field goal by Hazelwood with 5:30 left.

South Carolina 27, Vanderbilt 0--Scott Moritz scored two touchdowns filling in for injured Duce Staley and the Gamecocks converted two second-quarter turnovers into touchdowns in the victory at Nashville.

Staley injured his right ankle in the first quarter and remained on the sidelines the rest of the day. But South Carolina (5-3, 4-2) didn’t need him in winning its third in a row.

Vanderbilt (1-6, 0-5) turned the ball over twice within a 2:38 stretch midway through the second quarter.

Kentucky 24, Georgia 17--Derick Logan rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns and the Wildcats responded to the firing of Coach Bill Curry with a homecoming victory at Lexington, Ky.

Curry was told last Sunday that he would not return after this season. Kentucky (2-6, 1-4) turned in its best overall performance of the year in breaking a four-game losing streak.

Kentucky intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble and yielded only 212 yards in stopping Georgia (3-4, 2-3). Kentucky’s offense also came up with season-high 293 yards.

Mississippi 38, Arkansas State 21--John Avery scored twice, including a 97-yard kickoff return, as the Rebels posted a nonconference victory at Oxford, Miss.

Arkansas State (3-5) tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. Avery then took the ensuing kick and ran virtually untouched for the score that gave Mississippi (4-3) the lead for good.