No. 17 Arkansas’ 6-0 Start Is Its Best in 10 Years

Arkansas continues to find ways to win, but can’t find a lot respect from outside the state.

“I think we answered some questions, but I think there are going to be questions every time because we’re not one of the top schools the last 10 years,” said quarterback Clint Stoerner, who threw three second-half touchdowns in the 17th-ranked Razorbacks’ 41-28 come-from-behind victory over South Carolina at Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.

“There are going to be questions about us from here on out and that’s how we like it,” Stoerner said.

Arkansas (6-0 overall, 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference) is off to its best start in 10 years. South Carolina (1-6, 0-5) has lost six in a row and nine of 10.

Most figured Arkansas for that kind of season with first-year Coach Houston Nutt rebuilding a team that went 4-7 a year ago. But the victory left Nutt as the first Arkansas coach to start his career with six consecutive victories.

No. 5 Florida 24, Auburn 3--The Gators used a variety of reverses, fancy formations and big plays to score all their points in the first half at Gainesville, Fla., in a victory over the Tigers (1-5, 1-4).

Doug Johnson passed for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Travis McGriff ran for a score on an end-around and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass as the Gators (6-1, 4-1) extended their home winning streak to 26 games.

No. 13 Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 6--Two-way starter Champ Bailey turned two screen passes into touchdowns and set up two other scores as the Bulldogs cruised to victory over the winless Commodores at Athens, Ga.

Bailey, an All-Southeastern Conference cornerback last season, caught a 29-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and a 44-yarder in the third for the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1). Vanderbilt (0-6, 0-4) has lost 11 consecutive games and 22 in a row in the SEC.

Kentucky 39, No. 21 Louisiana State 36--Quentin McCord surprised the Tigers with a 38-yard run on an end-around, setting up Seth Hanson’s 33-yard field goal as time expired that gave the Wildcats an upset at Baton Rouge, La.

Kentucky (5-2, 2-2), facing a third-and-12 at its 24 with a minute to play, lulled LSU (3-3, 1-3) to sleep as Tim Couch, who passed for 391 yards and three touchdowns, faked one handoff and gave it to McCord.

Alabama 23, East Carolina 22--Andrew Zow threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns and the Crimson Tide returned a blocked extra point for a two-point conversion that made the difference in a victory over the Pirates at Birmingham, Ala.

The Crimson Tide (4-2) ended a four-game winning streak by East Carolina (4-2).

Mississippi State 53, East Tennessee State 6--Wayne Madkin threw three touchdown passes and James Johnson had his fifth 100-yard rushing game as the Bulldogs defeated East Tennessee State at Starkville, Miss.

The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-0) scored on three of their four first-half possessions while allowing redshirt freshman quarterback to work out some kinks against the Buccaneers (1-5) in his third start.