Alexander Is Great in Alabama Victory

Against one of the nation’s best rushing defenses, Alabama’s Shaun Alexander ran for 214 yards and three touchdowns--his sixth consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing and fifth with three touchdowns--as the 11th-ranked Crimson Tide held off 22nd-ranked Mississippi, 30-24, Saturday at Oxford, Miss.

Alexander had two one-yard scoring runs in the first half, the second capping a 99-yard drive, and added a two-yard touchdown run on Alabama’s opening possession of the second half.

“Right now, I don’t think there’s a better football player in the country than Shaun Alexander,” Alabama Coach Mike DuBose said. “You can’t put a value on what he means to a football team in a game like this.”

For the Crimson Tide, 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference, it was the third win in a row since a last-minute loss to Louisiana Tech.

Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) trimmed a 20-point deficit with 17 unanswered points in the second half, but couldn’t get closer and fell to Alabama for the ninth time in a row.

No. 7 Florida 32, Auburn 14--The Gators moved the ball at will through the first half, rolling up 319 yards on offense, and led, 25-0, after Bo Carroll’s 62-yard touchdown run on their first possession of the second half at Auburn, Ala.

But then Florida (6-1, 4-1) seemed to shut down, getting only 16 total yards in the third quarter, not counting Carroll’s run.

And Auburn got back into the game at 25-14. But Florida’s Bennie Alexander intercepted a Jeff Klein pass and that led to a one-yard touchdown run by Robert Gillespie that sealed the win.

It was Florida’s 70th SEC victory this decade, and it was Steve Spurrier’s 99th win at Florida, which moved him past Barry Switzer for the most victories by a coach in the first 10 years at a Division I-A school.

No. 14 Georgia 27, Vanderbilt 17--A 24-point fourth quarter and four second-half interceptions--two by Kendrell Bell--enabled the Bulldogs to come back from a 17-0 deficit and beat the Commodores in an SEC game at Nashville.

“The momentum that the defense provided in the second half gave the whole team a lift,” said quarterback Quincy Carter, who threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes of six and 25 yards.

Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-3) scored 17 unanswered points in the first 18 minutes and looked ready to pull off its first upset of a ranked opponent since 1992.

Georgia (5-1, 3-1) struggled early and wound up playing most of the game without leading rusher Jasper Sanks, who left in the second quarter because of an injured right shoulder.

The game turned on Vanderbilt’s first possession of the second half, after the Commodores drove deep into Bulldog territory.

Georgia’s Richard Seymour intercepted a pass at the nine and the Bulldogs drove the length of the field and scored on Randy McMichael’s six-yard reception. The pass was tipped, but right into McMichael’s hands.

Georgia Coach Jim Donnan said, “They had a chance to go up 24-3. We answered the call there on the next series and got a score.”

The next Georgia score came on a one-yard run by Robert Arnaud three plays after a failed fake punt on fourth and 16 by Vanderbilt. Carter’s second touchdown pass was caught by the appropriately named Patrick Pass, a running back, and a 28-yard field goal rounded out the 24-point quarter.

Vanderbilt’s final three possessions were all stopped by interceptions.

Arkansas 48, South Carolina 14--It was Lou Holtz’s return to Arkansas, where he coached from 1977-83, but the Razorbacks (4-2, 1-2) didn’t make him feel too welcome as they routed his Gamecocks (0-7, 0-5).

The Gamecocks did not make a first down or complete a pass until they trailed by 17. Senior quarterback Kevin Sides, making his first start of the year, had one completion and two interceptions on his first 10 passes.

Kentucky 31, Louisiana State 5--Derek Homer ran for two touchdowns and Kentucky’s suddenly dominant defense turned in another outstanding performance as the Wildcats (5-2, 3-1) beat LSU (2-4, 0-4) at Lexington, Ky., to remain in contention for the SEC East division title.