Arkansas Rolls Past South Carolina, 28-6

Matt Jones threw three touchdown passes and Arkansas, which was playing only five days after a seven-overtime victory over Kentucky, scored a 28-6 victory over South Carolina in a Southeastern Conference game on Thursday night at Little Rock, Ark.

The Gamecocks (5-5, 2-5) were kept out of the end zone for the first time this season.

“Our inability to score was detrimental,” said South Carolina Coach Lou Holtz, whose team had four turnovers. “We had a lot of mental errors. I don’t have a lot of patience for self-inflicted wounds.”

Arkansas (6-3, 3-3 SEC) became bowl eligible for the sixth consecutive season under Houston Nutt, who is 16-0 at War Memorial Stadium. Nutt is 4-1 after overtime games.

“There were 24 seniors who knew this was their last game in Little Rock, and they wanted to make a statement,” Nutt said. “They swarmed to the ball.”

Jones didn’t start but entered on the second series.

He completed 11 of 14 passes for 148 yards, including scoring passes to tight end Jason Peters and receivers Richard Smith and George Wilson.

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Quarterback Buck Pierce scored two touchdowns and freshman Tony Joseph rushed for 116 yards as New Mexico State (3-7, 2-4 Sun Belt) held on for a 26-21 victory over Utah State (3-7, 3-2) at Las Cruces, N.M.

It was a rare victory for New Mexico State over Utah State -- only the fifth in 28 games. At one point, Utah State had won 19 in a row from New Mexico State.

Utah State is winless in six road games.

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Two more Central Florida players were suspended, bringing to five the number of players disciplined this week by the school.

Defensive tackle DeMarcus Johnson was suspended for the rest of the season and guard Dan Veenstra for one game for violating team rules.

On Tuesday, quarterback Ryan Schneider and center Cedric Gagne-Marcoux were suspended for the rest of the season.

On Wednesday, cornerback Omar Laurence was arrested and charged with having a gun on campus and stealing another gun during an on-campus fight.

He was suspended indefinitely pending the outcome of the criminal charges.

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Tommie Frazier, who as quarterback helped lead Nebraska to national championships in 1994 and 1995, will become a fund-raiser for the athletic department. Frazier, who was an assistant at Baylor for four seasons, has been in private business in Omaha, Neb., since leaving coaching.... Franklin County Municipal Judge Steven B. Hayes, the son of former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, has removed himself from the misdemeanor case involving suspended Buckeye tailback Maurice Clarett.

Rodney Wright, a former player at Fresno State, was sentenced to three years’ probation for leaving the scene of a near-fatal traffic collision in Fresno in July 2002.... Plans for a black college all-star game were announced in New Orleans. The game, to be played in 30,000-seat Tad Gormley Stadium, is scheduled to begin after the 2004 season.