LSU Avoids Upset by Troy

Marcus Randall threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to David Jones with 2 minutes 18 seconds left to give No. 18 Louisiana State a 24-20 victory over Troy on Saturday night at Baton Rouge.

“You certainly have to appreciate every win that you have,” LSU Coach Nick Saban said. “And I certainly appreciate the fact that we competed, that we came back in the game and found a way to win.”

It was the second game in a row that Randall rallied LSU (5-2) to victory, though this wasn’t what the Tigers expected against the Trojans from the Sun Belt Conference.

The Trojans (3-4) had only 36 yards of offense in the first half, but trailed only 17-10 at the break thanks to LSU turnovers.

Troy scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but a penalty nullified it. The Trojans held the ball for 4 minutes 44 seconds and capped the long drive with a 24-yard field goal by Greg Whibbs to go up 20-17 with 3:59 left.

“I thought we had a chance to play with them,” Troy Coach Larry Blakeney said. “I didn’t know how long we could hold out.... But our kids gave it a tremendous try. We had them on the ropes.”

No. 3 Auburn 42, Kentucky 10 -- Carnell Williams rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tigers gave up only 110 yards in a rout at Auburn, Ala.

Ronnie Brown also rushed for two touchdowns for Auburn (8-0, 5-0), which overpowered the league’s worst defense.

The Wildcats (1-6, 0-4) have lost 14 in a row against Auburn.

No. 10 Georgia 20, Arkansas 14 -- David Greene threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns, and Thomas Brown rushed for 107 yards for the Bulldogs (6-1, 3-1) at Fayetteville, Ark.

Arkansas’ offense lacked much of its punch because quarterback Matt Jones was hobbled by a groin injury. He played most of the game, but the Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3) had only 278 yards of total offense. They fumbled the ball four times, losing it twice, and were scoreless in the second half.

No. 11 Tennessee 17, Alabama 13 -- Tennessee turned to its defense to turn back Alabama’s late rally, and the Volunteers held on with key stops and an interception in the final seconds at Knoxville, Tenn.

The Crimson Tide (5-3, 2-3) was trailing by a touchdown when Brian Bostick’s 47-yard field goal with 6:26 left pulled Alabama within four.

Tennessee (6-1, 4-1) chose to run the ball three times in a row and then had to punt as the fans in Neyland Stadium booed. But the Volunteer defense secured the win when Corey Campbell intercepted a pass at the 15 with 46 seconds remaining.

Vanderbilt 19, Eastern Kentucky 7 -- Kwane Doster ran for 117 yards, and Jay Cutler threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Commodores outlasted Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky at Nashville. The loss for Eastern Kentucky ended a three-game winning streak.